Amazon.com: Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman: Dave Nichols, Andrea "Bambi" Desmedt, Michael Lichter: Books

Review

Thunder Press, June 2006

“Although Nichols employs a style common to most biographies (e.g., from birth to death), catchy chapter titles like ‘Rebel Without a Pause’ and ‘Media Magician’ draw the reader in. He evokes a hint of sensationalism by throwing out tantalizing bits about what can be found in later chapters, making it difficult to put the book down.”

IronWorks, Sept./Oct. 2006

“As you page through Michael Lichter’s photos in Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman, you’ll feel like he’s still with us – or at least wish he was.”

American Iron Magazine, August 2006

“It’s an unusual womb-to-tomb … a fitting tribute to a revered character.”

Product Description
A stunt man and side show performer made famous by the Discovery Channel, Indian Larry Desmedt is best remembered for his remarkable custom motorcycles, his wild tattoos, and his love for building and riding rolling art. This book, by those who knew him best, offers a closer look at the life that made Larry into the â€œchopper shamanâ€ so many admired. Full of photographs that document a uniquely colorful life, the book follows Larry from his humble beginnings to his unlikely stardom, tracing his short career as a bank robber, his time in prison, his spiral downward into heroin addiction, and his rebirth in 1994 as the spiritual bike builder revered by so manyâ€"and running through it all, the love of hot rods and motorcycles that finally brought him happiness.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Motorbooks; 1st edition (March 10, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760323828
ISBN-13: 978-0760323823
Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#25 in Books > Nonfiction > Automotive > Motorcycles > Pictorial
#28 in Books > Nonfiction > Automotive > Motorcycles > History

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bike building, bike builders, bike shows, neck tattoo

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Indian Larry, Paul Cox, New York, Billy Lane, Biker Build-Off, The Discovery Channel, Von Dutch, Coney Island, Psycho Cycles, Paul Yaffe, Big Daddy, Kendall Johnson, Jesse James, Grease Monkey, Gasoline Alley, Joseph Campbell, Robert Pradke, Easyriders Bike Shows, Love Zombie, Motorcycle Mania, Johnny Mack, New Hampshire, Polar Bear Club, Jean Houston, Hugh King

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	65% buy the item featured on this page: Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman 4.0 out of 5 stars (11) $19.67
	12% buy Billy Lane's How to Build Old School Choppers, Bobbers and Customs (Motorbooks Workshop) 4.1 out of 5 stars (17) $17.13
	10% buy Indian Larry 5.0 out of 5 stars (6) $25.76
	7% buy How to Build a Bobber on a Budget (Motorbooks Workshop) 3.7 out of 5 stars (3) $17.13

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ?????????????, March 17, 2006

By	James A. Pantano "jackthewhack" (beacon, new york United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i know this may sound strange to some, but the way indian larry passed was the way i think a lot of us would like to go, in defiance of practicality. doing what it is that we truly love to do. taking a risk and then taking it again. im not a biker and i dont pretend to be, and not being one makes it difficult for me to conceptualize what a real biker truly is. but of all the biker shows i have watched and all the magazines and books i have read, indian larry truly embodies that image. he defines in my mind the quintissential biker. i watched biker build off from the begining and indian larry was instantly my favorite. of course being born and raised in brooklyn myself quickly endeared him to me. i remember around the time larry passed the pope had died too. and i remember thinking to myself, wow, the pope known and loved by billions and yet i feel nothing for him. and then here is this guy from brooklyn who builds motorcycles and lives an oddball lifestyle and says and does things that i instantly relate to. larry made me think, i mean truly ponder life in just a couple of hours that a world spiritual leader could not do in how many years? i never met you larry but i miss you. and if this sounds mushy to some, well im sorry. as for the book, its magnificent. a fitting tribute to a true motorcycle legend. great writing and excellent photographs from different times in larrys life. its really amazing to see the evolution of this man. the weight lifting muscle bound photos are a trip. then a couple pages later he has a drug-mug. then hes swimming at coney and riding his bike in shorts- in the winter! i hate the cold so these pix crack me up. there are plenty of studio bike photos of all the biker build off bikes. its a great book. any one who admired indian larry should have it and i am truly glad that i have one. p.s. to all the people who contributed to this book, you did an excellent job. jackthewack, march 06

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fitting Tribute , August 20, 2006

By	Uncle Ace - See all my reviews

This is without a doubt one of the most thorough and balanced biographies I've ever read. It covers everything, from Indian Larry's troubled past, to his path out of "Hell University," to his well-deserved rise to fame as one of the best original chopper builders ever. There's tons of tributes from his peers and friends, and plenty of pictures documenting it all. I highly recommend this book to everyone who liked the man, and especially to those who can appreciate the motorcycle as he did - as a true work of art.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Great photos, terrible writing, December 29, 2008

By	Moto Rick (North Georgia) - See all my reviews

This could have been a much better book if it weren't for Nichols continual essays on how Indian Larry fits into the author's personal view of Viking mythology. After the umpteenth time reading how Indian Larry was a "mythic hero" confronting his self-made demons and emerging as a new person, I was ready to scream. Seriously, that thought makes up about 90% of the written content of the book. The pictures, and the brief comments from other bike builders are pretty interesting, but the maddening writing of Dave Nichols ruined this book for me.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars nice pictures only
Indian Larry has been a hero of sorts since I "met" him in Iron Horse years ago-when I got this book,I spent an hour just looking at the photos and reading captions. Read more

Published 14 months ago by nonyabidnis

4.0 out of 5 stars Indian Larry wasn't a hero...
This man didn't have an average live, I think it's one thing on everybody will agree...
This was a good man, who just lived his life as he could, just like us, but with less... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Laurent Roy

4.0 out of 5 stars Influential Larry
Larry was happy being who he was. He states as much in his interviews during his Biker Build Off episodes. Read more

Published on March 22, 2007 by Bryce E. Morgan

2.0 out of 5 stars Chopper Showman
This book could have had half the number of pages. The focus is on the spiritual (indian?) side of Larry. Read more

Published on March 21, 2007 by David S. Reed

4.0 out of 5 stars Be Entertained!
Purchased as a gift, full of great yarns & photo's, for the right person this is a great buy! Enjoy!

Published on January 16, 2007 by 2nd Phase

5.0 out of 5 stars Indian Larry Chopper Shaman
This book has a very unique writing style, which helps you see just how influential Indian Larry was, and how much of an impact he made on his close friends. Read more

Published on January 5, 2007 by Eric S. Barnett

5.0 out of 5 stars My husband loves this book
I received this book very quickly after ordering it, and I gave it to my husband on Fathers day. The book is very detailed and had a lot of information in it that my husband... Read more

Published on July 10, 2006 by B. Payne

5.0 out of 5 stars Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman
The book is very interesting. The price is onest and the ship very fast!

Published on March 21, 2006 by Luani Mauro

› See all 11 customer reviews...

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