SONNY BARGER
Sonny Barger (born Ralph Hubert Barger; October 8, 1938) is a founding member (1957) of the Oakland, California, U.S. chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. He is the author of five books and also the editor of the book Ridin’ High, Livin’ Free: Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories (2003). Onscreen, Barger was identified but didn’t speak in Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) and was one of several members of the Angels who had speaking parts playing themselves in Hell’s Angels ’69 (1969); he has appeared in several additional films. He also appeared in the Sons of Anarchy television show as “Lenny ‘The Pimp’ Janowitz”. (More from Wikipedia)
On the other hand, Mick Farren has had a lot of friends over the years who were much more radical than he was. For instance, Farren was one of the leaders of the British wing of the White Panthers, a group that Black Panther Party leader Huey Newton encouraged white sympathizers to form. But it wasn’t just radicals; Farren also befriended several members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, and one of the quotations in the liner notes of Ptooff! is by Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Oakland, California chapter and probably the best known Angel. Moreover, Mick Farren demonstrated time and time again that he could be a very good friend indeed.
(March 2014/1)
