The construction business turned to shit for me and a lot of other folks in 1980. Interest rates were at 21% thanks to the “FED,” and numerous other assholes I’m sure, and my boss came in one Monday morning with my paycheck and a handshake, wishing me good luck in whatever new adventure I may pursue. Well that was it, screw these people; I bought a 36’ crab boat in San Francisco and proceeded to make my fame and fortune as a commercial fisherman…a really dumb idea. After the crab season in San Francisco Bay, in early 1981, I moved the boat to Fort Bragg CA and fished the Rock Cod seas. I befriended several old salt fishermen from there, most notably Charley Fagg (he used to say “the only Fagg in Bragg”); super guy, took me under his wing and showed me the fishing business. Well one of Charlie’s buddies was “Wino” Willie Forkner…the actual Wino Willie from the 1947 Hollister ‘riot’. Holy shit Wino Willie! I was instantly enthralled asked him a million questions…and got shitfaced drunk, doing significant damage to my liver. At that time Willie and Al Reynolds’ favorite was Southern Comfort. I still gag at the smell. We’d drink for days and whoop it up at Al’s barn, when the weather was making the ocean into a smoking hole.





The visiting riders mostly ignored the organized AMA scrambles and hillclimbs, and set about entertaining themselves on the main street in town. They performed stunts (donuts, standing on saddles, wheelies; nothing has changed!) and racing each other down the street, cheered on by their friends, who became increasingly drunk and loud as the weekend progressed. Not a single citizen of the town was injured or complained to the police, and accounts from business owners confirmed they’d made more money that weekend than at any time prior, and any physical damage to their businesses or the town’s property was minimal. There was, of course, damage to some of the riders, with around 60 reported injuries, with three serious ones, including a broken leg and a cracked skull. The police made 50 arrests for public drunkenness, reckless driving, and disturbing the peace, all misdemeanors. Locals were quoted that while the scene was ‘a hell of a mess’, the bikers ‘weren’t doing anything bad, just riding up and down whooping and hollering, not really doing any harm at all.’ Even a local City Councilman stated ‘Luckily, there appears to be no serious damage. These trick riders did more harm to themselves than the town.’


Wino Willie passed away a few weeks before the 50th anniversary of Hollister 1947. His friends and family had him cremated and Wino attended the event in an urn.
Last article I listed a group of acronyms, listed below is the translations.
RUBs “Rich Urban Bikers”
Sewers “Suburban Weekend Riders”
Ahabs “Aspiring Hard-ass Bikers”
Riots “Retired Idiots on Tour”
Bastards “Bought a Sportster, Therefore a Radical Dude”
Igloos “I Got the Look, Will Own One Soon”
Hoots “Have One Ordered; True Story”
My wife and I just got back from the Laughlin River Run. Looking back at Holister 1947 and comparing that to 53 years later the only thing that’s changed is the numbers. Same press thing, same cop thing, same local businesses making windfall profit (i.e. Water $3.50 per bottle). The bikes are Harley, but they are no longer bob-jobs as in ‘take off all the crap you don’t need and shorten the rear fender with a hacksaw’. Now it’s $50,000.00 wonders that some RUB cashed in his 401k for.

Case in point how the media can manipulate a story in order to increase sales ( or in todays terms .. clicks / view.. and yes they do … all of them ! Social / traditional or otherwise )
Thats not to say that the Booze Fighters weren’t a bunch of class A trouble making drunken (bleep)holes … nor that they didn’t deserve a healthy dose of bad press … especially when the truth of the matter and their actions well and good exceeded any of the presses attempts to exaggerate it
Nor does the presses actions of the past in any way justify or excuse todays 1%ers … regardless of the club moniker … they’re all to a number criminals … who’s roots are buried in groups like the Booze Fighters .
Great retell of an age old story … too bad like most of history in this current age … this’ll go in one ear .. and right out the other … hell … most today can’t even remember what happened four years ago … never mind 70+
😎
But seriously Mr Peck … get your damn history and perspective in order …. cause y’alls living on a different planet .. comparing yesteryears Hollister etc to today Laughlin Run ( or even worse Sturgis ) is like comparing a small family owned for 100 years store in a small town or village … to a freaking WalMart in one Megalopolis or another .
Or to be more specific …. the past was about motorcycling … a bit of sport … a little commerce .. and yeah a helluva lot of inebriation … wheres todays everts ?
PURE COMMERCE.. plain and simple .. everything else including the bikes ( and you * the participant ) has become an afterthought .
* You cowboy…. in their eyes … are nothing more than a commodity … to be bought – sold – sold to – traded and discarded at their discretion and pleasure .. more often than not .. for the pure hell of it
e.g Welcome to the Age of previously Hyper .. now firmly Anachro Capitalism … firmly rooted in Neo Liberal ideology …. and about to get a helluva a lot worse ….where the only thing that matters is Does It Make Money … regardless of what it takes to do so .
Do you read ? i mean actually R-E-A-D ? ( both articles are lengthy ) If so … pick up the recent issue of Harpers … and read the Bonoroo and then the Davos article back to back … same ( bleep ) different location , method of inebriation and dress code … but other than that .. exactly the same .. its all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
But jes so ya doesn’t thinks fer a minute cowboy that I’s in any way whining or afeared …. we got ours …and to the rest .. in the words of Hunter S Thompson ;
” You bought the ticket sucker … now take the Ride ”
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PS; Re; the acronyms … yeah … yer real cute cowboy tossing those meaningless insults out like they mean something … too bad you need anonymous acronyms to express yerself . .. and too bad you feel the need to insult others behind their backs … which says a whole lot about you … all of it negative …
Oh … and by the way cowboy … you do realize that by insulting others who chose to support and or participate in motorcycling in one form or another …
You’re literally shooting yerself and others in the M/C retail game right in the foot .
Yeah … yer brilliant Cowboy … in some other dimension perhaps ….
In closing … know the difference between Ignorance and Stupidity ?
Ignorance is when you either do not have the information .. or are incapable thru no fault of your own of understanding the information
Whereas Stupidity .. is when you have the information right in front of you … are fully capable of understanding it … but chose out of arrogance , bias , agenda etc … not to
Hmmm ….
C.B. Clausen was the first president of the Boozefighters in 1946. He later went on to start MC Supply. One of his early employees was Ken Howard AKA Von Dutch. C.B. was also the builder of the Knucklehead stroker powered salt flat, and dry lakes, and drag racing the Brute. Early Boozefighters John Cameron and Gil Armis were good friends of mine. When I was in High School in Long Beach in the early 60’s I would go down to the PIKE and see a lot of Galloping Goose Club members hanging out. The Boozefighters rolled up their cords in the early 50’s but hung with the Gooses before that.