“Biker media” takes many forms; from the “infiltration books” to movies (good and horrible) to the documentaries that are so popular on the cable stations (again, both good and God-awful) and other various manifestations of how artists, writers and producers interpret our way of life.
A lot of this stuff is the same ol’ same ol’ but amidst it all there is a writer who has nested into a totally unique little niche; a guy who definitely rolls his own dice. A true individual.
J.J. Solari began to write for Easyriders magazine back in 1975. Well, actually, what he did was a lot more than writing; what J.J. did was to look at our lifestyle in a way unlike anyone ever did before or anyone has done since.
It’s obvious to any real biker that it doesn’t take much to make a normal day into a crazed “adventure” when you have the mix of big bikes and the kinds of friends that most of us have and the places to go that most of us have to go. Just waking up can be a jolting thrill if you don’t know who might be sleeping on your couch, or your floor, or even your bed. And you have to consider if they’ve sobered up yet or not. And how many of them there might be. And if someone wants to take a ride. And for how many hundreds of miles. And for what reason (if there even is one). And just when the next party starts.
It’s an always “interesting” way to live and J.J. Solari details each and every edge-filled second of that electric (sometimes short-circuited) existence in his classic short stories.
For years his pieces have been read in the pages of Easyriders then on Bikernet. Now, his new book, When Bikers Meet Humans, has been released. When you buy this book and bring it into the relative serenity of your very own home, it will be like uncaging a truckload of hungry mongooses in your living room. Open the door even further, let in a random multiple vortex tornado or two and you’ll set the ambience perfectly.
J.J. Solari is a genuinely hilarious man. He is seriously funny. But he is also pretty much dedicated to looking at our lifestyle with all the laid-back sensitivity of a thirsty Great White thrashing around in a vat of AB Negative.
You’ll laugh yourself into hyper-ventilating fits when you read this book—but then again, maybe you won’t if you’re easily offended, or if you spend a lot of time watching Paul and Jan Crouch on TBN and you actually send them money, or if you listen to Bread’s Greatest Hits a lot, or if you’re still a virgin.
If you don’t quite fit into any of those categories, trust me, this book is a screamer—literally. You’ll love it!
It’s available (along with a bunch of other cool and truthful biker media stuff) at http://stores.ebay.com/Biker-Music-and-DVDs .
J.J. Solari’s
“When Bikers Meet Humans”
A book review by Buckshot
What does a depraved biker do when his frustration with society, dogs, cagers, an’ most every fuckin’ thing else on the planet reaches its boilin’ point? He becomes an author! You’ve probably laughed yer ass off at his stories in Easyriders, an’ if ya squat down an’ squint, you’ll find one right here on Bikernet called “The Burial of Mokes”.
Have ya ever had yer leg shreaded by some ferocious Fido just fer ridin’ past his house? Have ya ever tried ta bury a brother when ya were short on cash? Have ya ever coveted that rush of freedom ya feel after a large dose of sweet revenge? If so, this book’s the one ta learn how ta read on. Out’a consideration, he’s even kept the chapters short so yer legs won’t fall asleep on the shitter! Not many authors’d go that far ta assure the comfort of their readers, but that’s just the kind’a guy J.J. is.
Now if yer squeamish about the whole blood an guts thing, maybe this book ain’t fer you, but if ya have a totally depraved sense’a humor like most of us, you’ll laugh till the tears run down yer leg. He even had the world renown artist, (well, it IS a small world, ya know) Thomas Broersma, sprinkle nostalgic black an white line drawing illustrations through the book just in case yer imagination couldn’t quite wrap itself around the details of the gore an’ devastation wrought between the 389 pages of this literary masterpiece.
You’ve probably heard the ol’ saying; “The pen is mightier than the sword”. After ya read “The Killing of Mauser”, you’ll know that ol’ sayin’ is a crock’a crap!
I’ll bet yer wonderin’ “how can I get a copy’a this modern classic before the price goes up?” Well, the secret is ta go on e-bay, type in When Bikers Meet Humans, an’ ol’ Bill Hayes, literary purveyor to Hollywood’s elite, will sell ya one from his exclusive on-line store fer the paltry sum of $13.13 plus shippin’ an handlin’, which is also dirt cheap.
Ya better hurry, cause when it makes Oprah’s Best Seller list, the price’ll probably go through the roof!
–BUCKSHOT
