Book Review

Born To Be Wild:  A History of the American
Biker and Bikes.
By Paul Garson.  (New York:  Simon & Schuster,
2003. 320 pp.  $26.00, ISBN 0-7432-2523-6.) 

Ron Milam
Texas Tech University

Harleys, et al

There may be no more misunderstood subculture in late twentieth-century history than that of the biker.  Paul Garson, a writer, biker, and contributor to Easyriders magazine has crafted a book that places the motorcycle and those who ride them seriously, within the context of American historical events.  Using an informal writing style laced with humorous anecdotes, Born To Be Wild attempts to explain the mystique, hardware, and lifestyle of those who ride big machines.

In choosing a title based upon the lyrics from John Kay and Steppenwolf’s title song from the movie Easy Rider, it is evident that Garson did not intend his audience to be those who casually ride motorcycles for transportation purposes.  Such riders are described as people who ride bikes as a hobby, and they have, throughout history, chosen to ride motorcycles that are inexpensive and manufactured outside of America.  This book, however, is about the evolution of the biker culture, those who ride the big machines manufactured in Milwaukee by Harley-Davidson.  To understand this lifestyle one must comprehend the development of “the company,” and Garson provides a comprehensive corporate history, from the prototypes first produced by Bill Harley and Art Davidson in 1903 to the introduction of the V-Rod in 2001.  This love affair between the biker and the company is at the heart of the biker culture.  After all, few corporations can boast of their logo adorning the skin of their customers.

Garson traces the genesis of the biker mystique to the World War II veteran’s desire to acquire the adrenaline rush he had experienced in combat.  Riding motorcycles was a good substitute; “riding into towns and burning them to the ground” was even better.  Of course, that never happened, but in 1954 Stanley Kramer made the movie TheWild One about a 1947 biker rally in Hollister, California, and the Marlon Brando character, Johnny Strabler (on a Triumph), represented rebellion that had never been shown before on the silver screen.  The film represented society’s misfits against “nice people,” a phrase that would ultimately be used by the Honda corporation to differentiate between those who rode their products and those who rode Harleys.  “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” created a corollary in some people’s minds that those who rode Harleys were not nice people.  Many of the executives in Milwaukee were incensed, having spent years trying to project Harley-Davidson’s clean-cut image.  Others believed that this anti-hero image could be capitalized upon, but it would take several years, a different political climate, and another movie, Easy Rider, to see the “bad-boy” image become a positive marketing tool.  Garson accurately, and with good historical perspective, describes both the 1947 event, and the subsequent film’s depiction, pointing out the many fallacies that have surrounded one of the country’s first biker rallies.

So Garson focuses his pen and camera on Harleys because, as he writes in the introduction, “history is what the winners say happened.  In this case the winner was Harley-Davidson.”  And since bikers are creative and entrepreneurial, custom bikes based upon the Motor Company’s platforms are afforded the same respect as Harleys.  With hundreds of photos, most of them having been selected from the pages of Easyriders’ thirty-years of publishing success, the motorcycle is depicted as an art form.  (At least one-third of the book is devoted to such pictures.) Choppers, dressers, restorations, and even basket cases are presented and described in detail along with, in many cases, websites of the builders to allow the reader to access further information. 

Garson’s vivid description of annual biker pilgrimages to rallies touches many aspects of biker culture.  Sturgis, Daytona, Laconia, Laughlin, Red River, and the Vietnam Veteran’s Ride to the Wall are all mentioned, along with pictures of each rally and information regarding organizers’ websites.  Patches signifying one’s attendance at such “conventions” are prominently displayed on the leather and denim of the attendees, thus establishing one’s identity as a biker.  And T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as “I Rode Mine to Trailer Week, Daytona, 1997” are examples of the pride that bikers exhibit in the journey, if not the destination.  You can not claim to be a biker without having participated in such annual gatherings and Garson’s descriptions of the often ribald activities is recognition of the importance of such events in a biker’s life.

Two particularly controversial subjects that Garson addresses to explain biker culture are the “helmet laws suck” movement, and the involvement of Vietnam Veterans in the biker culture.  These two issues are dealt with differently as Garson provides a lengthy, detailed, rational examination of the relationship between motorcycle deaths and helmet laws, concluding that states with no helmet laws suffered fewer deaths (2.89 per 100 accidents) than states with full helmet laws (2.93) deaths.  If this defies logic, it also may help explain why this subject receives more coverage in the book than any other topic.  Bottom line:  bikers don’t like to wear helmets.  Being truly “in the wind” is part of the culture, and Garson’s approach to the controversy is indicative of the extent to which bikers have worked the legislative corridors of America to rescind helmet laws. 

Garson’s treatment of Vietnam Veterans is in sharp contrast to that of the helmet law issue.  With tasteful, yet emotionally charged pictures, veterans and their loved ones are shown at “The Wall” after having participated in a cross-country ride called Run for the Wall.  No words are really necessary to arrive at the conclusion that Vietnam Veterans feel comfortable within the ranks of those who call themselves bikers.

Garson’s humorous approach to life is evident throughout the book.  He is not in awe of the book writing profession—his bibliography is aptly referenced as “Books We Thumbed Through to Write This Book.”  Timed for publication during Harley-Davidson’s 100th anniversary (2003), the book will likely become a coffee-table addition to many bikers’ libraries.  Born To Be Wild may not be the answer to the needs of those who require validation that there are bikes other than Harleys, but for those who have already accepted Milwaukee’s dominant role in biker culture, this book will solidify that belief.

Ron Milam is a military/diplomatic historian currently employed in the Department of History at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.  He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War and has been riding Harley Davidson motorcycles for the past 12 years.  He has ridden to the Sturgis Rally 7 times, the Daytona Rally 5 times, Run For The Wall twice, and the Red River Run in New Mexico.  He currently rides a ’97 Electra Glide Classic, and an ‘03 Heritage Softail Classic.

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