DURO RIDERGazette

ISSUE THREE

UNEARTHING NEW TALENTS Models, Artists, Performers Bike Builders & Painters The Ladies Have It!

MOVIE MAKING BIKERS

Sonny Barger & Jeff Santo

Australia’s Finest: SnakeCharmer

Choppers Indian Innovation

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Editorial In this issue I wanted to go big…big on talent, big on content but most of all…big on what might be BIG in the future.

I’ve been digging around for months, searching for hidden talents and skills from the biking world and I wanted this issue to showcase what is yet to be discovered and what is established.

Since this journey began I’ve wanted to show that this new style of motorcycle magazine is mostly about people…biker people with talents and interesting stories.

I’ve wanted to show the biking world that there is a place and an outlet to share the artistry and creativity but move beyond our own community and broadcast it wide into the public mindset.

It appears that others are on the same wavelength and also want to read about this and want to share their art forms with us too.

I have been humbled since the last issue to have so much interest shown in the magazine and have notable names in the biking world willing to sit down and engage with the concept.

Here we give you a voice and a platform to shine. It’s Devolution…It’s Evolution…It’s Revolution!

Enjoy The Show!

Alf Gasparro - Editor

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Contents 4 - Art Nobility - Alan Jones

7 - Rider’s Poetic Rhetoric 8 - Mad Max - Belfast Premiere

10 - Service with honour 13 - ‘What A Rush’ with Chief

14 - Everyday Artisans 16 - New Biker Models

18 - Movie Making Bikers 24 - Patsy’s Ruby

26 - Sister of Strength 28 - Gravy Engraving

30 - Proud Owner - Tony Glover 32 - The House Of Vent

34 - This is India Calling 38 - Dancing Pretty - Sara Ricca

40 - Maryanne Dunne 42 - Stevie Simpson

44 - Tales From The Den 46 - SnakeCharmer Choppers

50 - Airbrush Lush - MacGyvers 52 - What The Bloody Hell…

53 - Riding Performance 54 - Everyday Artisans

56 - Kick Ass Model 58 - Heels n Wheels

60 - Tempting Talents - Stilo Italiano 62 - Short Motorcycle Films

64 - Crikey Likey Crafts 66 - Artisan Uprising

69 - Motorcycling Issues 70 - On tour with John 72 - Through Rider’s Eyes

73 - Movie Review 74 - Triumph Nightstorm 76 - Cat Hammes Story

78 - Guest Writer - Marc J Beaulieu 80 - Biker Prose & Cons

82 - Tattoo Street 84 - Artistic Verse

86 - New Snapper Talent 88 - Tshwane Tracks

90 - Motorcycle Art - Steve Whyman

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

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MOVIE

MAKING

BIKERSHow do you furrow a pathway from ideas and written words to the movie reel with a realistic subject matter that few know much about, many fear or do not identify with and the mainstream movie business wants nothing to do with. This was the challenge of Jeff Santo of Santo films who was tasked with realising the words from famed biker Sonny Barger’s book: ‘Dead in 5 Heartbeats’ written in 2004

In Issue One of DRG, I wrote a review of the movie, of which I’m a big fan, but I always thought the story behind the production and the true independent spirit of both the personalities and characters involved and the movie making process would be a fascinating insight.I spoke to Jeff and quizzed him on his experiences and the production process and came away even more in awe of this gargantuan effort to get this project completed and humbled by his willingness to tell the true story behind the movie and about the independent movie making process.

The story behind the story began when Sonny Barger wrote an autobiography in 2000 called: ‘Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club’

He then entered negotiations with 20th Century FOX studios to have this made into a movie…whilst continuing to write other novels, but alas with delays, stalls and lack of movement on the project, he became frustrated with the process and decided to push for an independent production of his first novel: ‘Dead in 5 Heartbeats’

Now, here is where we must pause for thought. Many might think this is a simple process…”Yeah, let’s make a movie!” But the reality is anything but simple. We’re not talking about making a home movie for YouTube or getting a few friends to act in a daft way.

Interview with Jeff Santo Movie Director

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

Just think of it like this…If you had a story and wanted to make it into a film or even a 3 min movie short…then how would you do it? How would you pay for it? How would you organise yourselves? How would you get a cast and crew together? How would you get your movie distributed, promoted and seen by the public…and make any kind of financial return?…and most of all how would you ensure that you do justice to the subject matter and not have the movie’s appeal diluted and the message lost?

How? How? How?

This is why I am an unashamed movie buff but also fully appreciate how difficult it is to get a movie made…to get the ‘green light’, let alone financed and distributed around the world.

No matter how good or bad you might think a movie is, no matter whether it’s a mainstream Hollywood production or a true independent film…the fact is that behind the silver screen, there are noble adventurers having travelled a journey filled with blood, sweat and tears.

So now we come to the stage where ideas were pitched and wheels put in motion to get this impossible project into production.

Jeff explains: “I had known Sonny Barger since 2009 and we had helped with one of his wife’s projects in the past. In Nov/Dec 2011 I was approached to direct & write the movie and in early 2012 I started to adapt the book. 2 months on, the screenplay was complete and within 5 months we were on set shooting the movie”

So, whilst the writing took place….Sonny then proceeded to approach many of the motorcycle clubs and many he knew from within the biking community to get involved either as actors, extras or stunt men.Sonny’s wife; Zorana, worked tirelessly before, during and after the filming and was responsible for casting biker friends and family members to appear and volunteer in the movie, but also to arrange working timetables for all the club members and extras.Jeff, at the same time was running through the movie industry contacts he knew. Gathering a crew together for the shoot and with a modest budget of $350,000 funded solely by Sonny, Jeff and other friends of Sonny, he managed to organise a plan to get the movie in the can.

Jeff says: “Whilst speaking to distributors and having submitted the project to film festivals it soon became a reality that we would not be able to get this movie out there in the conventional manner, we would be rejected and in some ways discriminated against.

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

In a previous project of mine, I had issues with distributors so I decided to screen the movie at various cinemas around the country and sell DVDs through my website…so I knew I had a model that had worked in the past and I thought it could be applied to this. I talked with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, who had experience of producing a documentary about the band, but it’s impact was diluted because it was aired on TV whereas if the film had been available only through their website…it probably would have had a better financial return and hit the target audience.

It was also important that we not only protected the project and integrity of the movie but also tried to secure a financial return for the investors…and it was agreed that the model I had previously used was the best path”

I asked why independent film festivals were not willing to engage with this movie and was it purely because of the subject matter and information source.

Jeff explained to me: “Although they are independent film festivals…the reality is that most of the films are not truly independent and that they usually have some LA based production company or studio backing with much larger investors…the kinds that were not willing to get on board with us”

He also explained the other reason the festivals did not want the movie was probably because of some ill conceived notion that 500 bikers would just turn up and cause hell.In part, the media and the film industry over many decades have been responsible for this misunderstanding, not only within the movie business but also amongst the public at large.

It is the constant portrayal and representation of bikers as a bad lot and even recent media coverage, of the shootings in Waco, does nothing to change that. It has and continues to be one sided and masks what really is beneath.

When the filming was completed & shot in 24 days it took Jeff and his wife another 5 months or so to complete the editing and arrange the music and score for the movie. It was also during this time that the preparation for the self promotion started for the following year through independent cinemas around the country, but yet again they came up against the same misconceptions from local authorities and the police. Some authorities tried to have the cinemas shut down for the viewing and at most locations the local police force were sent en masse…almost to surround the venues just in case their suspicions materialised. (Who knows what those suspicions were!)

But of course there was nothing to be suspicious of and at every venue it was repeatedly remarked how fantastic the whole experience was…not only for the producers and biking community who came along but also for those in the area and working at these venues.

It was a successful tour of cinemas and was a good business decision by the independent cinemas also to host such events…Their only gripe…was they’d wished they could have had more of these events…now that is a testament to the values of the production team and the movie goers themselves. So here we have a situation where the impossible project was achieved by the merging of two independent elements and married with the commitment and dedication from all of those involved.

From the top with Sonny, Jeff and a few others who arranged finance, to the Arizona clubs and bikers volunteering and committed to help out without reward, to the cast and crew who believed in the project and wanted to get on board (without union interference)…this film was made in collaboration right the way through and it succeeds in showing a snapshot of what American motorcycle club life is like and what it potentially can be like…with drama, tragedy and humour too. Although the story is adapted from a novel, it is still based upon real life scenarios from within and around motorcycle clubs in America. It is this authenticity that is both alluring and charming, but which is why it was probably rejected by the mainstream. Because of its lack of broad appeal, Jeff & Sonny had to ensure that everyone associated with the film all acted in unison and worked together for a common goal. It would never attract an A List actor or anyone who just wanted a pay check…it required actors & crew who knew for a short window they were going to be part of a process, part of something special and part of something that would likely never be repeated again.

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

In situations like this it was natural for them to approach and turn to people whom they already knew or whom they had worked with in the past. For Jeff, he turned to actors such as David Della Rocco of ‘Boondock Saints’ fame, comedian Bob Rubin, Jeff Black and Dan Haggerty of ‘The Life & Times of Grizzly Adams’ from 70’s TV.

Sure they tested for the parts but essentially he could work with a cast who appreciated the scope and importance of such a mission, who would also be believable in their roles as riders and part of the biking community. In general whilst on set everything worked like clockwork and all the filming crew and actors/extras worked without issues…they got on and got on with the job at hand.

Jeff says of this: “On many other projects you might have certain cast and crew who come in with certain attitudes or agendas and will not necessarily show that loyalty to a project that they’re only working on for a month as opposed to one they’d be working on for a year or so…so invariably there can be problems whilst on set, but in this production there was none of that and everyone just got along. We also worked closely with the real life biking community too to advise us about dialogue and the manner in the script and there were numerous rewrites of scenes just to get it right”

I asked Jeff if he thought this process could ever be repeated, could a follow up movie be made by an independent filmmaker. He said: “It would be highly unlikely, almost impossible to do this again. It was a unique situation and coming together of so many elements” I asked whether he thought the route they took to

distribute the film, to go on a cinema tour, to sell the DVD from their own dedicated website, meant that they weren’t attracting the wider audience…beyond the motorcycle club world into general motorcyclists or even into the public who do not ride or whom have no concept of the biking lifestyle.

He said: “We have a model which we believe is pitched at our target audience. Yes, it is a niche market…but it’s not so small when you have over 200 million riders around the world.

We also wanted to protect the film and its distribution so that its impact wasn’t washed out in the masses immediately. We want people to buy the collectable DVD to talk about it with their friends and spread the word about this movie and what it represents. We want them to be part of the process also and be part of the overall project too” The principle filming finished in summer 2012 with its release summer 2013, so 2 years on they’ve sold over 25,000 DVDs all over the world and that keeps growing everyday.

They have also released it for download with iTunes and they’re considering future alternative distribution pathways…possibly TV, but for now they have a 6 year plan, they’re halfway there and they’re on the verge of it moving wider into the public consciousness.

I then asked Jeff if he thought this film might prove to be the gateway film to attract mainstream or Hollywood to make films on this subject matter whilst preserving the authenticity of the stories.“Yes, it’s possible but there would have to be another meeting of minds. Where two worlds would come together to work on a particular project…who knows

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

but it would likely require a sizeable budget of over $30million and it would involve the movie studios needing the desire to not only see a project through but also tell the true story and not some fictional, unrealistic and inaccurate tale of what they think is real”

My final question to Jeff yielded an answer that left me gasping in anticipation.I asked him: “Do you think you’ll ever be involved with a movie of this type again and what will it likely be?”

Jeff replied: “Actually I’m working with Rob Weiss (who wrote for Entourage on TV) writing a screenplay and adapting Sonny Barger’s autobiography from 2000 called: ‘Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club’

We’re nearly complete with the draft for FOX 2000 who already own the material…actually it was Sonny who got me onto to writing for them. If it happens, it will be the very first of this kind of movie and a story that really needs to be told…and one that I’m sure will prove to be both artistically and financially rewarding for the studio if it goes ahead.

Many other areas of society have had their stories told, whether it’s the mob, the police, the military etc…but the biker and club story has never been told and certainly not accurately.

So to have a story that depicts why the clubs started up after world war two when returning veterans came back from the war as the backdrop and then follow Sonny’s path into the biker world and right through until he went to Folsom prison…will be a momentous time in movie making, one that’s never been done before and one that we think should be told.

It’s going to be a period piece because we’re representing the time after WWII from the 50’s to the 70’s”

When I talk about movies I often talk about whether or not I find it believable or fanciful. Whether it is accurate or even a realistic portrayal…whether it suspends my disbelief.If it’s not meant to be representative of the truth, then I’ll accept that and enjoy the movie for what it is, however if it is supposed to be so…then I want it to be as realistic and based upon facts and first hand accounts. I sincerely hope this next project can be made because it is a story that needs to be told, that needs to be seen on the big screen and most importantly by the masses…to fully understand the heritage and the culture within the motorcycle clubs.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Santo/Santo Films

Fitting for this feature and for the project as a whole, I wondered if when art imitates life…would life then imitate art. Would the film prove to be an inspiration for current and future generations…not so much existing motorcycle club members who already live the life, but for those from the outside looking in.

It’s probably too early to tell but as the film gathers further momentum and the mainstream movie makers start to take note, then the wider public may indeed feel this influence…one of honour, loyalty and respect for your club or group.

For Jeff, has already been influenced by this experience. He wasn’t from the biking scene before making the movie and had to draw upon his own experiences from the baseball world and the club/locker room mentality to identify with the characters and the community the movie was representing.

Jeff’s father was Ron Santo…Chicago Cubs baseball player from the 60’s & early 70’s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jeff spent his childhood immersed within his father’s club and culture. Within any club, clubhouse or locker room there are common traits of banding together, working as a team with loyalty and respect for each other as well as taking care of each other and he used this to adapt and identify with the characters and real people he would be working with on the movie. It was met with a mutual respect and understanding from the biking community too, which made the whole process so much easier, fluid and real.

Jeff says “I had only ridden dirt bikes as a kid, I then started to ride and actually owned the Victory Hard-Ball featured in the movie and rode that around for 2 yrs before selling it and buying a Victory Cross Country. I came from the baseball world and was invited into the biking world by Sonny and now I and my wife are fully immersed into the culture and part of that world now and proud to be so too”

So now we have movie making bikers…but we should have movie mogul bikers.

Sonny Barger, Jeff Santo and everyone else involved in the production of Dead in 5 Heartbeats…For your herculean efforts and dedication to get a realistic story onto film…We Salute You!

More info about the movie at:

www.deadin5heartbeats.com

DURO RIDER Gazette ISSUE THREE

LA WOMAN

Model: Dani Kelly

Actress Model Writer Motorbike Rider

Chair in the air

Chairing about with one wheel not on the ground Is all part of the fun of left handers going around

With a passenger for company at your side Is more than a delight to share the ride

A dab of front brake steers you to the right Open up the throttle makes ya fly like a kite

With the chair flying through the air And a passenger screaming that they care

From Gemini to sports a bizarre carbuncle of a sorts With all its strange handling quirks and all of the warts

Fully laden and ready to go Camping made easy when you know

You may be a bit slow and everyone speeds on ahead You set up your tent with creature comforts and your bed

And when under canvas, the best way to start the day Is a fried breakfast, bacon egg and sausages is the way

Tim Gladdis - Artist/Biker

DURO RIDER Gazette

A new and alternative motorcycle magazine which features heavily on artistic, creative

& performing talents from around the motorcycle world.

The magazine by design is different from any other & it defies practices of conventional motorcycle

& biking lifestyle magazines.

The magazine is available to view on the website by subscribing to view current & future

issues or buy to view current issue

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