Now anyone
who really knows me well knows that my life is definitely
NOT lacking in activities that consume my time. And
all those “anyones” also know that although
I have a passion for the written word, I really don’t
have time to read – let alone proof read a book
that’s about to be published. So when Don Norris
had asked me to proof read his book, “Riding With
Attitude” and give him my opinion, I was, well
at first, not sure. I didn’t need the extra pressure
squeezed into and already busy schedule. I was finishing
up my music album at the time, and time was scarce.
During those ponderous split seconds, I reasoned my
doubts away with the fact that it was my opinion he
wanted, and that if my opinion didn’t matter to
him, he wouldn’t have made his request. In a sordidly
inexperienced sort of way, I felt honored to have been
asked. So, being the over-stretched and overly-generous-with-my-time
type, I agreed to read his rough copy.
I
was ready to go and get those toothpicks for my eyes.
The overhead lamp did nothing to relieve my eyes from
the strain at 12:38 in the morning, as I struggled to
continue reading, “just one more sentence”.
I couldn’t put it down. The 11x6 inch coarsely
bound manuscript was slowly sliding off my knees as
I sleepily read the names, one of which lives just 2
km away from me today, presented in Don’s book.
This was not just an account of the life of a motorcycle
rider in the ‘50s, as I first believed, but as
I continued reading I was slowly discovering that this
book, this “Riding With Attitude” was the
story of life as a biker in 1950’s Southern Ontario
during the true beginnings of a bike club that would
someday grow to unimaginable proportions.
Reading
about the goings-on of the young bikers often brought
a chuckle from my lips, as I too recalled some of the
crazy things I did as a teen. Waking up to the sounds
of fighter jets two feet above my nose in New York sounded
a little too familiar! But as the nature of the book
turned more serious further into the pages, my mind
was a bit confused. The Don Norris I had met and the
Don Norris as a young biker in the book were definitely
battling it out inside my head. I struggled to focus
on what was important today. To have an unbiased opinion
- to focus not on a person’s past, but a person’s
present – the common thread that first pulled
two writers together – a love of motorcycles and
the wind. Once I managed to do this, I was able to enjoy
and relate to Don’s sense of freedom and adventure,
recounted in stories of soon-to-be-retired riding escapades,
more subdued than the Don Norris days of old.
Smoke
signals emitting from burning questions in my head havecompelled
me to interview Don. And so over a cup of Timmy’s
java, I gained insight on what riding with an attitude
really means.
Roadgypsy:
“What
would ever make you decide to write a book about your
involvement in the beginnings of Satan’s Choice?”
Don Norris:
“I read a
letter from my grandmother who I had never met. It was
during the First World War and very enlightening to
the attitudes of the time. I wanted to know more, and
thought a little blurb about the environment that I
grew up in would be a window for my grand kids to look
back through. As I started putting things down and remembering,
I recognized that I had a book that would preserve a
little known history. I often tell people that SCMC
raised me so it’s natural that there would be
a lot in there about the gang.”
RG:
“Were
you not worried about dropping names in the book?”
DN: “Of course I was concerned.
I used first names or nicknames mostly, but where I
knew the person wouldn’t mind I used their full
name. We all had nicknames back then.”
RG:
“You appeared on Cityline [CityTV] one morning.
Have any of the people mentioned in the book ever resurfaced
after your publicity?”
DN:
“I can’t
say that anyone mentioned in the book has come forward,
but several people that I lost contact with 45 years
ago have come forward because they were in a Chapters
store and saw the book. I had six editors and one warned
me not to write about the police, but they were part
of the landscape and had to be included. A couple of
retired cops said they took exception to my remarks.
What people need to understand is that there are more
good cops than bad.”
RG:
“What is the most outstanding
memory that you have of those early days?”
DN: “The absolute
feeling of freedom and no responsibilities. I grew up
fast but maturity was yet to come. Fast women, fast
bikes and partying were my only concerns back then.”
RG:
“How have the events from
that era affected your life today?”
DN: “My life today
was shaped over a very long time. The only connection
to the early years is the book and memories. Of course
raising a family provided maturity.”
RG:
“How did your wife feel
about you presenting your life and times to the world
in the form of a book?”
DN: “Carolyn was
quite complimentary about the book, and she doesn’t
compliment easily.”
RG:
“How has the Club in your
opinion, changed today?”
DN: “Clubs today
have a much more serious agenda than we did back then.
Today, we get fun out of charity events and enjoy like
minded people.”
RG:
“Some of the actions and behavioral patterns from
those days really just seem to represent normal teenage
rebellion. Do you feel that they went beyond that of
normal rebellion but still there was some sort of “honour”
amongst members of different bike clubs?”
DN: “I think the
motorcycle offered us release. Today’s youth are
either trying to find supremacy through the biggest
gun or trying to stay out of the sights of those with
guns.”
RG:
“Are you ashamed today of
your behaviors back then?”
DN: “Some chances
I took I wish I hadn’t. Other situations I should
have taken more of a chance. I lecture on leadership
today. I wish I knew then what I know now. I still ride,
and that’s good.”
RG:
“Do you feel ashamed when
you hear of the goings-on with the Hell’s today?”
DN: “I think its
normal evolution.”
RG:
“I had a good laugh at the
end of Chapter Eight. After Chuck’s derailment,
although you thought it was Chuck’s best therapy
to ride again as soon as possible, did you not think
that it was NOT good therapy for YOU to be riding on
the back? What made you sell your bike and buy a house?
Did you feel after Chuck’s accident that you were,
“getting too old for this”?”
DN: “I
trusted Chuck implicitly. I thought it more important
that he get back on than I ensure my safety. The ride
we were on was sort of a last hoorah before getting
real serious about family life. The accident had no
bearing on me not riding. I just needed to focus on
developing an asset base for my future, which arrived
through the purchase of a house.”
So we all grow up. We all get old (I’m still hoping
some of us take longer to get there) and some of us
go on to ride Goldwings. (I love my Harley.) But we
all have our memories – with some luck we’ll
have a 60/40 mix, for the better. It’s easy to
draw conclusions about people through their past history.
The biggest errors we are susceptible to (and I dare
admit I came very close to this myself after my nose
became buried within the pages of “Riding With
Attitude”) are forgetting that in every person’s
dark closet, there is hidden that great Boy Scout leader.
Or that radio operator in the 48th Highlanders. Throw
in a little love of wilderness canoeing and one can’t
help but see that the 50s and 60s were interesting times.
To say the least.
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Riding
With Attitude by Don Norris may be found in Chapters
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891
Bolton,
Ontario, CANADA.
L7E 5T5
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© 2005
by Roadgypsy
Innovations. SOCAN. All rights reserved. Unauthorized
reproduction a/o duplication of content in any form
is prohibited. prohibited.
