SNCC photographer Clifford Vaughs is arrested by the National Guard, Cambridge, Maryland, May 2, 1964. Photo by Danny Lyon ©Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos
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It is almost impossible to be concurrently a
chopper rider and be a success in
Entertainment Business world. These two scenes just don’t recognize or respect one another.It is almost impossible to be concurrently a chopper rider and be a success in Entertainment Business world.
But in California today there are three men – Frank Reynolds, Gut and Cliff Vaughs who have not only made it successfully in business but also have been able to maintain active memberships in two of the state’s most publicized clubs.
Freewheelin’ Frank has written an astonishing best seller about his experiences for Grove Press called simply “Freewheelin Frank” and already has a second volume of poetry in the works.
Gut is the colorful manager of one of California’s heaviest rock groups, the Blue Cheer, which has already released a hit single and smash album on Mercury.
But it is Vaughs who is the interesting because not only is he a chopper rider but a successful film maker, producer, civil rights leader and black. Vaughs rides with a predominantly black cycle club out of the ghetto area of Los Angeles. (The Chosen Few MC)
Vaughs is college educated, BA from Boston University and formally began his film career as a maker of documentaries. His “What Will The Harvest Be” a story of the thrust of black power in the south was shown several years ago on ABC-TV. This film featured such civil rights leaders as the late Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Julian Bond according to Cliff. It was later suppressed, I guess, because they showed it here twice in California and in Chicago. But it wasn’t pushed. I think this was done because this was the first public expression of black power.
From documentaries Vaughs went into film production, and it is significant to note that this is the first time in the Hollywood film industry, aside from Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby that an unknown black man has been able to break into production.
Chopper Magazine talked to Cliff Vaughs about his feelings toward the Hollywood manufactured cycle image, the integration of white outlaw clubs, Peter Fonda as a plastic hero and the emergence of the chopper rider as the final romantic American hero.
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD OF CYCLING?
“In terms of my own relation with my own motorcycle, it’s the final romantic expression that is left in this country. Obviously the frontier is gone. The cycle is the one thing that you can build from nothing—just a basket, and make something very, very beautiful and really put yourself into it. This goes from a simple question of chrome, to developing new designs, sissy bars, new ways of riding and things like that.”
HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INVOLVED WITH A CHOPPER?
“Certainly bikes attract a great deal of people who have basically been frustrated in their life. I haven’t been frustrated but I do view my bike as another way of relieving a lot of tension from myself. I have been riding since 1962. I even missed the March on Washington because I was building a chopper. I like my bike and I like Choppers and I’m very concerned about the restrictive legislation that is coming out from most states against the rider. Laws that are trying to keep Choppers off the road, and I think that a Chopper is a typically American expression.”
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CHOPPER IN YOUR NEW FILM?
“In
“Easy Riders” the
cycle is just a
vehicle to get around on. It’s like the
horse from the old days. What we are basically doing is psychological
western. We have two guys who have problems and are into their own bag. They are good friends, they’ve made one big score and are off to
Miami to retire. Now in the course of the film a number of things happen to them on their trip. These are things that could happen to a guy if he were driving a
car, flying in an
airplane or riding on a
train—except for the fact that being on a
bike—they are more vulnerable to what’s going on.” Chopper asked Vaughs if the movie was going to say the same thing its predecessors from
American International have said again and again.
“This is not what we are into. I think we can change the image of the cyclist, and make a significant contribution to changing the development of the cycle image. I don’t feel that Hollywood today is producing anything of much significance. And I think that this is the time to make the change, because the western has been the major success in this country. If we can change the vehicle from a horse to a cycle—and still develop good stories and good concepts then I think we have made a significant and artistic contribution to bikes and films.”
We asked Vaughs if any fulltime chopper rider could be trained by Hollywood into a Fonda role.
“No Peter and Dennis are very heavy into a lot of cultural things. They are in a position to be very, very socially aware of what’s going on. A lot of bikers just don’t know what’s going on because the whole weight of having to deal with everyday situations or hustling to live precludes any awareness of other problems. I mean, theirs is a hunting and gathering culture. You must remember that most bikers are not in a medium where they can project anything. Even if an average rider went on ”Meet the Press,” he would give the same rap about oppressed bike riders, patriotism, etc.”
He stated that before the film was started he indicated that one of the main things “Easy Riders” should do was break down the whole idea of black and white motorcycle clubs. “Because my investigation showed that white clubs had restrictive clauses and it’s only the blacks that are integrating. The Chosen Few has been integrated for a long period of time.”
“In this film said Vaughs we have a situation where the two main characters are riding across country. Their bikes break down and they run into about 50 black cyclists. They are very, very up-tight, scared and shaken up. But, it works out very well because the black cats just say, “Can we help you get some gas?” Everything is very groovy. And that to me seems a real situation.”
“I maintain if that situation can happen and it does in real life there is still some hope. There are many, many people that maintain that it can happen. “But I’ve seen it happen this way.”
Does Vaughs feel this situation is only confined to the cycle world? Naturally he answers in the negative.
“The cities are still going to burn despite the fact that these black cats stopped to help these white cyclists on the road.” That baby is reality.
CLIFF’S BIKE REFLECTS TRADITIONAL DESIGN. THE 68 ENGINE NESTLES NEATLY IN THE EARL RIGID FRAME. THE REAR SEAT HAS BEEN UPHOLSTERED ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SISSY BAR, AND THE FRONT FORKS RAKED AND TENDED. THE EARLY BRAKE ROD HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A DC CHAIN, AND THE TANK HAS BEEN FANCIFULLY DECORATED WITH MULTICOLOR FLOWERS.
THE FRAME ON CLIFF’S BIKE IS A 57 HARLEY STRAIGHTBAR. HE EXTENDED THE ORIGINAL GLIDEFORKS 8 INCHES AND RAKED OUT THE FRAME 7 DEGREES.
THE MOTORCYCLE IS THE LAST ROMANTIC EXPRESSION LEFT IN THIS COUNTRY. THE FRONTIER GONE AND THE MOTORCYCLE IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU CAN STILL BUILD YOURSELF FROM A BASKET CASE.
Written in Chopper Magazine around 1968.
Below is a photo of Cliff Vaughs today.
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