Motorcycle Wedding - Hood College

Photos br Seu Peil—The Washinston Post

Preacher, an ex-Phantom rider who says he's an ordained minister, conducts the marriage ceremony. Standing before him are
the bride (Evil) and bridegroom (Loser).

Motorcycle

Wedding

By Hank Burchard

Preacher jumped up on
the well cover and cried,
"All right! We're going to
have the - - - - wedding."

And they did, It took
about four minutes for
Loser to take Evil to be his
wife and co-rider with the
Phantoms Motorcycle Club.

The affair took place over
the weekend (all of it) in
Prince George's County,
near Indian Head Highway,
in somebody' yard. Loser,
19. is to start work with a
glass company this morning.
Evil, 23, who has an 8-year-
old son, said they will make
their home with her parents
for a while.

The wedding party eas
made up of members of the
Phan s and delegations
roin the Pagans, Sittauls
Few, Knight-I:Mrs, Los Va-
gabondos and the some-
thing-Gypsies, along with a
few independent bikers who
ride under no clubs's colors.
Total attendance was about
100.

The festivities were de-
layed for some time because
Spider, who was driving the
goods wagon, was busted by
the county police on an old
warrant for non-support of
part of one of his families.

The goods wagon con-
tained the cases of beer and
Boone's Farm Apply Wine,

"You may now kiss the
bride, and you both have
my deepest sympathy,"
intoned Preacher. In-
stead of rice, the couple
was doused with beer
( above). The ceremony
had been delayed be-
cause Spider, at right,
who was driving the food
and drink wagon, was

busted by the c aunty
police on an old warrant

for non-support.

MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 1971 B1

Photos by Ken Feh—The WashInttori Pug

Preacher, on ex-Phantom rider who says Jas's an ordained minister, conducts the marriage ceremony. Standing before him are
the bride (Evil) and bridegroom (Loser).

de rigeur refreshments "We are partying here to- . --
whenever the clubs fore- night to join this dude and wife. What I have joined let
gather. this chick in eternal tor- no man put asunder."
ment. I don't know why they
Spider and his station want to do this, but they do "Listen to the man," some-
wagon were impounded at so let's get it over with. body said appreciatively,
the Oxon Hill police substa- " 'asunder'. Wow! Go it,
tion, and things had begun "Do you have the ring? Preacher." Preacher ac-
to drag while everybody was Place it on her finger. cepted this compliment with
waiting for Money Momma, a modest bob of his shaggy
their bondswoman, to spring "Do you Loser take this head.
Spider and the goodies. chick for you lawful old
lady, to—and protect from "You may now kiss the
But if things went slowly this party on?" bride, and you both have my
at first, there was something deepest sympathy," he said.
passed around in a bowl "You bet your—I do," said The happy couple then were
called "speed" that seemed Loser. doused in beer and the beat
to enliven the tempo of went on.
things. Do you Evil take this
biker for you lawful old If the reader finds sexist
The ceremony itself we man, to satisfy, work for and overtones in the ceremony,
have verbatim, in notes by - this is not an error. The
Preacher's own hand. See CYCLE, B2, Cal. 1 women who ride with the
Preacher, who was wearing clubs always ride behind.
a black frock coat over a CYCLE, From BI On their backs are to be
blue shirt with large white found patches describing
poikadots in each of which if necessary steal for from them as the property of a
were hand-drawn swastikas, this party on?" given male member, as:
said he is an ordained minis- "Widow, Property of Ka-
ter, $15 class, of the Univer- "I do," said Evil. tipo."
sal Life Church. "Now I have to ask this
question. If there is any Widow is called widow be-
He said he was the son of biker or chick here who has cause she is one. Katipo
a Baptist and had under- any—against these two stu- took his name because a ka-
gone ordination in some pid fools as to why they tipo is a small and very ven-
branch of that church also. shouldn't be married, speak omous East Indian spider,
He said the wedding, as per- now or forever hold your although be is a large and
formed by him, was legal. peace." seemingly very jovial fellow.
Asked where the license was There were some ribald
obtained, he said he was expletives, but they were Thus his name is counter-
"working off a learner's per- not taken to be objections. part to hers, if you take
mit." Preacher talks like Preacher swallowed a jolt "Widow" as in "black
that all the time. of wine, found his place widow" (although she is in
once more in the Triumph fact white). This is the way
This was the ceremony he motorcycle repair manual it was explained to your cor-
conducted: that served him as The respondent, but it doesn't
Book, and went on. seem all that clear any
"I have to be the one to more. However, Katipo was
do this to you but with the best man and Widow was
power vested in me I now matron of honor.
pronounce you man and
Women's liberation has
not penetrated to the chop-
per motorcycle set. The

"You may now kiss the

bride, and you both have
my deepest sympathy,"
intoned Preacher. In-
stead of rice, the couple
was doused with beer
(above). The ceremony
had been delayed be-
cause Spider, at right,
who was driving the food
and drink wagon, was
busted by the c aunty

- police on an. old warrant

for non-support.

THE WASHINGTON POST

B2 Monday, August 16,1971

Photos by Ken nil—The Washington Post

At the motorcycle wedding, when the ceremony ended the merrymaking began. Dudes kissed chicks,
dudes kissed dudes, and,Phantoms embraced Pagan; Satan's Few, Knight Riders, and Los Vagabondos.

women don't even get to necessary to have, in opera- punishment. Loser said, is big thing about it."
pick their own names, some- "We are not, like, a car club, "If a man is righteous
times. tion condition, a motorcycle you know, Man, and that's
of 500 cc's or more displace- enough to be in a club's col-
Lips, for instance, is ment. This rule is inflexible, Y• ors, his color don't matter,"
The swastika is a recur- said Loser.
called Lips because Sgt. and if a bike is off the street ring motif in the dress of
Pepper, her late old man, for as much as a week, the biker, but has no politi- By righteous is meant, it
chose to call her Lips. (He somebody will go pick up cal significance, Loser said. appears, that a man is re-
got killed under vaguely de- the member's colors. "It's just to blow the citi- garded as a suitable com-
scribed circumstances, in zens' minds," he said. panion for parties and runs,
Pennsylvania, some time "Colors" refers to the which are the mass outings
ago. This is not uncommon sleeveless blue denim jacket Substantiating the nonfas- of bikes running the high-
in biking circles.) with club patch, iron cistic claims of the clubs is ways in supercool forma-
the fact that all the organi- tions that scare your Aunt
Lips explains: "Sgt. Pep- crosses, death's heads and so Minnie so bad, which is
per called me Lips because zations mentioned are inte-
forth that the members grated. There are some all- mostly why they are done.
he had his reasons. You'd must wear when on motor- black bike clubs in the That about uses up the
have to ask him, and he's Washington area, but no all-
dead." cycles and must not wear white ones of any size. notes, except that in Clan-
anywhere else, such as in a cy's Bar on Good Hope Road
When she's not doing bik- car. If a member is caught Bali Hi, the black vice SE, where everybody gath-
ing with Satan's Few, Lips wearing his colors in a car president of the Phantoms, ered before the wedding,
does customer relations for or on, say, a bicycle, "It is said it's all very simple. and where there were six
"They liked my song, Man, different topless go-go
a large Washington firm, open season on him," said so here I am. There ain't no
which shall remain nameless Loser. "You can stomp him dancers.
for their mutual benefit.
freely until he gets his col-
Lips did not want to get ors off." The reason for such

involved in any psychoanaly-
tical discussion about how

she got into and why she

stays into the Satan's cy-
cling scene. Besides, she
said, her current old man
was watching and he might
misunderstand.

Loser didn't mind talking
about what biking means to
him, but he had trouble get-
ting his point across to an
interviewer.

He has been biking for
about 18 months, with sev-
eral months out to recuper-
ate from an accident, which

messed up his right leg and
wrinkled his Triumph 650
cc.

In order to remain in good
standing with one's club it is

Members of various local clubs clown around while awaiting the arrival
of other bikers.