Hell's Angels

by Hunter S. Thompson

The Hell’s Angels as they exist today were virtually created by Time, Newsweek and The New York Times. The Times is the heavyweight champion of American journalism. On nine stories out of ten the paper lives up to its reputation.

This was written in the mid-60s; in more recent years, particularly the Trump-Biden-Trump era, the number should probably be reversed

The concept of the “motorcycle outlaw” was as uniquely American as jazz.

and besides, one of the keenest talents in the homosexual repertoire is the ability to recognize homosexuality in others,

Hunter S Thompson, recognizing the phenomenon prior to the creation of the word 'gaydar'

The fact that people are poor or discriminated against doesn’t necessarily endow them with any special qualities of justice, nobility, charity or compassion. —Saul Alinsky

the death of any Angel requires a show of strength by the others. It is a form of affirmation—not for the dead, but the living. There are no set penalties for not showing up, because none are necessary. In the cheap loneliness that is the overriding fact of every outlaw’s life, a funeral is a bleak reminder that the tribe is smaller by one. The circle is one link shorter, the enemy jacks up the odds just a little bit more, and defenders of the faith need something to take off the chill. A funeral is a time for counting the loyal, for seeing how many are left. There is no question about skipping work, going without sleep or riding for hours in a cold wind to be there on time.