Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel

I am a sucker for any book about outlaw motorcycle club culture and the individuals who roam within them. As a blue blooded 81 supporter, I definitely gravitate towards books about Hells Angels; whether it's Sonny or Chuck's autobiographies, Hunter Thompson's gonzo trials and tribulations within the club in the 60s, Freewheelin' Frank's bizarre tome about the MC, or the dozens of so-called true-crime books written by 'experts' about infiltrating the club, the canadian MC wars, or whatever they can whip up to cash in on the biker culture... I read it all. Outlaws, Pagans, Bandidos, Satans Choice, whatever... I read em all. So it was obvious that when the book "Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel" came out I'd be the first in line to grab it. On every level, this book is an absolute must have, no matter where your so-called club allegiances lie. Every aspect of this book is perfection. The hardcover version is slightly oversized with an incredible full color dust jacket that pulls your eyes right out of your head. And as MC culture evolves (or devolves, depending on who you ask) it's always refreshing to grab a book written by one of the old school players. Phil Cross is one such player. Phil Cross is one tough bastard. In the military he got into loads of trouble thanks to his willingness to let his fists do the talking. After the military he got heavily involved in west coast MC culture in the 60s, still taking care of business with those fists. As a Gypsy Joker he had his fair share of scrapes with the Hells Angels, eventually being patched over. From there, the rest is history. Phil's writing style is remarkably succinct. With the help of copious amounts of images, Phil lets us in on some of his many adventures, but without over-doing it with flowery elaboration. His anecdotes read a lot like "I was at here with my buddy, then this happened, we went there, did that, and that's it." This book is an unbelievably clear and readable account of over 40 years as a biker. The book is highly addictive and I cannot emphasize enough how great the use of photographs is. Buy this book.

For those of us who know about motorcycle clubs only via "Sons of Anarchy", this book is the autobiography of someone who has actually lived the life for over 40 years. Phil Cross was, and still is as of the time of publication, a member of the Hell's Angels MC in northern California. This book represents a highly detailed and generally good-natured look at his life experiences. There are a ton of vintage photographs of bikers and bikes and locations across America and the world. This won't be the best-written autobiography you'll ever find. The listed co-author is Phil's wife, and there's not exactly a journalistic veneer to the enterprise. While that would ordinarily be worth deducting a point or two for the purpose of this rating... honestly, it just doesn't matter, here. Phil's experiences in the MC dating back to the late 1960s are entertaining enough that you'll enjoy listening to a world-class raconteur more than you'll be quibbling over phrasings, or paragraph or chapter structure. While not necessarily all of the stories are 100% true (as winked at in both the afterword, and in the very, very carefully written disclaimer on the copyright page), they probably pass the test of being "true enough". Phil has certainly seen some times. He was on the stage at Altamont during the infamous Rolling Stones concert in which an audience member was killed. He describes numerous fight and motorcycle wrecks for the years, and describes too many friends who were killed, in fights or in wrecks. It does get a bit hard to follow him at times -- these are intensely personal stories, and he also makes liberal use of nicknames to describe his ever-changing array of friends and club brothers; it's often hard to relate to a lot of his stories, simply because the who's-who gets confusing. Along the way, Phil also contracts hepatitis, as the result of an ill-advised visit to a tattoo parlor, and survives a bout with cancer. The book portrays him as a fighter, in both the literal and the figurative sense. In the end, the years fly by, but Phil keeps going no matter what life throws his way. While missing the complicating plot structures and theatrically tragic events of a typical "Sons of Anarchy" season, this is still a pretty compelling book about a uniquely American lifestyle.

This book was so interesting to me I read it in one day! Alot of people have the wrong impression of Hells Angels. The Hells Angels I know are some of f the finest people you will ever meet! Don't misunderstand, they are extremely loyal and will go to the ends of the earth to protect each other but if you ever have one as a friend you better thank your lucky stars. I think Phil Cross did a great job telling his story and making it interesting to read!

He's pretty much a blow hard, but it's an entertaining read, at least for about 3/4 of the book. Definitely a look at me book, but I suppose that's what a biography is. Unless you read a criminal who has flipped book, then you're not going to get much info inside the book.

This is an interesting book. It details most of Phil Cross' life as a member of The Gypsy Jokers and then The Hells Angels. The book is not the most well-written piece of literature that I have read, but it's not written by professional writers. There are a lot of typo's contained in this book but they don't detract from the interest factor. There are a lot of great pictures of Mr. Cross with each club, maybe too many. Mr. Cross has lived a very eventful life and seems to be the type of guy that you would like to have a few beers with. The only negative that I experienced when reading the book was it's sudden ending. Other than that I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to gain first hand insight to both of these motorcycle clubs.

I thought the book was GREAT !!! Phil did a great job telling it like it was and not holding back on anything, The best part it is all true. Phil has had one heck of a biker's life that many of us can only dream about having. In my book he is a # 1 I was very surprised to see all the photo's that he included in through out the book that back ups the event's he talks about during his life time. I can't say enough about this well written book go out and buy one yourself I just hope he will have a book signing soon. I mean who won't want to meet someone like that ?? Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did !!!!

I'll give this one four stars because it is an accurate and somewhat charming biography of a working class American lad in the 50s and 60s who entered into the world of One Percenter motorcycle clubs. Phil Cross comes across as a talented young man with a lot of potential who unfortunately squandered much of that potential by getting caught up in the fighting, drinking, and conflicts of outlaw motorcycle clubs. Mr. Cross was first a member of a club, now almost forgotten, called the Gypsy Jokers, which in its day was a rival to the Hell's Angels and which was eventually, apparently, absorbed by them. Cross's biography does not really tell the reader all that much about these clubs, other than the fact that Cross was a member. The bio focuses more, as I suppose is appropriate, on Cross himself and some of the challenges he has faced. It has a very interesting segment about life in prison during the time Cross was there. Remind me to take extra care to stay out of there. Cross eventually manages to establish an orderly family life, which is more than many "One Percenters" are able to do. While he was a fugitive, his loyal wife went to the Post Offices in his area and tore his pictures out of the "Most Wanted Posters" book. Now that's loyalty! I found this biography to be very readable, and an interesting look at The Life. RJB.

This was an excellent read. For people that are into this lifestyle, this book gives you plenty of information on the 1% Motorcycle clubs. Once I started reading this book, it was hard to put down. The author has lived one hell of a life. It covers the bikers code of Respect, Honor, and Loyalty. Qualities that are lacking in today's society. You don't have to be a biker to enjoy this book. I think everyday people Could enjoy reading this book, and maybe learn a thing or two about the qualities I mentioned earlier I would rate this book on a par with Sonny Barger's book. I hope you enjoy!!!

An enjoyable read, light but interesting. This man has had a full life with both good and bad experiences but seems to have taken it all in stride.

Libro molto bello che racconta la vita di un MC dalla fondazione dei GJ al passaggio agli Hells Angels. do 4 stelle perché poteva essere scritto meglio, o meglio sono troppe le parti mancanti che l'autore non descrive per non andare incontro a guai legali....penso

Very enjoyable book, sounds like an interesting life, would like to have known a bit more about how they patched over from the gypsy jokers

A well written and entertaining book. It doesn't sensationalise any facts and is what it is, a man's story, told my a man who obviously doesn't need to add anything but the truth. You get the feeling that the author is someone you'd like to know as a friend.

I believe this to be a good insight into the real life of a member of the Hells Angels MC. Not all people that enjoy riding bikes and belonging to a club are bad people, they still have a normal life and family comes first. This is a good read about the everyday life of a motorcycle club memmber.