Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel

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About Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker To A Hells Angel

Product Description "Phil's new book  Gypsy Joker To A Hells Angel is based on 44 years as a Hells Angel. Photos & stories are a must read for all motorcycle riders" - Sonny Barger In the early 1960s, a young Navy vet, motorcyclist, amateur photographer, and rebel named Phil Cross joined a motorcycle club called the Hells Angels. It turned out to be a bogus chapter of the club that would soon find infamy, so he switched to another club called the Night Riders. Like the bogus chapter of the Hells Angels, this turned out to be a club whose brotherhood was run by a man Mr. Cross describes as “a complete asshole.” One day, Mr. Cross stuffed the leader in a ringer-type washing machine and joined a club called the Gypsy Jokers. He started a San Jose chapter of the Jokers and embarked on the most action-packed years of his life. The Jokers were in the midst of a shooting war with the real Hells Angels. The fighting became so intense that the Jokers posted snipers atop their clubhouse. This was a rough time, but it was also the height of the free-love hippie era, and as a young man, Phil enjoyed himself to the fullest. He never let anything as minor as a little jail time stop his fun. Once, while serving time for fighting and fleeing an officer, Phil broke out of jail, entered his bike in a bike show, won the bike show, and broke back into jail before anyone discovered he was missing. Though Phil was tough—he was a certififed martial arts instructor—the Angels proved a tough foe. After multiple beating-induced emergency room visits, Mr. Cross decided that if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, so he and most of his club brothers patched over to become the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels. This book chronicles the life and wild times of Mr. Cross in words and photos. From the Inside Flap In the early 1960s, the exploding motorcycle club culture in California attracted a young motorcyclist named Phil Cross, who joined a motorcycle club called the “Hells Angels.” It turned out to be a bogus chapter of the club that would soon find infamy, so he switched to another club called the Night Riders. Like the bogus chapter of the Hells Angels, this turned out to be a club run by a man Mr. Cross describes as “a complete asshole.” One day Mr. Cross stuffed said complete asshole in a ringer-type washing machine and joined a club called the Gypsy Jokers. He started the San Jose Charter of the Jokers and embarked on the most action-packed years of his life. The Jokers were in the midst of a bloody battle with the real Hells Angels. The fighting became so intense that the Jokers posted snipers atop their clubhouse. Eventually Phil and many of his fellow Jokers realized that the only way to end the battle with the Hells Angels was to become Hells Angels, so most of the San Jose Charter patched over to become the San Jose charter of the Hells Angels.   This was a rough time, but it was also the height of the free-love hippie era, and as a young man, Phil enjoyed himself to the fullest. He never let anything as minor as a bit of jail time hinder his fun. Once, while serving time for fighting and fleeing an officer, Phil broke out of jail, entered his bike in a bike show, won the bike show, and broke back into jail before anyone had discovered he was missing.   Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel tells the story of one man’s fifty-plus-year life in the unique, often dangerous, and always exciting culture of the three-patch motorcycle club. From the Back Cover In the early 1960s, Phil Cross, a young navy vet, joined the Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle Club. He started a San Jose charter of the Jokers and embarked on the most action-packed years of his life. The Jokers were in the midst of an all-out war with the Hells Angels. Though Phil was tough—he was a trained martial arts instructor—the Hells Angels proved just as tough. After a beating-induced emergency room visit, Mr. Cross decided that if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, so he and m