BIG RICH GLIDES THE GLADES!

In Honor of DAYTONA'S 70th Annual Bike Week, I wanna tell ya' about my favorite ride.

There's only one road thru Big Cypress Swamp. Florida - US 41. 2 lane black top... 80 miles without a stop light. A Bikers dream, speed limit mostly ignored... not too many Cops.

Ride South on any day, thru the 10,000 Islands... smell the sweet Buttonwood smoke from the Indian Villages you pass along the way.

There ain't much to see... if you ain't lookin'. Royal Palms and Sabels... Cypress, Mangroves, Jack Pines, Live Oaks with Spanish Moss hangin' down like hair... Tall Saw Grass, far as you can see. Hundreds of birds...Great Blue Herons, Egrets, Ibis, Kigfishers... Buzzards galore.

My Lady calls out every time she spots a critter along the road... Gator, Gator, Gator. Sometimes a Hundred of 'em. Saw a Bobcat one day, and small Deer. Dry season, water level's fall and Aligators start bunchin' up in the deep spots... they don't like it much... rather be alone, out in the Glades. I try not to mess with 'em, too much.

We ride down past the Everglades City turn off... nice to stop at Joanies Blue Crab Cafe, an old "Florida Cracker" House at the side of the Road. Live Music on Weekends, the sign says... and Cold Beer.

Bikers Welcome. Gator on the Menu... Gator's out back.

Raiford Starke with the WHOLETONES @ Joanies

Raiford plays there quite a bit...and my Boys, The WHOLETONES... It's the ONLY place to grab a bite for quite a ways on this Lonesome Highway. Other time atmosphere. Drop in, if you get a chance.

We like to stop at Fakahatchee Seminole Store... trade up some Indian Beads, cash only. They might not trust us... fair enough.

Their flag is red, white, yellow and black...

Ride another 20 Miles or so,down to the Ranger Station called The Oasis, watch them Gators for a while.

2 Lane Black Top, all the way to Miami... or Key West.

Not much has changed here, last 10,000 years or so, when the first Humans came rollin' thru.

We like it.

BIG RICH: NY DOLLS GANG WAR!

The New York Dolls

I boosted John Sinclair's copy of The NY Doll's first album when I worked for Rainbow, about 1970 somethin'...


John Rob and .....

Didn't think he'd miss it. Lot of people ripped on me for diggin' the New York Dolls but I didn't give a F*ck, something about 'em hooked me AND my brothers... like a dressed up mixture of the 5 and Stooges... somehow.


Fat Boy

I never saw 'em play, but a couple of my biker Bros, Fat Boy & the Rhino, were bodyguards for 'em when they did an extended run at a place called the TRADING POST on Gratiot. Never heard of any trouble then...Ya never know where you'll find a Doll's Fan.




The Rhino

Ain't life funny......


Gang War Wayne Kramer Johnny T and Ron Cooke

Sometime later, like '78?... Gang War came on the scene. One night we decided to drop some acid, for reasons which escape me at this point, and go see 'em at the Pretzel Bowl, a bar on Woodward in Detroit... Wayne had recently returned from the Fed's and a ROCKIN' good time was had by all... Detroit Bass Player Ron Cooke and Johnny Morgan joined in the mayhem too.



I got best dancer prize from Johnny Thunders... a memorable night to say the least.


Trippin at the Pretzel Bowl


Seva had shows downstairs now a Comedy Club

The SEVA club wouldn't let 'em play one night in Ann Arbor unless we did stage security, as Thunders had been acting up... usual stupid shit, anyway, he was F'n with Wayne, who kicked him square in the chest, into the amps...



Johnny split up the back stairs, we chased him... just what he wanted, and found him hidin' in a van with fans of the female type... the show went on, everyone had a fine time and it wasn't too far in the future they were chasin' me up them same stairs. I said before, a lot of shit happens when everybody's high.

Born to Lose Johnny Thunders RIP



Read more about Gang War History HERE