Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel, page 21
I celebrated my fortieth anniversary in the club on August 11, 2009. The charter threw a great party for me at the Brookdale Lodge, and Steve made a terrific-looking banner for me. Steve celebrated being back in the club for one month the same night. It was a special night for both of us.
My fortieth anniversary cake with an image of my club buckle.
Steve and I at the cake cutting. He had a one-month anniversary cake.
Sonny and I at my cake. Steve made the banner on the wall.
My friend Johnny Angel and I on one of my visits to the Cave Creek charter.
Me with Sonny and Deacon at Sonny’s book signing.
Meg and I with a painting that my charter had done of me.
Big Mike from Richmond and I getting ready to act as two of Steve’s pall bearers.
On September 24, 2011, my friend Jethro Pettigrew, a member of the San Jose charter, was killed in Reno, Nevada. A member of the Vagos motorcycle club shot him in the back. Jethro was a natural leader; he was a charismatic guy with a good personality. He should still be with us.
My good friend Steve was shot and killed on October 15, 2011, while attending Jethro’s funeral. Aside from being a great Hells Angel, Steve was a great friend and a great father. His two older kids are grown, but he had two young children who he was raising as a single dad. He, too, should still be with us. He is greatly missed, never forgotten.
The Santa Cruz charter had grown in both strength and numbers since we started it ten years prior and I know that regardless of what happens to any individual member, it will continue to do so.
Taking our brother Steve to his final resting place.
The Santa Cruz members visiting Steve’s grave on his birthday are (standing): Mikki, Craig, Justin, (a friend), me, Jeremy, Chris, Rick, Brian, Vince (a Merced member), Shane, Randy; (kneeling): Stuart, John, A.J., and Gordon.
In my life I have seen a lot, done so many unique and interesting things, and had a lot of fun.
I have had one wife. Meg and I have been together for almost thirty years. It is the second longest commitment I have made in my life.
I have one daughter. Amanda is the best parts of her mother and me.
I have had seventeen motorcycles, and countless wrecks, but only some of them were worth relating to you.
I have been hospitalized at least twenty times and had ten surgeries (most of them from fights or accidents).
I have been in so many hundreds of fights that I couldn’t even begin to guess the number.
I have been arrested fourteen times (that I can count), but I was always innocent … honest.
I have been a fugitive twice. It is not the way I recommend seeing the world.
I’ve had thirteen dogs, of different breeds, but I’m partial to German shepherds:
Corky: Mutt. Our dog when I was a kid.
Dog: Mutt. I had him in Texas for three weeks.
Tramp: German shepherd. The best dog I ever had.
Duke: German shepherd. The crazy dog I got from Winston.
Ajax: German shepherd. My abrasive perimeter-trained dog.
Ace: German shepherd. A great dog and close runnerup to Tramp; Meg’s favorite dog (but she didn’t know Tramp).
Tina: German shepherd. I rescued her right after the quake.
Clancy: Border collie. A good dog, but he wouldn’t stop chasing cars. The third time he got hit was not a charm.
Cash: Shepherd mix. He scared people when he smiled.
Boswell: Lab mix. He nipped Steve Tausan’s daughter and was lucky to live until I could give him away the next day.
Scooter: Cocker/Springer Spaniel. The little dog I didn’t want, but Meg and Amanda insisted. She turned out to be a good girl.
Now we have Buddy, a one hundred pound German shepherd that we rescued and Dash, a nine-pound Cocker/Bichon mix (yep, Meg again).
I have traveled all over the United Stated as well as to thirty countries and territories, including the following:
Austria
Italy
Canada
Lichtenstein
China
Japan
Costa Rica
Malaysia
Czech Republic
Macao (as a Portuguese territory)
England
Mexico
Egypt
Nepal
France
The Netherlands
Germany
The Philippines
Greece
Switzerland
Guam
Thailand
Hungary
Tibet
India
Turkey
Ireland
U.S. Virgin Islands
Israel
Wake Island
I have been a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club for forty-three years, and I’m damned proud of it.
The fifty-two years that I have been riding motorcycles have been a wild ride. I have seen and done a lot, and most of it has been a blast. Not many people get to live a life like this, and as time goes on, it seems that fewer and fewer will be free to do so.
I have had an interesting, colorful, sometimes dangerous life, and I wouldn’t change a bit of it.
Now you know my story (at least the parts I could tell) and I swear it’s all true … give or take a lie or two.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To John “Fuki” Fukushima, H.A.M.C., Oakland, for his help and advice on the process of making this book happen, and because he said he won’t mention me in his book if he’s not in mine.
To Sonny Barger, H.A.M.C., Cave Creek, for his invaluable advice on the business of book publishing.
To Mark Shubin for all his work of making old photos look so much better.
To Catherine McMurray, daughter of Wino Joe Zachnich, for the use of his photos.
To John Guadamuz, H.A.M.C., Santa Cruz, for the photos of our charter.
To all the members of the Santa Cruz Hell’s Angels, for supporting me during all my trials and tribulations.
To all the friends who met with me to recount the good old days. You know who you are.
OVER THE YEARS
I HAVE LOST
FAR TOO MANY
FRIENDS AND BROTHERS.
I MISS THEM ALL.
LISTED ARE THOSE I WAS CLOSEST TO.
HELLS ANGELS MC
Steve Tausen, Santa Cruz
“Pi” White, Oakland
Jethro Pettigrew, San Jose
“Fu,” Oakland
Dick Smith, San Jose
Mark Perry, Oakland
Ron Segali, San Jose
Dirty Doug Bontempe, Oakland
Jack Nye, San Jose
Dave Cooper, Sonoma County
Lurch Burkett, Oakland
Norm Greene, Sonoma County
Deakon, Oakland
Mike Sheeley, Vallejo
Big Albert Perryman, Oakland
Rooster, Richmond
Irish O’Ferrell, Oakland
Guinea Colucci, Nevada Nomads
Gary Popkin, Oakland
Dee Mecham, Frisco
GYPSY JOKERS MC
OTHER FRIENDS
Wino Joe Zachnich
Armond Bletcher
Big John
Rich Pileggi
Mike Gimelli
Bob Brancato
Larry Ficarra
Lloyd Schallich
First published in 2013 by Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
© 2013 Motorbooks
Text and photography © 2013 Phil and Meg Cross
All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.
We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only. This is not an official publication.
Motorbooks titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.motorbooks.com.
Digital Edition: 978-1-61058-758-7
Softcover Edition: 978-0-7603-4372-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Editor: Darwin Holmstrom
Design Manager: James Kegley
Designer: Karl Laun
Cover designer: John Barnett
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Phil Cross, Phil Cross: Gypsy Joker to a Hells Angel
