Photo by Hugo Lauritz Jenssen

Marcel Leliënhof, together with writer Hugo Lauritz Jenssen, have spent the last five years following the members of Hells Angels Norway. This May, they released Helvetes Engler – Hells Angels MC Norway, a book that gives a rare insight into the otherwise media-shy club. Leliënhof’s photos were also exhibited as a part of the celebration of Norway’s independence and the Norwegian Constitution’s official 200 year anniversary.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, first founded in California in 1948, has become a massive international organization, with chapters the world over. They even got their first club in a Muslim country, welcoming Turkey in 2009. Hells Angels was officially started in Norway in 1996.

We wanted to know how Marcel charmed his way into such a clandestine group. So, we called him.

So, how did you end up spending the last five years following the Hells Angels?
I have always had an interest in different subcultures. My previous work in the US, documenting the cowboy and ranch environment together with the scene and lifestyle around Route 66, put me in contact with several bikers. I have been riding a motorcycle since I was 18 and I am a member of a club in Oslo called Taurus MC so I’ve always been interested. The Hells Angels portray a specific lifestyle and have a historic past that I find really intriguing and wanted to explore. The initial idea of the project was a photo book but I soon realized that text was actually just as essential as the photos themselves. This is where Hugo (co-writer of the book) came into the picture. When I undertook the project, I didn’t realize that it would take five years to achieve my goal, the process was way longer than anyone involved could ever have expected. But the extra hours only helped the project, as I got to know the Angels and they got to know me.

Was it hard to earn their trust? How did you go about approaching them with this project?
Well, I started approaching the members in different chapters in Norway but it took time for them to fully understand what I wanted to do. They have had some bad experiences with different media outlets in the past and I needed to reassure them that I didn’t have any sort of hidden agenda. Some of the guys come from a life full of personal baggage and a past that they don’t necessarily want to talk about. I tried, as best as I could, to communicate my vision and the reasons for doing the book, and after some time I managed to convince them. When HAMC Norway agreed to my project, it still took three years for it to be accepted in Hells Angels Europe and finally Hells Angels MC World, who have the final say in these matters. It’s a very democratic process and the approval from all the chapters was necessary to get the project started.

Did you get impatient waiting for an answer?
No. I started the work straight away and as with any other project, a lot of the work is also about doing research and background checks. I spent a lot of time obtaining old images and information to complement the historical element of the book. As mentioned there were many members that were very skeptical in the beginning saying that there was no way this project was going to happen. I spent a lot of time earning their trust and when the Norwegian´s had democratically decided to let us do the project, the first step was achieved. Still, it’s not like people approving your idea gives you permission to enter their lives straight away, and I needed to get to know these guys personally, as well as they needed to get to know me.

I understand that you didn’t want to highlight any criminal elements of the gang but it must have been hard to ignore the fact that members keep showing up in the papers for all manner of less than legal things. Did you have any prejudice before starting the project?
Naturally, I had my own assumptions and prejudices of who they were before I got to know them, mostly from what I had read of Hunter S. Thompson’s work in the 80´s and what’s been written in the media. This also went both ways; I made assumptions about them and they made assumptions about me and my agenda. I was  proven wrong in some of my preconceptions while getting to know these people and I think they were also surprised about me. It was important to tell the stories that aren’t being told in the media, so as not to reinforce other peoples prejudices.

Speaking of prejudice and assumptions, were there any wow-moments or anything in particular that surprised you with the bikers?
The whole stereotype that they are a very homogenous group turned out to be completely false. They were very much their own individuals, some of them were surprisingly vain. Very vain!  They were also very organized and their club houses appeared surprisingly clean and neat, something I hadn’t expected beforehand. Everything was just so in order if you get what I mean, like spotless floors. Still, the major surprise came in the contrast between members lives, preferences, and attitudes. Some, for instance, refused to drink anything other than expensive vintage wine, some didn’t drink at all, some were family guys and some didn’t have family at all. Within their sub-group they really represented a broad cross section of society.

A lot of the photos are portraits, right? Were they nervous about their looks?
A lot of the photos are shots simply observing their social life, but as you can see many of them are not. Some portraits do demand more time with a person than just two minutes here and there. There were definitely guys who weren’t too happy with having their pictures taken, and weren’t very patient during the process. Not everyone likes being staged or wants to pose and I think you can see that in the book. You learn to adapt, though. You never know what you will get when traveling from chapter to chapter. Some guys wouldn’t have their photo taken at all, but as the project progressed and the results from some of the shoots were shown, many members changed their mind and approached me themselves. 

Were you ever worried that you were being too pushy?
No, not really. All the guys were fully aware of what I was doing and after a while I think they just stopped taking notice of me. Some folks got annoyed about having to stand still for the portraits, but I think we got along just fine. The people who didn’t want to be in a photo just stayed away so there wasn’t really any unpleasant moments or misunderstandings.

Given you love motorbikes and that you spent five years with the guys, did you consider joining?
No, I am already a member of a biker club. Our gang is about drinking beer and riding bikes . Hells Angels is a full-time way of life. It’s something that was interesting to document and, to a certain extent, be part of, but I am happy with my club and my life as it is. That said, I am sure that after five years, they were pretty happy about getting rid of me as well.

I guess you drank a few beers with them over the years?
Actually, the first time I visited a HAMC chapter I ended up sitting at the bar with one of the oldest members and discussing my project. He said that there was no way they’d make a book so I tried to drink him under the table. We drank so much tequila. I was sick as a dog and ended up falling down the stairs. They certainly have a sense of humor as well, when the book was going to print, they played an April Fool’s joke and told my publisher that they were backing out. What a joke.

Yikes. Thanks Marcel.