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Marcel Leliënhof: I have always had an interest in subcultures. Before starting this book, I traveled around the US, documenting the cowboy and ranch environment and that put me in contact with several bikers. I have been riding a motorcycle since I was 18, and I am a member of a biker club in Oslo called Taurus MC—so I've always been interested, one way or another.The Hells Angels have a specific lifestyle and a historic past that I find really intriguing. The initial idea behind the project was to make a photo book, but I soon realized that text was actually just as essential as the photos themselves. This is where Hugo Lauritz Jenssen (co-writer of the book) came into the picture. When I undertook the project, I didn't realize that it would take me five years to put together—the process took much longer than anyone involved could ever have expected. But the extra hours only meant that I got to know the Angels and they got to know me.

Well, I started by approaching the members of 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 have personal baggage and a past that they don't necessarily want to talk about.
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Naturally I had my own assumptions and prejudices about who they were before I got to know them—mostly coming from what I had read of Hunter S. Thompson's work in the 1980s and what's been written in the media. This also went both ways; I made assumptions about them, and they made assumptions about me.I was proven wrong in some of my preconceptions, 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 people's prejudices.Speaking of prejudice and assumptions, were there any wow-moments or anything that surprised you about the bikers?
The whole stereotype that they are a homogenous group turned out to be completely false. They are very much their own individuals, with some of them being surprisingly vain.
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There were definitely some guys who weren't too happy with having their picture taken and weren't very patient during the process. Not everyone likes posing, 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 I showed them some of the other shoots, they changed their mind and approached me themselves.

No, I am already a member of another biker club. Our gang is about drinking beer and riding bikes. Hells Angels is a lifestyle. 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 they are. That said, I am sure that after five years, they were pretty happy about getting rid of me as well.
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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 that by the end 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.Yikes. Thanks, Marcel.Click to see more photos.




