Hunter S. Thompson - Terry The Tramp Interview #2

Hunter S. Thompson interviews Terry the Tramp (John Terrence Tracy). Thompson questions Terry about various run-ins with the law and other Hells Angles activities.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Hunter
• Thomspon
• Terry
• The
• Tramp
• Interview
• Hells
• Angels
• Oscar
• Zeta
• Acosta
• Fear
• and
• Loathing
• Tapes
• Gonzo
• Journalism

[prtr6]

Not only is the lack of profanity notable, Terry the Tramp comes across as an affable, polite and fairly eloquent guy, which is not what one would expect. It's been decades since I saw anyone eat peyote, but you're bound to puke. The background music-Joan Baez, queen of non-violence, singing Bob Dylan tunes, as a notorious Hell's Angel's and the man who invented Gonzo chat, is more than a bit ironic. RIP to two men who had the balls to live on the edge fulltime.

[racer500gp]

Tramp has achieved the status of "Legend."

[panmans]

Terry the Tramp was the ultimate Hells Angel

[Hardrada88]

Only ever met hells angels once - never ever forget it

[DEEERPDORP]

@prtr6 Terry said "crock of shit" in the first minute.

[SethHesio]

It's fascinating to hear Terry the Tramp talk. Up until today all he's been is a name and a picture in a book to me.

[SethHesio]

Some people still don't fully understand the book Hells Angels or think that Hunter was in some way championing these people. Things like this clip are important because the 60s in West coast America for all its freedom had two sides. You had the hippy drug culture, the intelligent student activists... but this freedom also brought with it the other side of the human psyche, the mindless but organised brute. Who also took drugs. This is the price of real freedom, it's not just peace and love.

[SethHesio]

I was just reading Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone... and in its opening pages, it's revealed that Terry the Tramp committed suicide shortly after the Altamont debacle. Whether these two events were related (Altamont and his subsequent suicide) I don't know for sure. But it seem Hunter found out about Terry's death from Jann Wenner at Rolling Stone and it really seems like this guy was too smart and too much of a kind person for the blind, violent anarchy of the Hells Angels.

[chisleu]

Seriously, who could dislike this... This is great American history forever archived...

[MegaSweetbutt]

Great interview. Met his beautiful daughter Raven on New Years Eve!!

[slkhaldrogo]

@amo652 I'm not too sure. It happened way before my time but apparently they caused a bunch of trouble on main street or something. Sorry i don't know the details. He talks about it in the video.