Barger was in charge of security at the
Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont gig
Posted on 04/22/2008 7:27:54 AM PDT by yankeedame
Page last updated at 09:55 GMT, Monday, 21 April 2008 10:55 UK
Barger was in charge of security at the
Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont gig
Hells Angels veteran Sonny Barger is suing US TV company HBO over a biker drama which he claims he helped to develop, says the Hollywood Reporter.
In legal papers filed last week, he accuses producers of cutting him out of the project after he demanded changes.
He also says the drama, called 1%, too closely resembles his own life story.
Mr Barger was the leader of the Hells Angels' chapter who organised security at the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont concert in 1969.
The free gig descended into chaos when his crew tried to control the audience by beating them with pool cues.
One fan, who appeared to be pointing a gun at the stage, was fatally stabbed by a Hells Angels member who was acquitted at trial.
Nickname
Barger has written two memoirs of
his time as a Hells Angel
In his legal case, filed in Los Angeles, Mr Barger says he originally sold his best-selling autobiography to 20th Century Fox for movie development.
Fox then hired Michael Tolkin, who wrote the screenplay for Robert Altman's The Player, to work on the script.
Mr Barger claims he shared with Mr Tolkin a series of novels he had been working on about a fictional motorcycle club, and the pair subsequently pitched a series to HBO.
HBO subsequently turned to Mr Tolkin to create it, and "refused to acknowledge" Mr Barger's contributions, court papers say.
Mr Barger was given the option of serving as a consulting producer on the project but turned it down.
There was also talk of his appearing in the pilot in the potentially recurring role of Chief, the oldest member of the Death Rangers, but the casting never came about.
In his legal case, Mr Barger says that Chief is a "well-known nickname or alias for Sonny Barger", and that the drama is set in Carefree, Arizona - "which is the town adjacent to where Sonny Barger presently resides".
He wants the court to declare the 1% script as a joint work of Sonny Barger Productions and Tolkin, to forbid the sale or broadcast of the programme, and to award damages for exploiting Barger's publicity rights.
The case comes as HBO prepares to shoot the pilot episode. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the cast had motorcycle training last week, and production is due to begin Friday.
It says the name of the Chief character, played by Hans Howes, has been changed to Cap, and the setting of the show has been moved to Apache Junction, Arizona.
2 wheeler ping
Whatever you do, do not violate the HA’s copyright.
Hunter Thompson wrote a good book about the Hells Angels titled...well “Hells Angels”. Sonny is all through it. Their are claims that Sonny was an expert martial artist and once broke a marble bench in half with a karate chop.
I envision a biker version of LOTR with Roger Corman directing the film.
I coulda swore Sonny Barger was dead!................
He is- but would YOU have the nerve to tell him?
I had a friend back in the early 70’s that claimed he was the cop in charge at Altamont. Ben grew up in a small town in the south and to hear his side of the story told in a small town style had all of us laughing. Nice guy, I’ll have to watch just to see how they portray him.
Did you know if you quit the HA’s they keep your chopper and your tatoos?
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Ironic, isn't it, how quickly outlaws run to court.
Are you saying they skin your hide when you die?
the cast had motorcycle training last week?
THAT ALONE is a bad sign. Another cluless hollyweird production.
I like the way he talks
No, man! It ain’t about the ride. It’s about how much money you can make from it.
Still, he has done well working the useful idiots against themselves.
He does a good imitation
Sonny is nor joke. He beat RICO twice!!!
Beat throat cancer. Has a trach tube, but is still kickin.
"THAT ALONE is a bad sign. Another cluless hollyweird production."
They shoulda hired real bikers.
They probably did, thus the need for training! :-)
I’m with Sonny on this one.
I knew him in the early 50’s, we frequented the same bar on E 12th st in Oakland, CA. He was a fun guy, shot pool, arm wrestled and told lies, just all good bar patrons of the era. ;)
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