HERMIS YANIS INTERVIEWS SONNY BARGER !

OFF THE WIRE
SONNY. WORDS LACK THE ABILITY TO FULLY EXPRESS THE WIEGHT OF GRATITUDE I FEEL FOR BEING ALLOWED TO VIDEOTAPE YOUR NEW ROC CITY “LETS RIDE” BOOK SIGNING AND NOW ADD THIS INTERVIEW TO THAT FIRST HONOR, AND THE WORDS TO ACCURATELY DESCRIBE WHAT I FEEL SIMPLY DON’T EXIST-SO THANK YOU WILL HAVE TO SUFFICE!

HY: TO MILLIONS WORLDWIDE, MYSELF INCLUDED, YOU ARE A TRUE LEGEND, ONE WHOS NAME IS FAMILIAR TO THE EAR THE MOMENT THE WORDS ENTER. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE RECOGNIZED & LOVED BY SO MANY PEOPLE WORLDWIDE?

SONNY: IT REALLY FEELS GREAT, BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO DO NOT RIDE KNOW WHO I AM.

HY: WHEN I FIRST SET EYES UPON YOU I NOTICED YOU ARE IN EXCEPTIONAL SHAPE, THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT-HOW OFTEN DO YOU EXERCISE AND WHAT TYPES OF NUTRITIONAL REGIMENT(IF ANY) DO YOU FOLLOW?

SONNY: I TRY TO WORK OUT WITH WEIGHTS 6-DAYS A WEEK 1 1/2 HOURS. I ALSO DO AROBIC EXERCISES 15-MIN ELLIPTIC-15-MIN BICYCLE-15-MIN TREAD. I HAVE COPD AS A RESULT OF MY PAST SMOKING SO MY AROBIC IS SLOW BUT TRY TO MAKE HEART STRONGER TO PUMP MORE BLOOD WHICH MAKES MORE OXYGEN.

HY: AT THE NEW ROC CITY “LETS RIDE” BOOK SIGNING I WATCHED YOU-A LIVING LEGEND-TREAT THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO PASSED THROUGH THE SIGNING LINE THAT DAY ANXIOUSLY WAITING TO MEET YOU, WITH PATIENCE, RESPECT & HUMOR. HOW IS IT YOU ARE ABLE TO SUMMON SUCH PATIENCE AND REMAIN SO FOCUSED ON “THE PEOPLE”-YOUR LOVING FANS, WITH SO MUCH TAKING PLACE AROUND YOU?

SONNY: YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, WITHOUT THESE PEOPLE WHO WOULD I BE; JUST ANOTHER BIKE RIDER? YOU HAVE TO TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED OR YOU CAN’T EXPECT THEM TO TREAT YOU WELL.

HY: SONNY, FROM THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES AND THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS I OBSERVED WHEN KIDS APPROACHED TO HAVE BOOKS SIGNED AND PICTURES TAKEN WITH YOU AND THEIR PARENTS; ITS OBVIOUS YOU HAVE A PURE LOVE OF CHILDREN-YOU DIDN’T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL THESE KIDS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SMOKING, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS AND HOW PROUD WOULD IT MAKE YOU TO HEAR YOU PREVENTED A YOUNGSTER FROM PICKING UP SMOKING?

SONNY: I REALLY DO LIKE KIDS, HOWEVER THEY NEED TO BELONG TO OTHERS. I DON’T HAVE TIME TO TAKE CARE OF KIDS WHICH IS WHY I NEVER HAD ANY. I HAVE BEEN TELLING KIDS NOT TO SMOKE SINCE MY OPERATION IN ’82.

WHEN I THINK THEY DON’T BELIEVE WHAT I’M SAYING I REMOVE THE FILTER & MAKE THEM LOOK AT THE HOLE IN MY THROAT. YOU CAN SEE FROM THE LOOK IN THEIR EYES THEY WILL NEVER SMOKE.

HY: AT ONE POINT DURING THE SIGNING A MAN PRESENTED AN ORIGINAL SHIRT HE BOUGHT BACK IN THE 1980’s FROM YOUR OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE SHOP-HOW DID YOU FEEL SEEING THAT SHIRT, AND REALIZING THIS MAN HAD BEEN WAITING ALL THESE YEARS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE YOU SIGN IT?

SONNY: AS I’VE SAID BEFORE: ITS REALLY GREAT TO HAVE PEOPLE THINK OF ME THE WAY SOME DO.

HY: I WATCHED KIDS, WOMEN, MEN, STARING WIDE EYED AND ANXIOUSLY AT YOU WHILE THEY PATIENTLY WAITED THERE TURN IN LINE. AFTER SEEING THESE BEHAVIORS IN EVERYONE THAT TURNED OUT-IT REALLY STARTED TO SETTLE IN ON ME JUST HOW SIGNIFICANT SONNY BARGER REALLY IS. SONNY, YOU’LL LIVE FOREVER IN THE HEARTS, MINDS AND SPIRIT OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. I MADE REFERENCE TO WORDS NOT SUFFICING TO EXPLAIN THE WEIGHT OF THE GRATITUDE I FELT FOR BEING ALLOWED TO VIDEOTAPE YOUR “LETS RIDE” BOOK SIGNING; CAN YOU FIND WORDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT/HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GIVE THOUGHT TO THE MILLIONS OF LIVES YOU’VE TOUCHED?

SONNY: AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THE PEOPLE REALLY LOVE THE LIFESTYLE AND THE CLUB I REPRESENT.

IF THEY, THE PEOPLE, WENT UP TO THE CLUB & SAID “I LOVE YOU” THEY WOULD PROBABLY GET KNOCKED OUT, BUT THEY ARE ABLE TO SAY THAT TO ME AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CLUB.

HY: IN COMPARISON TO PREVIOUS BOOK SIGNINGS, HOW DOES THE NEW ROC CITY “LETS RIDE” SONNY BARGER BOOK SIGNING MEASURE UP?

SONNY: NEW ROC BOOK SALE WAS THE BEST I’VE HAD !!!

HY: SONNY, AGAIN WORDS DON’T CUT IT BUT THEY’LL HAVE TO DO!

IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE, HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL I FEEL TO BE THE ONE ALLOWED TO VIDEOTAPE YOUR NEW ROC CITY “LETS RIDE” BOOK SIGNING, AND INTERVIEW YOU HERE FOR NEW YORK RIDER MAGAZINE; YOU WOULD KNOW THE INCREDIBLE DEPTH OF TOUCH YOU POCESS TO CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE FOREVER! THANK YOU SONNY, THANK YOU! PARTING THOUGHTS?



SONNY: AGAIN, WITHOUT THE CLUB & WITHOUT THE PEOPLE I WOULD BE JUST ANOTHER BIKE RIDER ALTHOUGH “JUST” IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD BECAUSE BIKE RIDING IS MY LIFESTYLE.

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IN ADDITION TO PURCHASING SONNY’S “LETS RIDE” GUIDE TO MOTORCYCLING AND HAVING HIM SIGN IT AT HIS BOOK SIGNINGS, YOU CAN PURCHASE A “LIMITED” NUMBERED PRINT OF SONNY TITLED: “SONNY AND SWEET COCAIN, MOJAVE DESERT 68”- PAINTED BY ARTIST RON BAILEY-SIGNED BY BOTH SONNY AND THE ARTIST WHICH COMES WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

THESE PRINTS MAY ALSO BE PURCHASED AT http://www.sonnybarger.com/

NOTE: SONNY BARGER’S AUGUST 28, 2010 “LETS RIDE” BOOK SIGNING IN NEW ROCHELLE, NY WAS PRESENTED BY HAMC NEW ROC CITY

IN ADDITION TO MR. BARGER, I WISH TO EXTEND MY SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO HAMC NEW ROC CITY, FOR ALLOWING ME TO VIDEOTAPE THAT VERY SPECIAL DAY. WATCH FOR THE VIDEO TO APPEAR SOON ON: http://www.7hawksmedia.com/

***ALL VIDEO RIGHTS BELONG TO HAMC NEW ROC CITY.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PORTION OF THE VIDEO MAY USED WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION OF HAMC NEW ROC CITY. ANY USE OF THE VIDEO, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, WITHOUT ABOVE REFERENCED APPROVAL IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW.***
**Thank You Rebecca Cunningham for providing the NRC book signing photos accompanying this article!