OFF THE WIRE
agingrebel.com
It is a shame that the corner office tough guys who run the Discovery
Channel all wear extra-extra-small jocks because the 2013 season of The
Devils Ride is already starting to look like riveting television.
Probably, none of the good stuff will run. But maybe it will. The show is
still technically renewed for 2013 although Discovery clearly
understands there are problems. The network has quietly begun pulling
promotional videos featuring at least one cast member already.
But if anybody at Discovery does manage to grow a pair here are some
of the real things you can expect to see in this real show about a real
motorcycle club real soon.
Cliff Hangers
Last season the show was so action packed that the producers, a company
called Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, ignored two of the more compelling story
lines – the patch pulling and the civilian beat down.
First, last January 27 before the show even aired, a character named Prospect
Charles, an employee of the production company and a Laffing Devils Motorcycle
Club old lady beat the hell out of a photographer named Ashi Fachler in San
Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. The beating became content in the show. Prospect
Charles explained, “Somebody was posing as a threat so we had to do a
dance.”
Fachler’s account of the beating is essentially the same except he adds a
couple details. “I was walking through the district and I saw an interesting
scene,” Fachler said. “Two camera crews were filming some women. The women were
sitting outside. I thought it was an interesting scene. I raised my camera to
take a photo and the director asked if I was with the press. I said no. Suddenly
a guy behind me started pushing me. I said, ‘Get your hands off me!’ I thought
if I said it loud enough they would turn the cameras in my direction. Somebody
from behind punched me three times.” And, one of the old ladies broke a glass
over his head.
Sometimes, when some of us dance, Swat invites itself into our homes. That’s
what happened last May 14 to a member of the Peckerwoods Motorcycle Club named
Deron Jaffe. Jaffe became embroiled in a spirited discussion with two members
and one associate of the Laffing Devils, prevailed, borrowed some articles of
clothing they should not have been wearing, returned them to their rightful
owner and was charged with four felonies and five gang enhancements. The Laffing
Devils were not charged. Jaffe eventually plea bargained his legal exposure down
to three years probation.
Obviously, the only reason no Laffing Devils were charged in either of these
incidents has to be an ongoing infiltration of the club by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Laffing Devils are a “real” motorcycle
club after all. So the next season of The Devils Ride will be filled
with tension as members, prospects and old ladies nervously await the unsealing
of the federal indictment.
Domestic Drama
One of the most appealing elements of the first season of the show was the
tension that popped up from time to time between patch holders and their
girlfriends and wives. That should be a big element in the next season because
of events that began last August and continue even now.
Last August, first season star Tommy “Gipsy” Quinn was arrested in La Mesa,
California on suspicion of lewd acts on a minor. Quinn was never charged with
molestation. It may have begun with a domestic dispute. The child Quinn was
accused of exploiting was his ten-year-old daughter. Whether the accusation was
made by that little girl, by Quinn’s current wife Carla, a San Diego cop, or by
someone else, watching the family deal with it will certainly make for the kind
of can’t miss TV media executives get paid the big bucks to deliver.
Finally, next season’s finale is sure to exploit the current legal woes of
Robert Joseph “Sandman” Johnson. Sandman, one of the series’ most poplar
characters, had a rough week after Christmas. Apparently, on December 27 Johnson
wanted to surprise his ex-wife with a belated Christmas gift. After discovering
he had lost his key, Sandman let himself in and discovered another man lying on
his ex-wife. When he heard her moans he assumed she was being raped so he rushed
to her defense and stabbed her assailant three times in the back. The police
misunderstood. And then some other stuff happened that the police also
misunderstood.
Sandman is currently staying at the San Diego Central Jail while he raises
his $755,000 bail. He is charged with two counts of burglary, receiving stolen
property, first degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, making a
death threat, reckless driving, failure to stop a motorcycle at a stop sign,
exceeding a posted speed of 55 miles per hour on a two lane road, failure to
stop behind the stop line at a traffic control signal, failure to signal a turn,
and ignoring a traffic ticket.
Sounds like a great second season already, doesn’t it?
VIDEO,
http://youtu.be/sdiVVlrwLk0