Danny Lyon. Name ring a bell?
U of C alum. Documentarian. Made pals with a Chicago biker gang in the ‘60s. Photographed his wild journey. Published a photobook on the subject in ‘68.
That book’s called The Bikeriders, and you can see those legendary photos in all their gonzo glory in a gorgeous reissue done up by the folks at Aperture, on sale now.
Inside: what many believe to be photographs and interviews that helped inspire Easy Rider. Or as a sign of the times, the visual counterpart to Hunter Thompson’s Hell’s Angels.
Lyon followed the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club from ‘63 to ‘67, riding with the crew from Chicago to Cicero, and all across the Midwest.
Armed with a Nikon and a Rolleiflex, he snapped pics of outlaw culture in its most raw and unruly states, capturing a zeitgeist quite like nothing seen before or since.
Interested in more of Lyon’s work? We suggest you pick up The Seventh Dog, a compendium of his work from the ‘50s to the present.
Because at 72, dude’s still working.
Ride on, old man. Ride on.
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