2009 David Mann Chopperfest in Ventura

I consulted the all-too-frequently-crossed-out-squares on my soon-to-be-history 2009 Hunky Dudes on Hot Bikecalendar (I can dream can’t I?). It told me that the David Mann Chopper Fest, held every December for the past five years in Ventura, CA, was coming up in a few days and I had my trusty Harley-Davidson Heritage already packed up and roaring to go. Then the worst storm of the season pounded its way up and down the California coast. Shit, shit and double shit.

Long time boss of In The Wind Magazine, Kim Peterson. He's the guy who cares for every reader photo submitted.

From the relative dry and warm safety of my NorCal garage, I stared out at the bleak weather conditions. The thought of riding six hours south in cold, crappy, wet weather – with even the promise of snow in the mountain passes leading to the northwest edge of Los Angeles County – already had me questioning my sanity and rethinking my travel plans when the phone rang. Snatching it off its cradle, I heard my buddy Ray C. Wheeler’s voice on the other end.

“Ya packed up for Ventura?” Ray spat, knowing full well that the annual Chopper Fest, held in memory of the famous biker graphic artist, David Mann, is one oceanside gig I truly enjoy. He already knew my answer: hell yeah! After all, Chopper Fest is a unique blend of bike show, swap meet, music fest, and celebration of the iconic biker centric artwork of Mann. It simply was not to be missed unless, as geologic experts keep telling us, the California coastline falls into the Pacific Ocean, and maybe not even then.

What my pal didn’t know my travel plans. After carefully scoping the horizon for the lumbering ark I was sure would crest the hills at any minute, I’d decided to leave my bike on the jiffy stand and make the trek on four wheels. I was sure Mann, looking down on Chopper Fest from biker heaven, would understand.

On the left, the famous Panhead Billy. He lives on a Panhead, rolling back and forth across the country.

Mann and machines

Shame on anyone sitting around scratching their head and wondering, “Who the hell was David Mann?” Those folks should find an older brother's garage and dig around. They are sure to find and thumb through and old issue of Easyriders magazine. One aspect of that historic rag would jump, the centerspread art by David Mann. Fact is, you could write a book about Mann, his graphics depicting the motorcycle culture is often-mythic imagery, and the resulting influence of his work on the art movement known as Low Brow. Maybe somebody already has, I dunno.

Right now, what follows is a thumbnail version of Mann’s artistic biography. Coming of age in Kansas City, MO, in the early 1960s, Mann dug hot cars and cool bikes and he drew what he liked. Affiliated with the El Forastero MC (which is either legendary or notorious or both, depending on who you believe), his early drawings depicting the authentically wild doings of the club caught the eye of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the Kalifornia Kustom Kulture hot rod car and bike builder.

While Roth’s motorcycle chopper magazine carried some of David’s work, most folks didn’t pay a whole lot of attention until Mann’s drawings became a regular feature in Easyriders magazine during the early 1970s. His characters and their bikes seem to suck the viewer into the action of the scene. Each creation swept viewer off into a lifestyle Dave so deftly translated into paint. Centerfold became collectibles tacked to every biker garage in the world. The rest, as they say, is biker art history. Mann’s work continued to appear in the magazine until 2003 when illness forced him to stop. In 2004, Mann was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame and passed away in September of that same year.

Over the years, centerfold full-color Mann drawings like in “Ghost Rider” depicted, among other things, a very sanitary style of handcrafted bike that literally came to define in many minds what a chopper should be. Quite naturally, the Dave Mann Chopper Fest continues that tradition while embracing cool bikes in general.

Starwhat?

The Chopper Fest is held at the Ventura Fairgrounds along the gentle surf of the Pacific Ocean and is always a beautiful, palm tree swaying in the breeze, kind of SoCal scene that seems to warm the heart as well as bones. Part of the charm, no doubt, extends from the locale’s long and laidback history. Oil and oranges – Sunkist started here — both figure in the area’s economic history. This very venue is where David Mann had married his lovely wife, Jacquie; in a typical SoCal style that included a few friends and whoever was wandering through the swap meet at the time.

Mission San Buenaventura, founded in 1782, still anchors Ventura’s historic downtown neighborhood. At night, the fountain near the mission grounds is lit and visitors stroll between the many trendy restaurants that exist along several blocks. But so too do some homeless who pitch their tents in shadows or push shopping carts towards the refuge of nearby Plaza Park. In honor of the holiday season, several of those folks were huddled up in storefront alcoves, harmonizing Christmas carols and keeping warm.

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But on Sunday morning down at the fairgrounds, the weather had cleared, a badass swap meet, plenty of vendors, and a bike show that would smack you right in the head kicked-off the day. Custom, chromed, wrenched, and rattle-canned bikes of all makes and design rolled out to gleam in the bright sunshine next to vintage and meticulously restored machines, as well as all manner of motorcycle in between. Out in the ocean, surfers were gliding along the crest of the cool winter tide, with no ark in sight.

The spirit of the amazing artist, who so skillfully committed the biker life style to canvass seemed to wander among the attendees, perfectly at home and absolutely detectable. The laid back vibe was everywhere. Mann’s art displayed prominently through out the venue, where it’s a sort of cult gathering that’s casual and comfortable. The parking lot out front, was a blur of bikes as riders rolled in and out, during the one-day event. Artists are encouraged to express themselves in a variety of ways, but most appreciated were the array of custom and classic motorcycles displayed across the sod.

The Star Fuckers, who cleaned up the band name, due to the children who are welcome to attend, became “Star Truckers” for the day, and provided killer entertainment for this sixth iteration of the Chopper Fest. A power trio that included guitarist Gilby Clarke (late of Guns n’ Roses), bass player Stephen Adika (Glamnation), and drummer Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) banged out great tunes. Between sets, the personable hostess Jennifer Scott Santolucito kept the day on schedule, bantered with the crowd, and distributed freebie items by tossing them from the stage. Among the freebies were photographs of her in her panties. As a newly married woman, the beautiful master of ceremonies hoped to be rid of the cheesecake shots that featured her colorful, uh… tattoos.