Here’s a strange one. I received an e-mail inviting the Bikernet.com Staff to a private screening of The World’s Fastest Indian movie. I missed the first one, with the cast, including Anthony Hopkins and all the motorcycle press. I grew up in Los Angeles. I have a burr in my boot for watching folks, press, whatever clamor to hang with celebs. I passed.
Another opportunity cropped up for a private screening. It appeared to be more casual, a group of movie music writers and composers. We slipped in the back and caught the flick about Burt Munro’s efforts to make it to Bonneville from New Zealand and test his high performance skills on the salt flats. The movie hit home in so many respects. It’s a film about a middle-aged man who builds fast motorcycles in his garage. What would strike a cord more resoundingly to this 60-year biker, whose building two motorcycles to take to Bonneville, and was on the team that broke the World Land Speed Record in 1996.
It also hit home ‘cause Burt liked to do it himself, in his funky, wood garage, and he had a good time. We enjoyed every struggle, mechanical problem, shipping dilemma and Burt’s never-say-die drive.
The movie was cool, but this PR guy, Tom Kidd, contacted us again and asked if we would like to meet the music composer, J. Peter Robinson. At first I thought, he must be a rider and enjoys Bikernet. Then I conjured they’re (the production company) offering Anthony Hopkins to Jay Leno and Robinson to Bikernet. I was trying to make a connection, but stumbling. Then it hit me. We’re not producing a music web site. What the fuck can we write about? “Mr. Kidd,” I said over the phone, “does Robinson ride?”
“Let me check,” Kidd said. All PR guys are required to check.
A day later and two committee meetings, and I received a call, “Nope,” Kidd said. “He never rode. Folks wouldn’t let him.”
I cringed. No self-respecting man let’s rules get in the way of riding motorcycles. There’s that Code of the West again. I broke a pencil, threw it in the trash, shut off my computer and headed to the shop. I needed to weld something.
Kidd sent us J. Robinson’s impressive bio, containing hundreds of movie and television credits including the music for Wayne’s World and Jackie Chan’s First Strike. He performed with Eric Clapton, Melissa Etheridge and Al Jarreau to name a few. He’s written for John Schlesinger at Orion pictures, Wes Craven at Paramount and Dean Semler at 20th Century Fox. I don’t know shit about the music business so I called Black Market John in the Bikernet Music Studios out front and said, “What’s it mean?”
He didn’t answer. He was stoned. I went back to welding. I burnt my thumb and came up with a notion—the bike. Bikernet had to have the bike. I called Kid. “How about something on the bike. I don’t want to up-stage the music, but we’re a bike site.”
“I’ll check,” Kidd said and hung up.
Another 24 hours passed and an e-mail blipped onto my screen. It glistened with a story about Burt’s racing history, shots of Burt Munro, the bike and even the new owners. In less than two hours the feature was published on Bikernet, in Bandit’s Cantina, since it was a famous historic piece.
A couple of days later I was talking to Dave Perewitz and it dawned on me. I could look at J. Peter Robinson's musical adaptation for the Worlds Fastest Indian similar to a builder commissioned to build the music for this tribute to speed. I called Black Market John again, since I don’t know shit about composing music for a toothpaste commercial, let alone an entire movie. He said something about rifts and I assumed the gang was having an argument in the studio. I hung up.
If you'd like to read a story about how a man creates the music behind a film, check our Bikernet Special Reports feature on Peter and the film.
Burt's streamlined bike is much the same configuration as our Bonne Belle can be. His high performance Indian scout was very similar to the 45 flathead. I need to research his records. It's not that I'm trying to beat any particular record, but we will look at the various classes and see where the Bonne Belle fits in.
