Doug Ford
2011
72 pages
Patch Holder is a short autobiography by outlaw biker who shows a definite knowledge of the subculture although he never states his club affiliation. The book is self-published via CreateSpace (Amazon’s self-publishing service) by the author, Doug Ford, and as it details the life of a man who is, as far as I know, not known outside of his own social circle. I highly doubt that this book was ever intended to be read by people, like me, who don’t personally know its author.
While Ford does discuss being a biker towards the end, much of the book covers the details of his life outside the outlaw biker subculture - his childhood, his career (as a sign painter for film studios, and later as a tattoo artist) his struggles with alcohol, and his later family life. The fact that this book is titled Patch Holder, a phrase that pretty explicitly identifies Ford as a member of a motorcycle club, while the discussions of living as a biker are so minimal, leads me to think that he had written his memories down to be read by people who know him, and already take his status as a bike for granted.
Anyways the book is pleasant and sometimes tragic, and it ends with Ford listing in brief all of his little thoughts about contemporary society - a very personal form of writing. The cover of the book is great - a display of a whole bunch of the little introductory cards that bikers hand out to each other and to citizens from members of a variety of different gangs including the Booze Fighters and the Vagos (one of the “big four” outlaw clubs). The book points to the potential for people who are not underground celebrities or leaders to write their experiences and publish them via an outlet like CreateSpace without regard for publishing conventions.
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