#333 George Christie - Surviving 40 Years in the Hells Angels

**George Christie** (0:01)
The Perfect Lunch Combo.
That first bite of your favorite sub, followed by ice cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends, and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today.

**Shawn Ryan** (0:24)
I wrote a little song to remind you. Choice Hotels gets you more of the experiences you value.
Bring a date, your team, or even your mom. Book direct at choicehotels.com. See you on the roof.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:00)
So at what point did you realize you wanted to be a Navy SEAL and pursue?

**George Christie** (1:06)
Pfft.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:08)
Probably around sophomore, junior, high school.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:12)
Was it like a particular event?

**SPEAKER_4** (1:15)
No, I just, well, let's see how it is.
But I was just always into the military, grew up playing with GI Joes and carbon spears and shit like that out in the woods. But to be, and then I lost sight of it. But to be honest, I was just a fucking turd. You know, in high school, I didn't really have anything going for me.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:36)
No direction.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:37)
Uh-uh, and other than BUBS and trying to get some chicks, which I wasn't very successful with.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:42)
Well, who is in high school? Right? Isn't it right? Everybody's lying. Yeah.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:48)
And my dad was, we just butted heads and one day fucking kicked my ass around and said, I'm not paying for your fucking school.
I'm not doing, you know, basically like, you're on your own, like fuck you. And I was like, cool. I already joined the Navy anyways. So well, I didn't already join, but I was like, yeah, I'm already talking to a recruiter anyways. I'm going to be a SEAL.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:15)
So how did he respond to that?

**SPEAKER_4** (2:16)
Totally like changed everything. It was like, you did what?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:20)
And proud or concerned or nervous or both?

**SPEAKER_4** (2:25)
Yeah, probably all three.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:27)
And what year was this?

**SPEAKER_4** (2:29)
Did I join or?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:30)
Yeah, you did this when you told your dad this is what I'm going to do. I guess what I'm trying to put in my mind, what was going on in the world at the time as a parent.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:41)
Pre-911, so probably like 99, 2000

**SPEAKER_3** (2:44)
Well, yeah, okay. Well, shit was getting kind of... Yeah.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:49)
But I don't know what the hell was going on. I was in high school, the George Bush election. But yeah, that's kind of it.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:57)
Yeah. For me, probably 1955, 1956, I don't know what year, probably nine, eight or nine maybe, I saw my first outlaw biker. I was in San Fernando Valley, standing on the corner with my dad. He's talking to this Italian restaurant. He has a restaurant as well. My dad was in the restaurant business, and they're discussing the restaurant business.
I'm just a goofy kid, and I hear this noise coming, and I look up the street and you see this guy coming.
He gets to the stop sign, stops, and he does a series of things. He pushes his glasses up on his head, and he's messing with something to his left side over here, which I've learned later, it's a jockey shifter, it's a hand shifter. And I hear this distinctive rattling, and what they are is, I've learned later, it's the bearings in the clutch basket. It's, you know, he's engaged the clutch and it's spinning, it's not engaged, it's spinning. And these ball bearings are making this whirling sound that's very distinct. They don't do it anymore because, you know, they're, it's a whole different motorcycle nowadays. But so I'm just watching this guy, he's got a Levi vest cut off, and everybody's tripping on this guy. And, you know, he's not paying attention to anybody. And the light changes, he dumps it in gear, pops his glasses down, and he just shoots across the intersection. And I'm like, what the hell was that? You know, and I look at the Italian guy, and he looks at me, and he goes, that's your America. And he spit on the ground. And I thought to myself, that's my America. And you know, metaphorically, I jumped on the back of that bike. It was another 10 years. And I didn't get a bike till 1966, because I was a kid. But that pushed me into the direction I wanted to go. It was just so profound, and so, it was just something else, man.