Okay, two hairy arsed blokes kissing is not my idea of a good time, in spite of a traumatic incident in a dark cinema with a cross dressing transvestite bent fucking bastard when I was sixteen. This might be a normal thing to see today, but in the 60s/70s it was a definite 'no no', homosexuality had been decriminalised in the late 60s, but 'Queer Bashing' was still a national sport out there on the streets. Psychiatrists and other such people with no lives of their own to get on with, used to say (and probably still do) that bikers kissing each other in public was indeed a sign of the groups suppressed homosexuality. The truth is that if anybody had tried it when they weren't in public, they'd have got a well deserved fat fucking lip for their trouble, because the whole point of it was to 'shock' people, and at the time it did. The thing about being an 'outlaw biker' was to live outside society, and anything you could do to upset and shock people was a good thing.

British culture at that time was still predominantly christian, so even the names of some clubs were offensive to a lot of people, wandering the streets with the words Hell, Satan or Devil etc on your back for all the world to see, was a sure fire way of getting the old dears 'tutting'. The more outrageous you were, the stronger the reaction from the general public, and men kissing in the street could cause a strong reaction, so it was always wise to make sure there was enough of you there to fight off any attack, it was also a good way to start a fight as well. The look, the regalia, the attitude, all designed to say "I'm not like you", "I never want to be like you", "I'm different, I'm better than you, and there's fuck all you can do about it".

The bikes changed as well for the same reasons, Apehanger's, forward pegs, banana seats and upswept straight through (no baffles) exhausts, were all to make the bike look and sound as outrageous as it's rider.

And then of course there's --------

THE SWASTIKA

If there was ever a symbol that was going to upset and annoy people, its this one. Which of course made it a must have for 1%ers everywhere, these days most back patch clubs have, for reasons of their own, dropped the Swastika from their colours, leaving it to the individual members to wear on the front if they wish to, it is however still used by the Sons of Hell. (pictured above right on a section of the Sons Death Head).

The Swastika is actually the oldest cross emblem in the World, and has been used as a symbol of peace and good fortune for at least 3,000 years. It has been found on artefacts from the ruins of ancient Troy, it is on Chinese coins dated 315 B.C. It is used by Buddists, and is the emblem of Ganesha the Hindu god of good luck. It can be found in Roman mosaics and was used by the Navajo tribe in North America, and the Mayas of Mexico. Contrary to popular belief the Nazis did not reverse it and thereby reverse its meaning, it has always been used both ways and means the same both ways. What the Nazis did do was design their own version of the Swastika, they tipped it up onto one point making a diamond shape, whereas apart from a few exceptions, it usually sat flat making a square, they then made it black and set it in a white circle against a red background. This design of Swastika is unique to the Third Reich, now compare their design to the one on the Sons colours. Got it?? -------- Good!!

Of course if you actually believe that anyone in the Sons of Hell ever considered any of this when they were designing the Death head, then your either dyslexic or a fucking moron.

So nobody in their right mind is going to believe that the Sons use of the Swastika was for any other reason than to cause offence. The funny thing is that as young men in the 60s and 70s, it was our parents generation that its use was designed to upset, it was our parents who had suffered from, and fought against everything that the Nazi Swastika represented. They were also the same generation that started the whole motorcycle gang culture in the first place.

Taking the piss out of the 'oldies' when they started banging on about the war may have been fun at the time, but then I was a teenager and actually knew fuck all, in spite of any opinions I had to the contrary. I know better now, and having had some experience at the wrong end of a gun or two, I take my hat off to anyone who has ever 'done their duty' under fire. As a young man I'd taken part in my share of the old "If somebody had a gun, I'd do this and I'd do that" conversations. In reality when the bullets did start flying I discovered that the first human instinct to react is 'self preservation'.

But back to the point, wearing a Swastika does not make you a Nazi, any more than it makes you a peace loving fucking Hippy. So if the Sons of Hell Swastika does ever 'piss you off', then its done its job!!