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Who was Indian Larry?

Published on December 11, 2020 under Born To Ride LifeStyle
Who was Indian Larry?

Discover his many faces – biker, builder, rebel, lover, mystic, artist, hero – in Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman

Stuntman, sideshow performer, chopper builder extraordinaire and every-man hero, Indian Larry DeSmedt – so named for riding his chopped Indian motorcycle on the streets of Manhattan – is best remembered by the masses for his remarkable custom motorcycles, wild tattoos and passion for building and riding rolling art. And, to a special few, he was a treasured friend and loyal brother of the road.

To celebrate the man and his widespread impact on fans, the industry, and more, Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman – by Dave Nichols, with widow Andrea “Bambi” Cambridge and renowned motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter – chronicles the epic journey from his early outlaw years to the top of the custom-bike-building world.

This illuminating biography encapsulates Indian Larry’s multifaceted life, which included an apprenticeship with hot rod builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, a short career as a bank robber and subsequent three-year prison term in the infamous Sing Sing prison; a stint in the New York art scene and friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, a spiral downward into heroin addiction and a phoenix-like rebirth as the spiritual bike builder revered by so many, up to his untimely death in 2004.

Lichter’s stunning photography, accompanied by images from the Indian Larry archive and Bambi’s personal collection, provide an up-close-and-personal complement to this remarkable story.

While Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman is a biography, Nichols, editor in chief of Easyriders and V-Twin magazines and host of SPEED Channel’s V-Twin TV, explains that the book also focuses on how Indian Larry lived the Hero’s journey and existed in a bigger-than-life, archetypal life, playing every role in its rich pageant.

Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman, by Dave Nichols with Andrea “Bambi” Cambridge and photography by Michael Lichter

Hardcover, 8 1/4 x 10 5.8, 176 pages

Photos: 250 color, 25 black-and-white

ISBN 13 978-07603-2382-3

ISBN 10 0-7603-2382-8

$24.95 (U.S.), $33.95 (CAN), £16.99 (UK)

Available in bookstores everywhere or through www.motorbooks.com. For trade inquiries, contact us at trade@mbipublishing.com or (800) 458-0454.

 

About Motorbooks

Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, is the world’s leading publisher of automotive, motorcycle and motorsport books for enthusiasts. For more than 40 years, Motorbooks has published award-winning books by the world’s most talented authors and photographers in the subject category.

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