On Our Music & Living
by Steve Funk
“Get your motor runnin…head out on the highway. Lookin' for adventure and whatever comes our way…”
“Born To Be Wild”, by Steppenwolf
It's late summer and the bloom is nearly off the rose. Autumn impends in the shortened, slanting daylight and weekends in Northern Nevada are anxious for a flurry of special events. Get your good times while they're Hot, though August Nights are gone. From this point on, we feverishly celebrate the final leisure days of the season because we know their value well. We pack them full with smoking pork & a burning man, graceful balloons and notso dromedaries, speeding aircraft, thundering hogs and more.
Of all the late summer events, Street Vibrations is the one that resonates like a V-Twin in the boomer generation's soul and you don't have to be a 'biker' to appreciate it. The Rock & Roll iconography of the 'Leader of the Pack', born, literally, of returning World War II veterans self-treating their PTSD and weaned as a fledgling '50s cultural subcurrent. The baby grew up to be a rebellious adolescent in the '60s & ‘70s and an key player in economic ecstasy of the '80s & '90s. Kinda sounds like the story of a generation, doesn't it?
I set out to find out what that means by checking in for perspective with my record collection, and two guys who've contributed to making our community the epicenter for rolling thunder in the last week of September, John Crowell, owner of Reno Harley-Davidson and Randy Burke, creator of Street Vibrations…
Randy Burke is a hometown boy any boomer could envy. He's made a career out of a love of Rock & Roll and motorcycles…
Q-Randy, lead us up to the moment when you began Street Vibrations…
Burke: Well, kind of quickly, I was born in Reno, and was part of a family business called Mount Rose Sporting Goods. The family sold out to a discount store in the 70's called Mogul Mouse, a ski shop that turned into Bobo's Reno Ski Shop. I went to Reno High School and graduated, went into the Nevada Air National Guard for seven years, worked in the family business. After it was sold, I took over Hot August Nights, it was in financial trouble, about 250 K in debt. That was in '86. I was originally a volunteer and when I ran the corporation, I didn't take a paycheck for the first two years. I did that for 9 years. At that point I had the opportunity to take my experience to the motorcycle industry chasing Harley Davidson. I've been doing that now for 16 years, so… 20-25 years in the business, with a lot of on the job training. It's been quite a trick.
When I started Road Shows I realized that to make it work I was going to have to leave the Reno area at least part of the year to create other events. Now we produce coast-to-coast in cities that are destination resorts, like Reno, who cater to groups of people… in my case, motorcycle enthusiasts. We produce about 15 events per year.
Q-Where did the flash of inspiration come from that connected motorcycles and Rock & Roll for fun and profit?
Burke: You know one of the owners of the Cal-Neva, Bill Thornton, a local businessman who lives the Wall Street Journal, called me up and said, “You know I'm seeing a trend in Harley Davidson, through Malcomb Forbes. I think there's something to it. I think you ought to get in touch with him.” So we flew to Milwaukee. I met with the people from Harley. We said, “We're in the promotion business,” and they said, “That's funny, we're planning an event in 1992 at the Hilton in Reno with about 6,000 bikers…maybe you can do the local production.” Bingo…we were in business.
Q-It was kismet then?
Burke: Absolutely. They liked Reno so much they came back to us in '94 and we did it again. By that time we realized this was such a great thing why don't we do it every year? From there, we took the model to other cities to other cities to recreate the experience nationally.
Q-The whole “Rock & Roll meets motorcycles” life style carries a lot of baggage, created by pop culture…the movies, music and iconography…did you run up against resistance or governmental push back when 'the man' learned you were bringing thousands of bikers to town?
Burke: A great question, but no…we didn't. The thing is… we used our business plan, the same one from Hot August Nights and came to the realization that the kind of folks who have a hot rod car and like Rock & Roll, that there's a pretty good chance they have a motorcycle in the garage. So everything we learned through 9 years of trial and error with Hot August Nights and working with the city and county, we had great relationships and they'd already bought into that. With cars it's a show and shine, with bikes it's a ride and shine. It's the same thing. A Poker Run is a Poker Run and the crossover is incredible.
Q-So, in your garage…a Harley Davidson? Burke: You know, I'm always building one…for charity…we promote them and give them away. My personal bike is an '82 Lowrider. I don't get to ride as much as I would like because I work 7 days a week. Q-Tell me about this year's event…what's new, what's happening with Street Vibrations?
Burke: It's successful so we don't tinker with it too much. These events have a 7 or 8 year life cycle so to extend it, you have to re-invent yourself now and again… This year we'll bring more bikes back to main street; we haven't been able to do that for the last few years 'cause of the layout the city had asked for, so we were excited about that. Controlled Burn, an amazing troupe of fire enthusiasts performed at our Spring Fever Rally in Sparks in June, and they stole the show so we're definitely bringing them back. We'll have the Battle Born Roller Derby girls back on the plaza at 1st and Virginia. There will be more activities in Virginia City, Carson City too.
Q-All detailed on your Web site?
Burke: Yeah, www.road-shows.com, a work in progress…continually updated. Ninety-five percent of folks who come out are from out-of-state so the Web site is critical for us.
Q-Both, Rock & Roll and the motorcycle experience, are American phenomenon at their root. What's the dynamic that made them fit so well together?
Burke: The rebel. You can go back to James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. You don't have to look much further back than that. Right behind him would be Steve McQueen. The movies told the story but couldn't do it right without music that fit with fast cars, fast motorcycles and fast women. All of a sudden a musical genre was exploding all around them. The music might have been there before these guys, but once they molded together it was like it struck like a power chord.
Q-Then came Easy Rider. This year is the 40th anniversary, right?
Burke: Jack Nicholson with the crazy tie and football helmet…Peter Fonda…Dennis Hopper…They couldn't have known, who would have thought? Then you mix in the incredible music and something happened. Jump ahead to Apocalypse Now and add the military component. That's where the first bikers came from. It's all part of a thread of Americana.
John Crowell and wife, Marci, met and married while they were corporate employees of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Co. in Milwaukee. After more than two decades with the company, they decided to write the next chapter of their lives together
Q-So… Why Reno?
Crowell: Geography, climate, opportunity. When we put it all together, Reno was the 'sweet spot' for us. It was truly an alignment of the planets. We love the West, the mountains, the proximity to Yosemite, Napa, San Francisco…
Q-Harley Davidson and motorcycles have come together with Rock & Roll to create an iconography and lifestyle for our generation. For you personally, which came first?
Crowell: Rock & Roll, because I grew up in a family where my parents were not particularly motorcycle savvy folk, so Rock & Roll played a bigger part in my early days. In our home, it was quite an interesting discussion when I decided to leave my job at John Deere to work for the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company, along the lines of “where did we fail as parents,” but I think overtime they knew I'd made a decision that was right for me.
Q-Speaking of dealership culture, your customers have a stronger relationship to your product then just about any other --- it's evident by the great quotes they've given you that are displayed all over Reno Harley Davidson. Is music a regular part of the conversation when they come into the store?
Crowell: I think the commonalities start from diversity. The Harley Davidson motorcycle family includes blue collar folks to doctors and lawyers, workers, laborers, and everyone in between…an incredibly diverse community, but with a common denominator that brings the diversity together - that's the Harley Davidson. It's the same formula when it comes to music. People from all cultures find music to be a common denominator.
Q-Does the passion still burn as brightly?
Crowell: I think it does. We've all read the stories about how today's 50 is yesterdays 40 and so on. Maybe that's just us justifying our age, I'm not sure. But I think clearly that what Harley Davidson has done as people get up into the boomer generation, is get people up off the couch. We're not as sedentary in our generation as our parents were at the same ages. There needs to be a catalyst and a motorcycle does that. As the fair weather fades, motorcycles all over northern Nevada will take to garages to hibernate… leaving us still pondering the question. In the meantime, get out and enjoy Street Vibrations, Sept. 24th-27th, because like all things truly important, the Rock & Roll meets Rolling Thunder lifestyle is an experience bigger than words. That's why the music, set to the rhythm of the V-Twin heartbeat says it best…
“…I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride…”
“Wanted: Dead or Alive”, by Bon Jovi
Steve Funk has been stirring Northern Nevada's musical melting pot since 1967, is a musician, a musicologist and recovering DJ. He does not own a motorcycle. Comments are appreciated at scfunk@charter.net .