Hardest Working Guys In The Business!

Most times, before we ever arrive at a rally, the WALL OF DEATH crew is already on property.  Often rolling in during the middle of the night!  As we complain about having to set up our tent or blow up our air mattress, the guys have the daunting undertaking of building THE WALL!  I only watched part of this process but by no means was it any less than back breaking!  They are the first to come and the very last to leave!  I had never really gotten to know any of the Wall crew prior to hosting this year at the Broken Spoke Campground and now wish I had taken the time earlier!  NOTHING BUT CLASS!  While on my ride to the Spoke, I had stopped to get gas about 40 miles or so outside of Deadwood and I was beat.  It would be a 687 mile day for us.  I turned on my phone as I had it off to conserve the battery and I had some messages.  One of those messages was from George The Painter and he had a real tone of concern in his voice.  "Hey man, where you at, we are having some insane weather here", "hope you are okay"!  Yes, GTP does have a heart!  50 weight pumps through it, but all in all, it is a heart.  Well that weather put the guys from the Wall well behind in their construction.  If that wall is not operational, they don't make a dime, if they don't make a dime, how do they even make it to the next event?  THEY DON'T!  The following day, they were still building the wall when it was announced that the Rolling Vietnam Memorial was on property, the opening ceremony would take place shortly but they needed volunteers to help construct it.  The guys from the wall stopped what they were doing instantly!  Now remember, no Wall, no money!  Each and every one of them went down the hill, behind the general store and went to work building the memorial wall.  I had nothing but mad respect for these guys before this, now, forget it, I can't put in to words the RESPECT, yes, there is that word again, that I have for these guys.  They put their work down, they put their income at risk and they went to help!  Fuck that's cool as shit! 

There is no insurance company on earth that will insure a Wall of Death rider and that sucks big time.  You guys know what the cost is when you go to the emergency room because you twisted your ankle, now imagine riding 50mph on a 16' high, 30' round wall of a cylinder and having something catastrophic happen!  I would bet the ranch you don't want that bill!  So they have a fund that they keep for when someone gets hurt.  Yes, they take care of their own, they are a family, the way this shit is supposed to be!  We watch these guys jump dirt bikes and we see the X games on tv, but this is the shit folks, this was America's first extreme sport and they are keeping it alive and well..... okay, maybe not well, but sure as hell alive!  Not well you ask?  Nope!  These are hands down some of the craziest bastards that I have ever had the pleasure to call my friends!  The word Death isn't in the name for no reason ya know!  On a side note, NEVER, EVER, go flat track racing, drunk, at 4am with anyone who has DEATH in their name!  It just doesn't work out in your favor.  One of the highlights of the rally and yes, I have a list of them, was following Mikey in his two wheel drive sidehack and the Jeremiah Weed nuts in their dune buggy on steroids and Jeremiah Lightning on his insane sporty off to HELP FLATTEN the overgrown flat track.  Mikey said "Jack, it's in bad shape", asshole me says, "well we should go see, right now"!  MISTAKE NUMBER ONE FOR STURGIS 2011 on my part!  Did you know that inside the oval of the flat track at the Broken Spoke County Line, there is a motocross track?  No?  Well neither did I!  But guess what?  IN FOURTH GEAR, WHILE CHASING THESE MANIACS, I FOUND IT!  I can also say that I now know for sure that the FXR is the most amazing modern bike Harley ever put out and did you know that they can fly too?  Yeah, I do now too!  Your friend Jack Shit nearly had Death is his title too!  One huge jump, one brutal landing and what I swore were two broken thumbs, I had to heed Jeremiah's warning of "this is really stupid man, really fuckin stupid" and ride back to the lot!

As the week went on I did all I could to make sure that people got to take in at least one wall show and each person that I sent over came right back to me and said "that's the baddest thing I've ever seen"!  They too were absolutely correct!  My schedule was so hectic there that I barely had a moment to get my head straight and I had given the FXR a serious smack down on the flat track.  Well on the part of it that I   managed to find anyway.  The bike was barely running, I blew a fork seal and to make matters worse, the carb was pissing gas out of it!  I had really done a job on her.  With 15 minute breaks between band sets, it is really hard to put your bike back together and with the property being so massive, it took me half that long to walk from one place to another (up until flat track night I had ridden to all these places).  Handsome Charlie Ransom repeatedly told me, "Jack, get that fucking thing over here and let me get a look at it" so I did, then 30 minutes later, I would fire her up and take off, sputtering and spitting my way up the hill!  Eventually, I made it back to the Wall, pulled off the carb and had to run back to work.  Upon my return, I found the entire bike put back together, filled with gas and ready to go.  What an amazing gesture of friendship!  I have got to tell you that being around these guys was amazing.  They truly made my Sturgis Rally 2011.

I can't think of a single night that once the work was done at the Wall, that I did not turn around to be handed a drink or given a hug or to hear my name being screamed at the top of one or more of these maniacs lungs!  They supported me like nothing I have ever seen and I will never forget it!  I was sure as hell not the only one who woke up in the morning more than once with no voice!  I will never forget these guys!  It more or less became a running joke, I would scream "WALL OF DEATH IN THE HOUSE" and they would scream "JACK SHIT".  Incredible memories!

Hands down, one of the highlights of not only the Sturgis Rally at the Broken Spoke but no bullshit, of my life, was when Wahl E. Walker, man I love that name, invited me in to see the show from inside the Wall!  If you have seen the show from the top, you know how amazing it is.  This pales in comparison to being able to see the show from inside.  I know most everyone will never get to experience this and that is truly too bad because it is mind blowing.   These guys are men of honor, respect and loyalty!  They have been at the Spoke for years now on nothing more than a hand shake deal and if you can't RESPECT that, what can you RESPECT?  People who mean what they say and say what they mean, hell, it's virtually unheard of anymore!  This is one cohesive unit, one family and it shows!  Hell, on the final night of the rally, after the food vendors had packed up their tents and trucks these guys even fed me dinner!  Tell me where can you get Spaghetti at a bike rally?  AT THE FUCKING WALL OF DEATH THAT'S WHERE! 

 On the last night of the rally, we were all hanging up on the VIP balcony next to the stage and J. Lightning was killing me with limericks and "poetry" so to speak.  I mean here is this guy who has seen it all, who barely spoke and then in a fury, spit out some of the fastest and funniest shit that I have ever heard in my life!  There are days that I can't remember my phone number and here he is remembering 75 lines from something that he learned as a young guy, incredible!  The entire time there, a documentary was being filmed on the Wall crew and I can't wait to see it, these guys deserve all the good that come their way!

I bet you guys thought that I would forget the FOX IN THE BOX.  Hell no!  What a sweetheart and hard worker as well.  "Don't forget the garlic bread" she said and my night was made!

So next time you see these guys at a fair or a bike rally, dig deep in that pocket, hold your money over the top rail and let them come snatch right out of your hot little hand!  This Sturgis Rally at the World Famous Broken Spoke Saloon would have never been the same without the crew from the Wall of Death.  As a friend said to me 2 nights ago, "I applaud and RESPECT YOU"! 

WALL OF DEATH IN THE HOUSE!

Until we see each other on the road,

Keep the wind in your face,

Tits in your back

and The Man off your ass!

Your friend,

Jack Shit

Respect man, plain and simple! How fucking hard is that to understand?

For nearly a year now there has been something just gnawing away at my soul.  I have spoken to friends about this issue and each offered me advice of what they thought I should do, what they thought I should say as well as the advice of "fuck it man, leave it be" or "do nothing man, it will all work out in the end".  For the longest time I had done just that, NOTHING!  I had said nothing, I had done nothing and it has eaten me alive!  As you guys know from reading my writing, I have one very simple hard core belief that guides my life.  I live my life by four letters.  I wrote about them last night.  L, L, H & R, Love, Loyalty, Honor and FUCKING RESPECT!  For me, it just can't be any more plain and simple!  I can understand if all people don't live by each and every single one of these letters, it takes time to get the whole theory but I am appalled by those who can't seem to manage to live by any of them!  I am disgusted by people who are users, by people who put themselves above all others and mostly by PHONY people who will step on the necks of those who they pretend to be friends with just so that they can climb a few inches higher so that they can try and grab shit that they have neither earned nor deserve!  They just step on the necks of those around them because they see something that they want!  It is disgusting and it makes me fucking ill!

For one to be loved, one must give love!  For one to have loyalty from others they must first be loyal to someone, to anyone!  For a person to be honored he must first do something honorable!  Most importantly of all this, is for one to EVER be respected, that person must first show respect, to have respect to give respect and truly important is to have some SELF RESPECT! 

If you have been holding this in for so long Jack, what makes you finally spit it out tonight?  What was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back?  Well humor me for a moment and you may understand.  I moved in to my new house about 18 months ago.  You guys have heard me talk about the neighborhood and the people who live here.  Directly across the street from me is an old couple.  He is 91 and she is 94.  Everyday this beautiful woman walks up and down the street holding on to her walker.  Most days, her husband is right by her side, holding her hand, loving her.  When she needs to stop, he does not get bothered by this, he RESPECTS her and waits until she has the strength to carry on.  He is loyal enough not to leave her side after 70 + years together and tonight as I watched the coroner wheel her out of the house on a stretcher to take her to her final resting place, I watched as he honored her by helping to hold the blanket over her as the Dust Storm tried to blow it off.  Once secured, as they placed her body in the van, I watched as in a final act of L,L,H & R, he placed one last red rose on her body.  At the same time that I was touched to my core to witness this, I was infuriated by the lack of respect of others, for others!  How can some people be so amazing and some people be so disgusting?

You guys know well and good that I have been away in Sturgis and I have only just returned.  The first time that I was invited to come to be part of the Spoke Family, Jay Allen told me that this was our home and we were to make each and every guest who walked through the door feel welcome and make them feel as if they were part of our family.  "Jack, I want these people treated with total RESPECT", that is what Jay asked me to do and that is what the Broken Spoke Saloon is based on, what it was built on, RESPECT!  These were my marching orders and believe me when I tell you, they were the easiest instructions that I have ever been given, I RESPECT everyone until the time comes that they have lost my RESPECT!

For so many, the Broken Spoke Saloon Campground is a sacred place.  The walls are adorned by the great ones who have come and gone before us.  On one wall above the stage, Indian Larry will forever watch down upon all who enter the Spoke, on another, the one and only Johnny Chop, a person that in my entire time around this life we have chosen to live, I've never heard one single person speak one bad word about the man!  On a third wall, the incredible Samantha Morgan is honored and this past rally on another wall we added the one and only Million Miles Squire.  The Spoke's walls are covered in greatness, they are covered with people for whom we could only wish to aspire to be like!  Also on these walls are personal belongings from Jay Allen.  Items that he chose to take from his personal collection of memories and share them with his extended family at the Spoke.  None of these items have ever been stolen and none have ever been defaced because everyone who enters the sacred walls of the Broken Spoke have enough RESPECT for this man, for his property and for his dream!  On the first morning after my arrival this year at the Spoke I entered the main building.  I had never before spent any time there and had never had the privilege of being able to walk every square inch of the place.  With each moment that I spent there, I became more humbled by the energy of those who have passed through the doors before me.  I looked at those huge prints of the names I mentioned earlier and I was moved! 

Over the years, for a great many years, Jay has been a huge part of our culture whether you knew it or not.  His generosity is overwhelming and while there this past two weeks I learned of more and more that he has done to help others.  This is a man who deserves to be treated with respect and his property deserves to be treated equally with the very same respect!  After some time touring the building, getting the lay of the land and trying to figure out how I was going to pull off the mammoth undertaking that I had gotten myself in to by hosting such a hallowed place, I needed to use the bathroom.  I walked in, stood at the urinal and took one hellified piss.  As I turned around, pulled up my zipper and looked up at the wall, my FUCKING HEART SANK!  For one of the very first times in my life, I was truly speechless.  I could not believe my eyes!

On the wall hung an original Discovery Channel Biker Build Off banner!  Now I don't care if you loved those shows or if you hated those shows, they have become a huge part of our recent history and showcased some of the finest people who have ever turned a wrench on bikes.  Now I'm not sure if this banner was from Larry or Johnny, but I know that it was special and it was hung on that wall for all to enjoy and share in.  It was there for all to know that Jay and the Spoke were also part of that history and it was taken from a personal collection and shared with our extended family to enjoy and because they were our extended family, it was there for them to take pride in as well!  Since the day that it had been hung there, it had been unmolested, untouched and unscathed because people understand RESPECT!  Well, some people understand RESPECT!  Why did your heart sink Jack?  Because when I turned around, this is what I saw.

Understand that this photo was taken at the end of the rally this year.  The large I AM DON WOOD was the only thing written on this banner when I arrived on the property.  As the week progressed, seeing that the banner had been written on, for the first time in years, other people added their names to it.  But on day one of the 71st annual Sturgis Rally, this banner had but one name, one thing written with TOTAL AND COMPLETE LACK OF RESPECT for our history, for others property and for the people who gave up everything to follow the life we lead and to follow the dream of what they love!  For me this is inexcusable, unforgivable and just shows the world the kind of person he is!  In the last year I have witnessed a total lack of respect for others.  For other people, for other people's old ladies for anyone in general who he did not think that he could get something out of that would move him up or to help him reach the "FAME" that he so desperately seeks.  Well you have done it Don, you are known now for exactly who and what you are.  For being someone who has a total lack of respect, a total disregard for anyone and everything around him.  You have no idea the world that you have snaked and deceived your way in to.  This Sturgis Rally, you have shown everyone just who you are, what you are capable of and proven to all that you have ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING IDEA of the codes that we live by..... let me remind you again, L, L, H & R! 

While at the Broken Spoke, with no warning at all, Don walked back stage, then on to the stage, pulled the microphone mid song from the lead singers hand of the HEAD LINE BAND and stopped them dead in their tracks because he felt the need to make an announcement.  We have one strict policy at the Spoke, we don't stop the band, EVER!  Everything, EVERY DETAIL OF EVERY DAY is timed to the minute.  These guys were being paid a lot of money to play and entertain the guests of the Spoke and they were prevented from doing that.  The crowd was angry, the band was angry, the bosses were angry and I AM FUCKIN ANGRY!  This egomaniac was so afraid that he may lose a moment of camera time or not be able to stand on stage in front of a crowd and shout I AM DON WOOD, which is exactly what he shouted first!  The only smile that I was able to muster up was because the moment he shouted it in to the mic, someone from the crowd shouted, WHO GIVES A FUCK!  I share the very same feeling now!  You may be saying now, "but Jack man, you were running the show at the Spoke, how did you let this get past you in the first place"?  Funny, it was the same question my boss asked me.  I was tricked out of the building by being told that there was a big surprise birthday party for me up at the pool and all my friends in the world were up there waiting for me.  I had to go up there immediately if not sooner!  Oddly enough, as I walked past friend after friend on the way to the pool to quite literally find no one up there but two drunks, I was not surprised, I only assumed it was a practical joke.  On the way back I asked one of my friends and they said oh no man, Don told us 20 minutes ago that we were to be inside the main building, we were wondering why you were going up to the pool!  When I arrived back to the building is pretty much when Don pulled this scam to get up on stage.  He used the guise of Aidan has a Posse to do this.  He put on this bullshit, fake, caring, humble voice and whispered in to the mic, not one person there had a single idea of what he was saying and were shouting for him to speak up, but why would he listen, he knows it all right?  I believe the total raised by pulling this bullshit was a bit over $100.  In 15 minutes, I raised nearly 800 bucks for a titty contest and this guy could not raise shit for a deathly ill child!  So he tricked me, broke the number one rule at the Spoke and cheated a family out of desperately needed funds, NICELY DONE DON!  Your ego is writing checks that you can't cash man!  All you had to do is notify me or any other person at the Spoke of what your plan was and we would have made it happen, at the right time, in front of the right people and raised a shit ton of money, but I guess someone else may have gotten the attention rather than you.  That's what this was about right?  Drawing attention to yourself?  Well you got that attention now man!


This is but just a brief tale of the events that took place this year and believe me when I tell you and you know you can because I always tell the truth, there is so much more!  The bike community is done with you Don.  You have burned all your bridges faster than anything that I have ever seen and I have been around a long time now!  EVERYONE IS DONE WITH YOU!  Some have their 15 minutes of fame, you man, now have your 15 minutes of SHAME!  Look inside yourself man, become a better person or your life will suck forever!


I have never before in my life called someone out like this and the decision to do it did not come easy and I didn't take it lightly.  Like I said earlier, I have been sick over this for months about what to do, or say or to just leave it be, but this was the final straw, I could not just let this go any longer!  It was your actions that drove me to this. 


If there are any of you who disagree with what I have done than tell me so.  In return, I will share with you some of the other amazing and appalling things that have recently taken place.  I will no longer hold back, those days are now long gone.  I've tried my damndest to just let each and every incident go but what you did this week at the Broken Spoke is unforgivable on a great many levels! You should no longer be welcome on any Broken Spoke Property, anywhere!  Congratulations!

For all of the rest of you amazing people that share in our lives, I am sorry for even posting something like this but my head was about to explode and it had to be said.   Until we see each other on the road again,


Keep the wind in your face,
Tits in your back
and The Man off your ass!


Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart and with absolute brutal honesty, I AM YOUR FRIEND,
Jack Shit

There are times that you never forget, this is one of them!

The 71st annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is now over and I am home safe and sound from a 3 thousand mile bike ride! As with any thing in life that you put your entire heart and soul in, there will certainly be ups and downs. From the moment that I arrived at the World Famous Broken Spoke Saloon, it was non stop and at a break neck pace. The shortest day that I worked was 16 hours and that was day one, from there I became more committed and put in on average, 18 hours per day. We go to Sturgis, our holy land to experience the brotherhood, the fun and most importantly the bikes because after all, that is what this entire lifestyle we chose is about, THE BIKES. All the rest of it is just a bonus. We get to spend time with the people we love and would do just about anything for and for some of us, Sturgis is the only time we get to see each other. This was my first year hosting at the County Line Campground and it was the honor of my life to be welcomed back as part of the Broken Spoke family! Many of you have heard me say this but it bears repeating. The very first time that I met with the one and only Jay Allen about working for the Spoke I asked him what he expected of me, what did he want me to accomplish while there. I was fully ready for an hour long meeting and I had my sharpie and blank paper ready to take notes. What Jay said to me I will never forget, he said "Jack, I'm glad you asked". "I want you to welcome everyone in to our home and treat them like family". That was it, those were my entire list of instructions! This man is one class act!

The entire Spoke family is one class act. I know that I have not written much since I left for Sturgis and maybe now you understand why. One of the things that blew me away most was how they handled some very special guests. The Rolling Wall, the Vietnam Memorial, rolling wall has found its home at the Broken Spoke Campground and we were honored to have them. They will return next year and the Spoke will once again be honored to host this amazing tribute to the more than 50 thousand men who gave all in defense of freedom! When the opening ceremony of the wall begins, everything stops, EVERYTHING! The music stops, the party stops, the drinks stop and you can't so much as purchase a t shirt if you wanted to. ALL BUSINESS STOPS! I had the incredible honor and privilege to be part of this ceremony this year and it is something that I will never forget as long as I live! Being a biker, we all know a great many who survived Vietnam and returned home like so many from world war 2 and found the motorcycle and longed for freedom and peace and they found that through brotherhood and the open road! I didn't lose anyone in that war, shit, I wasn't even born until 68' but it made no difference, it touched me like I couldn't even understand. The dedication that these guys have for this memorial is second to none! On a side note, I want to mention another group of bikers that deserve credit and normally don't get it. THE WALL OF DEATH! Because of some insane weather this year it caused great delay in getting their own wall set up. They were far behind in its construction and until it is up and open, they are losing money. Every second that they are at an event and not performing, they are losing money. The time came for the opening of the wall and for the wall itself to be constructed and each and every member of the Wall of Death stopped what they were doing and went down and built the Memorial Wall! Because of the time that they spent, they were not able to even open up for business until the next day. THESE GUYS ARE NOTHING BUT CLASS AND TRUE PATRIOTS! The next time you see them, shake their hands and let them know that you appreciate the hardest working guys in the bike world!

Here is a short video that I managed to capture during the opening ceremony. The sound is not the best and the camera work may be shaky but I think you will see how powerful it was. When it came time for me to speak, I was terrified that everyone there would know that I had tears in my eyes and hear it in my voice! The Spoke was built on RESPECT and everyone involved with the Wall or who has ever given up everything to fight for this country deserves nothing less! GOD BLESS THE AMERICAN SOLDIER!




Until we see each other on the road, or at the Broken Spoke Saloon,

Keep the wind in your face,
Tits in your back
and The Man off your ass!

Your friend,
Jack Shit