History...
The Oedipus Motorcycle Club was featured in an article by Richard Andreoli. The article appeared in the May 4th, 2004, issue of In Los Angeles Magazine. The article was well done, and our thanks go to Richard for taking the time to feature us in his article and now...the rest of the story
In April of 1958, a group of men met at the Colonial Bar and talked about starting a new motorcycle club.
Jack Freed and his buddies knew they were taking a risk, but they didn't care. The year was 1958, before PFLAG and Gay Pride parades, a time when a man could be arrested or fired from his job if his homosexuality was discovered. But Freed and his friends had found each other through their mutual love of motorcycles, and as he rode through the L.A. streets, toward the Colonial Bar where the others were meeting, he smiled. Sure, they'd had some good times riding with other closeted queers in the Satyrs Motorcycle Club, but Jack and his friends wanted to be more open about their sexuality, and that wasn't sitting well with some of the other Satyrs. So they decided to form a group of their own. All they needed now was a name.
"Hey motherfuckers!” Freed yelled his usual greeting as he entered the bar. "How you doing?"
As his eyes adjusted from the outside sunlight Freed heard someone in the darkened corner exclaim, "That's it! We'll become The Mother Fuckers! The assembled men laughed, but quickly altered the idea by adopting the name of a fictional character who had actually slept with his mother, and thus the Oedipus Motorcycle Club was born.
While the above tale is based on rumor and oral tradition – the last of the original members died over a year ago - the Oedipus Motorcycle Club of Southern California is the second oldest gay motorcycle group still in existence, paving the way for many leather and uniform clubs known today. They were bold in those more subdued times, often wearing white silk overlays when visiting bars to flamboyantly draw attention to themselves and demonstrate their group affiliation. They also used both first and last names on their membership rosters, an unheard of act considering the trouble they'd face if those documents were ever discovered. But more than simply making a political statement, these men were about getting on their bikes, and taking to the open road, and that mentality hasn't changed in over 46 years.