Larry Desmedt
"Indian" Larry Desmedt (April 28, 1949 - August 30, 2004) was a noted bike builder and mechanic, stunt rider, performer, artist, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles.
Indian Larry was born Lawrence DeSmedt in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. He became interested in motorcycles at an early age and became a fan of artist Kenny Howard (aka Von Dutch). He later moved to California to apprentice under legendary hot rod builder and pop artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. He started to become known by the name "Indian Larry" during the 1980s as he was always seen on the streets of Manhattan riding a chopped Indian motorcycle.
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[edit] Early life
Indian Larry was the oldest of three children, with two younger sisters, Diane and Tina. He attended a Catholic elementary school where the nuns would hit his knuckles until they bled and lock him in a dark closet.[1][2] Larry kept what was occurring to himself and did not tell his parents at the time what was going on. When his mother would ask about his knuckles Larry would just reply that he had gotten into a fight. It was not until years later that his family learned what had actually occurred.[3] As a child Larry was described as being sensitive and artistic, and "feeling more than most."[4]
Weeks before he was to graduate from high school, Larry told his mother that he was heading to California to join his younger sister Diane who was deeply immersed in the 1960s counterculture. (Diane had run away from home when she was 16).[5] Once in California Larry also took part in the scene and delved into drugs. Larry saw his sister Diane as a kindred spirit who understood what it was like to feel like an outsider in society.[6] Then tragedy struck. In September 1971, Diane was murdered. Larry accompanied her body back to their hometown for her funeral. The experience was emotionally devastating to him.[7]
In dealing with his grief Larry soon spiraled into drug addiction. To pay for the drugs he started robbing stores. The cops had an idea that it was Larry but had not been able to catch him so they set up a sting operation. One day Larry robbed a bank and as he exited he was fired upon by two police officers. He narrowly escaped being killed as one of the bullets grazed the skin on his eyebrow.[8] At the age of 23, Larry was sent to Sing Sing prison for three years. During his incarceration Larry earned his GED, started taking college classes, and courses in welding and mechanics. Prison was "the place where he honed all his best mechanic skills."[9] He also asked his mother to send him a dictionary and books on philosophy and other topics. He was released in September 1976.[10]
[edit] Move to New York City
After completing parole, Larry moved to Manhattan where he rode the streets on a chopped Indian motorcycle and and became involved with the art scene. It was during this period that people began to call him Indian Larry, and his personal trademark was born.[11] In the 1980s Larry hung out with Robert Maplethorpe and Andy Warhol. According to his future wife Bambi, "...they actually searched him out, they found him so fascinating..."[12] Maplethorpe took a lot of photographs of Indian Larry and he was featured on the cover of Artforum magazine.[13]
Indian Larry began working in different motorcycle shops in New York City and New Jersey during the 1980s and early 1990s. Often he would be rebuilding motors out of his apartment.[14] These were still years of turmoil however and he struggled with heroin. In November, 1991 during a period when he was living around the Bowery, Larry was going through severe withdrawals one night and was wandering the streets cutting himself with a broken beer bottle. (Larry would later describe his situation as being "homeless, shirtless, penniless, showerless"). When a cop arrived on the scene Larry asked to be shot but the cop replied "No, I'm not going to shoot you, I"m going to get you some help." They committed him to Bellevue Hospital.[15][16] From there Larry first entered drug and alcohol programs which he continued with until finally getting clean in the late 1990s.[17]
[edit] Building bikes
Indian Larry's first experience with building occurred when he took his little sister Tina's tricycle and equipped it with Schwinn bicycle handlebars and a lawn mower engine.[18][1] Larry's father had wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a carpenter.[19]
He founded the Gasoline Alley custom motorcycle shop in New York City in 1991 with Paul Cox. His "old school" choppers quickly won renown in the motorcycling world. In building bikes Larry preferred the old school style, rigid frames produced by Paughco. His preference in motors was for old Harley Davidson Panheads.[20]
The Coney Island Psychoholic Side Show debuted in Richmond, Va at Cycle Expo 1998, which featured English Don and The Coney Island characters The Pain Proof Rubber Girls, Combustible Kiva (Kiva Kahl), Fred Kahl a.k.a. The Great Fredini, and Larry's soon-to-be wife, Bambi The Mermaid. This event spawned all the rest of the special appearances of the motorcycle customizers who came to be known as master builders, celebrity builders and feature builders at events across the United States. No one ever came close to the character and quality or the public appeal of Indian Larry.
His motorcycle "Grease Monkey" was named Easyriders magazine's Chopper of the Year and he was a winner of three Discovery Channel Bike Build Off Trophies. His second trophy was cut up and shared with his opponent Billy Lane and the audience, when he unexpectedly announced an exact draw after winning. His last build was the Chain of Mystery bike, in which the frame was made of welded tow chain. After his death another Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off episode a tribute bike was built by his longtime partners, Paul Cox and Keino, Billy Lane and Kendall Johnson. Indian Larry is credited with re-popularizing the stripped down, tall handlebar, foot clutched, jockey shifted, no front brake or fender, small gas tank, open piped, kick start only, stock rake choppers that prevailed in the 60s, before long front ends became popular.
Indian Larry's partner at Gasoline Alley, Paul Cox, described how Larry conceived the idea for a new chopper build: "Working alongside him you realized how much he ran on instinct. Built-in instinct. He would rarely make a sketch or jot down notes...he just envisioned what he wanted in one wide-eyed flash and would turn to you with a look like he saw God. At that point it was 'all over but the cryin,' he would say."[21]
One of Larry's famous trademarks was a tattoo across the front of his neck. He had the lettering in the middle two lines tattooed in reverse so that it could be read in the mirror.[22] Larry said that it was his way to remind himself not to judge others.[23]
| The tattoo said: |
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IN GOD WE TRUST |
[edit] Films
Indian Larry was also an accomplished stuntman and actor. Desmedt played himself in the film Rocket's Red Glare!. He performed stunts for the films Quiz Show, Muscle Machine, My Mother's Dream, and 200 Cigarettes. He also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.
[edit] Death
Indian Larry was performing motorcycle stunts at the "Liquid Steel Classic" and "Custom Bike Series" in Concord, North Carolina during the afternoon of Saturday, August 28, 2004. In a stunt that Larry had done countless times, he stood fully upright on the seat of his moving bike, arms outstretched in a "T" or "crucifix" pose. He performed several passes in front of the large crowd that day. As he was taking his last planned run on the asphalt, his bike began to wobble. Normally if this happened Larry would jump down and take control of the bike, but in this instance he fell backwards off the motorcycle and hit his head, sustaining serious head injuries.[24] He was airlifted to the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he died in the early morning hours of Monday, August 30, 2004. Larry was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The last words that Indian Larry uttered were to his wife Bambi (who was at the event) saying, "Sweetie, sweetie," before closing his eyes for the last time.[25]
Two books were published on Indian Larry in 2006 including "Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman," by Dave Nichols with Andrea "Bambi" Cambridge and photography by Michael Lichter as well as "Indian Larry" by Timothy White. His autobiography, Grease Monkey, The Life and Times of Motorcycle Artist Indian Larry, written shortly before his death has yet to be published. The David Mann bike episode of American Chopper was also dedicated to Indian Larry in addition to Mann himself.
[edit] External links
- Indian Larry's Website
- Liquid Steel bio
- Book of Joe Blog excerpt
- "'Indian Larry' said killed at bike show"
- "'Indian Larry' dies after stunt in Cabarrus"
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Lieb, Rebecca. “Remembering Indian Larry: Joe Coleman’s Homage to the Ultimate Motorcycle Artist”. Juxtapoz: Arts & Culture Magazine Feb 2006 Issue #61. p. 40-47.
- ^ Nichols, Dave, Cambridge, Andrea “Bambi” (2006). "Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman". p. 20, 22, 29.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 20, 22, 29.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 38.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 30.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 40.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 35, 38, 40.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 42, 43.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 48, 52.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 56.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 60.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 60.
- ^ Lieb. p.42
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 67.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 105, 106.
- ^ Lieb. p. 45
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 65, 67.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 20.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 19.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 60.
- ^ White, Timothy (2006 ISBN-13: 978-1-8589-4411-1). Indian Larry. New York City, NY: Merrell. p. Introduction.
- ^ Lieb, Rebecca. “Remembering Indian Larry: Joe Coleman’s Homage to the Ultimate Motorcycle Artist”. Juxtapoz: Arts & Culture Magazine Feb 2006 Issue #61. p. 40-47.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 125.
- ^ Nichols; Cambridge. - p. 159, 160.
- ^ Lieb, Rebecca. “Remembering Indian Larry: Joe Coleman’s Homage to the Ultimate Motorcycle Artist”. Juxtapoz: Arts & Culture Magazine Feb 2006 Issue #61. p. 40-47.
