"Mann’s paintings set ‘outlaw’ Harley chopper motorcycles against surreal backgrounds, and distorted skylines, colourful images that celebrated the chopper motorcycle and the freedom of the open road..."

-Wikipedia.

There are few artists who encapsulate the heart of the 'outlaw' side of the 1960s as much as David Mann.

Known early on as that 'poster artist' in Roth Studios, where you could get a Rat-Fink t-shirt or sticker, David Mann portrayed a series of biker related activities showing a mass of motorcycles partying in a strange cave, going on runs, or committing mayhem on a small town mainstreet.

Enter Roth.

David Mann got his start getting the attention of Ed Roth in 1963 through a Custom Car Show in Kansas City. He'd painted a biker scene 'Hollywood Run' which interested Mr. Roth (he put it in a magazine he was publishing: "Choppers"). Roth loved the image and commissioned 10 more from him. His scenes made their way to the magazine Easyriders around 1965.

A town invaded.

Some images are homages to the culture. Other ones show being on your ride as a person out on your own. Some other ones too display an interesting schism that no doubt was felt between 'straight culture' and the 'biker mentality,' drawing a line that marked those who bought into the 'American Dream' as the Politicians handed it to them as opposed to those who chose to discover it for themselves.

In debt.

I owe a debt of thanks to Mr. Mann, who died age 64 in 2004, for paving the way to stories like my Mayfield Eight. As fastidious as I get with the details of machinery in my comic, all I have to do is look at some of his paintings to see how it got done even better!

Thank you, David.

10454 Lomita Ave #B, Felton
United States

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