SONNY'S 71ST

A while back, I got wind that Sonny was a fan of Sons. My initial response was relief. Perhaps the same relief David Chase felt when he got a gift basket instead of a dead fish from his Italian brethren. Sonny is Sonny Barger (it's a hard G). If you don't know who Sonny is, you should. The man is single-handedly responsible for turning a lifestyle into a subculture. Before Sonny, motorcycle clubs were an unorganized pack of riders. For better or worse (depending on what information you choose to believe) Sonny organized and idealized the MC life. A few weeks ago I was made aware of a poker run for Sonny's 71st birthday. It was an open party. Meaning it was open to friends and neighbors who were not part of the club. Sonny does two of these events a year. One for the HA anniversary and one for his birthday. I reached out to Sonny's lawyer, Fritz Clapp to make sure it was cool if I showed up. I then received a few Facebook messages from a family friend of Sonny and Zorana (Zee), his wife, extending the invitation. When I spoke to Zee on the phone she couldn't have been more gracious and welcoming. She then put Sonny on the line and he personally invited Katey and myself to the run. Katey unfortunately is in Hawaii shooting Lost, so I went solo (I invited my cast, but everyone had prior commitments... or so they said... fucking actors). I flew into Phoenix in the morning and was picked up by Kevin, the family friend. I was taken to the third bar of the poker run (a poker run usually consists of hitting 3-5 bars and landing at the last one for the big party). I was greeted by Sonny and Zee and escorted into the bar. I know this is going to sound like naive idol worship, and I know Ralph Sonny Barger is a man who has been accused of some nefarious deeds, but the guy I met was unbelievably kind, gracious and giving. He basically adopted me for the day. Had me at his side and introduced me to everyone he encountered. I felt like the prodigal son. We posed for photos, signed autographs and shook hands for hours. Sonny refused no one. I was exhausted trying to keep up with him. To be clear, this crowd-working only happens on open runs. Private runs or private time, his brothers wouldn't let anyone approach Sonny. You can get a sense from my blog and tweets that I'm a guy who speaks his mind. Usually to me detriment (I'm piling up the hostile work environment claims from Fox employees). And I'm not a guy who is easily impressed, I can smell bullshit a mile away. Trust me, I'm neck fucking deep in it in this town. So, based on my limited resources, I was expecting Sonny to be slick, vague and a bit of a manipulator. I was not expecting to meet a quiet, simple, forthright cat. And he was. Alarmingly so. An interesting mix of charisma and enigma. His feedback was direct, honest and kind. But I found myself more fascinated by what he didn't say. A look or a nod to one of his brothers or his wife spoke volumes. The legendary status made complete sense to me. The man know he's an icon and wears it like a comfortable shirt. He made me feel completely at home. The only tension I experienced was when Sonny asked me if I wanted to ride to the last bar. Sonny Barger was inviting me into his formation, I couldn't refuse. So I rode Zee's Electra Glide, packing her behind me. Now, I've gotten very comfortable riding again. As some of you know I hadn't been on a bike for a dozen years so when we got our free Harley's the deal I made Katey was that I'd bone up and take a few lessons. Which I did. But here I am, riding a bike I've never ridden before, riding in a pack with a hundred bikes, which I've never done before, with the love of Sonny's life packed behind me. My prayer for the few mile ride was "Oh my fucking god, please don't let me lay down the bike, please don't let me lay down the bike...". I didn't. Other than the flop sweat, I actually held my own, got us both there in one piece. After the party, Sonny and Zee invited me back to their home where a few friends and the rest of his Cave Creek charter joined us. I hung out and listened to these guys swap stories and critique the show. My favorite piece of feedback came from a prospect who said that there'd be no fucking way Half-Sack would be drinking and making out with a girl at a run. He'd be washing the fucking bikes. The comment came from a place of experience. I gotta say, the coolest thing to me was how much all these people love the show. I mean they really fucking love it. Every character nuance, every detail is not wasted. They are smart, sophisticated viewers who completely plug in. And they totally get and accept that it's television and that we take deep dramatic license. My favorite quote of the trip came from one of the Cave Creek members, who blurted out this excited revelation, "Sons is fucking soap opera... but it's our fucking soap opera". Yes, brother, it fucking is. I want to thank Sonny and Zee and all the members of Cave Creek for an extraordinary day.

BRUCE UPDATE

So some of you have been aware of my tweets about the Springsteen song I wanted for the finale. I won't mention the song, suffice to say it's one of Bruce's more obscure rockers. Because of the accelerated pace of our production schedule we were initially declined. Bruce is on tour and they needed a bigger window to get his approval. Someone at FX has a direct line to his manager so we were able to cut through to someone who can make a decision. I made that call yesterday. Here's the problem, Bruce does not allow commercial covers of his songs. Part of our musical signature on Sons is to use obscure songs from little known bands and to do covers of classic 60's and 70's tunes. Partly because the costs for masters of iconic music is astronomical. To get the master cover from Sony for the Bruce song I wanted would have been upwards of $75,000 for one use. That's my music budget for three shows. So alas, we won't be using the Bruce song in the finale. But what's been true for the tenure of SOA holds firm in this situation as well. We didn't get the song because there is a better choice out there. Below is the letter I wrote to Bruce to get his approval. I hope someday he reads it and we are able use some of his music. Jersey thing aside, he's one of my heroes. --- To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Kurt Sutter; I am the writer and creator of the television show, Sons of Anarchy. It’s a dark, family drama based in the world of outlaw motorcycle clubs. Music is a huge part of our show. Along with my music supervisor and composer, Bob Thiele we have created a signature sound for Sons. In fact, Bob and I have been nominated for an Emmy this year for best original theme song (We lost to that hack John Willians). We use original songs from local and lesser known bands and have done covers of rock classics by Dylan, the Stones and The Who.

I am sending this note in an effort to reach out to one of my musical heroes, Bruce. Being a half-bright, middle class kid from Rahway, New Jersey, my poetic inspiration didn’t come from books; it came from rock and roll. Greetings was an album that changed my life. For the first time I stopped and listened to lyrics and understood the power of narrative. Each song was a story rich with flawed characters who were filled with desperate hope. No bullshit, that album made me want to fucking write.

And so I did --

Now thirty years later, I’m looking at one of the most intense, episodes of television I’ve ever written. In the final music montage... OMITTED SPOILER. Bob and I would like to do an original ****** cover of the song.

We’ve tried the regular channels, but the timing didn’t work. The nature of our show is fast and furious -- it’s guerrilla film-making, we need the approval in the next couple of weeks. So we reach out to you hoping that you might pass this note on to Bruce and his team.

I thank you for your understanding.

Best,

Kurt Sutter

GRATEFUL FOR THE GIG

We had our big wrap party last night. I don't like parties. I'm fine with small groups of say... one. But a crowd of people feels like a pond of sharks. My goal is always to swim from rock to rock without engaging any of the creatures circling me. My wife however is a much more social being. She can move through the shark pond with dignity and grace and engage in a genuine way. You can see how that might complicate our social life. Anyway, although I didn't want to be there, it was a tremendous experience last night. Seeing the amount of joy and revelry in the room was pretty fucking cool. Cast, crew, producers, executives, everyone really loves the gig. In the self-absorbed daily grind of my job, where it's all about MY vision, I lose sight of the big impact. My sponsor is constantly reminding me that the show, the job is all about being of service to others. SOA provides employment for hundreds, if not thousands of people. The show entertains millions of viewers and hopefully makes them laugh, cringe and think a bit. At the end of the day Sons of Anarchy isn't my creation, it belongs to the masses. Once the train leaves the station it ain't about the engine moving it, it's about the passengers enjoying the ride. I still hate parties, but at least I can appreciate why everyone else enjoys them.