"This portrait of the late Indian Larry is first in Anthony Sapienza's upcoming suite of modern-day motorcycle outlaws. Indian Larry was one of those people who represent the idealistic life of the biker. A non-conformist, yet genuinely nice guy, Indian Larry personified the biker image as we know it.

"His portrait, which was painted as the official print of Laconia's Motorcycle Week 2004, captures both the friendly and unconventional tone of the biker image. With his famous tattoos and the Weir's Beach sign in the background, the image immortalizes the man whose legend will live on in our hearts, minds, and cultural history."

Top Ten Reasons to Buy The Indian Larry Print

10. Even if you don't know who Indian Larry was, it's still a cool piece of art.

8. It's a print, not a poster. Prints can be nicely framed and often go up in value. Posters can be tacked to a wall and are eventually unceremoniously thrown away when they have become sufficiently torn and nasty.

7. Prints of motorcycles are like eight track tapes. Prints of bikers are like CDs.

6. The print is signed by the artist, giving you valuable reference material should you wish to forge some checks.

5. That Kiss poster from when you were eight is starting to get really embarrassing.

4. You can buy one for a friend and then tell everyone that you gave him the finger and he liked it.

Indian Larry Tribute

Carrying two pizza pies from Spumoni Gardens, we walked into Indian Larry's North 14th Street shop in Brooklyn to meet with him and photograph him for a painting that we planned on creating. The pizzas were for Larry and his crew -- this being Brooklyn, we couldn't just walk in empty handed.

Larry gave us a warm reception as if we were part of the family and showed us some of the choppers he was working on. Then he pulled out scrapbooks with some recent articles about him and his bikes and a collection of great photographs of himself taken over the years. "Here's when I used to be a bodybuilder," he said showing us a black-and-white photo of a young, muscular, tattoo-free man. "And this is my lady," Larry said, beaming as he showed us a photo of his wife, Bambi.

After giving us the tour, Larry was ready to have his photo taken for the painting. We asked him if he felt like taking off his shirt to show off some of his ink, and like Clark Kent in a phone booth he pulled off his shirt and began posing with various bikes and chromed bike parts. Meanwhile the UPS guy, Enzo, delivered boxes and ate Larry's pizza.

I took several photos of Larry's tattoos, including a close-up of his famous neck tattoo, which reads, "In God We Trust -- Vengeance Is Mine Sayeth The Lord -- No Fear." After the shoot, I asked Larry for one more photo, this time for our friend and partner, Caleb. Caleb backed out of the shoot at the last minute, so I asked Larry to give him the finger in absentia. I showed Larry the digital image and he said, "That's the one!"

Some time later, we returned to Larry's shop to unveil the painting. I was a little nervous -- what if he wasn't really serious about the "finger" painting being "the one"? I brought my sister Joann and my cousin Kristin with me -- they were both dying to meet Indian Larry.

This time his whole entourage was there -- his crew, his photographer, and some business representatives. And Larry was still the perfect host. They gave us Indian Larry shirts, and Larry took the time to pose with the girls on one of his choppers. He always had time for his fans.

I brought in the 24 x 36" painting, barely dry and shrouded in a big black cloth for the unveiling. Larry sat down in front of it in anticipation while his crew looked on. Larry was well educated in art -- his favorite painter was Michelangelo -- and so this was the moment of truth. I pulled the cloth from the canvas, and one Indian Larry looked right into the other's eyes.

Larry grinned from ear to ear; he loved it.

The next time we all met was at Laconia Motorcycle Week. The painting had been chosen to be the "Official Unofficial" print of the event. Larry was busy as hell -- showing off his latest Build-Off bike, judging bikini contests, shaking hands and signing autographs. He gave his time freely and had a few minutes for anyone who stopped by to say hello.

At our booth in Laconia, the giant banner of Indian Larry flipping the bird, which hung ten feet in the air, welcomed the crowd.

At one point, Larry and I met with Art from Wild On E! We were talking after the TV crew left, and I told Larry that my mother said that if he didn't come to the booth to sign some prints she was going to beat him up. He signed the first print for her: "To JoJo, Please don't kick my ass! Indian Larry." Kendall Johnson was there; Bobby and Kris from Chicago Custom Choppers were there -- along with some Hawaiian Tropic Girls, Jagermeister Girls and plenty of fans. My cousin Kristin was calling people in with a megaphone, "Indian Larry is here!" -- while Larry signed prints, tits, asses, and one guy's bald head. We had a ball!

I was supposed to meet up with Larry again in Sturgis, but I couldn't make it. I wish I could have -- it would have been my last chance to see him.

The October 2004 issue of Easyriders magazine featured one of the photos of Larry posing with the painting and, yet again, flipping the bird. I was to receive a copy hot off the press on August 30th. Instead, I received the horrible news of Indian Larry's death.

We only knew each other for a short time, but it was a wild ride -- an experience and a guy I will never forget. He was truly a gentle man.

Anthony Sapienza
September 2, 2004