Some people feared him. Rival gang members tried to kill him. And, detectives tried to put him behind bars. George Christie was a Hells Angels gang member in Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties for more than three decades. Christie left the Hells Angels several years ago. But, rather than trying to distance himself from his past, he’s actually telling his story in a new one-man stage show, called “Outlaw.”
Christie grew up in L-A. His family was hard-working, but poor. Christie served in the military, but he got a motorcycle, and started hanging out with motorcycle clubs because he liked their freewheeling lifestyle in the 1960’s.
Christie soon became one of the Hells Angels leaders in Los Angeles. He says he didn’t condone violence, but admits it was hard to control it among the club’s members. He says one of his biggest regrets comes from when he was one of the leaders: despite his warnings, some members of the gang bombed a rival, killing him along with a 15 year old boy who just happened to be in the area.
As the gang became increasingly involved with crime, he came up with the idea of moving the club to Ventura County, away from the eyes of law enforcement. But, Christie says by the early 2000’s, he began to question what he was doing with his life.
In 2011, as he was in the middle of his third major trial, and facing a potential life sentence, he says he decided enough was enough, and it was time to get out of the life.
Since then, he’s written two books, and was the focus of a six part mini-series about his life on the History Channel. Now, his latest project is “Outlaw,” a one man stage show about his life which opens this week in Ventura. He says he’s not doing it to try to improve his reputation. Christie says we’ve all done things we regret, or wish we could change, and he hopes the show will get people thinking about taking an honest look at their lives.
Since he’s open about his past, you have to ask one big question: Did he get away things? He answers with what a judge once said to him: Only God knows what he got away with. Christie says only God knows the price he’s paid, from the death of one of his sons to the other things he’s gone through in his life. He believes life has a way of eventually evening things out.
“Outlaw” will premiere with performances April 11th and 12th at the Rubicon Theater in Ventura. It will move to Santa Barbara’s Center Stage Theater May 2nd and 3rd.
