03x02 - Bay Area with Steven Yeun

[bunniefuu]

I've learned life
is best lived in the moment.

Can I pee in a tree real quick?

Because tomorrow,
you never know.

Steven!

Reuniting with my friend
and old co-star steven yeun.

For a three-day ride
around san francisco...

- Sorry, man.
- No, I'm sorry.

Is exactly what I want
to be doing in this moment.

So sorry you got
your head blown off.

Yeah. But I'm back.
I'm back with my dude.

Freaks and outcasts have long
ruled the golden gate city.

It's where fringe music
steps out of the shadows.

We were just the weirdo band.

It's a place where people push
back against convention...

- Is that wrong?
- It's so wrong that it's right.

And every so often
revolutionize the world.

All right. Let's go.

All right, hit it!

Here we go! Yeah, baby!

That was crazy!

Wow. Look at that view.

Is that the golden
gate bridge right there?

Yeah, golden gate bridge,
and the marin is over there.

Is that alcatraz,
that little thing right there?

Yeah. "Welcome to the rock."

Now, this is a sight
for sore eyes...

Two iconic cities backdropped by
infinite blue california skies.

From the -foot summit
of twin peaks,

The bay area is
an instagrammer's dream.

- So there's downtown.
- It all doesn't matter.

It's just crazy... There's...
there's your focus, oakland.

That's max schaff,

Born and raised across
the bridge in oakland.

He's a skateboarding legend.

And a highly acclaimed
custom-bike builder.

A mutual friend hooked us up.

For an early morning
ride around the city.

Then I'm going to go
meet my friend steven,

Or as you might know him, glenn.

This is a pano...
Panorama situation.

Yeah, this is a pano. For sure.

In oakland, you say, "the best
thing about san francisco."

Is the view of it from oakland."

yeah.

Let's get out of here.
I'm freezing.

Whoo-wee. That is awesome.

This is ridiculous, this view.

For myself and many others,

San francisco isn't
just a place.

It represents an ideal.

From the beats
in the north beach.

And the hippies
on the haight-ashbury.

To the gay rights activists
in the castro.

And the tech takeover today,

This place has been
at the forefront.

Of some seismic societal shifts.

That have reshaped generations.

San francisco,
you can't b*at it, man.

I'll tell you. It's
the cutting edge for culture.

It's the place where
all the weirdos can go.

And find each other.

It has the hippies still.
It has mission still.

It's got a amazing,
unique character.

That's really not found
in any other city in the world.

For me, san francisco symbolized.

The cutting edge
of metal and punk.

Bands like
operation ivy and primus.

Could have only come out of
san francisco at that time.

It's been a minute
since I've been here,

And I can't wait
to get reacquainted.

Here's haight street right here.

We'll buy you
a hacky sack and a...

- And a veggie burrito?
- Yeah, exactly.

Over the next three days,

I'll re-explore this city.

Before cruising
the pacific coast highway.

Into la honda.

After a stop in wine country,

I'll ride to oakland
to meet one of the most.

Notorious motorcycle clubs
in the country.

See you in two days.
We'll do oakland.

Yeah. Let's do it.

Right now it's time
to part ways with max.

We're gonna meet up
again in a few days.

To explore
the streets of oakland.

I have a good friend
who just arrived into town,

Someone who I haven't seen
in far too long.

And I would k*ll to see again.

What's up, buddy?

Yeah. Good to see you.
It's been a long time.

Yeah. Steven!

Dude, it's good to see you.

How's your baby? How's jo? Good.

You look so good.
Dude, I've missed you.

For seven years,
steven yeun and I.

Worked side by side,

And life on "the walking dead"
isn't the same without him.

We used to ride together
down in georgia,

And we're gonna pick it up
just where we left off.

- Let's do this.
- Yeah, man.

You want to go get some lunch?
Yeah.

When is the last time
you were in san francisco?

I just did this movie.
I sh*t something in oakland.

Dude, I want to move here, man.

- It's beautiful.
- You want to move here?

- Yeah. Kind of.
- Should we get an apartment?

- Let's get...
- It's good to see you, bro.

Right this way.
I got a table for you.

Thank you.

Dude, so, wait,
you were just in oakland?

I was sh**ting a movie in
oakland for, like, two months.

I did this movie called,
"sorry to bother you."

You've been working nonstop.

Yeah, but I got to settle
down with the baby,

So I'm gonna take a break
for a second, I think.

- Like, just take a little break.
- Just a little break.

Like for a year or six months
or what do you think?

- Like a month.
- Like a week and a half.

Like a week and a...
I'll just go on a vacation.

You and bernthal.

Like, boom, boom, boom,
boom, boom, boom, boom.

It's awesome. Yeah.
I miss you guys, though.

- Yeah. I miss you, too.
- How has it been over there?

- It's different.
- Yeah.

It's... you know,
it's... I mean, all of us.

Who started that thing... Yeah.

There was such a camaraderie there.
Yeah.

There was such
a brotherhood there.

- I was, like, ...
- Yeah.

- When you met me, man.
- Yeah.

And you were just kind of starting
out in the business. Yeah.

And you became uber famous.
Yeah.

And I was there
when you proposed.

Yeah. You saw all of it.

There for the baby.
There for the everything.

I mean, like, I've seen
you do all this stuff.

Yeah. That's what was so awesome.

About our show was,
I think we were...

I think it was the second
season, we, like, looked...

I remember talking to you and
being, looking around being.

Like, "none of us are supposed
to be friends, but we are."

- Like brothers and sisters.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know what I'm saying? Like,
I'm gonna know you forever.

Forever. Sorry, man.

No. I'm sorry.

Thank you for doing this.
Are you kidding, man?

- Yeah, this is gonna be awesome.
- This is my pleasure.

Yeah, brother.

Like, thanks for
getting me into bikes.

That was some of
the best times in georgia.

Veg out, ride for miles
across giant fields.

- Where you see nobody.
- Yeah.

That's... that's
the best thing ever.

I still live in the same spot.

Like, I-I still do
that same ride.

This is a free tour for me.

To see if I really
want to move here.

- Get out of here?
- Yeah. Let's do it.

- Dude, steven, I love it.
- I love it.

I love that you're here, man.

- This is dope.
- Yeah, brother.

Hey, are we allowed
to curse on your show?

Yeah!

It's such a pretty day, too.

Dude, I miss this.
This is their winter, man.

Awesome.

We're on our way across town
to hunter's point.

To see a misfit crew
I've heard a lot about.

They call themselves
the dirtbags.

Hey, look at this place.

Look at the bike behind you.

What's up? I'm norman.
What's up?

- Nice to meet you, dude.
- Yeah, it's steven.

- Hey, norman.
- How you doing, man?

Hey, norman. What's up, man?

- Nice to meet you.
- How are you, sir?

- Nice to meet you, bruh.
- How's it going?

It's a pleasure,
brother, pleasure.

So, what do you guys
do out here?

- Whatever we want.
- Whatever you guys feel like.

- I like that.
- Okay, then.

Poll brown is the leader
of the dirtbags.

years ago, he created
the first dirtbag challenge...

A low-budget chopper build-off.

That began with
a few simple rules...

One month and one grand
to build a bike.

That can make it miles.

Sane people need not apply.

I grew up riding in...
In England.

Where it rains
every day, pretty much.

Basically I moved here
'cause you can ride every day.

Yeah. So tell me about
the thing that you guys do.

- You guys...
- Dirtbag challenge?

Dirtbag...
Dirtbag challenge, yeah.

Yeah, I started that
with, three friends,

Talking smack amongst us,
who could build a bike.

For the cheapest
the quickest, you know?

We made trophies and stuff,
you know, and...

But there's no money
or anything like that.

It's just, for the glory. Yeah.

So this is my bike,
one of my bikes.

Been through an engine and
crashed it a few times and...

I built that.

This my homeboy's bike.

- This is cool, too.
- It's a harley-davidson ' .

- Ooh.
- So see... see this bike here?

- Yeah.
- This is a yamaha,

And I rode it back
from north carolina.

About %
of that was dirt roads,

And then they've got
no rear suspension.

"Ai-ya-ya-ya." whole way.

Yeah.

And how do you guys
all know each other?

- We're all dirtbags.
- Yeah, I know...

- Met at the dirtbag.
- Yeah.

Except for satan,
who is my shopmate, so...

Satan? Why do they call
you satan? Do I...

Should I... should I even ask?
He earned - he earned that.

- I'm trying to figure it out.
- He earned that name.

That's a story for another time.

- When there are no cameras recording us.
- Yeah.

It's such a sense of community.

I mean, like, you can see all
the little communities here,

Like, but, I mean,
san francisco in general.

Has been always a place that,

Like, political movements and...
Absolutely.

Artists who speak their mind.

Do you feel, like,
a collective, like,

Everybody agrees
and understands, like,

"hey, you just do your thing,
and I'm gonna do my thing"?

Um, that still exists obviously.
We're all here.

But, um, there's less of it,
and it's noticeably less.

And what it's been replaced with.

Is a attitude
of wealthy entitlement.

Basically, -something
college grads.

That are coming here
and getting paid,

You know, six figures
or whatever to write code...

They've got so much money,
they can do what they want.

It's like wall street guys.
I mean... Yeah.

Real-estate agents.
They're just...

They're milking the beast.

- Yeah. That's crazy.
- Right?

Here's the thing is none of us
have any money at all. Yeah.

Like, we're all broke as
but we don't care.

This entire neighborhood
is made up of people like us.

We live the kind
of lifestyle, you know,

A lot of people
could only dream of.

San francisco has
always been a refuge.

For those outside
the mainstream,

A place that prides itself on
social and economic diversity,

And it's locals
like poll and his crew.

Who are fighting
to keep that spirit.

And sense of community alive.

Where are you taking us?
Where are you taking us?

So I think we're
just going to tour.

Down the coast towards la honda,

And there's a little
biker bar there.

Called, apple jack's
that's been there forever.

- Let's go. Let's go.
- Let's go ride.

- Yeah.
- Let's go.

Is your brake
a needle-nosed plier?

Yeah.

That's awesome.

It's like the dirtbags say,

"build the bike you want.
Live the life you choose."

- Welcome to california, bro.
- Wow.

I am so sorry you got your head blown off.
Yeah. Thank you.

Once you put this patch
on your back, that's it.

- Stevey! Yo, look over!
- Yeah.

I'm so happy you came, man.

Yo, thanks, man.
What a dope day.

Well, you wait 'til
we get around this bend.

Check that out, man.

- Wow. That's amazing.
- Welcome to california, bro.

Riding around the bay area
with the dirtbags,

It's easy to see why this is.

Where american
motorcycle culture.

Came of age.

That's badass, ain't it?

Leaving san francisco,
steven and I are heading south.

For a scenic -mile
shoreline ride.

Down the pacific coast highway
before cutting inland,

Where we're gonna
reach la honda.

Can I pee in a tree real quick?

- People live nice here, man.
- I could do this for days.

Yeah.

Riding into la honda,
I'm on the lookout.

For ken kesey's old cabin
in these redwoods.

In the ' s, kesey
and the merry pranksters.

Helped kick off the
counterculture movement here,

Throwing wild lsd-fueled parties
called the acid test.

Back when that kind of thing
was still legal in california.

But if you can't find kesey's,
apple jack's,

That's the next best thing.

Let's find some
warmth and a drink.

- Yeah. Let's go.
- -That was awesome.

- That was great.
- So fun, man.

Come on, steve.

What's up?

This place was the pranksters'
local watering hole,

An old hell's angels haunt.

That's still going
on strong today.

What's up, man? Hey, norman.

Nice to meet you, dude.
What's going on, buddy?

- Hi, puppy.
- Cutie.

- Steven.
- Hi, steven.

- Holy.
- What's up, y'all?

- Nice to meet you.
- Whoa, dude.

- Nice to meet you, sir.
- Man. Yeah.

I am so sorry you got
your head blown off.

Yeah. Thank you.
I appreciate it.

- How was the ride?
- It was good.

The last hour, I was
kind of frozen, but...

How long you been coming here?

- -plus years.
- Wow-wow. Wow.

- Yeah. This is the place.
- What's your club?

Al... alco... alcohol...
Alky haulers.

- Alky haulers.
- That's a great name, man.

- Hey, norman.
- Yeah?

I'd like to buy you
a beer and a sh*t.

You guys don't mind?

- Thank you.
- Nice to meet you, brother.

- Safe roads and to safe riding.
- To k*lling zombies, I guess.

Absolutely. Safe roads
and k*lling zombies.

I like it.

Cheers.

- Hell, yeah. There we go.
- There we go. Cheers.

- Cheers.
- Yeah!

Well, I mean, I got...
I super d*ed, but...

You got super d*ed.

- Aw, sorry about that.
- No worries.

Still have a splitting headache.

Great ride.

Wait. Did you just say.

You still have
the splitting headache?

He does.

That's awesome.

I'm not going to lie.

Laughing over glenn's death
feels kind of wrong,

But at least for once, I'm not
the one getting the blame.

You should sign the wall
in the ladies' room.

Yeah. Nice.

Off you go, steve.

We just show the ladies' room.

- This is awesome.
- Get it.

Yeah. Nice. Point.

- Point, steven.
- Yeah. Yeah.

Whee!

And just like that,

I think we're gonna
retire our bikes.

For a while and stick around.

Welcome home, mother.

Last night,
after steven and I left the bar,

Our producer threw us
in a van back to san francisco.

I'm just waking up.

Whoo.

Some mornings make it hard
to get out of bed,

But sights like this...
That's the perfect cure.

How cool is this? This is un...

Imagine waking up
every day and riding this.

Dude, this is awesome up here.

Man, I got to move here.

- This is perfect.
- Yeah.

This one's, like, a real,
real, real thought.

That went from weed smell
to cow poop.

Did I just ruin it?

Did I just ruin the whole thing?

Man. Stevey!

Last night,
we ran into some locals.

Who raved about a group
of riders up in sonoma,

So we're gonna cross over
the bridge into wine country.

And hook up with
the slow adults, a group,

Which I've been told, proves
no adventure is too small.

This is awesome.

Yeah, this could not
be prettier.

Yeah, man. This is clean air.
You know what I'm saying?

Do you ever come up here and do,
like, the wine tour thing?

I took jo on a wine tour in
santa barbara one time for fun.

Is it fun or is it just boring?

You just get wasted,
so it's fun.

- What's up? Whoo!
- Hey. How's it going?

Ooh.

Yeah... What's up?
Hey, I'm norman.

- Grant. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, dude.

- Hey. Steve.
- Steve, mike.

- Nice to meet you guys.
- Nice to meet you, man.

- Right on. Right on.
- Hey. Steven. Nice to meet you.

Wow. What a cool place
you guys have. It's beautiful.

It's one of the best places
in the world to ride, man.

Yeah, yeah. Steven's, like,
already looking for a house.

- Yup.
- -Game time.

You know, I've never ridden
one of these before.

- Today's the day, man.
- Yeah, I'm excited.

What got you guys
into mini bikes?

You get on one one time and
you have a lotta... a lotta fun,

And then you're searching
craigslist for your next ride.

And the slow adults,
is that right?

- Yeah.
- That's so good.

- So good.
- Don't let the name fool you.

There's a handful of us
kind of in long beach, too.

I've seen a g*ng of,
like, dudes.

Typically, if they're
on one of these...

- Eating tacos, like...
- Yeah.

There's no way to really
be serious on these things.

They're becoming harder
and harder to get, you know,

'cause they're vintage.

This all original
paint, too, right?

- Yeah.
- These are adorable.

They kind of have their own hum.

- Do they?
- Yeah. Yeah, they're fun.

I feel more, like, comfortable
on this than that bike.

- Do you?
- Is that wrong?

Yeah.

Maybe it's super right.

No, it's... it's so wrong
that it's right, yeah.

This is excellent.

Right on. That's rad, right?

Take us for a ride!

- Yo. What up?
- What up?

We're not overcompensating
for anything,

You know what I'm saying?

We've all got huge penises.
We don't care.

Slow adults, mount up!

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

This is so relaxing.

I'm gonna name this one
little xanax.

Little xa...

This one's called, tiny viagra.

- Stevey, where are you?
- I'm right behind you.

- Yeah! You think, you go!
- Whoo-hoo!

There it is! There he goes!
There he goes! ..

This boner won't go down.

Perfect day.

Yeah, this is a beautiful day.

Dude, it's crazy how close
the fire got to the road here.

- Wait. So all this got b*rned?
- Yeah.

- That is terrible.
- Yeah. Look at that.

- Geez.
- Heartbreaking.

My god.

Over several weeks in ,

Wildfires ravaged , acres
of northern california...

Firefighters across california.

Are battling nearly
a dozen wildfires.

That have scorched
tens of thousands of acres.

There are still people
missing at this hour.

Destroying
everything in its path.

The fires came in
like a tidal wave.

They were so big,
moving so fast.

It looked like
a b*mb had went off.

Everything was wiped out.

Everybody here went out
of their way to make sure.

That if you lost a house,
you were taken care of.

It was an excruciating time,
but we're coming back.

The fires spared few
in this region,

Members of
the slow adults included.

- Great hanging out with you. That was a blast.
- Be safe. Dude, yeah.

But riding those vintage mini
bikes, you'd never know it.

- See you guys.
- See you.

It's been awesome, but steven
and I have places to be.

We're gonna go grab some lunch.

With one of my favorite
musicians of all time.

I'm a huge south park guy,
by the way.

It's love. I put love to it.

Whoo-hoo!

You know, I was .

When dead kennedys started.

That mini bike
was fun, but, like,

I have to say, I prefer this.

Dude, if this is what
you do all season long,

you, man.

I'm super lucky.

I've been able to explore
a lot of this country's beauty.

And riding into
northern california.

Is hands down one of
the best experiences.

It's a -mile ride west through
backroads in sonoma county.

Until we reach bodega bay.

It's a quiet coastal village.

Worlds away from the streets
of san francisco.

You know,
we're meeting les claypool.

- He's the best bass player ever.
- His bass is so crazy.

It's like...

- What a pleasure to meet you.
- I love it here.

- Norman.
- Ahoy. Les.

Nice to meet you, sir.
It's a pleasure, bro.

- Howdy. Les.
- Nice to meet you.

Les claypool is one
of my musical heroes.

His band, primus,
sh*t to stardom in the ' s,

Playing woodstock,
headlining lollapalooza,

And his innovative style
on the bass.

Has made me a fan for life.

He grew up in this area
and still calls it home.

- Dude, this is your boat?
- This is my fishing boat, yes.

- Come on aboard.
- Yeah. Thanks.

Wow. I've never been
on a boat this size.

I've been on a big, luxury...

One of those ones
that look like a...

Like the beverly center.
What you trying to say, man?

No, I mean, not, you know...
You know those cruises like...

I've never been
on such a... such a dinghy.

- It's tiny.
- No, no.

No, I was thinking of me getting
seasick is why I thought of it,

- But I...
- Do you get seasick?

I get seasick, yeah.
That's why I ask.

- What are you catching?
- Yeah?

Salmon season's startin'.

We're just finishing
crab season.

Nice. Do you cook
all the fish you eat?

- I'm the 'que meister.
- Are you really?

You know every salmon fisherman,
they all claim to have...

To make the best smoked salmon,
and they're all wrong.

Because I make
the best smoked salmon.

Well, what's your secret?
What do you do?

Well, I'm not going to
tell you my secret.

Well, I mean, like, I mean...

Wait, but you got some moves?

- Is it msg?
- -No msg.

- It's love. I put love into it.
- Love. Love.

What's it like, boat life?
Is it... is it awesome?

I mean, I grew up, my dad
would take me fishing.

Is that what he did for
a living? He was a fisherman?

No, he was a mechanic
all... all...

All my dad,

Step-dad, grandfather, uncles,
they're all auto mechanics.

Was there, like,
a natural affinity for you.

For the bass or...

I didn't want to be
an auto mechanic.

Um...

I'm a huge south park guy,
by the way, man.

I'll tell you
one thing right now.

So, the greatest thing
about being the guy.

At the beginning of south park.

Is when I'm going through
customs, and I stand up there,

And they say, "you're a...
You're a musician?"

So who... who... who do you
play with?" I go, "primus."

And they just look at me
with this blank st... nothing.

I go, "I do the theme song
for south park."

"South park!"
and they just stamp me...

Stamp me right through.
So I'm like...

Matt and trey, forever...
I'm forever grateful.

So, the chowder place here
that I'm gonna take you to...

I try chowder all
over the country.

This is the best chowder...
Really?

That I've ever had.

Yeah. All right.

Well, since you're
a master salmon chef,

You must know your chowder.

Well, I'm the master
salmon smoker.

Smoker. You use a smoker.

- This is it right here?
- This is it.

- Nice.
- Spud point crab company.

- My god. This is magic.
- Right?

It gets cold here when
the sun goes down for sure.

Yes. Chilly today, hot tamale.

- Hey, hey. Come on.
- All right.

So we put this in the...
That's the...

That's the jam right there?

Dude, I can't wait
to get into this, too.

The clam chowder is so good.

Smoke 'em.

- Yeah.
- It's warming the chilled bones.

How many kids you got?

Two. My daughter is gonna.

She's a huge
"walking dead" -ite.

So...

Do you go out at all?
Like, do you just...

Do you mo... are you mostly like
a family guy, like...

All the places I used
to hang out in san francisco,

They're all gone, now. Yeah.

You know? Because it's
very gentrified,

And it's a lot of young
wealth there now,

And clubs that we used to play
in and underground warehouses.

And whatnot,
it's... it's all gone.

The first club that primus
ever played.

Was the mabuhay gardens,
the fab mab,

Which was the dead kennedys.

Was a dead kennedys club.
Yeah. Yeah, we...

Yeah, we heard about that one.
We were just the weirdo band.

Nobody knew what to do with us.

Do you feel like, after
this long, illustrious career.

Of just making lots of things...

Illustrious career.

Obviously will evolve,
but is there, like,

A zen you find
with it these days.

That you didn't before
at a younger age, or...

For me, turning over new rocks.

Is always, like...
That's exciting for me.

Things like, you know,
it's like the old woody allen

"annie hall," saying, how
a relationship is like a shark.

It needs to constantly move
forward or... or it will die.

I think being creative
is like that, as well.

You know, if I don't continue
to move forward or do something,

- I get bored, and...
- Yep.

I become a dead shark.

Sage advice from a bass god
and a smoked salmon master.

Thank you for the...
For the chowder. Like...

You're awesome. You're... I-I...

I usually don't shake hands.

That's a... that's a rare thing for me.
I'm a huge fan of yours.

This is a big thing
that you did the show.

- Really? All right. Cool.
- I really appreciate it.

It's easy to dwell
on what once was, but one day,

You'll look up and discover
you've left it all behind.

As we ride back
to san francisco,

I can't help but think of
its own recent transformation.

I hope that the new generation
finds ways to push forward.

And keep the city's soul alive.

Someone who's never been shy
about challenging the status quo.

Is my good friend jello biafra.

Both as a frontman for one.

Of my favorite punk bands,
the dead kennedys,

But also when he took his
politics to the streets in .

And ran for mayor of the city.

It's already been
a crazy-long day,

But as they say,
there's always room for jello.

Jello!

This is the musée mécanique.

The attraction is these really
old machines that still work.

This is english execution.

All right. The camera is gonna
need to go in there.

"Faces of death."

- Allyoop.
- Ooh.

They don't let you
see the hanging though.

Anne marie! It's the kiss...
It's the kiss-o-meter thing.

- Here you go.
- Perfect.

What brought you
to san francisco?

The dream that brought
a lot of people there.

Before all the, you know,
the tech holocaust.

And the google buses.

And the rents going
through the roof...

Summer of love
and all that and punk.

What drew me to san francisco
was the band.

They made a point
of being political.

We just met les claypool.

He was talking about he used to
play with you at... at mahumba...

Mabuhay gardens.

- Yeah, mabuhay gardens!
- Yeah. Yeah.

It was such a small
number of people,

And most of the audience was
the people in the other bands.

So the peer pressure
was every band.

Must sound different
from every other band.

- Wow.
- And blow everybody's minds.

You know, I was when
dead kennedys started.

Too dumb... young
to know better.

Mayor, I ran at .
Too young to know better.

Tell me about running for mayor.

Like, what... what were
you wanting to do?

Like, what was the whole
idea behind it? Um...

Because they'd just
passed proposition ,

Cutting the taxes down,

Now california is almost
at the bottom of education.

Instead of the top.

You know, the early version
of tea party wreckage.

I suddenly have
a platform for mayor.

Were you fully
prepared to win it?

No. I just wanted to up.

A true punk and
san francisco original.

As long as people like jello
call this city home,

I think it's gonna be all right.

Last night, we hit
san francisco hard,

But today...

We've crossed
the bay bridge into oakland.

So you may live up here.
You might move.

- That's what I'm saying.
- You should do it.

We're hooking back up with
custom-bike designer max schaff.

He's gonna show us
around his hometown,

And he got us an invite to
the east bay dragons clubhouse.

They're an oakland
motorcycle club with a history.

That's as massive
as their bikes.

You'll like max.
Max is super cool.

Like, he'll be able
to tell you about oakland.

And you know what I mean?
Like...

- Yeah.
- Tell you the nitty-gritty.

Dude, if you move up here,
I'm gonna come visit you.

Once.

Yeah.

This is cool.
I like this little area, man.

- Get some coffee.
- Yeah.

I like this decor.
What's a yoko?

Grapefruit juice.
It's a little sh*t of...

Can I have a yoko?

- Yeah.
- You want a yoko?

Get a sh*t of
grape... grapefruit juice.

I don't know. Okay.
I'll have a yoko.

- Okay.
- Uno yoko.

Get it?

Psh-psh!

Yeah. Thank you.

- You're welcome.
- Nice to meet you.

- I'm norman. That's steven.
- I'm julietta.

Howdy. Yeah, here he is. Yeah.
Good to see you again, man.

- What's up, man? How are you?
- I'm great. I'm great.

This is steven. This is max.
Hey, steven.

- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

- And you met julietta?
- Yeah. We just met.

Her other shop in the city,
you go in there on a...

- We just scream at you.
- Sunday morning,

And it's, like, a line down
the block, and they're...

They're just
blasting black flag.

How do you guys
like living here?

Both of us have seen, like,
the positive parts of,

Like, the melting pot
of the bay area,

And, of course, you have
the... like, the techy invasion.

That, like, drives you insane.
Sure.

We feel a lot of that tension
around here sometimes,

But then you kind of get
to meet your tribe.

That's kind of how
oakland has become.

Yeah. I have these dreams
of coming up here,

But I kind of don't want to be
part of the money turnover.

That kind of displaces people.

But when I was here,
a lot of people were like,

"we just got to find
our place in it."

And take advantage
of the growth, as well,

So that we don't get
swept under the rug.

"So that everyone's part
of this upward climb."

That's true.

And they are the people
who will fight to stay.

Yeah. That's what I like
about the bay area.

They're just like, "hey, man.
Let's stick together."

That is a cool thing about
oakland. It... it's still...

It is a small town.

When we go out to the dragons,
that's east oakland, man.

I mean, you're... you're gonna
see it's very real.

And everyone knew each other.

- Should we go?
- Let's do it. Let's do it.

We're off to check out
max's vintage custom-bike shop,

And then it's a meeting
with the dragons.

What an honor to meet you.

This is nuts, dude.

The largest black club
in the world,

And we're keeping
the legacy alive.

What happens if you
use electronic devices?

- We sh**t you.
- You sh**t me?

- You get sh*t.
- Geez.

That's why you got
an etch and sketch right here.

To distract you, you know,
and then...

Dude. This is so cool.
Remember this?

I'm so bad at that.

Yeah, I'm not very good
at this either.

I'm trying to spell ride,
but it's not working.

I like the little,
double mountain e.

This is, like, something
I would've taken apart as a kid.

And tried to put back together.

Ooh. You've turned it up
for that e.

Who's got an e? Who's got
an e in 'em? Right? Not bad.

It's like if you wrote ride
with your, like...

- With your penis.
- Yeah. Yeah.

That's what I was gonna say.

Yeah.

- Welcome.
- Hi, puppy.

What is up?

- Ooh.
- That's bud.

- Bud. This place is great.
- It's pretty nice. Yeah.

Hey, dude.

We're stopping in
at max's custom motorcycle.

And paint shop, q.

Come on in.

Such an artist's shop,
you know what I mean?

It's where max gets
the inspiration to produce.

Some of the most
unique bikes in the bay area.

- Old painted tanks.
- Yeah.

Just years of, like,
going to the flea market.

This one is one of my favorite.

That was a bay area bike.

I found it in the magazine,
and it was called the junker,

And he added that
little snorkel on the top.

And just, like, a far-out look,

But they were smoking
good outdoor weed.

Back then, you figure,
there was just no rules.

There's a story
behind every t*nk.

This is beautiful, this q bike.

- Thanks, man.
- Wow.

That's a t*nk that
they made a few of.

Whenever I see these things,
I grab 'em.

- This is cool.
- Yeah. It's a great shape.

q is what you used
to write on your binder.

Or you'd say under your breath.

To, like, another kid,
like, "hey, q."

Like, that's it.

Who are the framed photographs?

These are all old...

Sonny.

Yeah, sonny, and then, animal.

These are all oakland guys.
And then that's...

Yeah.

- This is where we're headed.
- That photo is so sick.

East bay dragons, it's, like,
one of those things.

That you just...
You see in oakland,

And tobie gene has been
the president since day one.

I'm excited to meet this guy.

I'm excited to see
the dragons, man.

I've never been
to their clubhouse.

Yeah. Me, too. What an honor.

The east bay dragons have been
riding strong in oakland.

Since ,

Making them the oldest
all-black club in america.

The idea of
a black motorcycle club.

Was controversial in the ' s.

They were just charting
such wild new territory.

Coming out of a segregated
society from being black,

We had to be together, you know?
And we had to stick together.

- This is dope.
- Rad.

Wow. Super cool. Yeah.

This is cool in here.

How's it going, man?

- Hi, I'm norman.
- All right. K-cloud.

- Nice to meet you, norman.
- Nice to meet you, sir.

Yeah. It's my first time
to oakland, too.

Really? Well,
ain't no place like home.

Yeah. Yeah, it's
been awesome. Yeah.

- This place is amazing, yeah.
- A lot of history.

What are all the trophies for?

You know, we got trophies
for long distance ride,

Most participation.

If we had all the trophy they
had collected over the years,

We wouldn't even have
nowhere to stand right now.

This is the photo in your place.

- Yeah. Yeah.
- Same photo.

Dragon number one,
tobie gene levingston.

You know, tobie and sonny
grew up together. Yep.

And so, you know, um, we were
real close with the h-as.

The legend goes that tobie gene.

And hell's angels
president sonny barger.

Became tight back in the ' s
even before hopping on bikes.

Their friendship fostered
a mutual respect.

Between the angels
and the dragons,

And together, they shared
the oakland streets.

As an unlikely band of brothers.

Dragon number one himself,
tobie gene levingston.

- How are you, sir?
- Norman, this is pres.

Nice to meet you.
I'm norman. Nice to meet you.

Yeah, I was telling these guys

'cause they were
coming to oakland.

And they'd never
been here before,

I said, "you got to
come see the dragons."

Our -year anniversary
is coming up...

- Next year.
- Next year.

years, you know,
we've been together.

So were you guys riding
choppers back then, in the...

All the choppers then.
I bought my harley in .

When you're riding a hog,
% of the time,

You get along with everybody.

When you got a bunch of brothers
and they is on the wild side.

And you know they gonna go
to jail and do first one thing.

And then another
and do something stupid,

So I had to get my brothers
then in-interested.

In building motorcycles.

The way he led this club
got east oakland, west oakland,

North oakland, everybody
under one umbrella,

And nobody wasn't tripping about.

What neighborhood
they were from.

He did not allow that.

Once you put
this patch on your back.

And you make that pledge to be
a east bay dragon, that's it.

It's not about
what hood you from anymore.

It's about togetherness.

And we get along good
in this neighborhood.

We have a organization
in the community.

With all the motorcycle clubs.
It's a way to give back.

The city of oakland
gave us a... our award.

Right there for dragon day.
They actually...

The city of oakland
gave us a dragon day.

To come down here and celebrate.

Awesome.

We're trying to leave
a legacy behind us.

Whatever the dragons do
in this community,

They do it for they heart.

That's what we've
been doing for years.

What an honor to meet you.

Yeah, you're awesome.
You're awesome.

I'm... such a pleasure
to meet you guys.

As a group, the dragons
broke all stereotypes.

And today are
an esteemed institution.

Ingrained in
the oakland community.

I'm honored to be
joining them for a ride.

- Let's go. Let's go.
- All right. All right.

This is nuts, dude.

Let's go. Let's go.

All right. All right.
All right. All right.

Now this is how you do oakland.

The east bay dragons roll deep,

Bringing roaring thunder
to the city streets.

Even on a cloudless day.

All right. Tell me
when y'all ready.

All right. Let's go.

Yeah.

- Wow.
- Yeah, baby.

This how we do it in the town.

I love it.

- This is nuts, dude.
- This is an honor right here.

You know what I mean?
This is a real honor.

Sup now? Sup? Sup? Sup? Sup?

We are the largest
black club in the world.

We don't have
any other chapters.

We're keeping the legacy alive.

You know what I'm saying?

Today is actually
huey newton's birthday.

Founder of the black panthers.

Hey, what was the relation
between the black panthers.

And the dragons?
They got along well.

You know, of course, you know,
the panthers are more political.

We never really got into
the political thing,

You know what I mean?

We left that to the malcolm x
and the black panthers.

The east bay dragons,
they definitely,

You know, look super tough,

And they look like nothing
else in the neighborhood.

You know, automatically,
just going down the street,

Like, you had respect.

They're a badass club,

And I see them
on the bridge all the time,

And I'm like,
"man, those guys are sick."

What makes me proud
to be a dragon?

We'd need a whole
nother show for that.

I smell cookies.

You're getting close.

You're getting close.

Yeah. That was awesome.
That was awesome.

Yeah. Thank you, man.
Such a pleasure.

K-cloud has owned
it's all good bakery.

In north oakland since .

It's famous for two reasons...

It makes the best pound cake
west of the mississippi...

World's famous! It's all good!

And in the ' s,

This building was
the headquarters.

Of the black panthers.

So here's the actual picture
right here with 'em.

Standing in front of
the... the bakery right here.

- Whoa. Yeah.
- Right here.

Yep, and at the time,

The oakland public school
did not serve breakfast,

So a lot of time,
we would go to school hungry.

So what happened was,
the black panthers.

Start providing
breakfast for us.

They would help us
with our homework,

And they policed our community.

They were like us.
What they did and you know...

And how they got along, we got
along right along with them.

It's easy, I guess,
to get turned into a g*ng.

That's the term
that they like to use.

Everybody got their
good and bad side.

I don't give a damn
who you come from.

But we had fun with them,
and we went to they parties,

And they had some
damn good parties.

Dude, thanks for
doing the show, man.

Thank you. You got it.

- You're freaking awesome.
- That was fun.

I never thought I'd be riding.

Down broadway with
the east bay dragons.

- It was a good day. Yeah.
- Good day.

Yeah!

What a gratifying end
to a jam-packed three days.

There's a band in town
I like called middle class rut.

It's just one more night
I get to spend.

With my good friend steven.

- Let's have a drink.
- Yeah.

Yo! We did a lot of stuff.
Learned a lot.

- There's so much history here.
- That was awesome, man.

I got to see, like,
all of the bay,

And we, like, talked to
a lot of, like, good people.

Jello to les to the dragons to max.
Yeah.

It was a good group of people.

I definitely want
to live up here.

I don't know if it'll
happen, like, immediately,

But it's good to know.

That something like this
is confirmed.

Jo and I are gonna have to
have a good, long talk about it.

Do it. That way
I can come visit.

- Once.
- Yeah, one time. Cheers.

Cheers. Thanks for
doing this ride, homie.

- Thanks, man.
- Yeah, I love you.

I love you. Yeah.

Spend a little time
in san francisco.

And the surrounding bay area,

And you'll find that it's
a diverse yet complicated place,

But dig a little deeper,

And you'll find that the true
essence of this region,

The ethos, the values,
and the ideals.

That this place was built on
are still strong.

Theirs is a love for a city
that will not be denied.

The same spirit that birthed
this place is the same.

That will allow it to survive.

Because here,
what makes us outcasts.

Is the very thing
that binds us together.

Whoo!