Saturday Story

Road Name

People ask how I got the road name Storyteller. Everywhere you go you’ll meet Bear, Grizz, Snake, Half breed, Psycho and all the others.  I have only heard of one other Storyteller. Gypsy Pete sent me a picture of a British Columbia biker everyone called Storyteller.

He was about 6′, 200 Lb, had a full beard and walked with a cane. We could have been related as that was pretty much my description at the time.

But the guy that “gave” me the name was George Boston.

At the time I was an independent and George rode for Tiger Wong and the World Wide M/C. But he and I spent a lot of time drinking at the Kapiolani Bowling Alley bar. Don’t know how we ended there, but we did.

George was a SBU* officer at the time and was looking for something to give the bi-monthly newsletter something extra. I suggested some short stories I had written. He thought that might work.

A few days later I gave him 4 or 5 I had been working on. When he found out I had been a wrestling announcer, tried stand-up comedy and had stories and articles published in Biker and cop magazines. He said, “Jim you’re just a god dammed story teller, ain’t ya?”

And from then on, he started calling me Storyteller. It stuck.

I would say there are hundreds of people who know Storyteller, but if you asked them my real name, maybe 3 out of every 10 would know who you’re talking about.

When someone asks me how I got the name Storyteller, I usually say “After years of doing radio, television, 2 movies, stand-up comedy, numerous published letters to the editor and several articles in Bike and Cop magazines, I got it the old-fashioned way. I earned it.”

Then I smile and move along.

The truth is, I was given the name by a good friend and a solid biker brother, George Boston. I miss him sometimes, a lot.

*Street Bikers United; the state of Hawaii lobby for motorcyclists and their rights.