A. Ghost Rider

Known for his ruthless antics, Moto XXX’s Brian Deegan tells his side of the story in the movie No Respect; gives his views
on the sport, chicks, and life in general. The Canyon Lake, Ca native is anything but typical. Deegan marches to his own
drum, pulling off shenanigans like his LA Ghost Ride. The kid who describes himself as anti-political, pays as much attention
to politics as Bill Clinton does his marriage vows. At the St. Louis Supercross, I sat down with the outspoken Deegan, set up
the tape recorder, and he told all.

DH: So what is this Metal Militia?
BD: It’s a group of my friends: Larry Linkogle, Christian Fletcher, Trigger Gumm and some other guys that don’t give a shit
about the glamour rock scene at the races. It’s basically a group that the kids that don’t follow the "norm" can look up to.
Basically, anyone who isn’t down with the factory bullshit. We have our own view of riding--there are other views besides the
factory guys.

DH: What’s your view then?
BD: To me, I ride for fun and don’t deal with all that political crap. I do what I want to do and face the consequences when I
have to. Following their rules is pretty hard for me, don’t get me wrong, I don’t try and break them.

DH: When you turned pro, what were some of your highlights?
BD: Back in 1994 I turned pro, went to all the races and had a blast. Highlights, huh.....I’d have to say taking out Doug
Dubach or and of the other factory guys (laughs).

DH: Lets say you weren’t a motocrosser, what would Brian Deegan be?
BD: I’d probably be a kid down at the beach, riding a skateboard and f*#*ing off.

DH: Did you mess around in school a lot?
BD: High school was cool, all I did was race while everyone else was into sports--like the jocks. I wasn’t down with that, so
I moved from Nebraska to California and went to school there. Actually, I never went to school, instead, I went riding and
faked my grades.

DH: Did you graduate?
BD: Heck yeah, I never failed a class in my life.

DH: You just weren’t a nerd?
BD: (Laughs) No way, I worked all the chicks in school.

DH: What about the bikes getting ripped off, do you want to say anything to the thieves?
BD: It’s just a weird deal, we woke up in Atlanta and the bikes and gear weren’t there. Shit happens, I’ve stole shit before
and people have stole from me.

DH: So you never got into the mainstream of things in high school like sports?
BD: I did play soccer, but for the most part all those sports were lame. There isn’t any danger involved; team sports suck.
You have a bunch of kooks that can blow the whole deal for you—I’ll stick to the solo sports.

DH: Are you really a Bad Guy?
BD: It’s funny because I never try to be the bad guy, but that’s how people perceive me. If people think a Bad Guy is
someone who does what they want, then I guess I am a Bad Guy. Why can’t they respect someone for saying what they
want to say and not kissing everyone’s ass?

DH: I think the Bad Guy image had something to do with the LA Ghost ride. Any regrets?
BD: Definitely no regrets on that, I worked so hard for that win—it’s one of the greatest moments of my life. At the time, I
just wanted to throw my bike, but I didn’t realize it would cause so much trouble--I didn’t even think anyone would care, but
it caused quiet a scene.

DH: What can we expect to see tonight if you win?
BD: I don’t think it’s worth doing the same move twice, lets see...maybe a naked victory lap to get the crowd all pumped up.

DH: What’s your schedule like during the week?
BD: Well before I had a trainer, it was basically goofing off with Larry(Linkogle). Link and I would do some motos and go to
the gym. Now I have a trainer that I hooked up with right before the start of last season’s Supercross series, his name is
Mark Smith. From early in the morning, to late at night, we work hard.

DH: Have you ever had a job other than racing?
BD: I have never worked a f*#*in’ day in my life. I just opened a snowboard shop, so I’ll go down there and deal with a few
customers. It’s pretty cool because not a lot of people know who I am or what I do, they think I just work at the shop.
That’s all the work I have ever done, but if I have to get a job, I’m not scared--it doesn’t matter to me.

DH: So Larry is your boy, huh?
BD: A lot of people look at Larry and talk shit on him, but he is really cool. I mean, I could hang with the factory click and I
did when I first started racing because I thought it was cool. Really, all they do is talk shit about you. I have found a few guys
who will have my back no matter what. If I was to go into a fight with 20 guys, they would be there for me and never talk
behind my back.

DH: Other than Larry, who else do you hang with?
BD: Trigger(Gumm) and my roommate Ronnie Faisst. Ronnie used to race the nations. He is from New Jersey, but moved to
Cali to do the Porn thing.

DH: So you live with a porn star??
BD: Full-blown porn star. We thought of this idea to do a Crusty Demons of Dirt porno so he(Ronnie) called John Doe at
Vivid Video and John was so pumped on the idea. A few days later, they filmed in my living room. It’s kind of a
motocross/porn thing. They wanted me to be in it, but I figured I didn’t need to be in there. The motocross community would
freak out about that.

DH: Speaking of fights, Kenny Watson tells me you started the fights at the Crusty Demons of Dirt Party.
BD: Yeah, Mark Smith and I got out of control in the "Mosh Pit". We started to throw guys on the ground, then security
came up, and we threw them to the ground. From there, it was a full-on riot which was pretty fun. I did get hit by a chick with
a riot club, but we ended up taking care of that.

DH: What about after the races, what do you usually do?
BD: I used to be into going out after the races and hanging out. When I’d go out, it was usually with the guys I raced with--I
don’t want to hang out with those guys. I usually go to my hotel , go to bed , and wait till I get home to hang out with my real
friends.

DH: Is the reason that you choose not to hang out with other racers a competitive thing?
BD: No, it’s not a competitive thing, yet, I am a competitive person. I respect everyone that I ride against, but when they
think they are better than others because they ride a dirt bike, I think that’s gay. If the guys that think that way went out and
no one knew who they were, then they would be looked at as a bunch of geeks--they couldn’t pull chicks if their lives
depended on it.

DH: I have noticed that you put a lot of stock on your ability to pull chicks.
BD: Yeah I do. It has never been a problem for me since I started school, it’s always been my thing. That’s what I like to do:
ride and meet chicks.

DH: There has to be a classic pick up line.
BD: One thing is for sure, I never use my profession to pick up chicks. If I start to do that, then I’m in that category with all
those other geeks. I just try to be myself by f*#*ing off. I role up, act like an idiot, and for some reason the chicks dig it.

DH: Do you have a girlfriend?
BD: I was a punk for a while and didn’t have a chick, but now I do—she’s really cool. Any chick is a lot of work and I don’t
have the time. Everybody has to grow up sometime, but I’m not ready for that. Chicks are chicks and they will always be the
same, digging their hands in your pockets. The main thing I stress and hate the most is the chicks who come to the races and
try to live through other peoples stardom. All the "Pro Ho’s" that are here every weekend, need to go and get their own
stardom--they should stop living through the lives of others—that’s such crap. There is no reason that people should support
chicks, they should do 50% in a relationship. Why the hell should they have the guys pay for everything? They are people too
and if they want equal rights so bad, then they should pay for their own shit--that cracks me up. I’m down with the chicks that
can support themselves. These "Pro Ho’s" love to claim fame from riders. And put that shit in there.

DH: The guys from Strung Out and NOFX have supported you a ton, did you know them before the team formed?
BD: Yeah, when I was younger, I was really into the punk shows. When I was riding for Chaparral, things started to get
pretty political, so I did my own thing and they were there for me. I’ll tell ya, there is nothing better than riding for guys who
think the same way you do and don’t make you be someone your not.

DH: What’s your parents influence in your life?
BD: My dad is a straight-edged kinda guy--full-on politics. He tells me that sometimes I have to kiss a little ass and straighten
up, I told him I will when the time comes. Unlike most parents, my father didn’t get me involved with racing. My neighbor got
me involved in the racing scene. My dad rules!!!

DH: That no respect video showed you and Linkogle at your finest; what was the making of that video like?
BD: The whole gig was: we would go to Hawaii, make a video, have fun, and get paid. Once we arrived, Gerbert tried to run
the show, but we automatically set him straight. we ruined everything possible.

DH: Would we ever see you in a No Respect II?
BD: The funny thing is, kids always tell me how funny that video is. I have cut down on the movies I will be in because I don’t
want to whore myself out on that. I want to keep it strong with all the people that support me, like my team.

DH: What was the worst thing about making No Respect?
BD: He (Gerbert) always wanted us there early, but we would show up late. After a few days of being late he threatened to
cut our salary, at that point, we threatened to kick his ass--he changed his mind.

DH: Then what about making your own video?
BD: Actually, we did make the Metal Militia video. Linkogle and I made a hard-core video that nobody will distribute. Black
Flys said they would distribute it, but we had a call saying that the video was too gnarly and our sponsors wouldn’t be too
happy. There are nasty fatalities from Faces of Death and then a shot of us jumping with death rock music playing in the
background.

DH: What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
BD: I guess it’s just the way I live my life: It’s all about riding and being wild. Larry and I have done everything from running
away from the cops on mini-bikes, to full-blown riots.

DH: Are you ever afraid of getting in trouble?
BD: I have never been arrested, I can usually talk my way out of things. I don’t know the consequences yet, but hopefully, I
don’t find them out the hard way.

DH: As I mentioned before, you are labeled as a Bad Guy, but you treat the fans awesome.
BD: It goes back to the whole rock star thing. I know that all I can do is ride a bike and there are many people out there that
can do other things better than me--do you see me giving them a hard time? I’m not better than anyone—I’m really into the
fans. If someone looks up to me then they must be against the "norm" a little bit, so I’m down to support them. I don’t think I
should have fans, just people who support me and who are down with the Militia.

DH: How do these kids get into the Militia?
BD: Right now, it’s just me, Link, and a few other guys. We do have some troops, like the 14 year olds at LA

DH: How is Metzger’s leg?
BD: He is getting better. He is another one of my good friends. When I first moved here, I lived with him and that’s where it
all started. We just pushed one another to get more jacked up. But it got to the point where I wanted to get more serious
about racing, so I bought my own house and got serious about racing. We still hang out a lot though.

DH: How would you describe you and your team?
BD: We’re all against politics.
DH: What’s it like riding for XXX?
BD: We all fly to the races together, I get a rental car—it’s like I have a full ride without the salary. A salary would be nice,
but there are other ways to make money, like my XXX Boardshop. With the image we have, we should do good.

DH: If you don’t mind me asking, do you get any financial backing from your parents?
BD: No, I don’t mind. I’m on my own, but if I get in a bind, my dad will help out. I have to think smart because I have a
house payment and stuff. That’s why I started taking racing more serious. Like I said, the shop just started and the kids are
into it so we’ll do good.

DH: Anything else you’d like to say?

BD: Yeah, I just want to say this to all the kids who want to be who they are: Just do it, because there will always be a spot
out there for you. Not every kid can be all straight-edged!!! Do what you want to be and be who you want to be.