Very seldom is a motorcycle club willing to disclose any information about the process of becoming a member, but this reporter was given access to such secrets and actually was allowed to participate in each step of the prospecting and initiation. The only stipulation was that all the information shared with the media would be altered enough to be deemed useless.
I was able to follow the process with Banana. Banana was a strapping 63 year old retired executive, who wanted to fade out of the public eye after spending many years in a high profile position. " I was introduced to the Nobodies through a porter at a Hotel I often used when in New York City",explained Banana. "That is when the dream of living in anonymity took seed". When I first met Banana he was certainly a man of distinction; he was 6' 4"tall, trim and well dressed; his appearance spoke of a person of importance, who upon entering a room would always draw attention. When he was finally given full Nobody privileges after 14 months, he was a nondescript 5' 6" person, who would often be ignored by waitresses and sales people. Observing the transformation was painful for me. Banana was slowly and methodically deconstructed through psychological and physical ordeals. In one exercise he was ignored for a week; deprived of eye contact, food (other than the scraps he was able to find on the floor), clean air, unobstructed vision, clean clothing, hand soap, napkins, dental floss and lip balm. Towards the end of his prospecting, when the club members decided to call him banana, he was placed in a curved box which was 5' 6" high for 24 hours.
Today Banana is truly a Nobody. " I am free to live!", exclaimed Banana. He has found a new niche in the world where the joy of living and being overlooked coexist.
Ruddy Turnstone
Motorcycle Gazette
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