By LIBBY Worden

12⎪July 2021⎪shop . cmausa . org

KEVIN GOVE INTERVIEW 2018 , Kevin and Deborah

Libby Worden : When did you begin riding ? Kevin Gove : According to my mother , I first got interested in twowheels when I was four years old . At ten , I began hanging with friends and their older brothers ; we were putting lawnmower motors on bicycles . By fourteen , I was riding a Moped on the street without a helmet … legal in Canada in 1975 .

LW : What was your first ride ? KG : At sixteen , I rode a Kawasaki 650 , 4-stroke . I rode British bikes from ’ 79 to ’ 83 when I got my first Harley , an ’ 82 FLH Shovelhead – now on its fourth rebuild . Today I ride a 2003 Softail Deuce .

LW : How did you get involved in the biker culture ? KG : I loved motorcycles ever since I saw the first one . My parents separated when I was eight . I began using drugs at thirteen . The older guys up the street rode , and I thought , “ I want to be just like them .” Before long , everyone I knew was a biker . Each month I bought and read , cover to cover Easy Rider

magazine ; it taught me everything about bikes and the lifestyle . It was my Bible . Soon , all I knew was partying , sex , drugs , and rock & roll . I had many friends in clubs , but I never prospected with a club because clubs require you to make them your priority . I knew I couldn ’ t do that ; I was too busy dealing and using .

LW : How ’ d you get from Canada to California ? KG : Despite little contact , my father arranged a job for me in LA . Once there , I went to Hemet for a bike run and met some guys that told me about a place where fortyplus bikers lived . I moved there . It was at the height of the crack cocaine era , so I soon began dealing and using . I had no fear of anything , including death , but at a point , it dawned on me that I was ruining people ' s lives by dealing . I wanted to get away , to get out of LA . In ' 89 , I gave a girl a ride to Folsom and decided to look up my dad , whom I hadn ' t contacted in years . He had a construction business and asked if I wanted a job . I worked there for 17 years , still drinking , using , and selling drugs .

LW : What happened to turn your life around ? KG : From 2004 to 2010 , I went into rehab three times , but after being high on something every day

for 30 years the cravings for alcohol and drugs never went away . In 2010 , I was done with women , never thought or cared about ever getting involved again . I met Deborah through a friend , and we all hung out for a while . One day she took a ride with me . I took a turn too fast , and we crashed , breaking Deborah ’ s leg . Her house had steep stairs and she couldn ’ t put weight on her leg for six weeks . I felt terrible that I broke her leg , so I helped her out . Although Deborah would sometimes talk about God and Jesus and play worship music , I didn ’ t really know anything about Jesus . I never went to church , never heard the Gospel , never read a Bible .