Episode 226: A Wild One

Summary

Episode 226: A Wild One – Detailed Summary

Podcast: The Memory Palace
Host: Nate DiMeo
Release Date: February 7, 2025

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Introduction to Freedom and Motorcycles

In Episode 226, titled "A Wild One," Nate DiMeo delves into the evocative symbolism of motorcycles as emblems of freedom and rebellion. Opening the discussion at [01:50], DiMeo sets the stage by painting vivid images of motorcyclists mastering their machines against the backdrop of vast landscapes:

“It is the freedom, the person on the bike... towards the open road.” – Nate DiMeo [01:50]

He contrasts the solitary biker against the immobilized traffic, emphasizing the allure of the open highway and the yearning for escape—a recurring theme in American culture and media.

The Iconography of the Motorcycle in American Culture

DiMeo explores how motorcycles have been romanticized in Hollywood, citing iconic figures such as Marlon Brando in The Wild One and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. These representations have cemented the motorcycle as a symbol of counterculture and personal liberty:

“Let me say the name Marlon Brando again... Freedom itself.” – Nate DiMeo [05:01]

He remarks on how these images have transcended counterculture to become quintessentially American, often used in advertising to evoke a sense of rebellion and adventure.

The Life of Bessie Stringfield: A Trailblazing Motorcyclist

Transitioning from cultural symbols to personal narrative, DiMeo introduces Bessie Stringfield—a pioneering African-American woman motorcyclist whose life story epitomizes the spirit of freedom on the open road.

Early Life and Origins

DiMeo touches upon the ambiguous origins of Stringfield, noting her self-constructed narrative of being born in Jamaica, which contrasts with the likely reality of her birth in North Carolina around 1911. This fabrication highlights her desire to define her own identity beyond societal constraints:

“Bessie wasn't about where she came from. She was about where she was going.” – Nate DiMeo [03:10]

Embracing the Motorcycle Lifestyle

Stringfield's passion for motorcycling began in her teenage years, leading her to acquire her first bike—whether through a kind stranger or her own determination remains part of her storied legacy. DiMeo recounts her fearless rides through the Jim Crow South, where she defiantly defied racial segregation and gender norms:

“Black women really didn't ride motorcycles... It was supposed to be impossible to control, to command.” – Nate DiMeo [04:15]

Navigating Through Adversity

Stringfield's journeys were fraught with dangers, including outrunning racist mobs and law enforcement intent on detaining her. DiMeo illustrates her resilience and skill, recounting an incident where a Miami cop attempted to arrest her. Stringfield responded by performing motorcycle tricks that showcased her mastery and unyielding spirit:

“She told him she'd prove it. Did tricks he'd never seen.” – Nate DiMeo [05:30]

Her ability to evade capture and her performances in small towns not only earned her respect but also facilitated her survival in a hostile environment.

Expanding Horizons and Legacy

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Stringfield worked as a courier, transporting packages between military bases during WWII. This role expanded her horizons, allowing her to traverse the United States and later, internationally to Europe and South America. DiMeo highlights a pivotal moment when Stringfield decided to explore the nation by leaving her destiny to chance, tossing a coin to determine her next destination:

“She became the first black woman to ride in all of the lower 48.” – Nate DiMeo [05:50]

By the time she settled in South Florida, Stringfield had earned the moniker "Motorcycle Queen of Miami," a testament to her enduring passion and influence.

Cultural Impact and Representation

DiMeo draws parallels between Stringfield and Hollywood icons, reinforcing her image as a symbol of freedom and defiance:

“Let me conjure Brando... the Terminator, Tom Cruise... outrunning an F14.” – Nate DiMeo [06:35]

He emphasizes that while these figures are fictional, Stringfield's real-life exploits embody the same essence of liberation and rebellion.

Overcoming Gender and Racial Barriers

Stringfield's journey was not just a personal quest for freedom but also a challenge to the societal norms of her time. As a black woman in the early to mid-20th century, her presence on a motorcycle was a potent statement against both racial segregation and gender expectations. DiMeo underscores her role in paving the way for future generations of women and minorities in motorcycling:

“She could outrun anyone who'd try to stop her. She'd like to see them try.” – Nate DiMeo [07:11]

Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Bessie Stringfield

Concluding the episode, DiMeo reflects on Stringfield's lasting impact, not only as a motorcycle pioneer but also as a trailblazer who redefined possibilities for black women in America. Her induction into the Motorcycle Riders Hall of Fame posthumously honors a life dedicated to breaking barriers and embracing the unbounded freedom of the open road.

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Notable Quotes

• Nate DiMeo [01:50]: “It is the freedom, the person on the bike... towards the open road.”
• Nate DiMeo [03:10]: “Bessie wasn't about where she came from. She was about where she was going.”
• Nate DiMeo [04:15]: “Black women really didn't ride motorcycles... It was supposed to be impossible to control, to command.”
• Nate DiMeo [05:30]: “She told him she'd prove it. Did tricks he'd never seen.”
• Nate DiMeo [05:50]: “She became the first black woman to ride in all of the lower 48.”
• Nate DiMeo [06:35]: “Let me conjure Brando... the Terminator, Tom Cruise... outrunning an F14.”
• Nate DiMeo [07:11]: “She could outrun anyone who'd try to stop her. She'd like to see them try.”

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Final Thoughts

Episode 226 of The Memory Palace offers a compelling exploration of Bessie Stringfield's life, intertwining historical context with rich storytelling. Nate DiMeo effectively captures the essence of Stringfield's indomitable spirit and her quest for freedom, making her story resonate with listeners unfamiliar with her legacy. Through evocative narratives and insightful commentary, the episode not only honors a remarkable individual but also highlights broader themes of resilience, identity, and the relentless pursuit of freedom.

Transcript

[Nate DiMeo]

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[Nate DiMeo]

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[Unknown Co-host]

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[Nate DiMeo]

This is the Memory palace. I'm Nate DiMeo. It is the freedom, right? That is the thing about motorcycles. The speed, sure. The agility, of course, but it is the freedom. The person on the bike, on the Harley, on the highway, the cars, the trucks stuck in traffic, but that biker weaving their way through faster toward the open road. The freedom of the open road. The loner, the lone figure in the vastness of the desert landscape. Or up the California coast, the wild Pacific, crashing redwoods. That's the thing. Advertisers know it. A man on a motorcycle, a woman on a motorcycle could sell you a cigarette, vacation, anything that feels like escape from whatever gridlock you have driven your life into. Hollywood knows it has given us Marlon Brando, the wild one. Peter Fonda again and again. A wild angel born to be that way. See him, an easy rider on his chopper with Dennis Hopper American flag helmet. An image once so counterculture cool, but at this point so American, you could probably just swap it in for the flag itself. Freedom itself. It is the freedom. And that is the thing about Bessie Stringfield, the story she would tell. And let me tell you that for most of her life, the story of her young life wasn't always true. But there is freedom in that, too. Making up your own origin story. Bob Dylan did it in a time before the Internet, when it wasn't easy to fact check some stranger's claims. It was a time honored American tradition. So in that tradition, Bessie Stringfield told people she was born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, but she was probably born to black American parents around 1911 in North Carolina. No one's quite sure where the Jamaica part came from, but that was the story she told. And in that telling and in the way she lived, Bessie wasn't about where she came from. She was about where she was going. And she was always going. Ever since she got her first motorcycle as a teenager. Whether she got it from a kindly Irish woman who took a liking to her or not, whether that kindly Irish woman existed or not, somehow she got a bike, and that was that. Bessie Stringfield spent her life riding through the Jim Crow south, outrunning racists and cops and mobs. Literal angry white mobs who couldn't catch her. Women did not ride motorcycles. Black women really didn't ride motorcycles. It wasn't just unladylike, it was supposed to be impossible to control, to command. Harley Davidson. They are a whole lot of machine. One time a Miami cop wanted to arrest her when he saw her by her bike. Couldn't be hers. She told him she'd prove it. Did tricks he'd never seen. She had learned those tricks out on the road. Stunts she'd perform in small towns, at fairgrounds to pay for gas money, a sandwich at some segregated shop. She'd stay with black families she'd meet on the road or sleep out behind a filling station.

[Unknown Co-host]

There were obstacles, of course.

[Nate DiMeo]

Any good road trip has its obstacles. You get stuck out in the rain. Sometimes you get a flat, sometimes you walk. But sometimes you sleep out under the stars. Sometimes you get to meet the best people you never would have met otherwise. If you are Bessie Stringfield, sometimes those people get to meet you. She rode all throughout the 1930s, in the 40s, during the war, she got a job as a courier, taking packages from military base to military base all over the country. At one point she had seen so much of it, she decided to see it all. She started to do this thing where she'd take a coin and toss it wherever it landed on the map. That is where she'd go. She became the first black woman to ride in all of the lower 48. Later, there would be trips to Europe, South America. Eventually she settled down in South Florida, though settled down isn't quite right. She'd ride just about every day. Became known as the Motorcycle Queen of Miami until her death at 82 in 1993, 10 years before she was elected into the Motorcycle Riders hall of Fame. Let me say the name Marlon Brando again. Let me conjure Brando. Lets see that leather jacket, that riding cap with the black visor. Cool as hell. Let me invoke Peter Fonda. Steve McQueen making his great escape. The Fonz. Why not Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator, Tom Cruise in a bomber jacket and Ray bans outrunning an F14.

[Unknown Co-host]

Iconic.

[Nate DiMeo]

Now let's see Bessie Stringfield, a black woman in a white jumpsuit, black boots, a black sash around her waist. A black riding cap with a white brim on a Harley Davidson. Metallic blue leather saddlebags loaded with provisions. Because she's not going to be home for a long while. See her on the open road, whichever road you like, through whichever landscape. She is smiling, she is flying. She can outrun anyone who'd try to stop her. She'd like to see them try.

[Unknown Co-host]

Iconic.

[Nate DiMeo]

You could probably just swap that out for the American flag. The Freedom is the Thing.

[Unknown Producer]

SA.

[Nate DiMeo]

This episode of the Memory palace was written.

[Unknown Co-host]

And produced by me, Nate DiMeo in February of 2025. This show gets research assistance from Eliza McGraw and Eliza McGraw, my friend who has helped me out on the show for years has a new book out.

[Nate DiMeo]

And it is wonderful and it is, I tell you, right on theme for this episode.

[Unknown Co-host]

In a way it is called Horses.

[Nate DiMeo]

Women in a Partnership that Shaped America. It is a fascinating and wonderfully readable history of the United States told through the stories of trailblazing riders and trainers.

[Unknown Co-host]

And performers and their horses.

[Nate DiMeo]

It is a perfect gift for the.

[Unknown Co-host]

Horse lover, or the history lover, or the reader of women's history, or heck, simply the reader.

[Nate DiMeo]

So order Astride Horses.

[Unknown Co-host]

Women in a Partnership that Shaped America by Eliza McGraw Wherever you buy your.

[Nate DiMeo]

Books, the show is a proud member.

[Unknown Co-host]

Of radiotopia, a network of independently owned and operated listener supported podcasts from prx, a not for profit public media company.

[Nate DiMeo]

That is out there fighting to support independent artists and media makers in a sea of corporate nonsense.

[Unknown Co-host]

I am happy, as always, to be aboard as I like to do from time to time. I want to tell you about a.

[Nate DiMeo]

New show that has recently come aboard.

[Unknown Co-host]

The good ship Radiotopia. It is called the Recipe from the.

[Nate DiMeo]

Rightfully beloved home cooks Kenji Lopez Alt and Deb Perlman.

[Unknown Co-host]

In each episode they talk about the.

[Nate DiMeo]

Essential ingredients and techniques of a beloved.

[Unknown Co-host]

Everyday dish and then the little things.

[Nate DiMeo]

That make that dish really sing.

[Unknown Co-host]

How to do that in your own kitchen.

[Nate DiMeo]

From listening to how it works for.

[Unknown Co-host]

Them, you will figure out what works for you.

[Nate DiMeo]

It's going to make you better at cooking the food that you like to eat.

[Unknown Co-host]

It's called the Recipe. You can learn about it and all the other Radiotopia shows at Radiotopia fm.

[Nate DiMeo]

If you want to follow me on.

[Unknown Co-host]

Twitter or Facebook, I am Hememory palace there on Instagram and on substack. I am the Memory palace podcast on Blue sky, which I think I've been using a little bit more than anything else. I'm Nate DeMaio as I am in my waking life. If you ever want to write me a note, you can to Nate at the Memory Palace Us. I've recently had some really wonderful email exchanges with listeners. I really do always appreciate hearing from folks and you of course can always buy my book while you're buying Eliza's book. Hers again Eliza McGraw, author of Astride.

[Nate DiMeo]

Horses Women in a Partnership that Shaped.

[Unknown Co-host]

America is available where you get books.

[Nate DiMeo]

As is the Memory Palace True Stories.

[Unknown Co-host]

Of the Past available now wherever you buy books and audiobooks. Talk to you guys again.

[Unknown Producer]

Radiotopia from PRX.