(FORTUNE Magazine) – Sonny Barger has been the unofficial head of the Hell's Angels since the late 1950s. When he took over the club--don't call it a gang!--it was a loose confederation of California bikers. Today there are hundreds of chapters in nearly every state and dozens of countries. The Angels may not have formal elections or appointments, but Barger is still the man (if somewhat slowed at age 62). That's amazing longevity in any organization, never mind one filled with, well, let's just say many massive mean dudes with criminal records.

So how did Barger, of average height and weight, stand so tall in a club where there are all kinds of nasty 6-foot-5, 250-pound guys with names like Tiny? Try cunning and charisma. Unfortunately, if you're looking for management tips on how to survive the ultimate wild and crazy organization--Oracle has nothing on these guys!--you won't find them in Barger's autobiography, Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club (William Morrow). Except for the occasional "I punched him" kind of thing--and don't we all wish we could do that once in a while!--he spends very little time talking about running the club.

Still, the book has its moments: beating up Berkeley antiwar protesters in 1965, tripping with Ken Kesey, explaining that if he had to do it over again, he'd bag Harleys and ride Japanese bikes instead--and, of course, Altamont. "I...stuck my pistol into his [Keith Richards'] side and told him to start playing his guitar or he was dead. He played like a motherf---er." Spoken like a true Angel.

--ANDY SERWER