Vespa Culture

There is a bohemian culture that lurks in the nadir of society. Hidden under the veneer of vintage upholstery, and rusted metal, softening the effects of social rigamortise and corporate fête, stands Vespa Culture. I was first introduced to Vespa culture by my sister Stacy; she spoke to me about Vespas as if they were a reverenced holy grail. “Vespa’s represent more then just a scooter!” She would say, “They represent an ecliptic existence, where the forces of the seven planets revolve around the sun in perfect alignment.” She was crazy, but had one thing right; they do represent an existence or an entire way of thinking. Since my preamble to Vespa culture I have watched its peculiar way of life like a jealous husband, peering in from the outside of an unattainable bliss. Why are people who own Vespas happier? Why does everything go right for people that own Vespas? These were questions I asked myself over and over again.

On December 14th 2005 I made a 10 hour drive to Venice Beach California to purchase a Black 2004 Vespa ET4 150. The details of the trip and “Amy” (My Vespa) would be too overwhelming for this blog. Let it suffice that on December 15th 2005 I became the owner of a Vespa, thus entering the realm of Vespa Culture.

Other then bitter cold on that first jaunt to work in the morning, I felt a new unexplainable freedom within the clutches of this Machine. Boldness replaced weakness, bliss replaced misery, and chance replaced coincidence. My soul road higher and faster then ever before. I think it’s a sensation that only a liberated man can feel; an immense stirring within the great liquid of life. The wind and sun on my face, the music of life buzzing in my ear… yes from this moment on, I was a new person… a Vespa person. I can never go back, like the humble priest entering his path of celibacy, I am as bound to this new religion as it is to me.

I have met other people who plainly don’t feel the same about Vespas. For a long time this troubled me. Why did Vespa Culture have such an effect on me? Why wasn’t the world covered with people driving Vespa? I have given this a lot of thought… and conclude that Stacy was right all along, Vespas do “represent an ecliptic existence, where the forces of the seven planets revolve around the sun in perfect alignment,” and when this alignment is ideal and a chosen soul comes in contact with Vespa Culture, it rings true to the individual and has an everlasting effect. Call me crazy, but thus were the prophets of old and thus are they now, ridiculed for their moral convictions and dogmatic beliefs.

Vespa Culture, like dreaming and vision, has become a natural part of my life. Much like laughter and smiling are the means of sharing Vespa Culture. One might stand from afar for years, only viewing the edifice from a faint distance, hearing its laughter and seeing its smile, when one day like the salt to the ocean you are drawn in like it was where you were always meant to be.