Tino (Martin Schippert)

Tino, born Martin Schippert (May 1, 1946 - 1981) was a leader of the Swiss Hells Angels.
== Early life ==
Tino grew up in an upper-class environment, at the Zürichberg. He suffered from serious asthma and had problems at school due to dyslexia. After finishing school, Tino chose an apprenticeship as a Rhine sailor.
== Motorcycles and gangs ==
After his work at sea, Tino joined a motorcycle gang called Zurich Rächern (the Zurich Avengers, later on The Zurich Revengers)). In 1965, Tino survived a serious motorcycle accident. He was sentenced to1 ½ years in prison for various offenses but was free by 1968. By then the Zurich Avengers had changed their name to The Lone Stars. 
== Hell's angels ==
During a long car trip to a festival in Germany Tino read the book of Freewheelin' Frank Reynolds (published in 1968) and was inspired by his descriptions of the Hells Angels. The Lone-Stars dubbed themselves Hells Angels - Lone-Stars, without the Angel's official approval. The Oakland Hells Angel's president Cisco Valderrama sent the word to Schippert that they had to apply for a Hells Angels membership and in December 1970 they were finally granted the official Hells Angel status. 
== Friends and connections ==
By 1968 Tino was considered a notorious figure. He had friends in the underground scene, such as Urban Gwerder and Sergius Golovin. He also appeared in television and held lectures. 
== Final years ==
The Hells Angels were being prosecuted for rape and to avoid the consequences Tino fled to the Middle East but was deported back to Zurich. He then escaped to Lebanon, Brazil and finally to Bolivia, where he died from an unknown cause. He was by then known as Carlos Martin Schippert.
== 2002 Biography ==
The author Willi Wottreng, a brief acquaintance of Tino's wrote the book Tino: König des Untergrunds (Tino: King of the Underground) about his life in 2002. It features photographs taken by the "house-photographer of the Zurich underground", Karlheinz Weinberger.
== Further reading ==
*2002 - Tino: König des Untergrunds - Die wilden Jahre der Halbstarken und Rocker (text by Willi Wottreng, 14 photos by Weinberger)
Category:Index of People