Dennis Hopper: 1936 - 2010
Dennis Hopper, a collaborator with Neil Young on the Human Highway film, passed away today. He was 74.
Dennis Hopper interview on the 1991 Weld Tour and filming Human Highway.
According to Dean Stockwell, Hopper encouraged Stockwell to produce the screenplay of "After The Goldrush". A film of "After The Goldrush" was never made. But Neil Young did release an album and song by that name, that went on to become quite well known.
Bye Dennis. You were such an easy rider....
BBC documentary film on the career of actor-director-writer Dennis Hopper.
More on the brilliant -- yet troubled -- life of Dennis Hopper and Dennis Hopper's strange, brilliant career - R.I.P. - Salon.com.
On the set of Human Highway, 1st July 1978 (c) Caterine MILLENNIUM
Merci Purple Words on a Grey Background!
Photo by Dennis Hopper
by thrasher@PermaLink: 5/29/2010 02:02:00 PM
11 comments
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11 Comments:
Easr Rider, Blue Velvet. We have lost an Icon. RIP Dennis.
RSULL01 from Amsterdam
This is sad news indeed.Easy Rider is one of my favorite movies.It's defintitly in my top 10.I always felt that Hopper would have become a Coppola or Scorcese had it not been for his drug and alcohol abuse.Yes I feel he had the potential to be that good.Oh what mighta been.?Now he's up in Heaven and we're still down here workin'.RIP
Rancho Relaxo
R.I.P Dennis Hopper, you'll be missed.
one in eleven thousand
That clip of Hopper on Human Highway really captures his brilliance ... and mania.
Man. another one who'll never call. this sucks.
Rob
Billy they don't like you to be so free
-Bob Dylan
Another lion has left the jungle. It's impossible to imagine the post counterculture world that we all live in without Dennis Hopper...that's how big an influence he has been over the past fifty years. He was still a teenager when he became good friends with James Dean, he made the pivotal movie of the late sixties, he threw away his talent and then got it back in spades.
Rebel w/out a Cause, Giant, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, American Friend, Speed, Colors, 24...you name it and he did it. Born in Dodge City and grew up in San Diego, studied at the Old Globe and a friend of Vincent Price. Acted with John Wayne, Sunset Blvd acid trip for Roger Corman's film and The Last Movie almost was (even though it won awards, it didn't fit the mold...even for the 70's). Played himself for Coppola, or some variation of photographer Jim Marshall (who also passed away this year). Naked and psychotic in Mexico, he came back from the dead.
Blue Velvet comeback when he should have been dead. Then a great, human role in Hoosiers and a whole new kind of character in River's Edge, with a young Keanu and Donovan's daughter. Finally back to directing and it's like he never left. Scenes with Christopher Walken in True Romance are classic. Victor Drazen, art collector, photographer, icon.
I'll always remember watching Easy Rider for the first time at the old town movie theater (in the days before we called them Cinemas). It totally changed the way I would look at films and it was made for $600,000. Even in today's economy, that would be less than $3.5 million...think you could do that? And the music: Dylan, McGuinn, Electric Flag, Hendrix. I bought the soundtrack and played the grooves right off.
Check out the recent film Hell Ride just to see him near the end but still healthy and cocky as hell. He's having a great time...when he asks for a joint and then lights it up, that's his way of winking at the audience. Take care Dennis...when you gave the finger to those rednecks, the world turned just a little bit. Flow river flow....
Also wanted to mention that I was at a local music club earlier tonight and was shooting pool in a foursome. My partner was running the table when I happened to mention "hey did you hear that Dennis Hopper passed away earlier today". He was so upset by this that he scratched on the eight ball.
sad news. RIP Dennis, I'll never forget you.
Oh and one more thing...his friend and co-star in Easy Rider just happened to be the son of Henry Fonda, America's greatest actor. One of his greatest films was Once Upon a Time in the West...released the same year as Easy Rider, panned by critics and now considered a masterpiece.
Just wanted to share this with my fellow Hopper fans.Went to the local Blockbuster today and...get this.They don't carry Rebel Without a Cause.Which yes Hopper is in.And according to the clerk and I quote "The last person to rent Blue Velvet never brought it back."Can't much fault said renter on that score though.:)Just thought I'd share that with y'all.Woe is us that another one of the GREATS has left us down here stuck with all this mediocrity.
Rancho Relaxo
I was caulking windows in Santa Monica and he was standing behind me with some loud chicks.
I hit him up for his Human Hwy video so I could make a copy. He said "I think I was in that" before he said Neil gave him the video for Christmas.
A friend and I had bought tickets to see the premier in Westwood w/entry to the afterparty at a nuclear fallout shelter in Beaver Hills (it was th bottom floor of an underground parking structure-no shit).
But my friend's coil went out on the way there and we got towed to the V A Hospital and high tailed it to the theater only to find the movie had ended.
We got directions to the afterparty at Santa Monica and Rodeo, drank all the beer and wine I could, puked on somebody's lawn before a taxi picked us up and took us back. Then smoked a doobie with my friend.
Hopper listened to the whole story,and while he started to leave I asked him if he could bring that video by and I could tape it and return it....He said YEAH !!!" as in -yeah, that's the ticket....
Thanks Mr Henry. Great comment.
Dennis will be missed.
Last night in Spartanburg, Neil dedicated ATGR to Dennis. Quite appropriate.
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