Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Slow Ride is a Good Ride

Yes, Easy Rider, the 1969 classic film that shot Jack Nicholson into the blood stream of America. If you haven't seen this epic, watch it now. It's filled with drugs, bikes and good tunes. What else can you ask for?

The Byrds are a huge part of the soundtrack. "Natural Harmony" is beautifully paired with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda riding their bikes through the dessert. The Byrds even titled a track "Ballad of Easy Rider".

The plot revolves around two counter culture bikers cross America trek on their motorcycles. The encounter rednecks, hippies living in a commune, bigots, and take a wild acid trip. Though the plot sounds superficial, during it's time, it was saying a lot on the current counter culture craze sweeping the nation. I read the film in the same way as I do Hunter S. Thompson's works: magically superficial on the surface, chillingly satirical sub-surface.



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