Easy Rider

[runestone]

From Jay Leno's Garage website, which I enjoy far more than the stuff he did on tv, an excellent interview with Peter Fonda and some behind the scenes stories about the movie:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/...ayer.shtml?vid=1130900

If you've not seen the movie it is definitely worth a view.

 

[JulesMaximus]

There was an article in a recent issue of Motor Cyclist on this too. It was pretty interesting.

I've always liked that movie...ending sucks though. I do own the DVD.

 

[DVad3r]

Easy Rider was awesome. All my family/friends from Europe know the movie and those that ride bikes have a constant dream of coming to the US and doing route 66 old school style

I wish I lived in those times, with my V-Rod of course so I could open it up

 

[Thump553]

My thoughts on Easy Rider haven't changed in 40 years-a horribly cliched mess, saved only by two great young actors (Hopper and Nicholson) and a fantastic soundtrack. Except for the hispanic family sequence, this movie always made me wince from beginning to end.

Loved the interview with Leno, though.

 

[runestone]

As Thump said, it was cliched, but as a 14 or 15 year old watching it, all's I wanted to do was get a bike and cruise route 66 and such. Mom and Dad would not let me go to Woodstock either, the bastards.
It did capture a little glimpse of those times, some of which were not very good, but on the whole -upbeat. Anyone notice Phil Spector?
I know a couple folks from open nap chat from Europe that shared the same feelings as mentioned by DVad, their images of America were influenced a lot by that movie and others of the time.
Jay's gear collection is amazing.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: runestone
As Thump said, it was cliched, but as a 14 or 15 year old watching it, all's I wanted to do was get a bike and cruise route 66 and such. Mom and Dad would not let me go to Woodstock either, the bastards.
It did capture a little glimpse of those times, some of which were not very good, but on the whole -upbeat. Anyone notice Phil Spector?
I know a couple folks from open nap chat from Europe that shared the same feelings as mentioned by DVad, their images of America were influenced a lot by that movie and others of the time.
Jay's gear collection is amazing.

How can the first movie of its kind be a cliche? That's like saying Star Wars was a cliche of science fiction movies...what the hell was it imitative of exactly?

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

How can the first movie of its kind be a cliche? That's like saying Star Wars was a cliche of science fiction movies...what the hell was it imitative of exactly?

There have been lots of biker movies/outcast movies that preceded Easy Rider, starting with Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones (early '50s) and numerous drive-in B movies in between. Easy Rider was essentially yet another drive in B movie overlaid with a hippie dippy philisophy-something that was fresh in 1967 but very dated by 1969. It was hardly the ground breaking profound statement it was billed as then and is being recast as today.

Compare Easy Rider to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (also 1969) or Bonnie and Clyde (1967)-all three being major "counterculture" hits, and tell me honestly which looks the most dated today.