1969: DENNIS HOPPER talks about EASY RIDER | Line Up | Classic Interviews | BBC Archive

Just prior to the release of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper spoke with Philip Jenkinson.
They talked about the film as a social commentary on the US at the time and its depiction of drug use. Hopper then talks about becoming part of the establishment and his aspirations to buy land near Taos, New Mexico to continue writing film scripts.
Clip taken from Line Up, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 28 September, 1969.
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[@jasonedwards6870]

What are they going to say about him? What? Are they going to say he was a kind man? He was a wise man? He had plans? He had wisdom?

[@1954telecaster]

Dennis really was the character he played in Apocalypse Now

[@digamojones]

This is the best ‘pure’ Hopper interview I have seen.

[@phillipecook3227]

Interviewer is Philip Jenkinson. Along with Tony Bilbow they were the BBC's resident cinema gurus before Barry Norman.

[@annapeterson2602]

Definitely one of the greatest artists of the 21st century. And an incredibly kind human. I used to work for him and he treated me like an honored guest, always.

[@xiscozapatero1914]

Hopper is an absolute legend. Of cinema, and life. 💚✌🏻

[@RSimoes10]

Fantastic.

[@azinegg]

Always liked Dennis hopper” ❤

[@artful_dodger59]

This was great to see. Easy Rider was an absolutely perfect period piece for that time. It's very cool to hear Dennis explain it so eloquently. Although it's one of my favorite movies, (I don't think we will ever have movies that depend on character and acting like this ever again) I can only watch it when I'm psychologically prepared, it is so disturbing in a few ways. The ending especially. Thank you for putting this in my feed today, Google

[@MatteBlack2024]

This is good. Though I don’t believe American news media have ever given “all” the information, I appreciate his righteous indignation at American hypocrisy throughout the clip.

[@Johnconno]

'They smoke the jazz cabbage the whole time.'

[@jasonayres]

Can't say exactly why, but I just had this passing thought. "Dennis Hopper as Indiana Jones.."

[@phillipecook3227]

Remember he's changed in 54 years : )

[@bid84]

He’s dead, don’t think he would do it

[@barsommanashian975]

@@bid84 couldn't be any worse than what we actually got...

[@micktaylorisgod]

Makes a lot of sense if you ask me.

[@BuckRolly1]

It's Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, Dennis, not 'Poncho Sanchez' 😂😂😂 3:31

[@Broomehall]

Dennis was often seen as wayward or difficult by certain members of the Hollywood establishment, and he may well have been those things from time to time, but there was also an honesty and deep understanding of the untruths within the Governmental system that few main stream Americans were willing to acknowledge, you could dislike Hopper but you couldn't ignore what he had to say.

[@petergivenbless900]

Half a century later; nothing much has changed, just everything got louder (the future is just the past with the volume turned up!).

[@MysteryZenSide2]

02:13 mk. ...exactly

[@JMoruzzi]

Focus going in and out, close-ups of hands - I think the camera operator must have been smoking some of Hopper's stash!

[@swampape201]

his vision for a world to be clothed, transported, fed thanks to technology...its taking us far too long

[@TheSnowdogsShorts]

When I watched the film, the marijuana smoking was not something that I saw as a big deal. It is just something they did. Maybe it shows more how we see it these days. For the sake of transparency: I do not use marijuana myself, but I fully support legalisation.

[@gary7vn]

Try it. You'll like it. Safest substance on the planet.

[@TheSnowdogsShorts]

@@gary7vn I have tried it. I am one of a very small minority of people who get no positive benefits from it. I just get extremely paranoid while using it. I have several medical conditions that in most people are often helped by using marijuana. It frustrates me that I get no benefit from it.

[@k_DAN]

Meanwhile, Hopper had smoked a lot of grass and dropped some acid before this interview.

[@AladdinSaneNYC]

How do you know? You his dealer?

[@k_DAN]

Hopper " nobody's getting the right information ". Wow, he was already totally on to that in '69.

[@samsquanch1996]

He looks hungover as hell, probably was lol.

[@davidshurville3658]

What a smart and inspirational pot smoker. Go well Dennis.

[@ramonathompson6932]

In my opinion, he's way out...there

[@allancrotch2953]

We are not getting the information !!!!!!! Take note BBC

[@Jack_Warner]

We get part of the information, so we think how they want us to think.

[@djhoneylove5710]

This interviewer is obsessed with pot and the cameraman is drunk.

[@inkey2]

Really proud of Dennis holding his cool with this idiot interviewer because Dennis Hopper could be quite explosive when attacked. Who'd have ever guessed that in many U S States today (at least 2 dozen) there are actually state sanctioned retail pot stores. There is a store 3 blocks from me here in the Boston suburbs. No big deal at all. The state sure loves the taxes from it.

[@aadirao9401]

Jesus Christ man move past the 'pot smoking'

[@Liofa73]

Philip Jenkinson spent money to get rid of his Manchester accent. I'd suggest it would have been a better interview if he had stuck to his roots.

[@JackSmith-kp2vs]

@Liofa73 Of everything spoken about in the interview and you chose to make that irrelevant identity politics statement

[@gary7vn]

Thank the gods that the insane and evil war on a plant is over in my country. Not so in the UK where the interviewer probably spent his entire career lying about it like he does in this video.

[@xiscozapatero1914]

He is like an advert for those DEVIL'S HARVEST propaganda posters