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by Tom Folsom (Author)
As unconventional a biography as Dennis Hopper was a man, Hopper: A Journey into the American Dream by Tom Folsom charts his roller coaster life and career through the lens of the landscape of American popular culture.
The chopper-riding hippie outlaw in Easy Rider. The prophetic madman in the jungle in Apocalypse Now. The terrifying psychopath in Blue Velvet. The kid gone wrong in Rebel Without a Cause. The actor taken under the wing of James Dean, a friendship that set Dennis Hopper on his path to becoming a star. A quintessentially American dreamer longing to be the next Orson Welles. The hell-raising director who revolutionized Hollywood.
Dennis Hopper's extraordinary journey takes him to superhero highs and plummeting lows. Capturing the magic and the madness of his American Dream, Hopper is a wild ride through Dennis's many lives. Written in a rebel spirit, complemented with iconic photographs, and packed with insights from his fellow actors, artists, and friends, Hopper tells the story of a half-century of rebellion waged at the edge of pop culture.
This is the story of how a Kansas farm boy became Hollywood's most dangerous man--and then a legend.
- James Dean's Protégé Discover the intense, career-shaping friendship between two of Hollywood's most iconic rebels, and the acting secrets Dean shared with a young Hopper.
- New Hollywood Auteur: Go behind the scenes of the chaotic, revolutionary making of Easy Rider, the film that blew up the studio system and defined a generation.
- Pop Art Insider: Explore Hopper's deep connections to the art world, from championing Andy Warhol's soup cans to building a legendary, multi-million-dollar collection.
- The Ultimate Hollywood Comeback: Chart Hopper's path from the notorious failure of The Last Movie and his exile in Taos to his triumphant, terrifying return in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers.
Front Jacket
Easy Rider. Apocalypse Now. Blue Velvet. Rebel Without a Cause.
An unflinching adventure through American pop culture, Hopper is a wild ride amid the many lives of Hollywood outlaw Dennis Hopper--mentored by James Dean, a collaborator with Andy Warhol, a confidant of Elvis Presley, a favorite of Charles Manson. Hopper races full speed ahead to the decadent heights of fame as the visionary director of Easy Rider crashes and burns in drug-addled madness in the desert . . . only to reemerge in one of the greatest Hollywood comebacks of all time.
--Ralph "Sonny" Barger, author of the New York Times bestseller Hell's Angel and former head of the Oakland chapter of the Hell's AngelsBack Jacket
Easy Rider. Apocalypse Now. Blue Velvet. Rebel Without a Cause.
An unflinching adventure through American pop culture, Hopper is a wild ride amid the many lives of Hollywood outlaw Dennis Hopper--mentored by James Dean, a collaborator with Andy Warhol, a confidant of Elvis Presley, a favorite of Charles Manson. Hopper races full speed ahead to the decadent heights of fame as the visionary director of Easy Rider crashes and burns in drug-addled madness in the desert . . . only to reemerge in one of the greatest Hollywood comebacks of all time.
