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Topic: Easy Riders (nsc) Return to archive
25th June 2004 06:02 AM
Ten Thousand Motels Steppenwolf's John Kay and Peter Fonda rekindle their Easy Rider friendship

TORONTO (CP) - "There's a rock-and-roller in here! I can smell him!"

With that a grinning Peter Fonda strides into the lobby bar of the Windsor Arms Hotel to join his old compadre John Kay for a series of media interviews. Fonda agreed to fly in from his Montana ranch to officially present Kay with his Canada Walk of Fame award this week. The two aging rebels still oozed cool as they re-ignited a friendship that goes back to their collaboration on 1969's Easy Rider.

Kay, who has been legally blind since childhood, and his heavy rocker band Steppenwolf contributed two numbers to the seminal film's innovative soundtrack, including the rock classic Born to Be Wild. The tune and the movie have been intertwined in the pop culture sub-conscious ever since.

The receding hairline aside, the 64-year-old Fonda, from his wraparound shades to his kicking cowboy boots, still cuts as lean and lanky a figure as he did as biker Wyatt/Captain America 35 years ago.

And Kay, 60, remains a curious blend of heavy rocker and folk philosopher as he proves on his solo CD, Heretics and Privateers, with its eloquent, socially conscious lyrics and raw, bourbon-soaked vocal delivery.

Fonda recounts his oft-told tale about how he actually wrote the outline for the Easy Rider screenplay while ensconced in a seedy Toronto lakeshore hotel back in the 1960s. He was on a promotional tour for Roger Corman's The Wild Angels and had just been urged by Hollywood studio spokesman Jack Valenti not to make any more biker sex-and-drugs films.

So, as he puts it, he lit a couple of doobs, downed a Heineken and - surrounded by tacky red-flocked wallpaper - went to work on a story about two guys on choppers riding, not west, but east along Route 66. That was the opposite direction of his father, Henry Fonda as a Depression-era Okie in search of the California promised land in The Grapes of Wrath.

"Opposite to the whole American attitude, all of John Ford's country we're going to ride through," he explains, along with plans for an homage to German-Swiss writer Herman Hesse's Journey to the East (as well as Steppenwolf, of course).

He and director Dennis Hopper came up with the then-original idea of laying, not an original score, but existing chart-toppers, into the soundtrack, which made not only the film, but its eclectic album, phenomenal hits.

"We were just glad to have our two songs in the film," says Kay.

"It was a thousand bucks for everybody, John, Bobby Dylan," recalls Fonda, adding that Robbie Robertson loved a rough cut of the film so much he wanted to do the whole score himself.

The rest, as they say, is history. These two guys were not only witnesses to the '60s revolution, they helped write the theme music.

And speaking of The Band, Kay is asked how it came to be that both Robertson's group and Steppenwolf evolved as a fusion of musicians from such unlikely compass points as Ontario and the deep U.S. South.

He recalled arriving in Toronto as a teenager from post-war Germany and hearing the likes of Ronnie Hawkins playing the soul and blues music of black artists like Ray Charles and Howlin' Wolf in a west-end club in 1960-'61.

Then there was the atmospheric oddity known as the Heavyside layer ... listening to distant southern radio stations whose AM signals would skip along the sky and bounce down into Canada late at night.

"I mean I heard rock and roll on the armed forces radio network in Germany and I knew I loved that, but when I was twiddling the dial I said 'What is this other stuff?'� "

But something else came across the border on the airwaves in the 1960s.

Kay recalls sitting with his elderly Ukrainian landlord in Toronto and weeping as they watched a Buffalo, N.Y., TV station and the civil rights clashes played out on the evening news from places like Birmingham, Ala.

"It flew in the face of what I had learned at the American House which was built with the Marshall Plan money in Hanover, Germany where I lived," he says. "Which was that the founding fathers of this great nation had given a promise of some day realizing something called liberty and justice for all."

So he picked up his guitar and headed for Newport and the Delta and Nashville, where he learned it was possible to blend folk with the primal rhythms he was hearing.

"We all said we can play rock and it can still have lyrics worth listening to beyond just dancing to it."

Like Dylan, Springsteen and Neil Young, Kay still sings about the working man, selling out, consumerism and corporate exploitation. And yet somehow he remains optimistic that today's generation of youth is not as complacent as it looks, that it will rise up when it becomes necessary.

"There are people out there who basically disavow the Dilbert existence," he says. "There is a dormant reservoir of discontent. Maybe it has to get worse before people finally. . .say 'This is bad enough. It's time to make a change, it's time to be engaged.
The Canadian Press, 2004


25th June 2004 06:23 AM
bez85 John kay is still cool.. first rock-n-roll band I ever saw was Steppenwolf back in Shreveport Louisiana 1969...
25th June 2004 11:15 AM
Ten Thousand Motels
quote:
bez85 wrote:
John kay is still cool.. first rock-n-roll band I ever saw was Steppenwolf back in Shreveport Louisiana 1969...



I always liked 'em for what it's worth.
25th June 2004 11:22 AM
jb John Kay and Steppin Wolf have played Gulfstream Race track at least 2 dozens times over the past decade..
25th June 2004 11:47 AM
Bloozehound Great flick, kinda slow up until the second half when they pick up Nicholson for some backroads hijinks, and then head off for Mardi Gras.

Greater soundtrack, easily one of the best film soundtracks of all time in my book.

Never did care for the way those dirty hippies just left Nicholson's dead body, scumbags.

25th June 2004 12:06 PM
egon i'm just gonna say it, and yes i know it is supposed to be a classic but; that easy rider film bored the shit out of me.
25th June 2004 12:12 PM
jb Agree 100% Egon..also 2 of the worst actors in history...Peter Fonda and Dennis Hoper....
25th June 2004 12:14 PM
egon
quote:
jb wrote:
also 2 of the worst actors in history...Peter Fonda and Dennis Hoper....




agreed, confirmed AND approved!
25th June 2004 12:16 PM
jb I'm an idiot as well!!!
25th June 2004 12:17 PM
egon and a great one!
25th June 2004 12:29 PM
Bloozehound
quote:
jb wrote:
Agree 100% Egon..also 2 of the worst actors in history...Peter Fonda and Dennis Hoper....



the sheer heavyweight talent of Nicholson offsets the flicks delicate balance away from absolute boredom
25th June 2004 12:38 PM
jb
quote:
Bloozehound wrote:


the sheer heavyweight talent of Nicholson offsets the flicks delicate balance away from absolute boredom

Yes..the restaurant scene is a classic, but's that's about it...
25th June 2004 01:18 PM
Bloozehound
quote:
jb wrote:
Yes..the restaurant scene is a classic, but's that's about it...




Didja see Polksalad's post ?

I think he's gonna use his second account here, the one with less posts, so you guy's can have the glory.
25th June 2004 01:40 PM
jb
quote:
Bloozehound wrote:



Didja see Polksalad's post ?

I think he's gonna use his second account here, the one with less posts, so you guy's can have the glory.

Well, that would be the appropriate thing for him to do..Joey and I limited our posts strictly to this Novogate board as we are loyal to the big 3...
25th June 2004 02:18 PM
Bloozehound
quote:
jb wrote:
Well, that would be the appropriate thing for him to do..Joey and I limited our posts strictly to this Novogate board as we are loyal to the big 3...




This 10 k posts could be a new milestone in Stone's fandom. You two will be like SUPER fans, like those guys in the old SNL skit about the Chicago Bears - "the Bears" lol

Maybe you should contact Guiness world records, they're into all kinds of offbeat record setting...
25th June 2004 08:44 PM
mac_daddy dig the movie lots...

dig hesse's books even more.

while born 2 b wild gets the attention, i enjoy their other tune in the flick. i think it is called "the pusher," but it is the one that plays as they are stashin' the cash in the bike's gas tank...

"well i smoked a lot of grass..."
_____

you guys know that phil spector is the cat they sell the coke to in the beginning of the film...

_____

quote:
i'm just gonna say it, and yes i know it is supposed to be a classic but; that easy rider film bored the shit out of me.



quote:
Agree 100% Egon..also 2 of the worst actors in history...Peter Fonda and Dennis Hoper...




you are either on the bus, or off the bus...


if you want to see dennis hopper act - check out wim wenders' film "an american friend" or henry jaglom's "tracks"
25th June 2004 11:53 PM
Taptrick
I love John Kay. The first album I bought was Steppenwolf Live around 1972-75 for my father's birthday. I was in grade school. What a great album. The wonderful song "Draft Resister", the American history lesson of "Monster", the so often misunderstood anti-drug song written by Hoyt Axton of Hamm's Beer fame (from the land of sky blue water- holy shit - do I remember that right?), the rockers "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Magic Carpet Ride", and "Born To Be Wild", and "From Here To There Eventually" is wonderful musically (with an amazing guitar organ interlude) while taking a wonderful philosophical look at Catholicism and religion:

"You fill this house with things of gold
While handing plumbs to the old and poor
And then you preach about being pure...
And wonder what I'm laughing.
In your own way your trying to find me
But I can't follow what's behind me
Too much blind faith will blind me...
Though sometimes its a blessing
But I remember when....
I used to go to prayer school...
A little prayer would ease my mind...
Too us all that you hide
From the mystery outside
So I left you behind
But all the other teaching that I've tried are about the same
One bit of truth mixed with confusion calls my name
Since your round here anyway
May as well get you back up on your feet again
Get up back up on your feet
Aw we got to find some body
You shall work out on the street
Aw you got to touch somebody
I don't know
Still you got to go from here
To there...
Eventually"

I saw Kay three time in St. Louis in the 80s and in 1999 in Wichita Falls. Hope he rides through San Diego soon.


And since this is an easy rider thread, let's not forget Jimi:
Here comes ezy...ezy rider
Riding down the highway of desire
He said the free wind
Takes him higher
Trying to find his heaven above
But he's dying to be loved
Dying to be loved
In a cloud of angel dust I think I see me a freak
Hey motorcycle moma - you gonna marry me?
And I'll be stoned.....crazy
Love....coming in kinda easy



[Edited by Taptrick]
26th June 2004 12:11 AM
PolkSalad
quote:
Bloozehound wrote:
Didja see Polksalad's post ?

I think he's gonna use his second account here, the one with less posts, so you guy's can have the glory.



Yes, and if they had not made it an issue I would have kept using this one from the start.

Anyway, John Kay and Steppenwolf used to play my 'burbs little summerfest over by the Catholic high school year after year. Not anymore tho. We got Foghat a few years ago. Looks like the Buckinghams this year.


[Edited by PolkSalad]
26th June 2004 12:21 AM
Ten Thousand Motels Speaking of 60's cult movies, when is Performance being rereleased?
26th June 2004 12:56 AM
mac_daddy
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
Speaking of 60's cult movies, when is Performance being rereleased?


and when are they releasing the director's cut..?
28th June 2004 06:47 PM
Bloozehound
quote:
mac_daddy wrote:
while born 2 b wild gets the attention, i enjoy their other tune in the flick. i think it is called "the pusher," but it is the one that plays as they are stashin' the cash in the bike's gas tank...




Was gonna mention this song in my first post, but forgot. My fav too...badass song...really sets the pace...
29th June 2004 12:40 PM
Ten Thousand Motels The Pusher Song: Steppenwolf Lyrics

You know I've smoked a lot of grass
O' Lord, I've popped a lot of pills
But I never touched nothin'
That my spirit could kill
You know, I've seen a lot of people walkin' 'round
With tombstones in their eyes
But the pusher don't care
Ah, if you live or if you die

God damn, The Pusher
God damn, I say The Pusher
I said God damn, God damn The Pusher man

You know the dealer, the dealer is a man
With the love grass in his hand
Oh but the pusher is a monster
Good God, he's not a natural man
The dealer for a nickel
Lord, will sell you lots of sweet dreams
Ah, but the pusher ruin your body
Lord, he'll leave your, he'll leave your mind to scream

God damn, The Pusher
God damn, God damn the Pusher
I said God damn, God, God damn The Pusher man

Well, now if I were the president of this land
You know, I'd declare total war on The Pusher man
I'd cut him if he stands, and I'd shoot him if he'd run
Yes I'd kill him with my Bible and my razor and my gun

God damn The Pusher
Gad damn The Pusher
I said God damn, God damn The Pusher man
29th June 2004 12:51 PM
jb Great header.
29th June 2004 04:40 PM
Joey
quote:
jb wrote:
Well, that would be the appropriate thing for him to do..Joey and I limited our posts strictly to this Novogate board as we are loyal to the big 3...



Our Loyalty is Unquestioned as we would throw down our lives for these boards .

Jacky Minh !
29th June 2004 05:03 PM
Bloozehound sup ?
29th June 2004 10:11 PM
mac_daddy thanks for the lyrics, ttm.

30th June 2004 01:44 AM
Taptrick

The Pusher

Written by Hoyt Axton of Country Music fame...as was his mother




.