"Young Dennis Hopper" by Ellie Kane
Dennis Hopper was one of the coolest dudes to ever walk our great land. He was an artist and photographer and writer and actor and traveler and musician. How does this happen to someone? So good at so much so often.
Hopper passed away last year and today it was announced his family is going to auction his art collection (excluding his own work). It will include some things I'd enjoy, that's for sure.
bullet holes are circled c/o W Magazine
The item anticipated to earn the most cash is Andy Warhol's "Mao with Bullet Holes,"which began as a set of silkscreened Mao's Hopper acquired. In 1971, he was wasted, thought the painting was an intruder, and shot it twice. Being friends with Warhol, Hopper declared it a "collaboration" and Warhol drew circles and wrote descriptions on the work. Hopper kept it the rest of his life, always enjoying its storied little life.
Fun fact: Dennis Hopper bought Andy Warhol's first soup can for either $75 (per Dennis in Vanity Fair) or $100 (per Andy in Popism).
There is also, which I would kill for. Really. Like someone loan me $3,000: An unbound copy with handwritten notes of Hopper's Easy Rider script. They expect it'll only be $3k! I'd buy if if I had the money. Wow.
Push. Er.
Besides starring in, Hopper co-wrote and directed Easy Rider. It's got the pop-culture accolade of being the first major Hollywood film to have a popular (read: rock) music soundtrack. Before that, films relied on composers almost exclusively, and didn't go to pop or rock stars' existing catalogues and hits. I mean, we have Dennis Hopper to thank for "My Sharona" in Reality Bites and loads of other great songs.
"Picnic on the Grass" by Bruce Conner
Here's one of the best interviews I could ever have hoped to stumble upon: Dennis, his ex-wife (1961-69) Brooke, and their daughter Marin all discussing the pop explosion they experienced together, including the crazy amount of works they amassed during that time.
