The Ballad Of the Easy Rider

To explain the persona of Dennis Hopper, who died this past weekend at 74, is ultimately a lost cause. Hopper was one of those actors who defied explanation or categorization. He had a rebellious streak in his performances, as his role in Easy Rider demonstrated, but he also had a penchant for portraying weird, tortured (or sometimes torturous) characters as he did in Blue Velvet. He was no one's idea of a matinee idol, though he performed quite admirably in bringing to life the unconventional visions of the directors who cast him. There was a bit of self-cheapening in Hopper's career at the end - remember his Fidelity Investments ads with the music of the Spencer Davis Group playing in the background? - but even they had a sense of coolness and detachment. Dennis Hopper's career can be analyzed and studied, and will be for years to come. But explaining it? Explaining him? You might as well explain existentialism with an abstract painting. RIP.