by The Great White Gypsy

It’s only been two days since the world lost one of it’s biggest stars, and cinephiles everywhere are still processing. If you were anything like me, you had three clear thoughts when you heard the news of Dennis Hopper’s passing, in this order:

“Wow, I didn’t even know he was sick.”
“Damn, he was a great actor”
“I haven’t seen Easy Rider in forever”

It doesn’t matter how good an actor you are, or how long and illustrious your film resume is. In the end, you will be remembered for two or three films or characters more than any others. Brando will always either be a possible contender (instead of a bum, which is what he was), or Vito Corleone from The Godfather. Peter Boyle will always be “Puttin’ on da Riiiiitz” from Young Frankenstein. Charlton Heston will always be the tallest man on the Planet of the Apes. Patrick Swayze - thanks to Family Guy - will always be “Road House!” And Dennis Hopper will always be Billy from Easy Rider. However, one need only glance at his filmography to realize that we have truly lost one of the greatest. If cinema was a conspiracy theory, Hopper would be top of the suspect list. It seems like any milestone film or major name has his fingerprints all over it.

His early work reads like an Amazon Blu-ray wishlist (hint hint, people). Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean. Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman. Apocalypse Now with Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, and Marlon Brando. And, of course, Easy Rider with Peter Fonda. It may not make your wishlist, but he was even in True Grit with John Wayne. Seriously. This guy was in movies with Jimmy Dean, Brando, and the fucking Duke! You’d think that’d be enough for him, but he decided to add David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino to his rolodex with Blue Velvet and True Romance respectively.

He probably could have stopped after those films, and been totally set for life. Unlike so many current actors, however, Hopper was a work horse. Personally, I think that’s only part of being a great actor (aside from, you know, being good at acting). The other part is not taking yourself too seriously. Hopper nailed that too. If it’s not enough that he was in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (the most ridiculous one in the series) and Waterworld (no, shut up, you did not like that movie), maybe you also remember him in Super Mario Brothers? That’s right kids, Easy Rider was fucking King Koopa in Super Mario Bros., possibly the worst/greatestofalltime video game movie in history. Did he care? Fuck no, he’s Dennis Hopper. Why else would he make a retarded action classic with Keanu Reeves? He even had some fun on TV for a while in his later years, guest starring on 24 when it was still good, and headlining the amazingly well-received Crash spinoff.

Like I said, though: you’ll always be remembered for that one iconic, life-changing roll. Easy Rider. That’s how we remember Dennis Hopper. It’s how we see him in our heads. But if we’re going to let Dennis Hopper ride off into the ether, we need to make damn sure he’s got a good crew rollin’ behind him. So here, in no particular order, are Billy and his crew of the coolest bikers in cinema history.

Billy

This was back when bikers stood for something. When they represented somebody who needed a haircut, and so much more. Freedom. Real, raw American freedom, man. They were, like, hippies, man. But, man, they were so much more. They were the badasses that weren’t trying to be badasses, the ones who jumped on the hog and sped off just because they could.

Wyatt

As awesome as Hopper’s Billy was, could you really form a biker gang without Peter Fonda? The two actors wrote the script together, and had a great chemistry on screen that sunk in even further to their characters and what life is all about. Fonda may be a little more recognizable in this roll (he didn’t have a headband and a huge moustache like Hopper), and when it comes to a long distance biker experience, the two of them would be my choice for the long haul.

Johnny

At this point, Marlon Brando’s iconic character from The Wild One would probably be that friend that constantly gets the whole group into fights over dumb shit. Every group of friends needs one of those though, and in 1953 his passionate rebellion against “whatever I got” took no prisoners. Unfortunately, like the rest of us, he’s a sucker for a dame in a skirt.

Snake

Remember when Kurt Russell was a tough guy? No, seriously, he was! In John Carpenter’s Escape from New York he fit right in with the campy, chaotic NYC of the future. Nowadays, he’s the guy in the group that everyone’s a little wary of. It’s not just the eye patch, it’s the fact that he’s unpredictable. LIke at any moment, he could pull Lee van Cleef out of his pocket and smash on fuckers. He wasn’t the same after he moved to L.A.. He changed, man. He changed.

Harley Davidson and Marlboro

There were plenty of films in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s that showed groups of teenagers banding together to save a ski lodge, or a teen center, or whatever. How many people would rip town apart, pissing everyone off from the cops to the criminals, to save a biker bar? Two. Just two. Sure, it may be the most brazen attempt at product placement in history, but these two together are unfuckwithable, and have more testosterone than the entire Brat Pack combined. This film (cleverly titled Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man) was a high point for Mickey Rourke, Don Johnson, and tough motherfuckers everywhere.

Leonard

“My friends call me Lenny. Only I ain’t got no friends.” C’mon, how awesome is this guy? A cigar smoking, dynamite packing bounty hunter that looks like he just walked out of Thunderdome. He’s armed to the teeth and freaking unstoppable, unless you happen to love Woody Woodpecker. Probably the best character in Raising Arizona, and one of the Coens’ best ever. I definitely want this guy on my side when shit goes down…as long as he stands where I can see him.

Opie

Ryan’s Hurst’s strong, silent-type character in Sons of Anarchy is the personification of what new generation bikers should be. Loyal to a fault, a family man, but ready to bust out the 9 at the slightest hint of conflict. He loves the culture, not just the stigmas. And that beard is not fucking around.

Ghostrider

You think I’m joking? Who better to ride sidecar through the afterlife than someone who’s been there? And for the record, I’m talking about the comic character, not Nick Cage’s bullshit attempt at badassery. Ghostrider’s a real badass who won’t take any shit, but his morals are solid. And since he only turns crazy at night, he’ll fit right in with all the other LSD-ers tripping balls.

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