https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvHFM8c7cPM
You can say what you want: That this is exploitation for corporate america, fonda sold out, or whatever the fucking else…. bla bla bla.
The fact is, Easy Rider Never Dies :). I love it!
Easy Rider Commercial filmed by the Coen Brothers. Read More »
Scrolling through some pictures this morning….I’ve saved some pictures over the years that I’ve meant to make blog posts on, and just haven’t. What the hell, I figured I’ll just throw em out there.
Random Thoughts, on a Saturday Morning Read More »
Cliff Was one the builders of the Easy Rider Bikes. He was 79 years old. Much Respect. RIP Cliff
1937-2016
Clifford Vaughs Passes Away. RIP Read More »
Just got this today — Its a promo the documentary crew made for EagleRider from the footage they shot from the tour I guided last summer summer. Kinda cool. I’m the portly bald guy on the red Indian. Made some friends, had a helluva lot of fun.
I wanna go back. Summer is nigh — I think its time to fucking ride a place.
One of the best things about doing motorcycle tours is the people you meet and get to ride with. Especially for 2 weeks straight. You hit the same heat, rain, bad roads and sites together, and in creates a bit of a bond between everyone. It’s pretty unique to anything else like this I’ve ever done. To me, Its very cool.
I recently got a picture from one of the guys who ran the Easy Rider Tour with us last summer. It’s a watercolor of all of us from the 2015 tour. Framing it and putting it in the man cave… Figgered I’d share.
Over the last few years, I’ve had people tell me they’ve been to the Jail in Taos where the inside Jail Scenes were filmed in Easy Rider. The Outside scenes were filmed in Las Vegas NM, and its pretty hard to dispute.
The jail on the north side of Taos Plaza is not the same place from the movie. The bones are all wrong, the bars, the walls. Nothing matches up. I hate to ruin a good story the locals (and some local actor prick I won’t mention the name of) tell about the movie, but its not true. Ray Charles could see this.
This is the Jail in Taos Plaza — Check out the steel walls, and bars on the cells. You’ll see the difference:
These are the scenes from Easy Rider, where Billy and Wyatt met Jack Nicholson. They played Every fair in this part of the country, and for top dollar too :
I have one more place to Try. I need to get down to Taos and check it out. It’s either an old drunk tank that has been torn down, or it’s the older jail.
Another mystery to figger out on the bike. A cheap excuse to point the bike toward Taos. I love summer.
Update: 10/7/2016
I still keep getting emails explaining to me how this is the jail. Man, its not. It’s fun to say you want it to be, but its not. Lemme break it down. Watch the Jail scenes from the movie first:
the BIGGEST fundamental difference is the walls of the jail in the movie are made out of concrete. Check out how they were formed, with 6 inch cement forms — you can see the seams pretty clearly. The ones in the Jail downtown in Taos are steel.
So I ask you — why would you form a jail in concrete, then rip all that out to form it in steel? Anyone who knows anything about construction knows it’d just be easier to tear a building down and re-make it. Even then, steel isn’t a better answer to concrete. Concrete makes a pretty solid jail.
The 2nd thing is the riveted old steel bars. Why would you change one style, for a newer riveted style? They haven’t made riveted steel bars forever. Thats turn of the century shit. A small town like Taos after the turn of the century would have stayed with the bars they had.
Next, watch the video and check out the walls and how they line up. Compare that to how Taos lines up if you’ve been there.
It’s not the same Jail.
I’ve submitted evidence — If I’m wrong, please…. someone bring some evidence and correct me, because next time I go to Taos I’d love to see the real Jail thats in this movie clip.
I wonder if the jail in the movie really was in Taos at all…..
Easy Rider and the Jail in Taos New Mexico Read More »
First real day off since I got back from the tour last Sunday. Its pretty nice. Had a good week of sales at work, the mind is a little more open, and now I’ve got a whole day to just fuck off. I love days when you can just fuck off.
The ride was a blast. Leading it was a blast, and we had a great crew. These guys were experienced riders and they made the job easy. I think everyone had fun.
I think I love Indian Motorcycles. I may end up switching teams. The bike they gave me was the best bike I’ve ever ridden methinks. No comparison.
I’m still gathering pictures from everyone, and I’ll make a blog post about it. All in all, I’d ride with these guys anywhere. Just a good group. 3200 miles of riding, 5k in all. Saw some cool things, and learned a few things about easy rider.
The documentary crew were extremely great to work with. They made the trip fun. I can’t wait to see what they come up with, and how it all fleshes out.
Did I say it was nice to have a day off?
Got an email this weekend from a guy who’s done the trip once, and is doing it again on a 62′ Panhead Hardtail. Thats hardcore. Not even Fonda and Hopper can claim they Rode the whole route like that. Very Cool, and thanks for the pics Mike!
“I followed your map in 2012 and rode from Ballarat to NOLA. It was a great trip. I plan on doing it again from PA in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie on a 62′ Panhead hardtail.”
Love it. If you’ve done the route, got a picture or just got a bitchen old bike to show off I’d love to see em! Email alan@mrzip66.com
Easy Rider on a 62 Panhead Hardtail Read More »
I’m fairly stoked. Just booked my flights, Picked my bike, and I even know who my Van Driver is now. Shit is starting to get real. Easy Rider tour. 2 weeks of straight riding is not routine, at least for me. Some of these roads I’ve seen so many times I know like the back of my hand. I see em in my dreams sometimes. I can’t wait to show them to other people and have some fun in the process. Fuck me, I can’t wait to ride.
So, as it stands the documentary crew is coming too. That got approved this morning by Eagle Rider. We’ll see how that rolls.
It could be good. Stay tuned.
Easy Rider Tour: Engage Read More »
Seems like some good things could be brewing. I spent some time with the guys who are making the Easy Rider Documentary earlier this Summer. Showed them a few of the locations, and quite honestly I have come to like these guys. I mostly think that hollywood is full of shit, but they’re clearly fans and basically solid human beings. I’ve gained a pretty fair amount of respect for them. Everyone they’ve introduced me to is pretty real, and The more I talk to them I just sense they’re trying to make the best movie they can. They’ve shown me nothing but respect, which makes me want to show it back to them. hell, thats just how humans work.
A couple of years ago, I got asked by a guy who flew me out to L.A. to make a documentary on my blog. Or Easy Rider. or Something. I was flattered, and I took the bait. I got there, and within a few hours my bullshit detector just pegged at 10 and stayed there. Nice guys, but my first impression was that their main objective was to name names and get laid. Sitting by the pool and talking to girls who are wanting to be in a movie really ain’t my thing. I just went back to my hotel room and waited for my flight home, fairly pissed off. I’m not that guy. I was wiser for the experience.
Anyway…
So the Easy Rider tour is in 2 weeks….. well, 16 days, but who’s counting. The documentary guys want to come and film, but that’s up to EagleRider. My first commitment is to the safety of the tour, The enjoyment of the people I’m guiding, and the integrity of the guys who I will be employed by for 2 weeks. They called first, and I’m really excited to ride these roads and share a little of what I love with who will end up being my new crew. Make some friends, make some miles, and have some fun.
The tour is a little different this time, and the first time I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lets face it: most people haven’t watched the movie, and the average guy doesn’t really care. I think this time It’ll be less about the details, and more about the experience. Thats what lasts, in peoples memories. I’m fairly positive I can show em some fun, and hang with the American Tattoo’d Biker guy. I had a blast on the first tour, and made some friends who I still connect with now and again to this day…. I think this go around I’ll do it a little different. if there’s a biker Easy Rider freak like myself, then that’s just a bonus. Those are discussions ya make at the bar, sipping a brew after a 300 mile day, and learning about someone else’s experiences in life. I’m in.
Yeah, I’m pretty fired up. I’m not gonna lie: its getting close.
Easy Rider Tour & Easy Rider Documentary Read More »