© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Easy Rider' Is 40; How Dennis Hopper's Celebrating

In May of 1969, the mayor of Taos, N.M., Rumaldo Garcia announced that his town's annual summer "fiesta" would be canceled that year, "due to the widespread publicity Taos has received regarding the so-called hippie situation." The mayor went on to say that "as a result of this publicity, there might be an influx of undesirables. This could result in serious health and law enforcement problems."

No doubt, part of the publicity was generated by the release of the film Easy Rider, the cult hippie road classic staring Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper, who also directed the movie. As the mayor predicted, thousands of young people descended upon Taos that year in search of, well, something greater.

Guest host David Greene interviews Dennis Hopper, who starred in and directed the seminal movie 40 years ago. In honor of that anniversary, Taos, New Mexico is hosting "Taos Summer of Love 2009." Hopper, a sometime resident of Taos, is curating an exhibit of paintings and photographs there as part of the city's celebration.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: May 8, 2009 at 2:37 PM EDT
In the interview, Dennis Hopper said, "When ['Easy Rider'] went to the Turner Channel, the classic movie channel, they called me and asked me if I wanted to watch them cut the film." In fact, the edited version of "Easy Rider" runs on AMC, not Turner Classic Movies.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.