Movie Review: Two-Lane Blacktop

1971. Starring James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Laurie Bird, Warren Oates. Directed by Monte Hellman. A race across country between aimless youth in a 1955 Chevrolet and pointless adulthood in a 1970 GTO, with the affection and attention of a faithless teenager as the prize, Monte Hellman’s fantastic Two-Lane Blacktop is one of my favorite movies, right down to the then-controversial ending. The Driver (Taylor) and The Mechanic (Wilson), fresh from hustling locals with home-built hot rods, aren’t far along in “heading east” when The Girl (Bird) hops in their backseat. She watches them as they drive in silence, listening for …

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Shiftless When Idle

Dear readers — both of you — I have to admit that I am now gainfully unemployed. Leaving the job I worked for eight years was painful, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I guess that, eventually, the loss of one’s self-esteem outweighs the anxiety of being without a job, and you decide to trade one problem for a different one. There’s a saying about risk and change: You can’t steal second base without taking your foot off of first. But the thought that has really stuck with me is, you don’t need a perfect plan when you’re trapped …

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Country Music Reclamation Project: The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake

Traditional country music has hid many a cautionary tale within a melody. There is a surprising number of songs about women who should avoid intimate relations with men (Fair and Tender Ladies, The Knoxville Girl, Ode to Billie Joe immediately come to mind). There are also songs that suggest you should make amends with loved ones before it’s too late (Letter Edged in Black, The Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea), don’t drink (She’s More to Be Pitied Than Scolded, The Bottom of the Bottle, again, The Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea), and thousands of songs suggesting you should get right with God, right now. …

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