He was a genuine artist. How was he as a human being? I’ve heard all the stories and I get where people are coming from – but you know Newton was an a*****e too – but when he published the Principia Mathematica people said no more books on the Natural Sciences needed to be written.
As Tayna says in Touch of Evil, “He was some kind of a man… What does it matter what you say about people?”
Peter Fonda once called him a “little fascists freak.” I suppose if that's what it took to give us Easy Rider and Blue Velvet, so be it. I have a feeling history will be kind to the man.
I'm with Eric. At least I *hope* history is kind to him. The transcendence of the craftsmanship is not dependent on the character of the man, yet it's completely wrapped up in him. Who else could have done this guy's roles? A one-of-a-kind loss I'm thinking.
??? only thing in life that matters is to try and be a good person. Kind, funny self depreciating and if you have kids be a better father than someone else was to you…movies/money/art…who gives a fuck..adios scumbag…
ahh well that's the question isn't it?
i have a book of photographs on one my shelves – its cover is facing out so i can see the front of it right now – a brilliant photo on the front of an African tribesman by a brilliant photographer – Leni Riefenstahl – and i have this book prominently displayed so i can keep asking myself what is important – living a good life – being kind to others? creating great work? can you be a great artist and at the same time a terrible human being? i don't know the answer to these questions – i've joked on the show about gareth being my current moral compass – but it's not too much of a joke considering how i've lived my life in the past – i imagine that i'm somewhat morally stunted – so i just don't know
The goal should always be to be a good person, but unfortunately not all people are good people.
Good or bad, you can't deny when someone had talent at their craft. The two are completely separate.
You could make an endless list of people who excelled at their craft, but were complete a-holes.
'can you be a great artist and at the same time a terrible human being'
Adolf tried the first and settled on the second. Although they keep mentioning he was a vegi. Maybe that complicates it for some…
If trying to be a good person is the ONLY thing that matters then why are you wasting your time on a website devoted to something that doesn't matter? In all seriousness, I agree with you that how we humans treat each other should be our TOP priority. But to completely dismiss everything else is kind of shortsighted, in my opinion.
Think about it — would you really want to live in a world completely devoid of art, but at least everyone would be nice? No thanks.
I'm a little troubled by the endorsement of 'trying to be a good person, kind, funny, self-deprecating' etc alongside the dehumanising language that ends the comment. I have no axe to grind either in favour of Dennis Hopper as a person (whom I don't know enough about) nor in superior judgementalism of the 'adios' comment. I've many blind spots when it comes to this kind of conversation; so I'm not casting a stone. But let's just try to avoid dehumanising commentary about individuals (including the person who wrote the comment in the first place; and, if you're still reading, your response to what I've written here). It doesn't help anyone.
thing to do is institute a 'comments policy' = we'll have in place this week and post it in the 'about' section of the site :)
[...] Dennis Hopper – Peace at Last in Oblivion [...]
I can only comment on Hopper's actions as an artist, and only based on the few performances I've seen him in. Hopper never injured, defrauded, or otherwise harmed me, so who am I to say whether he was a good person?
I was looking at his credits on IMDB, and it reinforced two things: first, he had tremendous talent that IMO he mostly squandered because of, secondly, he was a man who made bad choices (as we all do) during the prime of his career. And his career was in an industry that can be relentlessly unforgiving.
I would have loved to see the real artist Dennis Hopper flourishing during his prime, and sustaining his craft in his later years. He wasn't the first artist who's addictions sabotaged a promise of greatness…
I do recognize that it's your site, however, I caution against a “comments policy” as they tend to curb open discussion and promote self-censorship. I've found the best policy in dealing with more abusive/negative comments is to simply ignore the poster. No harm, no foul.