This week’s Pop Screen is for people who like their cars fast, their movies mellow and their Californian singer-songwriters practically horizontal, as Aidan returns to the podcast to look at Monte Hellman’s cult road movie Two-Lane Blacktop. A none-more-70s tale of dead-end lives on the open road, it owes something of its laid-back cool to its two lead actors: Laurel Canyon mainstay James Taylor and Beach Boys alumnus Dennis Wilson.
It would be fair to say Aidan and Graham have differing opinions on this film, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out who’s making the case for the defence. Along the way, there’s space to delve into the short, sad life of their brilliant co-star Laurie Bird and praise the timeless class of Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton. Also, needless to say, Beach Boys superfan Graham explains what very specific thing Dennis brought to the legendary band, and which unlikely figure offered family therapy to the Wilson brothers…
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Episode 75: James Taylor and Dennis Wilson in Two-Lane Blacktop
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