Zack Dennis is back with another installment of Exit Music — and this week, he uses the closing credits of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a starting point for a discussion of Timothy Leary, Hunter S. Thompson, and the Kentucky Derby, all set to the strains of “Jumping Jack Flash.”
Exit Music
23 Articles
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In 1998, Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” was first performed in New York City. It wasn’t hard to predict that portraying Jesus as a promiscuous homosexual living in Corpus Christi,…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Conceptually, counting cards is incredibly simple.Á‚ Take a deck of cards.Á‚ With a full deck, the count is zero.Á‚ Deal the cards out one by one.Á‚ Each time you see…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In 2002 I decided to cross one of the items off my bucket list (I hate that expression – if someone knows a better one please leave it in the…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Buddy Revel, the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of a bully in Three O’Clock High (1987), isn’t actually a bully. Bullying is a tool used to establish or enforce social dominance. And…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Why is gold valuable? Why is it worth anything at all? Sure, it’s yellow and shiny. But so is brass. It’s scarce, but so is osmium, and you don’t see…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A few years ago, my dad took a vacation to Hawaii. While he was there, he tried surfing for the first time. Even though he’s a good athlete, and solid…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
There are fewer members of the Washington establishment that I detest more than Richard “Dickface” Cohen. I noticed yesterday evening that he’s finally soured on his hero John McCain, but…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy Office Space, its protagonist Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is described by the downsizing consultants as a “straight shooter with upper management written all over him.”…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
One of of the most overlooked films of 2006 (a terrible, terrible year for movies; with redemption only brought by the likes of The Departed, Borat, and Casino Royale) was…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
With another potential Hollywood strike looming (the SAG contract has expired and the actors have yet to reach acceptable terms with the studios), itÁ¢€™s possible that reality television will see…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
When I was living in Johannesburg, I spent about four months dating a woman who worked as a professional editor for film and television commercials. She put together a video…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
It’s the end of the road for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. A few signs lately have pointed towards Hillary finally packing it in, and after Barack Obama sweeps up enough of…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In the final few moments of Tony ScottÁ¢€™s True Romance (1993) Alabama, accompanied by an injured Clarence, drives past a sign that reads Á¢€Å“Last U.S. Exit, Mexican Border 5 miles.Á¢€ItÁ¢€™s…
Zack Dennis
2 Min Read
Playing a disabled or mentally ill character seems like it would be one of the most demanding roles for an actor to portray. ItÁ¢€â„¢s probably just as tough for an…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
When The Breakfast Club begins, weÁ¢€â„¢re presented with the five characters as easily defined stereotypes Á¢€” Á¢€Å“a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.Á¢€ In the…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Like many suburban teenagers, I was first introduced to world of ska by the plaid-clad, Boston-based, masters of merchandising the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was the first time I ever…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Like many students, I was assigned to read Tom StoppardÁ¢€â„¢s existential classic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead during my junior year of high school. IÁ¢€â„¢ve always hated reading plays Á¢€”…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Even though I live in Los Angeles, I’ve never been an actor, a writer, a director, a writer-director, a grip, a cameraman, or worked in the film industry in any…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Most people are familiar with the concept of the alpha male. Aggressive and dominating, he exists in our society as a result of our evolution as primates, when relatively small…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
I don’t think Michael Mann is particularly interested in popular music. It’s practically impossible to think of Phil Collins’ classic song “In the Air Tonight” without thinking of the iconic…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
As I expect every one of you knows, Heath Ledger died yesterday. I won’t speculate as to the details of his death (I’m sure the tabloids and gossip websites will…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Exit Music is a sister series to Motion Picture Soundtrack. Yeah, they’re both named after Radiohead songs. So what? You wanna fight about it? As long as you’re less than…
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