A decade of Dennis Hopper Day in Taos
Hopper’s rich Taos legacy
IN 2010 Robby Romero and long-time Taos gallery owner Michael McCormick convinced then-Governor of New Mexico, the late Bill Richardson, to proclaim May 17, Dennis Hopper’s birthday, as Dennis Hopper Day in the state of New Mexico.
Hopper was still alive then, and was deeply moved by the governor’s proclamation, which meant a lot to this longtime resident of the Land of Enchantment, who put Taos on the map with his iconic movie “Easy Rider.”
Hopper loved New Mexico and Taos especially, where he kept a residence until his death in May of 2010. Taos is where Hopper is buried, and remains home to several members of his family, including his brother David, cousin Duane and son Henry. Through Duane and his former wife, Rhoda Concha, Hopper also has namesake relatives at Taos Pueblo.
When Hopper passed away in May 2010, just a couple of weeks after his 74th birthday, American pop culture lost an iconoclastic figurehead, while Taos lost one of its most creative residents. A filmmaker, actor, photographer and visual artist, Hopper began his career as a thespian in childhood, before going on to study at the Actor’s Studio. After several television roles, he first appeared on the big screen alongside James Dean in “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955) and “Giant” (1956).
Hopper’s life in Taos really began with “Easy Rider,” the film he cowrote with Peter Fonda and directed in 1969. It became the de facto cinematic emblem for the counterculture movement, and Hopper’s character in the movie, Billy, exemplified the antiestablishment idealism and rebellion of the ‘60s.
His directorial film debut also happened with “Easy Rider,” and earned him critical acclaim and cult status. The film won Hopper a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best First Work and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (shared with Fonda and Terry Southern).
During the ‘70s, Hopper made his home here in Taos. He bought the Big House that Tony Lujan had built for Mabel Dodge, nicknamed it “The Mud Palace,” and filled it with family and friends for a decade-long party. Hopper’s life and times in Taos are legendary, but by the ‘90s, Dennis had transformed himself into a consummate gentleman who was prolific and productive to the very end of his life.
He worked on various projects including a series of international films, until his seminal role as the American photojournalist in “Apocalypse Now” (1979) once again earned him respect and critical acclaim as an actor.
He enjoyed a career resurgence in ‘86, when he garnered further acclaim for his performances in “Blue Velvet” and “Hoosiers,” which earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Hopper’s later work included a leading role in the hit television series “Crash” (2008–09), inspired by the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, shot in New Mexico. Hopper was a courageous and dedicated artist, unafraid to tap into painful personal memories and experiences that had caused him incredible distress to bring authenticity to his work. He is buried in Ranchos de Taos, where he kept a home even after selling the Big House, or Mud Palace as it came to be known during his years there.
Hopper remained relevant right to the end. In 2009, Hopper was honored by the Harwood Museum here in Taos. “Hopper at the Harwood: L.A. to Taos 40 Years of Friendship” was guest-curated by Dennis Hopper. The museum featured the work of Larry Bell and Ron Davis, Ron Cooper, Robert Dean Stockwell and Ken Price.
In 2014, his oldest daughter Marin Hopper, and lifelong close friend Robby Romero launched the first annual Dennis Hopper Day in Taos. Robby approached Taos Pueblo, the Town of Taos and Taos County about proclaiming May 17 as Dennis Hopper Day in Taos.
“Dennis Hopper Day has always been a gift to Taos,” Robby Romero said when I talked to him last week. “It’s about celebrating the iconoclastic spirit of a great, creative and courageous artist; Dennis Hopper, in the artistic community he loved and called home.”
This year, the event will be more low-key than usual, due in part to the unexpected violence in Red River last year, when Dennis Hopper Day, when coincidently dove-tailed with the Red River Memorial Day events. Romero wants to be sure the Dennis Hopper Day Easy Ride is known to be a peaceful event, filled with camaraderie in the “true spirit of Easy Rider.”
“In the spirit of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper Day 2024 is all about the ride,” Romero explained.
Our artistic, multi-cultural community has commemorated DHD for ten years now, beginning in 2014 with the Easy Rider Ride, Rebel Film Festival, Tiwa Kitchen Buffalo BBQ, and Village Market. This year will be a unique and laid-back trip along New Mexico’s famous motorcycle roads, where Dennis filmed his 1969 counter-culture classic. No rallies, no shootouts, just the open road under turquoise skies with the winds of freedom in the Land of Enchantment.
“Perhaps next year we’ll find our home,” Romero continued. “It’s always been our vision for the Ride to end at some funky ‘70s-style roadside saloon. We have tried a lot of places and they have all been beautiful events, but maybe the right place will reveal itself to us by next year.”
“Last year, I was thrilled to attend the 10th Anniversary of Dennis Hopper Day,” Marin Hopper told Tempo. “A beautiful event at Taos Pueblo to commemorate not only my father’s birthday but also the famous motorcycle ride he filmed at the Pueblo and in and around Taos for his legendary film, “Easy Rider.” I first met Robby after my father, Dennis Hopper, purchased the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, which he fondly referred to as ‘the Mud Palace.’ Robby and my father were always very close, and before he passed, Robby had arranged Dennis Hopper Day to honor and celebrate my father on his birthday. It has been heartwarming to witness the annual celebration of Dennis Hopper Day and the Easy Rider Ride.”
Romero and Marin Hopper have shared these incredible photographs taken of Hopper and his short-lived bride, Michele Phillips, at the Mabel Dodge House, exclusively with Tempo.
“Renowned Hollywood photographer Orlando Suero took the photographs I’ve attached during Dennis’s editing of ‘The Last Movie,’” Romero said. “They offer a unique glimpse into a poetic project we’re undertaking, exploring life, art, music and film at the Mud Palace.”
Suero has photographed icons including John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Natalie Wood, Brigitte Bardot, Paul Newman, and Jack Nicholson.
Dennis Hopper Day is an Eagle Thunder Presents event, supported by the Dennis Hopper Art Trust.
Dennis Hopper had a career that spanned more than five decades, influencing popular culture in the ‘60s and ‘70s perhaps more than anyone aside from Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Easy Rider and its soundtrack informed the counterculture.