Easy Rider

Lore & Background

They brought in screenwriter Terry Southern, and the film was mostly shot without a screenplay, with ad-libbed lines.

Reader's Guide

Easy Rider was a landmark counterculture film and a 'touchstone for a generation' that explored youth culture in the 1960s, including the hippie movement, drug use, and communal lifestyle. Real drugs were used in scenes showing marijuana and other substances. Critics praised the performances, directing, writing, soundtrack, and visuals.

Did You Know?

• Bob Dylan declined to compose a theme song for Easy Rider but offered lines scribbled on a napkin, telling Peter Fonda to 'give that to McGuinn.'
• After seeing a private screening, Dylan demanded his writing credit be removed from the song 'Ballad of Easy Rider,' leading Roger McGuinn to theorize Dylan disliked the film's ending and anti-hero motif.
• Two versions of 'Ballad of Easy Rider' were released: a solo version by McGuinn on the soundtrack album and a different recording by the Byrds on their album of the same name.
• The Byrds' album Ballad of Easy Rider was named after the film's theme song in an attempt to emphasize the connection with the film and capitalize on its commercial success.
• The Byrds' album was briefly given the working title Captain America, the name of Peter Fonda's character in Easy Rider.