When
the average person thinks of Neil Young they probably don't think
writer/director. But in 1982 after releasing the album Trans (which
features synthesizers and vocoders, also not what comes to mind when
you think Neil Young) he co wrote, directed, and starred in the movie
Human Highway.
Human
Highway is a weird musical/comedy/psychedelic movie starring the
likes of Devo, Dennis Hopper, Russ Tamblyn, and Dean Stockwell (who
also co-wrote it). The plot follows waste disposal workers (Devo) who
are transporting barrels of toxic waste when a barrel falls off the
back of the truck. Meanwhile at a truck stop diner an awkward nerdy
mechanic (Young) manages to knock himself unconscious and the rest of
the movie is a strange dream trip featuring a tour bus with wooden
Indian statues, Devo playing in a country-western bar, and a total
nuclear meltdown. There is also a bizarre performance featuring Young
and Devo jamming with Boogie Boy playing a synthesizer in a crib.
The
movie is the definition of bizarre but absolutely a unique piece of
art filmmaking, and also hard to watch on many levels for the average
viewer. But for any diehard fans of Neil Young or Devo, I'd say its
worth tracking down and seeing it at least once. It's a thing you'll
never forget...
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