Episode 66 concludes our psychotronic trip through acid Westerns (though in this case opium western -if you can mix your substances), Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Hot off the heals of the success of M*A*S*H director Robert Altman and reining Hollywood “it” couple, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie set up camp the woods of the Pacific Northwest to create a Western unlike anything before or since. Enhanced by the haunting music of Leonard Cohen, and the innovative and dreamlike cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond, as well as Altman’s signature overlapping dialog and sound design, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a masterpiece of atmosphere and texture and one of the crown jewels of the New American Cinema.

Episode 65 Alec and Derek continue riding this Acid Western trail to talk about The Hired Hand (1971). Banking on the wild success of Easy Rider in 1969 Universal offered Peter Fonda full artistic control to create his directorial debut. Reversing the previous films youthful lust for the open road, Fonda delivered an elegiac western chamber-drama meditating on the longing to return home. Showcasing the work of legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond in his debut feature, the innovative editing from Frank Mazzola (Performance), the music of multi-instrumentalist Bruce Langhorne (the inspiration for Dylan’s Tambourine Man) not to mention show-stopping support from Warren Oates and a particularly unforgettable performance from Verna Bloom. The Hired Hand is in itself a return home to the legendary westerns Peter’s father Henry made with John Ford, as well as a worthy successor, though one that brings with it a new and at times feminist perspective on the genre.

Episode 65 Alec and Derek continue riding this Acid Western trail to talk about The Hired Hand (1971). Banking on the wild success of Easy Rider in 1969 Universal offered Peter Fonda full artistic control to create his directorial debut. Reversing the previous films youthful lust for the open road, Fonda delivered an elegiac western chamber-drama meditating on the longing to return home. Showcasing the work of legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond in his debut feature, the innovative editing from Frank Mazzola (Performance), the music of multi-instrumentalist Bruce Langhorne (the inspiration for Dylan’s Tambourine Man) not to mention show-stopping support from Warren Oates and a particularly unforgettable performance from Verna Bloom. The Hired Hand is in itself a return home to the legendary westerns Peter’s father Henry made with John Ford, as well as a worthy successor, though one that brings with it a new and at times feminist perspective on the genre.

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Episode sixty-four. Next stop on Alec and Derek’s acid western trip is Jim Jarmusch’s stunning 1995 film Dead Man. As if hearing the Horace Greeley call to “Go West, young man” naive Ohio accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) journeys west to the industrial town of Machine only to be met with the gravest of misfortune. The incredible ensemble cast includes Crispen Glover, Gabriel Byrne, Gary Farmer, Iggy Pop, John Hurt, Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thornton, Lance Hendrickson and Robert Mitchum in his final role. Ravishingly photographed by legendary Robby Müller, and with a haunting improvised score by Neil Young, Dead Man subverts the promise of Manifest Destiny with a vision of the west dominated by brutality, decay and poetry.

Visit PsychotroniCast on patreon.com to get 4 bonus podcasts a month! Only $5!

Episode sixty-four. Next stop on Alec and Derek’s acid western trip is Jim Jarmusch’s stunning 1995 film Dead Man. As if hearing the Horace Greeley call to “Go West, young man” naive Ohio accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) journeys west to the industrial town of Machine only to be met with the gravest of misfortune. The incredible ensemble cast includes Crispen Glover, Gabriel Byrne, Gary Farmer, Iggy Pop, John Hurt, Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thornton, Lance Hendrickson and Robert Mitchum in his final role. Ravishingly photographed by legendary Robby Müller, and with a haunting improvised score by Neil Young, Dead Man subverts the promise of Manifest Destiny with a vision of the west dominated by brutality, decay and poetry.

With Episode sixty-three Alec and Derek begin a hallucinatory journey through Acid Westerns. Few films could more appropriately don the acid label than Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1970 film El Topo. Through a series of gunfights with desert masters representing a variety of philosophical and religious beliefs, Topo accrues the keys to enlightenment and eventually atonement. This unforgettably surreal and violent odyssey inaugurated the era of midnight movies, by turning one the most robust of Hollywood’s genres inside out.

Donate $5 a month and get a bonus podcast a week on our Patreon. Just search PsychotroniCast on patreon.com and subscribe!

With Episode sixty-three Alec and Derek begin a hallucinatory journey through Acid Westerns. Few films could more appropriately don the acid label than Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1970 film El Topo. Through a series of gunfights with desert masters representing a variety of philosophical and religious beliefs, Topo accrues the keys to enlightenment and eventually atonement. This unforgettably surreal and violent odyssey inaugurated the era of midnight movies, by turning one the most robust of Hollywood’s genres inside out.

Donate $5 a month and get a bonus podcast a week on our Patreon. Just search PsychotroniCast on patreon.com and subscribe!

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Episode sixty-two will cause you to reflect on all of your most degenerate moments as a young adult. 1987's Withnail and I is set in 1969, mostly taking place on an English country side focusing in on two substance-abusing unemployed London actors in their early twenties trying to survive the rain, lack of survival skills, their lack of preparation, and Withnail's uncle Monte who's cottage they're staying at on holiday. On the surface this doesn't sound like a relatable story but after viewing Withnail and I's lifestyle throughout the film, it conjures up the days when all you survived on was cigarettes, booze, dreams, and rebellion. But with that age and lifestyle comes poverty, anxiety, paranoia, and holes in your boots.

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Episode sixty-two will cause you to reflect on all of your most degenerate moments as a young adult. 1987's Withnail and I is set in 1969, mostly taking place on an English country side focusing in on two substance-abusing unemployed London actors in their early twenties trying to survive the rain, lack of survival skills, their lack of preparation, and Withnail's uncle Monte who's cottage they're staying at on holiday. On the surface this doesn't sound like a relatable story but after viewing Withnail and I's lifestyle throughout the film, it conjures up the days when all you survived on was cigarettes, booze, dreams, and rebellion. But with that age and lifestyle comes poverty, anxiety, paranoia, and holes in your boots.

Episode sixty-one brings PsychotroniCast back from the dead with a MEGAPOD! They explain their sudden hiatus along with discussing a slew of movies they watched throughout their break including: Suspiria (1977 & 2018) Halloween (2018) as well as the film lineup from the Hollywood Theater’s “All Night Horror Movie Marathon” Piranha (1978) New Year’s Evil, Tourist Trap, and Nightmare City. The Boys also preview the new Patreon episode and discuss changes to PsychotroniCast moving forward. All in all, PsychotroniCast is back! and keeping it purely casual.