“Later Hopper would say blowing himself up was one of the craziest things he has ever done, and that it was weeks before he could hear again. At the moment, though, none of that mattered. He had been through the thunder, the light, and the heat, and he was still in one piece.

And when Dennis Hopper staggered out of that cloud of smoke his eyes were glazed with the thrill of victory and spinout.”