Hopper's best friend, Dean Stockwell, who starred with him in 'Blue Velvet,' let me watch golf with him while parsing out memories of when he and Hopper went off the deep end in Mexico.

I always wanted to do a Hollywood story. The thing about actors, though, is that they go through a streak of roles. The question is, what's in between?

Everybody who is anyone wanted to meet a real life gangster, and here's Joey Gallo hitting the scene. What more could you want with a gangster? He looked the part. They call it gangster chic. He dressed like the 'Reservoir Dogs' - black suit, white shirt, skinny black tie. You know, he had the whole look down. And the big shades, of course.

I was walking down a street and after his death and saw a billboard on the side of a brick wall for Van's shoes. It was a picture of Hopper's face, and all it said was, 'Hopper Lives.' So I think he's still part of youth culture. There are lessons to be learned from Hopper about being a young person who wants to live the art life in America.