Easy Rider

Parading Without a License II

The local Sheriff does not share Wyatt and Billy's sense of humour, however, and the next time we see our heroes they are being locked up in a jail.

The local Sheriff does not share Wyatt and Billy's sense of humour, however.

Billy is furious about being shut up in jail for "parading without a license." He feels dirty and he needs a wash. Billy is not happy at this point. We are now introduced to new character, who gets up and moans, half asleep, and bangs a door. Billy gets mad and barks, "Hey man, would you mind? You just woke my friend up."

The new man in the jail, who is played by none other than a young Jack Nicholson (*), is at first a bit shocked, and jumps back and saying he's sorry, and that he didn't realise, but Billy holds on to his guns and is staring at him furiously. The new man is now complaining about his head and is smacking his lips, and to this Billy shouts, "Hey man if you don't shut up you ain't gonna have a head." The man looks at him and starts to yawn as if to say "your threats don't scare me" but of course he can't quite do it because he is still in Billy's hostile stare, so he can't but he leaves his mouth wide open as if to say, "yeah right, Mr Biker, of course you're going to break my head, son."

The new man apologising, initially.

At this point the guard appears offering the man in the jail a cup of water and an aspirin, saying, "There you go Mr. Hanson, you'll feel a lot better after this."

'Mr. Hanson' is obviously relieved, goes over to get his aspirin. Billy detects the that he's better off being nice as the new man appears to have some influence over the jail, and changes his tone quickly, asking Mr. Hanson if he can get a ciggarrette off the guard. The guard says "you animals," meaning Billy and Wyatt, "aren't smart enough to play with fire," but 'Mr. Hanson' says, "Oh no, they're good boys, you can give them a cigarette."

Then the 'Mr. Hanson' fellah, Billy and Wyatt make their way back to the bench. Billy tells him he must be an important dude. Hanson doesn't understand this term and asks Wyatt what he means. Wyatt tells him it means, "Nice guy, regular sort of person." Mr. Hanson says they need to be careful as they'll be considered rebels, and they cut the hair off the last people who looked like him and Wyatt, but he asserted that he could look after them as he is a lawyer who's done a lot of work for the ACLU, and gives Billy a card with his name on it.

Billy reads it, 'George Hanson', and hands it over to Wyatt who then raises his eyebrows, while Billy asks him if he can get them out of there. George, (as we'll call him from now on), says he probably can if they haven't killed anybody, "...at least nobody White!".

Having let them out, while they are waiting for their things the Sheriff warns George to be careful as he seems to be appearing there too often, to the amusement of Billy and the concern of Wyatt, both of them looking on behind him. George is catching his drift, and offers him some money to help sweeten him up, saying that it would be really good if his father didn't find out too much about his alcholic lifestyle or his frequent visits to jail crimes. as he "ain't feeling' too good" implying that he's already heard. (*) The Sheriff waves a hand as if to say 'Don't worry about it'.

Visibly relievd, george then turns around to the guys and says, "Well, what do you say we take a look at these 'Super Machines' we've been hearing so much about?". Billy agrees and on this note the three fellows emerge out of the Sheriff's little office.

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(Food for thought? EZrider Insights)