Create or Die

Reviews / Votes

'Stephen Lee Naish offers a meticulous and passionate study of Dennis Hopper's astonishing output, which frequently broke with conventions. Naish shows Hopper as a man who considered himself a 'social critic', but one who could never escape his most indelible creation. Naish writes with great clarity and sense, bringing to life this towering figure of Hollywood legend.' - Matthew Alford, Author, Reel Power: Hollywood Cinema and American Supremacy

"In Create or Die: Essays on the Artistry of Dennis Hopper, Stephen Lee Naish not only expands our understanding of his artistic reach, but also offers an illuminating example of how to trace a catalogue of unsettling enjoyments that collect around one figure - in this instance, the enigmatic Hopper" - Alfie Bown, LSE Review of Books

'Engaging and insightful, Create or Die examines the multifaceted genius of Dennis Hopper - political enthusiast, accomplished photographer, and groundbreaking director and actor. A must-read for anyone interested in this iconic American cultural figure.' - Paul Alexander, author of Being James Dean and Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Life Times, and Legend of James Dean

Growing up in the 1980s, I first encountered Dennis Hopper in the same role that transfixed Stephen Lee Naish: Hopper's astonishing portrayal of Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, which seems more like a possession than a performance. Naish's set of critical essays do Hopper a great service. They show how deeply embedded Hopper was in postwar American culture: as an actor and as a still-underrated director (and a pioneer of modern soundtracking), as a photographer, a writer, and even as the subversive star of a set of advertisements. Hopefully this book will bolster the reputation of someone who often was written off during his lifetime as something of a countercultural jester. In truth, Hopper was a gifted American artist who existed, as Naish writes, "often in a constant state of self-referral." Chris O'Leary, author of Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76

'This painstakingly researched monograph is a welcome addition to the growing body of critical work on Dennis Hopper. Sharp in detail and perceptive on the popular cultural context, Naish strikes a judicial balance between loving portrait and his keen awareness that, above all, it is personal weaknesses and failings that have driven the phenomenon that is Hopper - an actor unable to play anyone other than himself; an artist, obsessive, as all great artists are. Naish's study comes closer than any other to understanding this phenomenon.' - Dr Alexander Graf, Senior Lecturer School of Film, Photography & Digital Media, University of South Wales, author The Cinema of Wim Wenders: The Celluloid Highway.

'I love a good essay about a misinterpreted creator. Here we get eight! Like many actors of his breadth, Dennis Hopper's public identity was invented by the number of intense characters he played, but Hopper was much more than Frank Booth. In fact, as Steve Naish tells us through a series of academic essays, Hopper was influential in everything from photography to hip-hop. This is for those who want to see what was under the oxygen mask.' - Lindsay Gibb, author of National Treasure: Nicolas Cage

'Blending critical distance with personal account of Hopper's influence on him, Naish's book is a page-turner printed by a university press [...]' - Roy Christopher's Summer Reading List, 2016