Bob Hughes Strikes Again - Or Why We We Love Drugstore Cowboy.

To shed a little light on our namesake, we present "Drugstore Cowboy" a 1989 film by Gus Van Sant, in which Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon) lives to steal pharmaceuticals for the purposes of resale and personal use. Though we generally pay for our stock, and prefer high quality vintage threads over hospital grade pain killers (no, really) the rest of the story is generally the same.

We shall spare you the usual plot synopsis, which can be easily constructed by watching the film or by clicking here. Set in Portland, Oregon during the seventies (and mostly filmed on location), Drugstore Cowboy is a delicious avocado green spectacular (complete with browns, rust oranges and ocher golds). The wardrobe selection is fantastic, full of stripes, floral patterns and general polyester goodness. Many of the set pieces resemble various items that have populated a multitude of my own apartment living spaces at one time or another. As a bonus, William S. Burroughs has a fantastic cameo with several minutes of screen time (including speaking parts) which always makes me wish That Gus Van Sant had done "Naked Lunch" rather than David Cronenberg.

The most recent DVD edition of Drugstore Cowboy includes commentary by Van Sant and Dillon, albeit ten years after the actual film was made. The track fills in viewers/listeners on some unanswered questions as well as the Popsicle, Scotch tape, glue and string adventure that is independent film making.

A good viewing of Drugstore Cowboy probably isn't going to change your life - but it will give you something to do besides watching "Deer Hunter" on a rainy Sunday.*

* For those of you that don't know, watching "Deer Hunter" on a rainy Sunday is NOT RECOMMENDED and should only be attempted at your own risk - as a final and very last resort - when the seeking of (any) other means of entertainment has failed (completely).