Anecdotal recollection of 1970 film set with no actionable leads

The Six Dumbest Decisions of My Life I' m talking here about seriously dumb decisions, not those minor regrets like that time in 1970 when £squire magazine assigned me to fly to New Mexico where director Monte Hellman was filming 7wo-Lane Blacktop, about street-racing. Among the actors was a pair of musicians, James Taylor as a driver, and Dennis Wilson as a mechanic. They both agreed to be interviewed, besides screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and others. During a conversation with Taylor about not laughing at jokes, he said, “My brother once told me a joke that made me laugh.” “Wait, don’ t tell me now,” | said. “Let’ s save it for the interview.” However, | was supposed to reveal behind the scenes of making the movie, but | learned that there were a couple of violations of law: A few members of the cast had been tripping on magic mushrooms; and a 17- year-old actress, Laurie Bird, who played “The Girl,” had sex with two members of the crew. Nine years later she would commit suicide. Anyway, | decided not to write the article--| was a reporter, not a snitch--and never did get a chance to do any interviews. Nor did | ever hear the joke that James Taylor’ s brother told him and made him laugh. | HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015440