15 The Border (1982)

A movie about the border region between Texas and Mexico was naturally made for Ry Cooder – and vice versa. The Border defies easy categorization. Directed by Tony Richardson and starring Jack Nicholson, it’s half cop thriller, half refugee tragedy. For the soundtrack, Cooder assembled much of his usual band: Jim Dickinson on piano, John Hiatt on guitar and vocals, Jim Keltner on drums and Tim Drummond on bass. He also included contributions from Freddy Fender and Sam Samudio, better known as Sam the Sham. The much-recorded title theme, Across The Borderline, sensitively depicts the paradoxical emotional world and the absurd situation of the refugees.

This podcast frequently uses small snippets of musical recordings in podcast episodes for educational, review, and commentary purposes. In all cases, without exception, we believe this is protected by fair use in the U.S., fair dealing in the U.K. and EEA, and similar exceptions in the copyright laws of other nations. No more of the original than necessary is used, and excerpts are edited into long-form narratives, making the use transformative in nature.

Written, produced and edited by Frank Schnelle

Theme and background music by Chris Haugen

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