05x04 - America: Cross Country Adventure

[bunniefuu]

America. It's the
land of the free.

Especially for those who
experience it outside the cage.

- Who's better on a motorcycle.
- - you or Dennis hopper?

Me.

I've been all over this land,

With some of my closest
friends by my side...

You know, you're so good, I
didn't even realize you were here.

And, man, we've
seen some things.

You cannot believe
the we've gotten into.

This is a country that begs you
to lose yourself and discover...

Holy!

To take that exit
off the beaten path.

Pbht!

Because if you don't
know where you're going,

Any road's gonna get you there.

- Yeah!
- Alright, hit it!

Here we go!

Yeah, baby.

I love it here.

Yeah, I always wanted to go
from California to new york...

Like, do a cross-country
and go through the desert.

The cross-country trip.

Is a distinctly American
rite of passage.

From Kerouac to kesey
and his group of pranksters...

To peter Fonda and
captain America,

There's a mythology
about our highways.

That inspires us to
follow in their footsteps.

And with seemingly boundless
land stretching coast to coast,

The road provides infinite
possibilities of what lay ahead.

Yeah!

Through five seasons of "ride,"
we've covered a lot of pavement,

So in these times of isolation,
uncertainty, and unrest,

I'm excited to revisit
some of the places,

People, and ideals
of a country I love.

You heard it right.
We're doing a clips show.

But don't worry. We've got
some new stuff to show you.

Look right down
the barrel of the lens.

As myself, apparently.

- Test one, two, one, two.
- I'm nervous.

You're so good. I don't know
what you're worried about.

People see Mexico as
just a desert wasteland,

But, really, it's this fertile
valley of diverse culture.

The low country is
such a beautiful place.

It's this beautiful masterpiece
of open plains and water.

We like to cowboy
up in Texas, you know?

We ain't got no room
for being candy asses.

There's always been a
struggle in Tennessee.

Wherever you have hardship,
you're gonna get music.

Golden California.

The weather is ideal.
The geography is amazing.

What's not to love?

Out on the west coast,

We'll revisit
California bike culture.

Before I return to the sprawling
desert of the southwest.

After looking back on
some of my favorite locals.

In the deep south, I'll
recall a history lesson.

In america's musical heartland.

Before I land in my
home city of new york.

It's a , -mile
love letter to America.

Made possible by the
magic of the edit room.

Steven! I'm kicking things off.

With one of my favorite
people who I've met.

Through "the walking
dead," Steven yeun.

- How's your baby? How's jo?
- Good. Huge. So good.

Dude, I've missed you, man.

I miss you guys. How
has it been over there?

- It's different.
- Yeah.

It's... you know,
it's... I mean, all of us.

Who started that thing... Yeah.

There was such a
camaraderie there.

I think that's what
was so awesome.

About our show was, I
remember talking to you.

And being... looking
around being like,

"none of us are supposed
to be friends, but we are."

- Like brothers and sisters.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know what I'm saying?
Like, I'm gonna know you forever.

Forever. Sorry, man.

No. I'm sorry.

Dude, if this is what
you do all season long,

you, man.

Steven joined me
in the bay area.

For a ride back in
when my buddy max schaff.

Hooked us up with an invite to
the east bay dragons clubhouse.

Rad.

How's it going,
man? Hi. I'm Norman.

All right. K-cloud. Nice
to meet you, Norman.

- This place is amazing, yeah.
- A lot of history.

The idea of a black
motorcycle club.

Was controversial in the ' s.

They were just charting
such wild new territory.

Coming out of a segregated
society, being black,

We had to be together, you know?

And we had to stick together.

- How are you, sir?
- Norman, this is pres.

Nice to meet you. I'm
Norman. Nice to meet you.

Our -year anniversary
is coming up...

- Next year.
- Next year.

When you got a bunch of
brothers and they is on the wild side.

And you know they gonna
go to jail and do first one thing.

And then another and
do something stupid,

So I had to get my
brothers then interested.

- In building motorcycles.
- Yeah.

The way he led this club got
east Oakland, west Oakland,

North Oakland, everybody
under one umbrella,

And nobody wasn't
tripping about.

What neighborhood
they were from.

He did not allow that.

Once you put this
patch on your back.

And you make that pledge to
be a east bay dragon, that's it.

I don't look at you
like, "I'm different."

Y'all just like me. It ain't
no difference between.

Because your skin is
this and my skin is that.

I don't look at you like that.

My blood is red, too,
so what's the difference?

I gotta say... what
an honor to meet you.

You remind me of my pop.

I'm like... I'm about
to tear up over here...

Tobie gene levingston.

United people through
his love of motorcycles,

And by bringing different
neighborhoods together,

His club forged alliances
in the Oakland community.

I'm glad you guys came by.

And asked a bunch
of doggone questions.

Unfortunately, tobie
passed on in ,

But it was a real
privilege to meet the man.

And to join the
dragons for a ride.

Alright. Let's go.

Yeah!

This how we do it in the town.

I love it. This is nuts, dude.

We are the largest
black club in the world.

We don't have
any other chapters.

We're keeping the legacy alive.

This is an honor right here.

You know what I mean?
This is a real honor.

What makes me
proud to be a dragon?

We'd need a whole
nother show for that.

For those who ride,
California is a mecca...

Magnificent roads and views.

That need to be
seen to be believed.

I'm excited to ride.

Yeah, it's gonna be nice today.

A few years back,
I joined my friend

Imogen lehtonen in
Santa Barbara. Ready?

She's a bad ass
on and off the bike.

Her I.A. Jewelry
shop, the great frog,

Has been adorning
rock royalty for years.

This is fun!

I like riding around with you.

sh*t! The ocean!

Whoo! Yeah!

Look how sparkly it is.

We hit the pacific
coast highway.

On our way to Santa Cruz...

One of the most stunning
stretches of road in the world.

Wow. I love it up here.
Northern California.

Is so much different
than southern California.

- It's different, yeah.
- It has such a different energy.

You know what I mean? Yeah.

In California, the roots of
American bike culture run deep.

After world w*r ii,
returning soldiers.

Fueled a resurgence
in ridership.

With a need for speed and
the mechanic know-how.

Came the first choppers...

Bikes modified, or chopped
up, from factory parts.

To create one-of-a-kind
racing machines.

This culture of
customization and ingenuity.

Continues to thrive
in California today.

It's no wonder I really got
into bikes while living here.

But you always need that
one person to get you started.

- Hello.
- What's up? Hi. I'm Norman.

- Liza.
- Nice to meet you. Hi.

Hi. Imogen.

- Hey, Imogen.
- Nice to meet you.

These are some
nice little rides you got.

This is a little bit nicer
version than mine,

But, you know... This
is awesome, though.

Thank you. That's beautiful.

- I built that one.
- Did you really? Right on.

Yes. Do you teach
people that don't know.

How to work on bikes...
How to work on bikes?

Yes, but nobody
here is a mechanic.

We teach people how to
ride, help them buy their gear,

Teach them what are
the cool movies to watch.

Right, right, right.

Expose them to
the entire culture.

- Wow.
- Yeah.

And so we've kind of built
up this crazy community.

How cool. How did
the podcasts start?

When you get a group of
people sitting around the garage.

Working on bikes, you
have conversations,

Right. We play
pranks. We tell stories.

We share rides and
experiences and opinions.

Hey, there. Welcome to
"motorcycles & misfits".

At the re-cycle garage.

Let's get to one
of our topics...

What's the best bike for
the zombie apocalypse?

And we have a
special guest here,

Somebody who actually
has experience in this field.

So I'd like to welcome
here Norman reedus.

- Whoo-hoo!
- What's up? What's up? Hi!

- Thanks for having me.
- Hey, dude. Welcome.

I think what I would do.

Is I'd get one of
these zero bikes,

And I would put a solar
panel on the back of it.

That's because anything that
makes noise attracts zombies.

- Right.
- Right? Which...

And I caught a lot of flak
for having that triumph.

With the ape hangers.

Of course.

When I fist showed up, Liza just
shoved a broken moped at me.

And was like, "here, fix this!"

She does that
to a lot of people.

Yeah. That's how
she hooks you in.

She's like, " here's
this free bike.

Just get it running,
and it's yours."

And two years
later, I was still here.

That's cool.

It's empowering to learn
how to do something.

If you can build
or fix something,

What else can you do
in your life, you know?

If California is the
land of extremes,

Death valley is about as
far out there as you can get,

But it was out there in
the desert eight years ago.

That babes ride
out helped kick-start.

A new motorcycle revolution.

Today, almost a
quarter of all riders.

Are female, and their numbers
are growing every single year.

- Wow. Look how pretty this is.
- I know.

- Mornin'!
- Morning.

- How goes it?
- This is crazy pretty up here.

I first met Anya violet
and ashmore Ellis.

When they rode through
Georgia and stopped at my house,

So when I was
passing through Cali.

With my old I.A.
Friend Balthazar Getty...

- Ready to do this?
- Yeah, let's go.

They invited us to take
the ride up to dante's view.

Yeah, welcome
to the desert, boys.

Yeah!

Whoo-hoo!

You guys are twinning
so hard right now.

I love it.

Don't hate. We're adorable.

All the colors on the
mountainside look so crazy!

- So dope.
- It's so weird to think that.

This is, like,
feet below sea level.

That trips me out.

It trips me out, too.

- My god!
- Aah!

- Wow!
- Wow!

My god. This is amazing.

This is awesome.

Holy crap!

This is probably the
prettiest thing I've ever seen.

It's crazy. This is definitely.

The prettiest thing
I've ever seen.

I mean, the mountains
are, like, blue.

It's just like full-on
no-man's-land.

I've never ridden
in the desert ever.

- Really? First time?
- Ever. First time, yeah.

This is a good place to start.

This is one of the probably
most unique places.

In the entire world.

Do you see why we do
babes ride out in the desert?

Hell yeah. This is beautiful
out here. Like, I get it, you know?

Yeah, I'm glad we could be
your first time in the desert.

This pops my desert cherry.

You're welcome.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- It's so good.
- Wait. I feel like the girls.

Are sort of taking credit
for the desert thing,

But, really, I
mean, I kind of...

This was your idea.

Thank you so
much for doing this.

It's no surprise that we've
taken a ride to California.

Four times now.

With the riding
culture, its beauty,

The great weather, and
the genuine people you meet,

This place never gets old.

Yeah.

But now with a
taste of the desert,

I'm off to the
American southwest.

- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

- Yeah.
- Best hot dog ever.

Yeah. Really yummy.

- Hi. I'm a big fan.
- Hi.

You watch the show?
Wow. Do you know this guy?

- Dwight.
- Yes.

I knew it. I knew it.

He kept saying the whole
time, "that's Dwight." it's Dwight.

What's up, man? I'm reading
the comic books right now.

Right. I notice that
you're not in them.

I'm not in the comic books, no.

Nice to meet you,
man. What a pleasure.

- Nice meeting you.
- Yeah, man.

- Give him a hug.
- Come here. Come here.

I've always been
intrigued by the desert.

Everything's spiky.

It's why when I got the
chance to explore Arizona,

I brought my "walking
dead" nemesis, Austin amelio,

Who uncovered secrets.

Austin look at this guy. It's
almost like an instrument.

Like this.

I mean, the guy literally
has a cactus tattoo.

It got me.

Why do you have a cactus tattoo?

Because it's just kind
of a symbol of the south.

That's awesome.

In Arizona, we met
up with an indigenous.

Riding club in phoenix.

Before I crossed deep into
the badlands of new Mexico.

Into the white
sands m*ssile range.

With musician amy Nash.

Wow. This is so nice, dude.

It feels like the wild west.

Those who endure the
desert have a unique character.

The salt river pima-maricopa.

Share the same spirit
and reverence for the earth.

As their ancestors once did.

There's some motorcycles.

Part of that connection
comes through motorcycles.

- Hey.
- Hey, what's goin' on?

- How you doing?
- Leonard villanueva.

Nice to meet you, Leonard.

How are you? James Olson.

- How are you, man?
- Austin.

- How was the ride over here?
- Beautiful, man.

And is this your
logo right here?

- Yes.
- Yes.

You can see, like,
that's a perfect drawing.

Of the mountain right there.

- Yeah.
- You can hike up there, or...

Yes, community members only.

- Wow.
- It's very protected.

It's a very sacred mountain.

One of the stories that I
heard when I was young.

Was that the mountain was red.

Because of battles
that were fought there.

- Years and years ago...
- Wow.

By our ancestors.

I'll tell you. I was
driving around.

It was kind of like
one of those days.

Where it's real cloudy. Yeah.

Then all of a sudden, there
was no sun anywhere in sight.

Except for on that red mountain.

I was like, "wow."
that's so cool.

- Should we hit it?
- Let's go.

- Yeah, let's do it.
- Yeah, take me to the mountain.

Man, I could ride around
here all day and just get lost.

- Yeah.
- It's beautiful, man.

So now you get a nice
view of the red mountain.

Wow! Yeah, I see it.

That's the last thing
we see on our way out.

And our first thing we see
when we're coming home.

As a visitor, you get a sense
of the majesty of the desert...

Can I take a picture of you
guys in front of the mountain?

And of the people
who call it home.

You guys look like bad asses.

And two years
later, I'm still finding.

Specks of it in my shoes.

- Yeah!
- Perfect.

Good morning and welcome
to the new Mexico show.

It's beautiful?

New Mexico was
shrouded in mystique.

Hey. How you doing?

A few years back, I
visited with Aimee Nash,

Lead singer of the black Ryder.

- We gonna hit it?
- Yeah, let's go.

Let's do it.

- This is awesome out here.
- Beautiful!

Wow! Look at this
jet fighter plane thing.

Wow. What is that? What is that?

That looks like, like, one
of those drone planes.

For decades, the government
has used this landscape's isolation.

For top-secret projects...

Roswell, Dulce base,
the atomic b*mb.

And those are just the
ones we know about.

"You are entering white
sands m*ssile range."

It's a conspiracy
theorists' dream come true.

Whoa!

Yeah, this is crazy.

For me, coming out
here was a chance.

To thank the hard-working
men and women of our m*llitary...

And find out what they're up to.

Hello, sir, how you doing?
I'm Sean Wilson from pmsss.

What's going on here?

This is the fwsi,

Which is the family
w*apon sites individual.

It is also coupled with an envg,

Which is an enhanced
night-vision goggle three,

A thermal goggle
that allows a soldier.

To see a thermal
image that's down range.

So if the enemy is camouflaged
or behind something,

The thermal picture sees
that somebody is back there.

Wow, and you look bad ass.

Would you like to
check it out and try it on?

Derr. Yes.

All right.

Now, we're just gonna
lower this down, let me know.

That's about right.
Are you good?

- This is so "terminator."
- you okay?

So if you move the
w*apon sight back and forth,

You can see that it
moves inside your goggle.

- This is crazy.
- We're gonna have you sh**t.

At that -meter
target out there.

Whenever you're ready.

Whoo!

There you go.

Takes a second to get used to.

Yeah. Try the m-
machine g*n next?

- Let's do it.
- All the way back.

We're hot.

- Yeah.
- Whoa!

This is rad.

Whoo! Thank you.

How are you, sir?
Norman. Nice to meet you.

So, we wanted to make sure
that, you know, before you leave,

We give you a little bit of hardware
from me and the sergeant major.

- Very cool.
- Now you're a part of our team.

That's awesome. Thank
you guys for your service.

Thank you, man. It's a pleasure.

You're official.

The servicemen and
women in white sands,

They welcomed me
as one of their own.

And even though we didn't
discover any space aliens,

What we did find was American
resourcefulness at its finest.

And enough heavy-duty a*tillery.

To stifle any disappointment.

- Like, that's so fun.
- Yeah.

Wow, look to the right.
Look how pretty that is.

So beautiful.

Crossing into Texas, a little
green is a sight for sore eyes.

I always think of Texas as
flat. You know what I mean?

But, like, there's hills here.

Beautiful, man.

And riding the
infamous twisted sisters.

With my buddy,
artist Jake lamagno,

I came to discover this
place is a country unto itself.

Look at this turn. It's a
-degree angle right there.

We're twisting the sisters?

A -mile stretch.

Of hairpin turns
through Texas hill country,

This terrain demands focus
and is pure exhilaration.

- We're stopping at this gas station.
- Yeah!

Look at this road!

Onward we ride deep into
the heart of the lone star state.

- This is great.
- Yeah, this is awesome.

Now, twice we've
taken a ride to Texas.

What sticks with me is
the homegrown pride.

That's apparent
everywhere you turn.

Dude, all this open
road. This is awesome.

It has a rebel
energy that radiates.

And a sense of individuality.

You'd be hard-pressed
to find anywhere else.

Just ask my good buddy
and "boondock saints" brother

Sean Patrick flanary.

That's how you
ride in Texas, baby.

Sean and I hit new
waverly to get a taste.

Of the old wild west.

Then I waded into the swamps.

Of breaux bridge, Louisiana,
with metal god Brent hinds.

Before I visited my tv brother's
hometown of jasper, Alabama.

Dude, you know how many
interviews I've done on "walking dead".

When they're like, "in
a zombie apocalypse,

What would be your
w*apon of choice?"

And I go, "Sean
Patrick flanary."

That's beautiful.

The king string bucking bulls.

Cattle's synonymous with Texas.

I've always wanted
to be a bull rider.

Just because it gets my heart
pumping, my guts wrenching,

And the adrenaline's
just a-flowin', man.

- Go time!
- Go, Jared!

- Go, man! Go!
- Yeah!

- Whoo-whoo! - Yeah!
- Whoo!

He got kicked in the face.

- Hey, hey, hey, hey!
- What's up, guys? B.A.

- I'm Sean. My buddy Norman.
- Sean.

- Hey. Nice to meet y'all.
- Nice to meet you.

- Pleasure, man.
- What y'all think about that?

They kicked that
guy in the face.

Yeah, I know. Right
in front of y'all, right?

That's crazy, yeah. Yeah.

This is kinda what we do
for a living, man, is breed.

And raise 'em and buck 'em.

Here comes the
a*tillery, right there.

Is this like a-a training
ground for bull riders?

Yes. And bulls.

How often do you
climb on a bull?

When I'm not hurt? Yeah.

Every day, rodeoing. Whoa.

Bucking bull!

Whoo! Whoo!

One of the worst
injuries I ever had,

I had a bull hit me in
the side with his horn.

Broke three ribs,
lacerated my spleen...!

Punctured a lung,
and ruptured my liver.

Y'all ever thought
about riding bulls?

I can't say I've ever thought
about it, to be honest.

Do you have something
soft to start him off on?

Yeah. Definitely.
Come check it out.

Mount up, homey.

Free arm out in front of you.

Like that? Yep. And
when he kicks, sit down.

Yeah. Yep.

- Like that.
- See?

You want to me to do it one
time and you'll see if it helps you?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You go
up, down, up, down, up, down.

Yeah. I haven't done that
motion in at least a week.

I feel like you should
do this with your shirt off.

And baby oil or somethin'.
Sean, let's see what you got.

- Squeeze harder. Yeah!
- Yeah!

You know, when we first met,

We were Irish,
but Sean is Texas.

I feel like you
could get on bulls.

He captures the rebellious,
devil-may-care attitude.

That makes this
place such a good time.

They use one hand... no hands.
Thank you for not k*lling me.

Now, when I made
plans to see Louisiana,

The first person I
called was Brent hinds,

The guitarist for the
Grammy-winning rock band mastodon.

This is a really cool
area out here. Yeah.

Halfway between Lafayette
and baton rouge is real cool.

He's originally from Alabama,

But he spent a lot of time
here when he was a kid.

Daiquiri drive-through...
you see that?

Yeah, man, that's what
I love about Louisiana.

This place looks awesome.

Looks like "Texas
chainsaw m*ssacre."

- How y'all doing?
- Can you take us on the airboat?

- Sure can.
- Man, this is crazy out here.

That's our backyard.

All right, guys, here we go.

You can't see anything below.

You going under this,
you'll never come back up.

Yeah. Look, it looks
like we're, like, on land.

This is amazing.

Wait, there he is. He's
coming. To the left.

Yeah.

- Here he is right here.
- Look at this.

It's incredible.

Yeah? Yeah? Yeah.

- Wow!
- My goodness.

That was mind-blowing.

Sherry is about a
-year-old alligator.

I found her a few years ago.
She had run into a thorn tree.

She ended up losing one eye.

- Mwah.
- That just happened.

- You know that lady, don't you?
- That's only reason she kissed me.

She's blind.

When did you first, like, know.

That you could call
the alligator over?

Well, when we were kids,
you know, back in the early ' s,

Alligators were put on the
endangered-species list.

There were very
few of them left.

And when we saw an alligator,
we were so intrigued with it.

You know? I have a big
male we call big mack.

He's about a -footer.
He'll go about pounds.

He's calm as a kitten.

I can lay down on the deck
of the boat and hold his tail,

And he'll drag this
boat down the canal.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I've seen a lot riding
across this land.

Dude, you just called
an alligator over here.

But nothing really prepares
you for when your guide.

Locks lips with
a -foot reptile.

Thank you so much.
That was so fun.

Thanks a million.

Yeah, thanks are
doing this, bro.

'Cause we... you asked
me the first... I was like...

Yeah, I've been asking
you since day one.

Man, this is great. Dixon
brothers on the freeway.

Yeah, baby!

Spontaneity is key
for any good trip,

But traveling with a crew
doesn't always lend itself.

To getting off the beaten path.

So when Michael rooker
took us on a detour.

Through his hometown in Alabama,

I saw another side
of my tv brother.

This whole little area
here is, where I grew up.

Wow.

And I gained a
newfound appreciation.

For real southern hospitality.

This is the street my
cousins and my aunts lived on.

No way. Yeah.

That's my cousin right there,
the lady cleaning the grass.

No... are you serious? That's
your cousin? Yeah. Yeah.

What's up, girl?

What you doing?

Can I say hi?

Give me a hug, woman.

- This is my neighbor.
- Hi, Greg. How you doing, man?

Hi, man, I'm Norman.
Nice to meet you.

- These guys are from.
- - -how you doing, Greg?

- I'm Michael.
- He's on that "walking dead" mess on tv.

Okay.

This is what...
what'd they call you?

Merle, my name is Merle.
Merle. The one arm...

That was him.

That was

"you still in that
'walking dead' mess?"

Yeah, that mess.

I was flipping
the tv last night.

That was "galaxy."

"Guardians of the galaxy."
"guardians of the galaxy."

You saw me on tv?
Yeah, I flipped it to

I watched the last minutes.

I seen you k*ll all them
guys with that arrow.

That was the
best part. I know it.

Where we going? Where we going?

Listen, you going in my house.

- Okay.
- She's kidnapped him.

- She's taking me away.
- Good luck!

Michael! Get in here.
These dolls are awesome!

Your house is pretty.

Aah!

Why don't you
have any boy dolls?

Hell, no. I got boy dolls, look.

Show me a boy
doll. Right here, baby.

Say hi to everybody, peter.

"Hey, how y'all doing?"

Hey. Let's see
what's in the fridge.

You promised you'd
make me butter beans.

And cornbread, woman!

Norman, she didn't
make any butter beans.

What? Because you
didn't let me know.

I want you to look
at all these messages

I sent him, and he
didn't respond. You know!

I see butter beans
and cornbread.

But he didn't respond.
You've proven it.

You've proven it. Yeah. There's a
whole bunch of messages to you, and

I don't respond to messages.

Well, you would have
got some butter beans.

And cornbread if you had.

Geez, she didn't make us
butter beans and cornbread.

She should have known I would
like butter beans and cornbread.

Take a picture with us
'cause we're gonna...

We can't stay here all day.

Come here. We're
busy people, woman.

Here, let me get this.

You ready? I'm dirty.

You are dirty.
You're a filthy girl.

I'm messy. You're a messy girl.

You're a mean,
messy, filthy girl.

Look, I can be.

- Bye, baby!
- Bye, dolls!

Bye, little dollies!

- Bye! Thanks for having us!
- Bye, Georgie!

Bye-bye!

You know, just when
you think you've seen it all,

You meet rooker's relatives.

She's great.

Traveling through
the deep south,

You come to
appreciate the subtle.

And not so subtle differences.

In dialect, world
view, and way of life.

All right, brother.

And experiencing it with
some of my favorite people,

That just makes it
all the more special.

Bye. Butter beans and
cornbread next time!

Butter beans and
cornbread next time, woman!

- Hello.
- Morning.

You guys done
much fishing before?

Not at all, really.

Back in , I made a
pit stop with Vivian nicastro.

And annemarie kelbon
from the band sister antics.

On our way to Nashville.

Nice. Keep working line out.

Stop and stop.
You're fly-fishing.

Tickle, tickle.

Tickle, tickle, stop. Perfect.

Tickle, tickle, stop.

Can they hear you?

I'll go back here. What?

- Okay, if someone gets hooked.
- - you get hooked before me.

Keep it tight.

Just tickle, tickle, stop.

Tickle, tickle, stop.

"Tickle, tickle, stop"...
You'll never forget that.

Tickle, tickle, stop.
You'll never forget it.

Come on, fishy. This is it.

This is the one.
This is the one.

Take your time.

God.

Fly! Fly everywhere!

That did not tickle at all.

American culture
is rooted in song.

It's long been a platform
for the marginalized,

A voice for the unheard.

And nearly years ago,

Against the backdrop
of the great depression,

It was in Memphis.

Where the defining genres
of American music took form.

In , bike designer
Luke leatherwood.

And outlaw singer dale Watson
showed me around the city.

Hey, Luke, we're
coming up on sun, right?

Yep, it's where Elvis
and johnny cash,

Jerry lee Lewis...

B.B. King, howlin' wolf.

Have you recorded
anything there?

Yeah, I recorded
three albums there.

Nice.

This is world-famous
beale street.

- Home of the blues.
- This is so cool.

This is where b.B. King.

And all those
guys got their start.

A lot of these places,

Back when the African-American
movement was really strong,

They had a big
standing down here.

Where they could come and
play music and not be persecuted.

Hey, over here is
Lorraine motel, isn't it?

Yep, it's now the
civil rights museum.

This weekend is
actually the, anniversary.

Of martin Luther
king's assassination.

It was on the second floor,

Room , where dr. King
spent his last hours on the planet.

The legacy of martin
Luther king is peace.

He represents the...

The diversity push that
we have as the city's grown.

We want to make sure that
everyone's culture and religion.

And race is accounted for,

Because we've lived through
the times when it wasn't,

And we saw what happened.

years later, dr. King's
cause still lives on.

It's been a long time coming.

But today, there's a real hope
that a change is gonna come.

So, this place, royal studios,

Is, like, stuck in time, Norman.

Here we go. Cool.

Royal studios is an
American music institution.

Is that Keith Richards?

Yeah. All these
people recorded here.

In the ' s, producer
willie Mitchell.

Helped reshape the
sound of Memphis soul.

Hey, boo! Hey! What's up?

Welcome to royal, man.

Well, let me show y'all
where the magic happens.

Aw, thank you, man. Thank you.

I love that it's... that
it still looks the same.

Was it always like this?

So, the studio opened in ' .

It used to be a
silent movie theater.

My dad, when he first got here,

One of the owners wasn't
real progressive-thinking.

And would never let my
dad engineer his records.

Finally, my dad
sold enough records.

And bought the guy out.

Really? Wow. Yeah.

Don't let the door hit you
in the ass on the way out.

This is pretty cool.

What is that? I've
never seen that before.

This is, like, the world's
first drum machine.

Yeah? Have you
gotten to where, like,

Certain instruments.

Are the perfect
instruments for this place?

Yeah, especially if we're, like,

Trying to duplicate records.

That sound like the
ones my dad made. Wow.

So, this is the wall of fame.

Boz scaggs was the first one.

Then wu-tang and Bruno mars.

The Beatles had actually
signed the walls in the back,

And sometime in the ' s, my
dad was getting the place painted,

And this little, old
man with a roller, like...

No, no!

So we started a new one.

I saw Keith Richards painted
out on the wall out front.

I did a music video with
him when I was like or .

And there was some
girl doing his hair.

He turns around and goes,
"you know how I got this haircut?"

And I was like, "no, but, my
god, you're Keith Richards."

Then he goes, "my
mom gave me money.

When I was a little
kid to get my hair cut,

And I kept the money
and cut my own hair."

"I've been doing it ever since."

Yeah, we recorded his
first solo record here.

I was about , and
I was just in charge.

Of cigarettes and jack Daniels.

Yeah? That's all I did on set.

That sounds like a
full-time job, though.

Music connects people.

And guys like dale and boo...

They're carrying the torch
of the Memphis sound.

To a whole new generation.

Boom.

One of my favorite
things about the road.

Is hitting up the
local music scenes.

You hear things in song
people won't tell you straight up...

Their struggles,
what's important,

What they're proud of.

I've seen a bunch of
great bands on "ride,".

But with my buddy
Clifton Collins jr.

In Lexington,

One group struck a
chord with us both.

I'm Norman. Hey,
nice to meet you, yeah.

Cannon. Norman.

Nice to meet you, guys.

- Is this your spot?
- It is, it is.

- Cool. Yeah.
- Music and entertainment.

A lot of blues, Americana,
you know, bluegrass.

Come on. Let's go check it.

So they're just
getting warmed up.

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

Sweet!

- Beautiful.
- Ladies, ladies.

That was awesome.
I'm Norman. Hi.

Hey, how are you
doing? I'm Montana.

- Nice to meet you, Montana.
- Hey, Montana.

- Linda jean.
- Norman.

- Nice to meet you. Pleasure.
- Nice to meet you.

- Glad you're in Kentucky.
- Yeah, Kentucky's cool.

- This is my first time here.
- It's really quirky.

There's all kinds of different
culture that's developed.

In, like, different little
pockets of Kentucky.

Yeah. And, like, really
cool music has sprung up.

Huge thanks to this place.
You know what I mean?

For real? Yeah. Like,
we... we needed a big...

Everything, Louisville,
Lexington, Kentucky.

We needed a place
that we could, like,

All kind of curate shows here.

Play us a song. Play us a ditty.

- A ditty?
- A ditty?

Music is a part of who
we are as Americans.

Inspired by the
traditions of the past,

We're driven to create.

To tell stories that
evoke emotions.

And to connect with one another.

Through the power of a song.

Do you come up with
cool ideas on the bikes,

Like, when it's just
you and your helmet?

My gosh, yeah.

I do my best thinking
on the motorcycle.

Like, really, riding bikes.

Is what kept me
touring, everything.

I stopped riding, then I went

"I'm here. Let me just
do a show while I'm here.

"Let me do a show."
and I just kept going.

Yeah. Absolutely.

Low country is an
experience all its own,

And Dave chappelle made
the perfect companion.

Wonder what this guy is doing.

He was on the phone, looking
for something in the grass.

He's looking for his
wife's wedding ring.

He threw out of the car window.

I thought he was looking
for, like, a bag of weed.

That he threw out
during a traffic stop.

After Dave and I visited.

A historical landmark
on st. Helena island,

I sat in with a biker
congregation in Nashville.

Before the last stop on
this cross-country trip,

My home city of new york.

Dude, thanks for
doing this ride, man.

Thanks for having me, bro.

One of the most rewarding
aspects of crossing this country.

Has been
discovering the history.

That they don't teach
you about in school.

This is where education
for black people.

Started in the entire south.

So this is where
it all went down.

Yes. In ,

The union forces came
through and occupied this area.

The plantation owners fled,

And they left us behind.

They left their houses behind
and their property behind.

We were property.

So the federal
government decided.

The first people that
should have the opportunity.

To purchase the
land would be us.

And my family was...
Were one of those people.

That purchased their
land in the late s,

And we still have
our land today.

Wow.

My great-grandfather
was in the state legislature.

During reconstruction.

South Carolina? Yeah.

Whoa!

Yeah.

Aren't you proud?

You know, yeah.

It's this weird thing.

Where I felt connected
to something very large.

Yeah, absolutely.

And this idea of being enslaved
and then being "emancipated".

And how some
people were able to...

Like your family here,
like a starter p*stol.

Just...

But your ancestor was able
to go from being enslaved.

To making the laws.

Right. That's amazing.

In this building
right here, dara hall,

Portions of the "I have a dream"
speech were penned there.

We found handwritten drafts
in the attic, in the building.

No way. That's really
crazy to think about.

It is, it is.

The March on Washington
during that time period.

Was strategized here.

Why here? During jim crow,

Couldn't meet anywhere in
the south because of those laws.

The school was highly unknown.

No one knew about
this area that much.

That they could
come here in secret.

Norman, this whole ride.

Wouldn't have had
happened back then. No!

No, you'd be pulled
over how many times.

And, threatened
how many times and...

No.

You can feel the history
here. You can, like, just feel it.

Yes.

And some of the first
things that people will say.

That they feel like they
really are on sacred ground.

Said I'm glad... I hope

I'm glad to see another day.

Glad to see you here
today. Hope to see you soon.

There you go! Yeah, I got it.

How... what?! I
speak it, I got it.

Ladies and gentlemen,
you heard it here first.

The white guy picked up Gullah.

The black guy's still
trying to put it together.

You have to know the past
to understand the present.

The lessons of tolerance
and acceptance are ones.

That I've found
resonating with people.

All over the country.

And a little up the highway
in asheville, north Carolina,

I came across a
biker congregation.

Preaching a message of unity
and brotherhood on the road.

That's what freedom's all about.

It's about where you're
riding across the country.

It don't matter whether
you got long hair, tattoos.

- It don't matter... you know what I mean?
- - However you dress.

How many of y'all have been
judged because the way you look?

- Yep.
- Absolutely.

How many of y'all judged
the guy in the suit and tie?

Now, be honest.

- Yeah.
- Absolutely.

Same goes both ways.

You can't do that.
Life is a lot like a bike.

If you don't know
how to ride it,

You're gonna wind up
somewhere you don't want to be.

That was a beautiful
sermon. Thank you, brother.

You said a lot of things that
really struck me in there, yeah.

It's the biker way of
life. Yes, sir. Yeah.

I mean, even if somebody is
outside the biker community,

Man, they need help, man.

The bikers are gonna
come and help, you know?

You throw on some
barbecue out there,

And they're really kind.

I heard something
about an outhouse race.

Or something like
that, porta potty race.

Come here. Let
me show it to you.

You don't realize
you might die today.

This is terrifying.

I love that I won't be
able to make production.

On Monday on the show.

Because I was
k*lled in a porta potty.

Handle's right here.

Handle's right here? Yeah.

Alright. Hit it. Let's do it.

Did I win?

I think I won.

You did.

Over five seasons of "ride,"

I found that the real
beauty of America.

Lies in the sum of its parts...

We gonna...

The diversity and
complexity you see.

When you travel from end to end.

And nowhere is
that more apparent.

Than at home in new york,

The whole world
contained within one city.

But like everywhere else,
it's about who you're with.

And for me, coming
home is a chance.

To spend time with my son.

There he is.

You got him, Mingus. Get him.

Is that mate?

That was slick.

Thank you.

Bye, cornbread. Thanks,
brother. Take care, guys.

I was telling him that I used to
play here when you were a kid.

Yeah. Hustle the hustlers.

I don't know how
fair that game was.

Wait, wait, wait. He cheated?

Not to say that he cheated,

But he just moved
it incorrectly.

On camera? Yeah.

Seeing new york
city alive and bustling,

It's a memento of better days...

So, we're headed this way.

Days I know we'll
have again soon,

Because this ride
has been a reminder.

Of what actually makes
this country great...

People who pull together.

Value community
and self-sacrifice.

For the common good...

A place where if your
bike breaks down.

On the side of the road,

Someone's there to pick you up.

Because that's
the America I know.