Boom, Like That

Dead Man (Vapor, 1996) is the soundtrack to the 1995 Jim Jarmusch western-themed film of the same name starring Johnny Depp as William Blake and Gary Farmer as Nobody, a strong and opinionated Native American who was forcibly raised by whites and later given the mocking name "He Who Talks Loud, Saying Nothing" or Xebeche by fellow natives. Neil Young recorded the soundtrack by improvising (mostly on his electric guitar, with some acoustic guitar, piano and organ) as he watched the newly edited film alone in a recording studio. The soundtrack album consists of seven instrumental tracks by Young, with dialog excerpts from the film and Johnny Depp reading the poetry of William Blake interspersed between the music. "Why Does Thou Hide Thyself, Clouds..." contains a version of a part of William Blake's poem "To Nobodaddy", while "Do You Know How to Use This Weapon?" contains a reading of part of "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell". Set in the American West and shot entirely in black-and-white, the film has been hailed as one of the few films made by a Caucasian that presents an authentic Native American culture and character. Although the film is set in the 19th century, Jarmusch included a number of references to 20th century American culture. Iggy Pop is featured in the cast as Salvatore "Sally" Jenko, a cross-dressing, Bible-reading fur trader at a campsite. Benmont Tench, the man at the campsite played by Jared Harris, is named after Benmont Tench, keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The marshals chasing Blake are named Lee Hazlewood and Marvin Throne-berry, after Lee Hazlewood and Marv Throneberry. Nobody's name ("He Who Talks Loud, Saying Nothing") is a reference to the James Brown song "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing".