American Stonehenge (E7)
GONZO arrives at Billy the Kid’s grave site on the former estate of one of Max’s distant ancestors in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. They discuss the path to evil that the fight for survival might bring, whether in the case of the fictional Walter White of Breaking Bad or the Wild West mythical character that was the ‘Boy Bandit King.’ They also look at Max’s distant relative’s tombstone and note that the ‘great builders’ of America are no longer with us, but, in fact, we have a more locust private equity model of the great fortunes going to those who dismantle and hollow out all that was built before them. Max and Stacy then drive out to Denton, Texas but first make a detour to the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. They discuss ‘American Stonehenge,’ and whether or not it is art, an homage to the time when America made great cars and now it is all run into the ground. In Denton, TX, they meet banker and author, Mitch Feierstein, on an old, rickety bridge. They discuss the myths of America being Big Oil once again as figments of our imagination built upon a real pile of unpayable debt. Mitch also talks about his experience with the rise of anti-Semitism and where the fault lies. After some serious conversation, the group heads out for some Texas brisket.