Summer of '89: Road House and Rowdy Masculinity

I've seen Road House thirty times.

May 19, 1989

Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott
cinematography by Dean Cundey
music by Michael Kamen
screenplay by David Lee Henry, Hilary Henkin
produced by Joel Silver
directed by Rowdy Herrington

I’ve seen Road House 30 times
Instead of all the dialogue I memorized the fights
So go ahead and bust a glass
I’ll even give you one free swing, but then I’ll beat your ass

That's the second verse of country singer Dale Hollow's 2020 song "I'm a Lover, but I'll Still Fight." When Hollow re-recorded the song for his debut album Hack of the Year, he changed the words:

I've seen Road House 112 times. 

Between the September 25th, 2020 drop of the single and the September 29th, 2023 album, 1,099 days passed. That means he must've watched Road House, on average, every 13.4 days. Which I can believe it's a very watchable film, full of enough mullets, monster trucks, and Michelobs to reward multiple viewings. 

And, oh yeah, the fights are awesome. 

Patrick Swayze plays Dalton, a professional cooler. It's like bouncing but you always keep your cool. And luckily, Swayze is plenty cool. His reputation of being the best in the biz proceeds him (well, apparently he's the second best in the biz behind Wade Garrett, but "Wade Garrett's getting old”) and he's hired to run the Double Deuce, a shithole bar in Jasper, Missouri. For $5,000 up-front, a couple hundred bucks a night, and reimbursement for all medical expenses, he's tasked with cleaning the joint up so that it is no longer a dump.

Tie 'em up, and dress 'em down
Prove to everyone that I'm not messin' 'round