Aahana Swrup
‘The Neon Highway,’ directed by William Wages, presents a story that blends raw passion for music with the challenging truth of the music industry through the story of two artists who embark on a journey to jumpstart their dreams. In his youth, Wayne Collins attempted to take on the music world with his brother, Lloyd, but a tragic accident pushed him towards a mundane life. Nevertheless, a chance meeting crosses his paths with Claude Allen, a retired country legend whose spirits are reawakened by one of Wayne’s original songs. As a result, the two music fanatics decide to take a trip to Nashville to bring the song out to the real world. Yet, without any connections and a pressing need for money, Wayne finds himself reacquainted with the intimidating reality of being a musician.
Wayne’s whirlwind adventure with Claude paints a brutally authentic image of the struggles faced in creative industries. Naturally, one can’t help but ask how much authenticity is behind Claude Allen’s character and whether or not his iconic on-screen career has a basis in reality.
Claude Allen: A Fictionalized Country Legend
Despite the realistic depiction of the music industry in ‘The Neon Highway,’ the story itself isn’t based on real people or real instances. As a result, the film confines Claude Allen within its fabricated premises, rendering him a similarly fictionalized character. Therefore, he has no real-life counterparts and remains a work of director/screenwriter William Wages and his co-writer Phillip Bellury’s imaginations. Claude’s character and his narrative have been in the works for around a decade for the filmmaking duo.
Wages and Bellury set out to create a story full of heart and authenticity, influenced purely by their artistic drive. Consequently, a tale emerged of a washed-up has-been and a young failed artist who braved the corporate music industry due to their love for one song. Within this narrative, Claude’s character stands as a flawed mentor who simultaneously showcases the rewards of following one’s artistic passion and the drawbacks of such a tumultuous line of work. Thus, a significant aspect of his storyline emerges from his past success and the thrill Wayne presented, offering him the possibility of reliving his glory days.
In many ways, Wages and Bellury drew inspiration from their own experiences as professionals within the creative industry to understand Claude’s circumstances. “We all have the passion,” Wages told Creative Screenwriting. “If you don’t have a passion — in the movie business, it will beat you down, and you won’t make it. And it’s the same thing in music. You just have to keep going, keep doing it.”
Wages further commented, adding to the parallel between the two worlds, “The movie industry has never been stagnant for more than a year or so. Something new is always coming out. Another way to do something. So you can’t fight it. You have to adapt. And that’s what a lot of music people are doing.” Thus, ‘The Neon Highway’ captures the same impossible but rewarding reality of an artist’s life through Claude’s character. Nonetheless, even though the molecular makeup of his character remains rooted in reality, his on-screen career remains a work of fiction with no firm real-life inspiration behind it.
Musical Influences That Impact Claude Allen
Claude Allen retains his fictionality in ‘The Neon Highway’ without any direct inspirations taken from real life. For the same reason, the character is entirely fictitious despite the existence of some similarly named musicians. Even so, one can trace back some references that influenced the character’s creation throughout various stages of development. For one, the character— originally named Lamont Johnson in honor of the eponymous TV director who was attached to the project in its early days— was initially offered to Johnny Cash, the renowned singer-songwriter. Nevertheless, the same never worked out, leading to a years-long halt in the project’s development. Even though Cash never embodied the character, his original involvement must have left an impression on Claude’s final rendition.
Likewise, Beau Bridges, who ultimately portrays Claude in the film, significantly influenced the character. For Bridges, Claude remained a familiar personality due to the latter’s similarities with the actor’s own lived reality. In a conversation with Movie Fone, he shared, “I like to play roles that are either super close to home or far from, and this [Claude Allen] hit close to home because it’s what I do on a day-to-day basis in Nashville. I’m an actor, but I’m also a songwriter and a country artist. So that’s what drew me to it.”
As such, finding a natural point of connection with Claude, Bridges didn’t need to look outside for inspiration from other real-life people. Still, he drew from his existing connections with various musicians, including Jackson Brown, his own brother, Actor/Musician Jeff Bridges, who helms the band The Abiders, and Johnny Cash as well. Consequently, Bridges ensured he had a point of reference for Claude’s character— either through his own experiences or others— to enhance the authenticity of his career in and passion for music.
Read More: The Neon Highway: Where Was the Beau Bridges Movie Filmed?
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