Kyle Johnson
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Elon Musk and Johnny Depp Pulled Over for Speeding in a Model S

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Tesla's CEO took Depp and his 'Transcendence' co-stars for a spin in a Model S and ended up having a brush with the law. It was a different kind of trip. It was a classic affirmation of everything right and true and decent in the national character. It was a gross, physical salute to the fantastic possibilities of life in this country-but only for those with true grit. And Elon Musk and Johnny Depp are chock full of that.

“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the adrenaline began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive, Johnny…” And suddenly there was a terrible squeal all around us and the sky was full of what looked like car salesmen in plaid jackets and loud pants and winged beasts with the faces of monsters, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the All Glass Panoramic Roof on the way back to the set. And a voice was screaming: “Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?”

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp: A 21st Century Dr. Gonzo and Raoul Duke?

I can only assume that the above passage is roughly tantamount to what was racing through Elon Musk’s mind in the moments before he was pulled over for speeding while chauffeuring a couple of new pals around in a Tesla Model S. While Dr. Gonzo was not among the passengers, Raoul Duke—or at least the man who portrayed him—was.

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

Oh, you evil bastard. This is your work.

Transport Evolved reported that Elon Musk and Johnny Depp—as well as Depp’s Transcendence co-stars Paul Bettany and Rebecca Hall and director Wally Pfister—took a joyride in a Tesla Model S that was just a little bit more than the law would allow. Depp was introduced to Musk by Pfister after the Tesla CEO stopped by the set of the film for a visit, and they decided to take Elon’s pride and joy out for a ride.

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

“I had one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Depp told The Sun. “The director introduced me to Elon Musk at Tesla. He came and visited the set and we had a ride around in his car but then the police pulled us over. We had a first — maybe the first — Tesla jam.”

Apparently, Musk took being stopped by a highway patrol officer in stride. While it was said that he took the whole thing rather light-heartedly, there was no distinction as to whether Musk understood the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic cop and put on his blinker before executing a full 180-degree turn to elude The Lonely Highway Patrolman.

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

I know it was a crime, I did it anyway.

It is more likely, though, that Musk was a normal speeder who panicked and pulled over immediately to the side, which aroused contempt in the cop heart.

“Elon had a good sense of humor about it. The cop did not. He needed a humor chip. But it was a good time, nonetheless,” Depp said.

It should be noted that Depp was sitting in the front passenger seat with Paul Bettany in his lap at the time of the stop. Perhaps that’s why the officer didn’t take the offense so lightly. Or perhaps it was the two cases of beer, basket of grapefruit, stack of t-shirts and towels, and light bulbs wedged in between Hall and Pfister in the backseat.

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

You have a strange attitude. You know, I have the feeling you need to take a nap.

At least they weren’t in New Jersey at the time.

Elon Musk and Johnny Depp

“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the rideand if it gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”