In 1967 Les Blank and Skip Gerson were hired to work in Thailand on a documentary about the B-52 bomber and its use in bombing campaigns over Vietnam. Access to the plane was never granted, and the project never materialized. Instead, Blank and Gerson traveled around Thailand filming whatever attracted them. (Thailand Moment was completed posthumously in 2015 by Harrod Blank, edited by Ben Abrams.) The next year, they went on to make the musical portrait The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins, which features the lively combination of music, food, and anecdotes that has come to characterize Blank’s style. In 1972 Blank collaborated with Maureen Gosling on Hot Pepper, filming Clifton Chenier in Louisiana and capturing the pulsing rhythms of zydeco dance music.