Veering, screeching, careening, lurching, cursing, and leching brought me to the Alamo Drafthouse South at 1:45pm. I was in a hurry because I sure as hell wasn't about to pay for a SXSW filmpass and I wanted to make sure I could catch Rusty's short doc on the Ramones...and the Bob Wills one, too!
When I arrived, my poor car was begging for mercy and I was all business as I stepped out into the sunshine. Turns out the attendance was light and I saw hide nor hair of Rusty or Jason. Why weren't they there? It was Rusty's show, damn it! I went in and asked, and gave them his description should he walk in under my radar. I went into the new theater which still smelled like paint. I didn't know what to make of the comfortable seats and new method of ordering food (you stuck your order into a magnetic strip instead of on the little pole thingie).
I waited anxiously for their arrival and then finally realized, what the hell do I care if they're there or not? I was planning to come alone all that time anyway, so why was I being so anxious to find Rusty and Jason?
I sat back and watched the show. Rusty's film was the first. Was he there to see it? I couldn't waste my time looking around to find out. I watched as images of a teenage Rusty filled the screen, especially a particularly poignant moment where his buddy sniffs his armpit. I enjoyed Rusty's voiceover monologue a lot. The whole concept was so simple: I LOVE THE RAMONES.
With such a simple concept, one might surmise that the creator himself was simple as well. But I found the movie a lot like the person, from what I had observed in the past 24 hours. No frills, no pretentions. Purveyor of a simple idea with a sardonic, idiosyncratic quality and boyish intensity. Underneath, less obvious but equally important layers of softness and sentiment. Without those, the movie would have been total bullshit. Bravo, old chap! Bravo!
Following that was a tribute to Blue Rodeo, which was a well illustrated (literally) depiction of one fan's love for this band. Nicely done...but in the end, the band he spoke of was SO god-awful!!! It honestly ruined the entire short for me. For crying out loud, get some taste, man!
A short doc on jam sessions occurred after that which was interesting in theory, but way too scattered...followed by a documentary on a piano factory. I was interested in this at first as it was extremely well done...but soon I drifted off into a nap, and when I came to some guy was talking about piano auras and other existential theories which in my cranky waking state ruined the whole thing for me. I went back to sleep.
But then as the opening notes of "Faded Love" hit my ears, I sat up straight with eyes and ears wide open. The documentary on Bob Wills contained TONS of footage I had never seen, including the McKinney Sisters! I sat transfixed and teary-eyed throughout. It was wonderful.
After the lights came on they did a Q&A session and lo and behold! Rusty & Jason had made it in without my noticing. Rusty did a great Q&A job complete with an embarrassing moment for me, when he pointed to me and told people to go check out my band. Ay-yi-yi. Floor, swallow me now.
Having an adventurous mindset with no real objectives, I spent the rest of the day with those guys. We went to grab a bite at Casino and then Rusty did what I now know is "his thing" which is to sneak me into a party to which I am not invited. All of a sudden I am in a Directors' Guild of America party with a whiskey and coke in my hand and having an intense conversation with some cute producer fellow from Tucson. I told him the story of the human ear and we worked out a basic outline for the most effective telling.
On the whole, I found the hair in the affair to be a little too carefully feathered and tousled. I saw a few too many drunk skinny chicks hanging on the arms of guys wearing cool t-shirts under blazers, with jeans. What a larf. Oh, did I say "larf?" I meant "lark."
To top it all off I am talking with the fellow from Tucson when my Phoenix-based costume designer of a brother calls me to tell me he's passing through town. I give him directions to the party and he pulls up and for five minutes, he hobnobs with the Tucson producer. I give him a hug, and off he went. I probably won't see him again for yet another year.
By this point, my adventures had reached the pinnacle of surreal and things began to wind down. I had come to terms with my M.O. for the day, which was to adopt an uncharacteristic "lamb-who-follows-unquestioningly" approach to my night with the Film Dudes (which is the name I gave them in my cell phone).
This brought me to the Paramount theater and the premier of "Drop Dead Sexy" starring Jason Lee and Crispin Glover (reference a few blogs back for other projects of Crispie's). Unfortunately I couldn't hang when the guys tried to sneak me in, so I left...but then I realized I could *gasp!* PAY for a ticket to see the movie. I did, and I laughed and laughed all the way through....a guilty laugh, for what I heard in the murmers surrounding me, those in the film industry apparently thought it was "obvious." That's cool...they're about their films like I'm about roots music. I'll gladly make fun of any band with a big orange Gretsch as being "too obvious" any day.
Afterward we traipsed down to the Dicks reunion part 2, where I gradually realized my adventures had gotten the best of me. I took my leave of everybody, went home and passed out. Adventures complete!
ADVENTURES OF A DIFFERENT ILK
When I woke up yesterday I found out poor Emily's car had gotten broken into, wrecked and her stereo stolen. Our plumbing has a leak that has slowly but THOROUGHLY mildewed both of our closets, and I learned that we have an untameable hornet/mosquito/wasp issue, and that our bathroom window fell out out of the frame.
Nonplussed, I took the dog and escaped to Town Lake. It was an amazing day outside; warm and sunny with a strong, cool breeze. We happened upon a kite festival and so I lay down, staring in silence at all the kites in the sky above me. Roxy sat quietly next to me, nose pointed upward, doing the same. I got pegged in the side with a kite, too. Awesome. :)
What a fantastic weekend.
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