DRY CRIK Journal

We left Elko with a couple of DVDs that we watched last night for the first time, and though viewed only once, I thought them especially worthy of mention here and for inclusion in Dry Crik Picks. The documentary, Why the Cowboy Sings produced by Hal Cannon and Taki Telonidis in 2002, has not only won a fair number of awards, but has established a lofty threshold for all future productions within the cowboy culture. Preceded only by the Steiger Brother’s hour-long documentary, Ranch Album, incredible footage of cattle ranching in Northern Arizona released nationally as a PBS Special, the availability of new digital tools make video as a medium of expression more accessible to all.

TAPADERO. J & S Productions [(805) 695-0164. www.tapadero.com - 2006.]
DVD $16.

Susan Jennings and Paul Singer brought their information-packed, 82 minute documentary, Tapadero, to screen at the Gathering this year. Backgrounded with amazing facts and interesting historical accounts of the arrival of the horse to North America and the Spanish Mission and Land Grant systems in California wherein the Vaquero was born, the filmmakers revisit many of these old ranches where the tradition has been revitalized by a younger generation of cowboys like Jeff McKee and Will Barnhart of the Santa Marguerita and Reagan Ranches respectively. [Because both young men have brought their long ropes to our brandings over the years, I know their dedication to horsemanship and the early California traditions that define their whole beings, adding special credence to this documentary.] The leap in time would be impossible without a visit to the Dorrance Ranch and the remembered perspectives of Bill and Tom towards understanding horses and life. Music from Ian Tyson, Mike Beck, Dave Stamey and Christina Ortega bring the coastal landscape alive. This is a keeper – one we all can learn something from.

DEEP WEST VIDEOS 2006. By Various Artists. Executive Producer: Taki Telonidis (Deep West Records, Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad, Elko, NV 89801. 2006. www.westernfolklife.org) DVD $20.

This must-have disc includes nine short collages of mostly still photos with narrative or music backgrounds varying in length from a minute and a half to nearly eight minutes that offer rare insights into the rural West, most all centering on some aspect of the cattle culture. Beginning with two well-edited selections by photographer Linda Dufurrena and writer Carolyn Dufurrena, this experiment, offering predominantly feminine perspectives, blows open the range of art and communicative possibilities heretofore limited to relatively expensive printed publications of photos accompanied by poetry or prose. Each selection is unique and moves the viewer in different and remarkable ways. Linda Hussa’s “Mothering in the West” is especially stark and powerful with Madeline Blake’s photographs and contrasts quite well with Susan Church’s clever, video self-portrait, “Winter Feeding Workout.” Merrily Wright’s “Through a Child’s Eyes” is destined for my daughter’s pre-school classroom as is Cheryl Turner’s “The Annual Christmas Program.” Not to be outdone by wife Susan, Peter Church’s “The Quilt: A Portrait of the Ranch Community” takes in the larger ground of the contemporary West. “Boot Camp” a seven minute video by Kristin Windbigler is a humorous hoot, introducing us to the character of bootmaker Jack Brown. And though Teresa Jordan’s “The Bird Men of Kyrgyzstan” may stray beyond this continent, it offers some amazing photographs and information just not available in the main stream media – a precursor, I suspect, of more to come from the far-reaching sojourns of the Western Folklife Center.

Though each selection may be “home-made,” they’re more like desserts for a discretionary palate. Encased in a brown cardboard envelope, the package feels durable, practical and lasting, but for aging eyes, the print in the DVD menu and on the package needs to be larger.

A far cry from the myth established in Hollywood, I can feel the earth move, for these are but the beginning of how we’ll tell our stories in the future.