Are you a DJ?

Well, no, I am not a DJ. I can firmly attached published magazine writer to my resume along side Photographer, Director, and Film Maker, though.

During the planning of my second of what was becoming an annual trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover UT for Speedweek, I had gotten a response from Grassroots Magazine after I sent a email blast to every car magazine saying I'd be there.  "I'll have photos, I'm shooting this one car, If you have anything specific I'll shoot that let me know if you're interested, you can have first dibs on the shots", that type of thing. They were and picked up a whole story worth of images for a article they were doing about my friends Alfa Romeo Spyder. The following year I emailed my contact at GRM and asked if they could hook a brother up with a legal press pass and then same deal, they get dibs on anything I shoot that they like...not a problem...then I got an email from them..."hey we have a friend who's doing the ignition on this bananas crazy old Dodge, want to shoot it while you're there?"...yes!...4 days later "hey...how do you feel about writing a story about the car"...Yes...(note...never really written anything published before), but what the hell, how bad could I do, I can tell a story, just have to write it down.

The car was nuts, just a beautiful collection of horsepower, turbos, orange paint, perfect welds and aluminum. The team were all a bunch of full on characters. I showed up, started interviewing everyone, like a good journalist...I was very serious...as I felt more comfortable with my task, everything got more friendly and I was inducted into the group and I felt like one of the team as I observed, chatted, took notes, snapped photos. There was other press there, it was interesting to see how they worked compared to how I was operating. Not bad, not good, just me watching cocking my head and thinking..."hunh...ok"...A little weirdness was shooting the car out of the pits. Myself and a couple other people had asked to shoot the car with the blank flats in the background...the team decided to do one session and let everyone have at it. I got more access, better shots, but felt a bit like I was hijacking someone else's shoot.

The car's first post shakedown run the car ran 275mph average and a peak of 280mph. They're trying to bust past 300mph this year.

So, that was last September when I turned in the article. About 1700 words. 14 photos. I just got the magazine in the mail...They gave me the cover and 6 pages. I couldn't be happier...thrilled actually. They took a chance, I asked, win, win. The experience was really fun and I'd love to do more. So...ya know...photographer, film maker, writer...let me make magic for you!

ROUTE 66 - TEN YEARS LATER - THE WHOLE DAMN MOVIE

After filling the beloved and embattled Portage Theater in Chicago for it's premier, a really nice double header at the Julien Film Festival in Dubuque Iowa and some nudging by a couple Route 66 community members, I finally uploaded the complete Route 66 - Ten Years Later movie. It's free for you to watch, you'd be a peach if you shared it. I'd love your comments. I hope you enjoy it, keep some Kleenex close for the laughs and tears. About a year and a half of work went into this.

A pre Kickstarter, completely self funded project, I'm really happy with the outcome.  Especially since I used it as a way to learn directing, digital film making, camera operation, audio recording, non linear editing and color correction. Enjoy the show.

Route 66 - Part 5.2

Well…again, a lesson on how things change. How things, people, places, etc, change either completely, subtly, or have gone away completely. In the case of Oatman AZ. all of the above. My beloved Garlic Burger is gone…we did hit the Oatman Hotel for a sad substitute, I think Chef Jim is going to be knocking one of these suckers out of the ol’ 1551 Thomas St. kitchen just to feed the jones.

Cindy at Arizona Girls gave me the low-down on Cactus Joe’s. The old guy that owned it passed several years back, the building, which, literally is built around a big old Cactus, became “not up to code” for a restaurant in Arizona. She bought/acquired the place and opened her Candle/Turtle/Tourist Info shop.
I got to feed some turtles, Cindy was great, full of into, I bought some candles from her (they’re really quite nice) for her time. This is about a ½ hour of hanging out with Cindy and Turtles, getting an audio interview and etc. I notice two things as I’m wrapping up. 1. There is a Burro in the house…literally. Pony in the living room, Horse in the kitchen, Zebra on in the foyer, how ever you want to say it. This thing just mossied on in and was eating something out of a pail. Thing I noticed #2…Tim in a heated debate with several 5-6 year old boys about GI Joe. Knowing Tim and his “military past”, I’ve learned to steer completely clear of anything that has to do with military service. Apparently there was quite the discussion of explosives on belt or chest. All I know is that old 12” GI Joe needed a fire suit when in my presence. Call me Cobra.

Route 66 - Part 4

So we blast out of the Blue Swallow, and head west. The Jack Rabbit at the Here It Is gas stop is still there, it's a bit weathered, but in fine shape. Next stop was the Twin Arrows. This used to be a gas stop with restaurant, gift shop and otherwise. The arrows are in bad shape these days, the buildings around them are run down, and you have to hop cement barecades to get into the grounds. One of my favorite photos from the book was done here. The color of the old arrows, the deep blue S. Western sky just popped off the page. I heard a rumor of a restoration group possibly taking it over.
Williams AZ. I want to come back here with a girlfriend and explore. Williams is a cute little town not unlike Galena IL, which I grew up near. You can take the train to the Grand Canyon, there's new and interesting shops, restaurants and things to do. The Red Garter would be my pick of places to stop. John Holst, the owner, is a civic minded Route 66 businessman. His interview conveyed his passion for his town and making it a successful Route 66 stop.
Then there's Angel Delgadillo. Two things would have kept me from doing this documentary.
1. Tim not committing to it. It took some work as it was to get him out on the road.
2. If Angel was not going to be available/willing to do an on camera interview.
Angel is Route 66. If it wasn't for this guy, most of the road would have been forgotten except for the heartiest of road trip historians. He's gracious, wonderful, and you just feel better being around him. His passion for what he stands for and his humility about his celebrity is inspiring. This is a longer video post, but it's so very worth watching every second. The men featured are champions of the road and promoters of their towns.
After the interview, Angel gave both Tim and I honest to god real old school barber shaves. I've had two in my life. This one and the one he gave me 10 years ago.

Route 66 - Part 2

From near Ft. Leonard Wood in MO to Yukon OK...lots of driving, but what a day. Spending time with a couple of my favorite Route 66 personalities was an absolute treat. Jim Ross opened his beautiful home to Tim and I as a location to film the interviews with him and photographer Shellee Graham.
The old section of 9' wide road and the Blue Whale both seem to be pretty much as they were 10 years ago. Which, is nice to see. This was my fourth time to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. First time was as a photo assistant, about 6 mo after it happened. Second time was with Tim doing the book, the next was as a photographer, in town for a gig, and today. The last two it was in it's current state. For me the personal artifacts that were put on the chain link fence always got me. The monument is moving, somber, and beautiful all at the same time.

From Tim:
Just outside Fort Leonard Wood

There are a few rare treats in life I think everyone should experience at least once. An incredible French meal that takes you four hours to eat, three bottles of wine to wash down, and six months to pay for.

A chance to drive a car so fast and expensive, that once you get over 125MPH. you just hope if you crash it you die on impact because you don’t want to spend the rest of your sorry life paying for it.

I think we should all get at least one night of awesome sex with someone about ten times more beautiful than ourselves, and just by way of rare treats, I think every person on this rock ought to spend one Saturday night in a motel just outside the gates of a major military installation.

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