SoLost is the original video series by The Oxford American that celebrates getting lost in the American South. SoLost is an off-kilter video journey through the side roads, backrooms, cellars and psyche of the modern South. With subjects prospected by master image-maker and Southern back-roads champ Dave Anderson, we delight in the tastes, sounds and myriad cultural delights of this our glorious landscape. Join us every month as we unveil a new episode of SoLost: artful, online video shorts that explore the complexity and vitality of the American South.
Bo Bartlett is an American original. A realist painter with a deliciously surreal touch, the Columbus, Georgia-born artist was a protégé and life-long friend of Andrew Wyeth. His haunting and epic tableaux evoke a Hopper-like sense of longing and mystery combined with a Lynchian-cocktail of menace, beauty, and stranger-than-fiction reality.
A natural traveler with an entire planet of subject matter to pick from, it might surprise some to learn that Bartlett chooses to spend several months each year painting in the modest Columbus, Georgia, home he grew up in—to paint, no less, in the very bedroom that was his as a child. But it is in fact the place where Bartlett goes each winter, and where some of his most vital work is born.
“It's a magic world,” says Bo, and indeed it is. Come see where some of it is born....
To anyone who's ever been a student of the Zagat Food Guide, there is a category the creators use called a "Transporting Experience." The description is a good one and, fittingly, there are rarely many restaurants listed in that section because a truly transporting experience is hard to come by these days –- whether in a restaurant or anywhere else. Unless, of course, you happen to live down the road from the Turner property in Gravel Springs, Mississippi. That's where, for the last 50 years, an annual event called the Turner Family picnic has taken place near the end of the summer.
Now the Turner Family Picnic is called a picnic. And they've got plenty of goat barbecue for the goat barbecue lovers of the world. But what really sets the event apart is a singular style of music that one can hear there -– and only there -- called "Black Fife & Drum." It's a style of music derived from traditional West African music that features a fife player (basically playing a handmade flute carved out of bamboo) plus two or more drummers WAILING away on their drums in a fairly improvisational manner. The band can play from the stage, but really they're better when they weave their way through the crowd at various points in a show filled with a variety of Mississippi musical acts.
But let us take a step back to say that words alone cannot tell this story. The music and the crowd are what make the Turner Family Picnic so special. The fact that the picnic was begun by Sharde Thomas's legendary grandfather, Otha Turner, makes it better yet. And the fact that she may be the last purveyer of this iconic musical style; descended from West African music and on the verge of dying out completely, makes it both exciting and a tad bittersweet. But for you, dear viewer, it can be a glimpse into something rare and extraordinary.
Donk? What's a donk? Where have you been, my friend? Where have you been?
Clearly, not on the lot of Mr. Hubba Bubba's House of Dubbs, where anyone who's anyone in Memphis goes to turn a ratty old school car into a shimmering, majestic custom beauty, the likes of which you may never have even dreamed of.
Whether they're building a dream car for an NBA star or fixing a flat for a nurse on her way home from work, there's no question that the collective hearts of Hubba, Frank, and the rest of the House of Dubbs gang lie between the bumpers of the next car pulling in.
Did you hear the one about the French couple that moved to the Ozarks and then decided to build a medieval castle? Using only medieval tools and technology?
Did you hear it's going to take twenty years? And that they're serious?
Want to learn about the castle, the "Medieval Bowflex," the "Hamster Wheel" and how to haul limestone the medieval way?
Noel Webster is one elusive cat. The man operates Muscle Shoals Sound in Sheffield, Alabama—a recording studio with a past as rich as any in rock-n-roll history. "Hyperbole," you ask? Perhaps. Perhaps, that is, if an act named the Rolling Stones doesn't ring a bell. And you've never heard of Paul Simon. Or Bob Seger. Or Aretha Franklin. Or Rod Stewart. Or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Or….get our drift? (Did we mention last year's Grammy-gobbling insta-classic "Brothers" from The Black Keys?)
Yep. All recorded classic titles there in a rickety old building emblazoned with the address: 3614 Jackson Highway.
But back to Noel. He owns the place. Brought it back to life, in fact, after it sat defunct for 20 years. He knows the history. He's a master of great analog recordings and the gear that can bring it to life: a kind of musical archeologist who's not only revived the place, but brought back all the equipment to help Muscle Shoals Sound reclaim its original, irreproducible sound.
But that doesn’t mean he's easy to get on camera. Sure he’ll give you a tour (likely at some bizarre hour of the night), but when the camera comes out, he's got a way of disappearing.
At about 1 a.m. Saturday morning, Noel the night owl finally, fitfully agreed to sit down with SoLost. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Watch and see why.
These days, much-adored writers seem to enjoy the grind of publicity, embarking on endless interviews and fielding star-struck audiences. Tennessee-based author William Gay is not one of those. Despite having a few critically lauded books under his belt, one of which became a feature film starring Hal Holbrook, Gay seldom agrees to be photographed or filmed. We'd heard he lives in a cabin in secluded Hohenwald, Tennessee, and that he occasionally accepts visitors—so we couldn’t resist stopping by to see for ourselves.
Needless to say, he let us in and even showed us around, and we discovered that his rustic homestead is charming in its straightforwardness—much like his stories. We learned about his tree house, his connection to Hohenwald, and how, one time, Bob Dylan managed to come between him and his girlfriend.
Here, have a rare glimpse into William Gay's world.
2011 has been a year of epic weather in the American South. First came days of monstrous tornadoes. Then came the slow burn of a gargantuan Mississippi River flood. As we turned from the tornadoes to consider that flood, the name John Ruskey kept floating to mind.
A renowned riverman based in Helena, Arkansas and Clarksdale, Mississippi, Ruskey has become something of a living legend on America's largest and most powerful river. After years guiding daring canoers down this much-feared and much-reflected-upon waterway, his name has become almost synonymous with the river. Outside magazine, in fact, made him a central focus of their 2007 30th anniversary issue. Spend two minutes on the river with him and you'll know why.
What then, we wondered, does a man who loves the Mississippi in the way John Ruskey does think of "her" at her most savage? Would he even get in the river as it was cresting and threatening communities all across the land? And, if he would, then, um, could we come too?
We needn't have asked. Of course he would. And of course we could. And, while we can't hand you one of the fabulous mulberries snapped from the top of a tree in the midst of that raging river, you can still take that ride with us...
SoLost is not known for a focus on breaking news. But with the epic wave of tornadoes that swept through the South this past week, we felt compelled to mark the moment.
Arriving in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the day after the storm, we were, of course, struck by the level of destruction that stretched across the city. But we were also intrigued with the ever-present sound of chainsaws. Who was operating them? Where had they come from? So we set off to find out and got even more that expected.
Join us now for a trip into the world of chainsaw Samaritans and a few of the lives they touched. And if you're as inspired as we were, then please consider a donation for relief efforts:
SoLost isn't easily impressed. We've seen a lot of magical things throughout this unique land. But one of the greatest things we've ever come across is nothing less than a movie theater. Yes, you hear us correctly: a movie theater. But certainly not an ordinary one: we're talking about a place that has inspired entire families to uproot their lives and move thousands of miles across the country. Yes, for a movie theater. And no, we're not kidding. In fact we kind of like their logic.
From Master Pancake Theater to Hecklevision to Sing-Alongs and Quote-Alongs; from nighttime "Jaws" screenings from inner tubes on a lake to a car-eating Robosauras breathing fire in their parking lot to Leonard Nimoy shocking fans with a surprise world premiere of the new Star Trek, this is a spot where every day brings a grand new film event. And did we mention the CEO had a boxing match with the star of "Girlfight"? Yeah, the list goes on.
How do they do it? No idea. Why do they do it? Well, the way we see it, nothing short of a boundless passion for film could create something this inspired. Simple as that.
So give a big howdy to the Alamo Drafthouse: a cinema eatery with a diet rich in great moviemaking, mind-blowingly creative interactive programming and gourmet food delivered while you enjoy the show. It may well be the future of moviegoing and, yes, it may also be coming to your town soon. You should be so lucky.
Now click play and see what the fuss is all about .... (and don't talk during the screening or we'll....)
The tiny, forgotten town of Dyess, Arkansas, holds two claims to fame: First, it was one of America's earliest planned communities; and second, it was home to one of America's greatest musicians.
We could say more but why ruin a perfectly nice surprise? Just click play and see it all.
Anyone who's spent more than 15 minutes in Oxford, Mississippi, has probably heard of local legend Ron Shapiro. Now known simply as "Ronzo," this ever-upbeat and unpredictable local icon has, to say the least, a colorful history.
Start with the fact that he was fraternity brothers with "Animal House" co-writer Harold Ramis and may or may not have provided the inspiration for one of the film's more iconic characters. Then observe his subsequent move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he became a theater-operating ski bum. Then note how he fell under the spell of a Southern girl and quickly left ski country behind in order to follow her down to Oxford. Jobless on arrival, he did the natural thing and began to farm Marijuana. Legally.
Then he opened and operated the now-legendary Hoka Cinema for 20 years. (That's where Barton and Jamo come in...you can meet them in the video.) Along the way he ran for office multiple times (and lost multiple times) and had a t-shirt business. His most recent venture has been to open a juice bar and restaurant in Oxford called "The Main Squeeze." Put one foot in the place and you kind of already know what kind of guy Ron Shapiro is.
And that's what he does now. Except when he's running his literary escort service. Or chasing the ladies. (Some things never change....)
So how many people do you know that are equally at home shooting the breeze with fashion grand dame Diana Von Furstenberg or just plain shooting....a deer? As in from a blind? And, of those, how many have shot to the forefront of the fashion world, designing elegantly post-modern Southern threads in a style described by one publication as "Tom Wolfe-meets-Spike Jonze"? And of THOSE, how many decided to place their headquarters not in Paris, Milan or New York, but in Florence? No, not Italy -- Alabama. Florence, Alabama.
We're going to hazard a guess that your answer was zero or one. One is correct. One Billy Reid in particular. And there's certainly nobody else like him.
Reid hails from tiny Amite, Louisiana. He's been working in the clothing business since he was a teenager and in the past year his star has certainly been on the rise. Within a matter of months he has been given two of the industry's most prominent awards; first being named GQ's Menswear Designer of the Year, and then walking home with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize of $300,000. Not bad for a quiet family man living on Walnut Street in Alabama's eleventh-largest city.
It's been a long road to the top for this incredibly likeable master of fabric (and savvy music aficionado) and SoLost decided it was high time we got to know him a little better so you could, too.
Set in frontier-era Fort Smith, Arkansas, True Grit tells the tale of Mattie Ross, a fourteen-year-old girl "from Dardanelle in Yell County" bent on avenging the murder of her beloved father by enlisting a famously tough Deputy Marshal named Rooster Cogburn to track the murderer into what was then "Indian Territory," but which is now best known as Oklahoma.
The novel was a success. The movie was a success, too. John Wayne was awarded his first and only Oscar for his role as the crotchety-but-lovable Cogburn. The character, imagined by Charles Portis and interpreted by Wayne, quickly took its seat at the table of unforgettable American cinematic characters.
More than 40 years on, the legendary Coen Brothers, longtime fans of the story, decided to remake the film. The new version, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie, will be released the week before Christmas and is already the talk of the Oscar circuit.
SoLost noted that this uniquely Arkansas (and Oklahoma) story has produced multiple films that didn't shoot even a minute of the story in either state. We decided to strike out to see what the "True True Grit" might have been like and got more than we expected.
A headstrong teenage girl named Maddie who lives in virtually the same spot as the literary Mattie? Check. That she actually tried out for the film and got a callback? Check and check.
A delightful career actress who grew up in Fort Smith immersed in the culture (and offspring) of the characters that made up the basis of the original Portis story? Check. A slight infatuation with Josh Brolin's eyebrows? Check! (Though you'll have to watch to the end of the credits to figure out that reference.)
Join us for a look around the land that gave us True Grit as SoLost peers a little closer at the two films and the breed of Arkansans that form the basis for this uniquely American tale.
SoLost got word that the best place in America to get your classic American stove restored was from a man named Hugh Marrioneaux in Port Allen, Louisiana. We were intrigued, so we headed South and found him in a seemingly broken-down building dotted with boiled peanut signs (he sells them & they're GOOD!) and surrounded by rusty old stove parts. Could this place really be home to a craftsman of such distinction?
A quick look at one of his restored pieces put all doubts to rest. A scan of the waiting list for his services provides emphatic further proof.
One might assume, given his level of skill and expertise, that Hugh has been restoring classic stoves his entire life, but in fact it's a second career. Years ago Hugh left his native Louisiana to work in Hollywood, supplying generators on film productions. But his most memorable moment there (other then meeting his wife Ann -- also a good story) was likely being hired to be Robert Redford's driver and security guard during the filming of "The Natural." John Lennon had just been shot and, as Hugh recollects, the studios were worried that copycat killings of other celebrities could occur. Redford took a shine to Hugh and, at the film's conclusion, gave him the only intact bat left from the production of the film.
But back to the stoves. It's no wonder some of High's customers have wept with joy at the sight of their newly-restored stoves. Hugh mentions that his own father is a "mechanical genius," but it's clear Hugh himself could be described in the same way. Combine that technical brilliance with his gentle demeanor, and you've found someone very special.
SoLost was curious how things were looking along the Gulf of Mexico these days. So we took a drive from the Florida panhandle over to Louisiana with stops in Alabama and Mississippi. The verdict? Well, the Gulf is still a beautiful place....
