Yes, folks, there is also a top-level independent-oriented film festival
and interactive multimedia conference at SXSW before the music even gets
started, and partly overlapping it....I saw some 16 or 1 new feature films
before hitting the honky tonks.
The one you'll want to know about was "Dill Scallion," a sometimes
hilarious pseudodocumentary that does for today's country music world what
"This is Spinal Tap" did for arena rock and roll. This concerns the rise
aned fall of a Texas schoolbus driver who hits it big in Nashville for 15
minutes and has to go home; his instant fame and hits are partky due t the
Scallion Shuffle, a dance craze he invents by breaking his leg on
stage...The bass player (who claims to be Minnie Pearl's illegitimate son
Bubba Pearl--well, there's a tag on his hat, anyway)--breaks Dill's leg
again every day after that, to keep things moving....
It's knowing, funny stuff, and even delivers some good country songs so you
can tell the horrible parody ones apart from 'em...Sheryl Crow of all
people was involved in delivering the score. ..thoe background music, not
those country songs. The hero's played by Billy Burke..and Henry Winkler
does a memorable turn as a Hebraic Nashville label chieftain. Directed by
Jordan Brady. Likely to be distributed soon.
Othger good uns: Happy, Texas...Spent... Desert Blue....and the documentary
"The Life and TImes of Hank Greenburg" (I found Mr. Mark Rubin sitting next
to me for that one!)....The Old 97s apparently go to the movies together
when friends do a score too. I was also at the EdTV premiere, with most of
the cast and Howatrd family present--at the same theater I'd see Tom Waits
three nights later...
I won't go into the interesting near fistfights about downloading digital
music at the intercative conference right now... And did anybody mention
that ASCAP handed out free ear plugs?
IYou do kind of leave Austin exhausted.
Barry M.
