Truck Rolling on an Unmade Road : South Dakota : USA

Truck Rolling on an Unmade Road : South Dakota : USA

southcarolinadustrd

I met up with an old mate of mine Marco here in Detroit ….. he is an emergency response expert …. medical and technical in terms of buildings things like action to repair hurricane damage …… in fact I met him while we were both working in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrrina…… we talked about being on the road ….. he like me was mostly on the road especially in the past ……..

I am still here in Detroit …… I heard this song while working …… ‘ Hero’ by ‘Family of The Year’ …….

I remembered I last heard it while I was walking in Luxembourg ….. it was hauntingly drifting out of a window in an ancient quarter of an old European city …… I was walking in the street ….. I just stopped to listen …. because it jolted me back ….. Suddenly I was remembering a previous Spring time back when I had first heard it …… in America ….. at that time I heard it over and over again …. As I drove in the Beast Car on that one ‘walk-about’ trip through 27 US States …… The song was repeat ‘power playing’ on many radio stations that I listened to as I rolled on that 8000 mile trip ………. it became for me the kind of unofficial theme song of the trip ……

You know how music sometimes just speaks to you ….. directly ….. not bothering with the particular of intellect ….. just speaking to you I guess on an emotional level …… This song had something emotive for me …… somehow this song …… for me at that time at least …… kind of encapsulated both the sort of attractiveness and the sort of loneliness of reportage photography ……. that 8000 mile photographic journey through the USA in the bright red Mustang ….. who would not want to do that? All the sights and happenings …. all the people? But of course there is the element of loneliness that comes with just rolling ………. with all those motels and empty diners ……. and all that road……

There is quite often an element of loneliness ……. Or at least of just being alone …… when I am flying off on stories all over the world …… unless I take crew ……. assistants …… writers ……. etc …. Then it can be a really fun team ……. And it can often be fun working with the new people I meet on the stories …… But there can often be an element of loneliness …… or like I say of just being alone …….. that comes alongside the privilege and glamour of discovery …. of travel and momentum …… sometimes I am alone facing quite risky situations that come in the realm of photojournalism …….. all of this has its own attractions and kind of glamour that can appeal to some ……. but ultimately I am always rolling ….. often facing challenges completely alone ………..

I love being a photojournalist ……. a reportage photographer …….. I love to roll …… I want to travel ….. to go and see things for myself …… make the stories …… but of course I miss my family …….. my friends ……… my dog :-))) ……. And yet I am still addicted to rolling ……….. and being the reportage artist …. making work that is important or telling ……

Because I looked up the song ‘ Hero’ by ‘Family of The Year’ on the net …… I saw the official video for the first time …… it was strikingly perfect ….. exactly the video I would have made :-)) …… but instead of bull riding cowboy …… I might have put in the international photojournalist ….. hehehehe …. :-))) ……. taking his pain killers for his bad dreams …. bad back and and shrapnel wounds ……..

The bull rider of course he has all the glamour of performing his incredible feats on the rodeo circuit …….. but ultimately at what cost ? …… He is not wealthy he could be badly injured at any moment …… Surely it can never be worth it? …….. he is a once a month visiting dad type …… He needs his pain killers and is at the end of the video is alone in his trailer …… And yet he is still choosing to be the rodeo guy …… and is defined by his ability and drive to keep being that bull riding cowboy ……. by anyones standards, probably even his own …… its a pretty crazy thing to do …….. The Bull rider sort of puts me in mind of the photojournalist …. on some levels it has its attractions….. but in a way its an equally crazy individual thing to do :-)))))) XXXXXXXXXX

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXX

www.jezblog.com

PS….. A slightly more up beat piece of music I also associate with rolling in the Beast car is this : Old Crow Medicine Show’ s Wagon Wheel:-)))))) XXXXXXXXX

[ 11 ] comments

  • You r nuts Jez , in a good way 🙂 x

    MTV @ December 12, 2014, 11:53 am

  • Its true ….. nutz ,,,, just about sums it up :-))) XXXXXXXXCheers Jez XXXXXXXXXX

    Jezblog Detroit :-)) XXX @ December 12, 2014, 12:08 pm

  • Actually that should read Jezblog NYC….. for some reason that blog piece did not post for 2 days ….. So I am now in NYC ….

    Jezblog NYC :-)) XXX @ December 12, 2014, 12:10 pm

  • Just watched the video Bro, its nice that they used you as a body double for the Cowboy anyway..Nice,nice..Chilling out, and thinking about `stuff`… 8`000 miles?.. You must have spent most your time in petrol stations thanks to Mr Beast thirst..(your heavy boot?…never)…Hope all is good Bro xx

    PaulS @ December 12, 2014, 2:03 pm

  • Yes I am in the vid …… but I am playing the Bull ……. hehehehe……. yeah i did think comparing myself to the young handsome cowboy dude was asking for trouble hehehe ….. I miss the Beast car and its thirsty ways bro its living a peaceful life down in the big ATL with Matt and I haven’t been there for too long ……. I still managed to get stopped by the cops even in some boring rental car up in Detroit ……… so maybe its good to stay away from the big red Beast ………. :-))))I am flying back to London tmrw …… But first I gotta do a drug test ….. to keep my taxi driver license ….. I’m not sure but I think…. maybe the drug test is …. which is the best drug to recreate scenes and driving similar to that of Hunter S Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ??? ……. hehehehe….

    Either that or you have to urinate in a bottle so they can check you are in no way a friend of Hunter S and his crew :-))))

    Cheers bro Jez XXXXXXXX


    Jezblog NYC :-)) XXX @ December 12, 2014, 3:25 pm

  • I’m back in Blossom … my local vegan cafe this is the place bro .. such nice folks so friendly .. lovely food open till 10-30 ..even on a Friday night… no cruelty … no unhealthy stuff… dude I should come to Manhattan more often :-))

    jezblog @ December 12, 2014, 11:25 pm

  • I love that song Jez. I have always loved it. Now I hear your take on it I like it even more. Keep to the speed limit in that beautiful Mustang of yours. Look after yourself my friend, the life of the photojournalist looks pretty demanding and unrelenting especially the way you do it, I’m not sure how many people who think they could do it really could keep it up. Try and give yourself a bit of family time over the Christmas Holiday play with that cute little dog.Peace X

    KathyR @ December 13, 2014, 12:04 am

  • I will play with our pup …. just a little though….. sadly Ringo will stay in the UK I will see her and some of my family tmrw in London but after a couple more days I shall be off with some members of my family to see my sister and her lot in South Africa :-)))) So some family time yes but not too much time to play with Ringo…. sadly . .. But I think we will have a lovely time …. Have a lovely Christmas time yourself cheers Jez XXXXX

    Jezblog NYC :-)) XXX @ December 13, 2014, 8:04 am

  • dear Jez who has Ponyed across 27 states and “who would not want to do that” – I wish you a wonderful familyful Christmas. Maybe back to your roots when you retire? see The Brum Boom http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/22/birmingham-boom-londoners-move-inGreat image of those dales and that dust. Hope you got the windows up before he passed you.

    annie odyne @ December 24, 2014, 12:29 am

  • Brum is rocking so I gather from all the press reports…. its looking good…. I am going there next week……. Maybe I could move back ??? although I have been vaguely thinking of moving to Detroit :-))…… but right now I am in London but still living in NYC :-))) ……. Hope all is good for u have a fab 2015 :-)))) XXXXCheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Jezblog :-)) XXX @ January 16, 2015, 3:34 pm

  • oh Detroit. drive South to get to Canada I love that, and Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village Museum is wonderful – inspired Walt to make Disneyland.
    The testing track at FoMoCo has a great serpentine brick wall, and of course there is Hitsville USA. The Motor City.


    anne odyne @ January 17, 2015, 5:28 am

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