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It's fall, and that means it's time for another installment of Thor Johnson's Texas State Fair Photos. The collection is here: [2.6 MB flash file]. And below are a few examples. I never cease to marvel at the overeating epidemic that seems to have struck the state since I left in '95. More of Johnson's photos, videos, and music here, and an earlier post on him is here. The photos really strike a chord with me--they're like the perfect combo of love and hate, sarcasm and pathos. It's unusual to see this kind of clarity of vision in a photographer--most get all absorbed with technique, as opposed to being a raw, outraged eye opening itself up to all the available stimuli in an environment like this. Somebody could probably take the same "kind" of photos at Coney Island in NY, but I don't think anyone here hates Coney Island or its denizens. Whereas, Texas (especially Dallas, where these are taken) has this layer of righteousness that suffuses ordinary ignorance and exploitation, making it seem more pernicious. I know Johnson loathes the false piety but as I said, there is also love in these photos. I went to the State Fair a number of times and it was always a kick.
Trailer Park Boys on YouTube (a fine Canadian export--much better than American TV, IMHO).
The "What in the Fuck Happened to Our Trailer Park?" episode, with all the bad language intact. Unfortunately the sound drops out 2/3 of the way through Part 1, but by then you've seen enough to skip ahead to Part 2. There's more to this episode but I can't find it.
Some indispensable SCTV YouTubes. Watch'em before the Man steps in and shuts down our fun.
Jerry Todd - Video Dating
"Just because you love video doesn't mean you can't love a human."
Jerry Todd - Video Dinner
Ride Like the Wind
The original "yacht rock" parody.
Garth and Gord and Fiona and Alice
Until about 3 years ago, this was all I knew about Canada.
Part One
Part Two
Whisper of the Wolf
Count Floyd screens "scary" Ingmar Bergman parody ("Who booked that? Prickly, was that you?")
Yellowbelly
Caution: not parent friendly.