#the100dayproject Day 92: Barry Tubb

This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.

Actor Barry Tubb to attend Marfa Film Festival screening of 1980s cult classic
Originally published in the Big Bend Sentinel on July 12, 2018

MARFA – Adding to the celebration of women for this year’s event, Marfa Film Festival is showing the ‘80s cult classic, “The Legend of Billie Jean,” under the West Texas sky at 9pm Saturday, July 14 at the Marfa Municipal Golf Course.

Before the never ending 24-hour news cycle thanks to social media, Billie Jean Davy (played by Helen Slater) goes on the run with her brother Binx (played by Christian Slater) and friends and becomes a hero fighting for what is fair after her brother’s bike is destroyed by a teen bully.

That teen bully named Hubie was played by part-time Marfa resident Barry Tubb, who will be in attendance at the screening. Tubb was 21 years old when he played Hubie.

“That was the beginning of my career,” said Tubb.

He was offered the role while he was filming his first lead role in a made-for-TV-movie called “Consenting Adults” with Martin Sheen and Marlo Thomas. He played a teenager who comes out to his parents. But he received his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card from his uncredited role playing a football player in Stephen King’s “Christine.” He also played a camp counselor named Dewey in 1985 film “Mask” starring Cher and Eric Stoltz.

Tubb played a trick on the director during the first days of shooting “The Legend of Billie Jean.” He was asked if he could ride a motorcycle, which he replied that he is a cowboy and that he doesn’t ride a bicycle. He didn’t mention that he used to race dirt bikes though. So he played it up a bit when he arrived on set in Corpus Christi.

“I tried to start it. I hit the horn,” said Tubb. “I think I played it up really good.”

It worried the crew as they had to film the opening scene with the bike the next day. Tubb laughed as he shared that he fi red the bike up and spun it around three times before he took off with it. He became good buddies with the stunt coordinator from that point.

Tubb’s next film was “Top Gun,” playing Wolfman alongside Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. His most notable role with the Far West Texas community is playing Jasper Fant in the mini-series “Lonesome Dove.” He recently made an appearance at the opening for the Lonesome Dove photo exhibit in April at the Jeff Davis County Library.

The last time Tubb saw “The Legend of Billie Jean” was in 2012 for the Discover Downtown Music & Film Festival in Corpus Christi. He introduced the film in front of 3,500 people.

His first reaction to seeing himself on the big screen was “Who’s that jerk that looks a lot like me?”

Barry Tubb, right, as Hubie in the Legend of Billie Jean with Richard Bradford, left, who played his dad Pyatt.

“It’s funny to see yourself when you’re 21 years old,” said Tubb. “I hope I remain as carefree as when I was 21 years old. Being able to work in Hollywood that young, it sends you on a path that’s far from the real world as you can get it.”

Tubb said he’s never figured out Hollywood and eventually moved back to Snyder where he currently lives when he’s not in Marfa.

He’s stayed busy in front and behind the camera though. He had a reoccurring role on the TV show Friday Night Lights. He wrote and directed the films “Grand Champion” and “Clown Hunt.”

Sometimes he watches movies and forgets that he’s in them. “The Legend of Billie Jean” is one that he remembers though.

“I made a living misbehaving,” said Tubb. “I’m pretty much the luckiest artist around, I guess.”

#the100dayproject Day 71: Stephanie Huang

This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.

An artist’s sense of home informs her Marfa work
Originally published in the Big Bend Sentinel on July 12, 2018

MARFA – Stephanie Huang has always searched for her sense of “home.”

The artist left Fort Wayne, Indiana, when she was five years old to move to Yokohama, Japan, and Shanghai, China. While she is Shanghainese, she never felt she truly belonged when she lived there. She returned to the US when she was 17 years old.

As a result, most of her artistic practice stems from that experience. Marfa Film Festival will show Huang’s latest piece, presense/absense V, at 8pm tonight at the MFF headquarters, aka the house behind Diary Queen. W. Creeves will provide a live score to the 45-minute long film.

presense/absense V shows Huang painting a 20 foot by 30 foot overhead bulk feeder to blend with the environment. She took over 15,000 photos in three second intervals. The repetitive nature and labor intensiveness documented in the project is a metaphor of people trying to create their identity, but also the facade they present to society. Thus, showing the transformation of absence into presence.

While this is the fifth in the series, this is the third time lapse in West Texas. The first two projects were still photos taken in San Bernardino, California. Huang moved to Marfa in 2016 after receiving her undergraduate degree in media studies with a concentration in photography. The plan was to stay for a month, but the prominent West Texas landscape drew her in.

What she didn’t realize though was the extent of how much of that land is privately owned. She writes in her artist statement that the land that seems endless is 95 percent private and for the most part owned by one percent of the population.

“I definitely came disillusioned in thinking that it’s expansive and it’s so endless, not realizing that expansiveness comes with a price,” Huang told the Big Bend Sentinel.

She filmed each time lapse on private land (with permission, of course) typically during the summer.

The last one was filmed in December though because she was on a time crunch. Her initial plan fell through. She was leaving town soon, and she wanted to include the piece in her portfolio which was submitted with her grad school applications. Filming in the cold for six hours, sometimes with harsh winds, was hard to Huang but she got through it.

Her friends helped her assemble the scaffolding that she stood on to paint the feeder. She feels that a project like this wouldn’t have come so easy if she didn’t live in Marfa.

“The ease in which people are willing to help and that kind of generosity is what makes Marfa a community to me and why it felt so different for me than anywhere else because I’ve only lived in cities,” said Huang. “I just feel so held by Marfa in a way that makes it so difficult if I were to leave.”

Huang is leaving Marfa though. The screening will be her last show in town as she is moving back to Los Angeles for graduate school.

Her fragmented upbringing contributed to Huang’s struggle to form a home identity until she came to Marfa.

“It’s important for me that this piece happened in Marfa after I had been here for a significant amount of time,” said Huang.

Because to her, Marfa has given her the closest sense of home.

#the100dayproject Day 76: March to Tornillo

This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.

IMMIGRANT CRISIS ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER: Area residents among thousands in march against family separation
Originally published in the Big Bend Sentinel on June 21, 2018

TORNILLO – Hundreds of people spent Father’s Day marching in front of the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in the El Paso Lower Valley community of Tornillo where a tent city was hastily constructed last week for immigrant children who entered the US illegally. The march was to protest the separation of children from their parents as the result of the Trump administration’s recent zero-tolerance immigration policy.

The small border town of Tornillo, with a population of less than 2,000 people, was thrust into the national spotlight after it became the site for the first tent city for boys.

US Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who is running on the Democratic ticket against US Sen. Ted Cruz, joined former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar who helped spearhead the event in 48 hours. Escobar is the Democratic nominee to replace O’Rourke in the House. Other officials and candidates, including Gina Ortiz-Jones, the Democratic nominee running against US Rep. Will Hurd, and former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the Democratic nominee running against Governor Greg Abbott, joined the march along with El Paso County Commissioner David Stout and El Paso City Council member Alexsandra Annello, formerly of Marfa.

O’Rourke shared that the port of entry that they were standing in front of was named after World War I veteran Serna who was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and migrated to El Paso.

“(He) came here because he was inspired by us and the idea of America,” said O’Rourke. “And when this country decided that she was gonna go to war, he signed up. He is what we would call today undocumented.”

Serna was awarded a Medal of Honor for his service, and Hurd sponsored the bill in 2016 that renamed the port of entry after this decorated Hispanic soldier.

“This international crossing, this port of entry, this bridge, this connection to Mexico, and the rest of the world is named after him, and just literally feet from here, we’re holding kids who don’t know when they’re gonna see their families again,” said O’Rourke.

O’Rourke was told that there were 200 children at the site that Sunday morning with plans to expand the facility to house up to 4,000 children. When he asked when these children will be reunited with their parents, he was not given a clear answer.

“We would like to think and we try to tell ourselves this is not America. This is not us. This is not what we do. But ladies and gentlemen, at this moment, this is America. This is us. This is what we are doing,” said O’Rourke.

But O’Rourke said it’s an open question now whether this is a country that would continue to do this and that marches like the one in Tornillo help share the burden of what is happening.

“I want that burden to be so uncomfortable for so many of us that it forces us to act in placing the public pressure on those in positions of public trust and power to do the right thing for this country,” said O’Rourke. “Are you with me? Are you with these kids?”

The crowd agreed by erupting with cheer, including tri-county residents from all walks of life. Marfa Mayor Ann Marie Nafziger, her husband Peter Stanley, Marfa City Council member Buck Johnston, Camp Boswell, Emma Whelan, Gory Smelley, Gary Oliver, Renee Mick, Kaki Aufdengarten, Sarah Melendez, Laura Copelin, Gabriela Carvhalo, Kelly and Lance Webb, and Gretel Enck were at the march. Liz Rogers from Alpine, Adrienne Evans from Terlingua and John Paul Schwartz from Fort Davis were also in attendance. Robin Scott traveled from Sheffield to attend her first protest alongside her daughter and son-in-law Lena and Tyler Spurgin.

Austin musician David Garza marched along with guitar in hand. He’s regularly records at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo and took a break from the soundboard to sing protest songs at the event.

More cheers erupted during the speeches when US Rep. Joe Kennedy arrived from Boston. Kennedy, the grandson of late-US Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, shared his family history of coming to the US.

“They faced discrimination. They faced prejudice. They built a community. They held tightly to each other, and slowly but surely they built a better future that they imagine they could build in a country that promised them so,” said Kennedy.

Standing above the crowd with microphones in hand, Kennedy shared that stories like this are stories of everyone’s family and that they must stand together for the each other and for the kids.

“On Father’s Day, we recognize that universal truth that humanity does not come with citizenship or with a green card,” said Kennedy.

There wasn’t any sight of counter-protestors at the port of entry that day. Attendance was estimated to be around 800 to over 1,000 marchers. The 9:30am start time allowed for cooler temperatures, but the lack of clouds gave no reprieve to the bright Texas sun. O’Rourke reminded the crowd that some of these families that are affected by the immigration policy traveled as much as 2,000 miles under the same skies and conditions.

“In some small insignificant way, we are sharing in their journey and what they have experienced right now,” said O’Rourke. “In some small way, we are helping this country take a step in the right direction.”

#the100dayproject Day 69: My kindergarten picture

This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.

The way I remember it is that my kindergarten teacher Ms. Clark told me to wear my favorite dress to school the next day. It was pink and for this future writer, of course it had the alphabet all over it.

My teacher woke me up during nap time, put clips in my hair and took me to the auditorium to get my photo taken. It was a quiet moment, but I did ask myself why I was the only one there?

What my mom remembers is that my teacher paid for those photos because my parents couldn't afford them.

“She liked you,” my mom said. “You were one of her favorite students and you were friends with her daughter.”

I've been grateful for that moment ever since.

This wasn't the only nice thing Ms. Clark (who later became Mrs. Menn) did for me.

I wasn't the best napper, so she would use that time to teach me how to read. I read book after book that I was reading at a first grade level before the end of the year. My teacher decided to show me off, having me read to other teachers while the rest of the class stay in the room to nap. That's how I met who became my first grade teacher, Mrs. Smith.

#the100dayproject Day 37: Imagine Dragons "It's Time"

This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.

Earlier this year, I made a quick trip to Austin for a work meeting. I drove in, slept, went to the meeting the next morning, squeezed in a reading at Book People, slept and drove back to Marfa the following morning. When I reached the first stoplight heading back to Marfa, Imagine Dragon's “It's Time” came on, and it made me smile.

So this is what you meant
When you said that you were spent
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top
Don't hold back
Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check

This song was the soundtrack to my last semester at Texas State University, because it perfectly describes how I felt at the time. Leading up to that, I felt my lowest from 2009 to 2012. I was depressed. My life took an unexpected turn, and I was lost. I knew it was time to figure out my next step. And this step was going to be a big one. I was finally getting my college degree and that meant it was time to actually pursue journalism. No more writing for exposure. No more working side jobs. It was time to force myself to find a day job as a journalist, and I knew I couldn't use my impending degree as an excuse not to anymore.

I don't ever wanna let you down
I don't ever wanna leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night

What I did know was that Austin was not part of my next step. I was a music journalist for 10 years and frankly, I was over it. I felt like I reached a peak and was going through the motions because writing these stories meant I had a job in the field I was studying. I rarely wrote something that truly interested me though. I wanted to try covering another topic, but Austin was too big and I was too insecure to step out of my comfort zone. 

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

Because I am the first one in my family to get her college degree, the idea of failing scares the crap out of me. Leaving Austin also meant leaving my family, my support system for the first time ever. Sure, I lived in San Marcos for a bit when I was in college and moved into my own place with a boyfriend, but my family was always within arms reach. I didn't like the idea of not having them readily available if anything went down, but I knew I had to move.

This road never looked so lonely
This house doesn't burn down slowly
To ashes, to ashes
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

I moved to Marfa to pursue journalism five years ago and looks like it has worked out. Granted, those first years were stressful, but I forced myself out of my comfort zone without my safety net and pursued the one thing I've wanted to do since I was 17 years old. I smiled when Imagine Dragons “It's Time” came on at the stoplight because it was the first time that I realized that I did it. I really did it.

I actually became a journalist.