Ron Berry is a new friend here in Austin. He is the artistic director of Fusebox (@fuseboxfestival). He doesn’t go anywhere without a smile, kind words and an impeccable eye for really intriguing artists. He tends to gravitate toward performance that incorporates music, video, spoken word, visual art, or whatever else the artists can get their hands on. I would say that some of the material bends toward odd, but I think that is just my New York-Broadway snobbery rearing its ugly head. The works are contemporary, current, modern.

Above all, Ron is a consummate listener. He always wants to hear what others have to say, and then rather than responding in words, he responds in his own work and in programming. But I respond in words, and this is my response to a panel discussion on Friday where arts writers continued the lament for their overworked, status-quo writing that has plagued film writing over the past months, years. It’s truly frustrating to hear people say that only arts writers are qualified to write about art. I’m paraphrasing the discussion since the same argument is being made for film critics, and again, there was no acknowledgment of the fact that plenty of people, like me, are out in the world responding to the things we see and other people are reading, watching, and talking with us. I have no pedigree other than having had mentorship in the field, the drive to produce even if I’m not being paid and no one was reading, and opportunities to watch lots and lots of movies.

St. Nick by David Lowery

I’m a bad blogger, very behind in posting about SXSW, but trust me, I’m very excited. You know the line-up (hopefully) so I’ll skip right to my picks. Here is what I’ll definitely be lining up to see:

Know Your Mushrooms
I don’t know if director Ron Mann would say that he is a hippie or not, but he sure does share my hippie sensibility. Mushrooms? Oh yea, I’ll see that.

Winnebago Man
While this doc is directed by Ben Steinbauer and produced by Joel Heller, two guys who are my friends and wonderful people, festival buzz is that the film is great. And I’m certainly a sucker for potty mouth.

St. Nick
I’ve read the description but truthfully, David Lowery just intrigues me. I’ve read his blog, which alternates between astute and incomprehensible (to me), his photos are amazing and in person, he is as sweet as apple pie. Can’t wait to finally see a Lowery film. This one also involved a whole Ft. Worth contingent of folks, so I’m getting a sense of the Tejas film scene. (Narrative)

The other night, one of the folks who was instrumental in helping me land in Austin remarked that on my 1-year anniversary link round-up post, I didn’t really say anything about my Austin anniversary. I’ve definitely been thinking about it a lot. Like the turn of the new year, this has been a time to reflect on what my expectations were and what I’ve been able to accomplish. It’s been a really good year for me and I fall in love with Austin a little more each day, but it’s not without some sadness. I miss my friends and my family. I was listening to my beloved KGSR the other day, and the DJ was talking about Alison Krauss’ high and lonesome style of music. I love her so much I paid $80 for a ticket to Saturday of ACL! The music and the words high and lonesome are resonating with me; they are part of my Austin experience.

But the thing that stands out to me most, despite the title of this post, is how much help and support I’ve gotten not just from my Austin family but my family back in New Jersey too. There were a lot of things that were unmanageable in my life that are slowly coming under my control. I like to say I’m growing. I sure do miss my friends but I defintily made a good choice.

And just so this post isn’t wholly without a movie connection, my worlds collided again today as I had the opportunity to meet Jason Tyrrell who works with the Indiepix posse. He was in town for the DVD release of a quintessential Austin doc, Hell on Wheels by Bob Ray. I had debate plans last night so I missed the party, but this weekend, I’ll strap on a helmet and prepare for Roller Derby. I expect a smooth ride.