Thanks to friend Eric Trine, I found this little gem from Louis CK.
It’s not very hobo related, unless you think of needing to pare down your things and stop complaining about everything. He’s right, people are impatient and complain about everything. And here I am, complaining about complainers. So we’re all in the group.
The blog header isn’t entirely accurate. Check out Eric’s blog for other great clips, photos and obscure stuff that he finds/buys.
I’ve been living in the motorhome for over four years. In all that time, I’ve had no water pressure. I took a cold shower once, by turning on the air compressor and ducking under the drip that came from the showerhead. It was not worth it one bit. I’ve attempted to fix the entire system multiple times, all have turned up failures. It’s been a long road…and I think that I’m finally done.
Recently I received a call from royalty. The National King of the Hobos, Mr. Tommy from the Railroad, the Inkman, was calling to catch up.
Inkman was the first hobo we met when we attended the Hobo Convention in 2007. Vern, Melinda and I were walking the mean streets of Britt, IA, feeling lost, alone and confused.
And there he was, wandering those same streets. With stories. With encouragements. With lots and lots of words. He’s certainly a talker…and a hobo politician. Our paths crisscrossed a number of other times throughout the event, with meals, interviews and events.
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It’s been quite a while since my last post…and for that, I apologize. This one won’t be very long either…but interesting.
Back when I was working on Where the Wild Things Are, Production Coordinator Randy Bol invented the “Hobo Line” as a way to determine how hobo I really was…as you can tell, I didn’t get good marks.
At the beginning of the year, I said it’d be the Year of the Hobo. That proved true. Many people make New Year’s Resolutions or goals for the upcoming year…and then forget them by February. Not us. It might have been the most productive, most enjoyable, busiest year of my life, full of huge life changes, important decisions and huge strides forward in career and life. And so, here’s the summary.
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Apparently, while all the Hobo festivities were going down this year in Britt, many were up to no good. In my recent talk with current Hobo king, “Inkman”, he gave me some bad news…at least from the sinner’s camp perspective.
To give you the background: the National Hobo Convention is held every year in Britt, IA…for over 100 years. You can imagine it was much more vibrant and hobo-esque when it began, with many true hobos riding the rails searching for work. They’d stop in here for a week or relaxation with old friends and people they only see once or twice a year. While that still hangs true, most of the people at the convention are not hobos in the ‘true’ sense of the word – meaning they are a wandering worker, eeking out a living hopping trains from town to town, attempting to find work or the good graces of a generous housewife. Most there now are those who appreciate the hobo culture, hobo music, hobo terms and hobo ideals (at least, in a white-washed, polished fashion).
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As part of the The Society of Interested Persons Salon we presented for last November (2008), we presented this little piece.
In August 2007, Vern, Melinda and I traveled to Britt, IA for the National Hobo Convention. Our plan was to learn more about the true hobo, to find out if they truly exist and to bring our brand of hobo-ness to the culture that already existed. It was a wake-up call for us all, in many ways. As a topper to the forthcoming documentary, “The Winnebago Experience”, this will tease your little hearts, I’m sure.
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My brother Ashley and I attempting to make money playing harmonica on our last trip to Las Vegas. I made only 4 cents, but looked the part real good.
(This was directly outside the Flamingo. We were kicked out very quickly.)
My latest venture into resourceful hobo living…what to do when your propane is out and you still haven’t made dinner? Tea lights.
It’s been a busy month in hobo land, and in the next few days, I’ll catch you up.
Towards the beginning of November, Big John Stone paid his first solo visit to California.
Two men, being men, fishing, camping, cooking outdoors. Lake Cachuma, just north of Santa Barbara.
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I don’t intend to have all my posts be about someone else’s work but the The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is one film I could not pass up telling you about. If you are a fan of film, you probably already know about this, for those who don’t troll around the Internet all day watching movie trailers, this one’s for you.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, the man who brought us Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and so on, brings us this new story about Dr. Parnassus and his traveling show, where he leads members of his audience through their imaginations. But Dr. Parnassus has a secret. 1,000 years ago he made a bet with the Devil for immortality and won, only to trade his immortality for youth to be with his one true love. But in order to make this trade he promises the Devil his first born child when he or she turns 16. It is now the present day and Dr. Parnassus’ daughter is almost 16 and he must find away to win back her freedom.
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My favorite film maker, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, returns with his new movie “Micmac’s a Tire-Larigot”. Jean-Pierre is best known for his film “Amelie”. If this is the only movie that you have seen by the French director, you are all missing out.
Before Amelie he co-directed two movies with Marc Caro called “Delicatessen” and
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Hello all. My name is, undoubtedly, Charles Oldfield.
From time to time I have been mentioned in this blog, but never has there been a time such as this one. My first entry!
I’m not going to lie my friends, the weight of what to write for a first entry is a heavy one, about 156 lbs, give or take. So I will keep it short and simple…
Thank you for your time.
Here I sit, lit by candlelight in my motorhome I’ve so affectionately called home for close to the past four years, pondering life. Pondering work. Pondering this website, this company, this blog, this life.
