| American graffiti Bill Daniel chronicles mysterious hobo art in ‘Who is Bozo Texino?’ By Molly Coulter Published on 03/29/2007 |
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| Bill Daniel began riding the rails as a means of travel. After 20 years and thousands of miles, Daniel has transported himself from a vagabond train-hopper to a documentary filmmaker. In his 56-minute film “Who is Bozo Texino?” Daniel brushes on rebellion, attributes of societal margins and subcultures, freedom and wanderlust through tracing the historical and often mythological roots of American boxcar graffiti. “Who is Bozo Texino?” sprouted from Daniel’s intrigue in a series of chalk markings he continued to spot on boxcars throughout the Western and Southwestern United States. An infinity symbol for a cowboy hat and the label “Bozo Texino” inspired Daniel to find its creator. In pursuit he found conflicting and fictionalized answers. His search uncovered 80 years of legend and mystique, and exposed the story of J.H. McKinley. Though Mr. McKinley, who worked as a railroad engineer at the turn of the 20th century did not originate the moniker, the signature cowboy figure attached to Bozo’s identity is his creation. One century later and Bozo’s life is extended through modern copies, functioning as tributes to a nonconformist American icon. “In a sense, I kind of became a hobo in a way, in that I’m pretty ruthless and I travel to live,” Daniel says of the project which became a sociological study of sorts. “A hobo is traditionally defined as a migrant worker and that’s kind of what I am—going from town to town—trying to make a living. The project carried Daniel across 14 Western states throughout more than 15 years of his do it yourself filming. Originally captured on 16 mm film, as the years passed and technology changed, so did Daniel’s movie. “I thought I would never be able to finish it,” he says. “I wanted it on film, but 16 mm was dying as a production format and certainly as a post-production format. I kind of had painted myself into a corner.” Eventually Daniel transferred the footage to digital format and began editing. After years of piecemeal budgeting through grants, donations and side jobs, the final project surfaced in 2005. “Every time I would have a hundred dollars I’d buy some film,” he says. Due to time and money constraints, Daniel says the film went through an “identity crisis.” “At first it was set to be a little 12-minute film,” he says. “At one point it was a full-on documentary, but what finally helped the film get done was me saying, ‘I’m making this for myself. It’s going to basically be for my culture and I’m going to tour with this.’” And so he did. Daniel began exhibiting “Bozo” in art galleries, punk houses, coffee shops, cafes and theaters throughout the country. Playing to audiences primarily comprised of the avant-garde and punk scene, Daniel says the reactions have been positive. “People really, really like the film,” he says. While the film experimentally chronicles a subset of hobo culture, which Daniel calls “a narrow bandwidth of the subject,” he strove for entertainment value, as well. “My favorite reaction is when people come up and buy the DVD.” Now on his fourth loop around America, Daniel will put the film on screen at the Applesauce Teahouse, 213 S. San Francisco, Wed, April 4 at 7 p.m. The event is open to all ages and there will be a $5 cover at the door. For more information, see www.billdaniel.net or call 214-7028. |
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