Upon Video Review


If I could write a song, I would write it about driving Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary. It's got it all: changing landscapes, big sky, destination, home, going, returning, pavement, signs, weather, memory, longing.

But I don't write songs.

What I do enjoy doing, though, is making movies/on location. That keeps the cost down. What I see is the video, what I hear on the radio is the audio. I look for unexpected harmony as they combine.

We drove back from Calgary yesterday afternoon. As I woke up from a quick nap and opened my eyes to the highway vista, I heard on CKUA a Woody Guthrie song sung and put to music by Jay Farrar. It's a beautiful song.

Don't let anything knock your props out from under you/
Always keep your mind clear/
Let your plans come out of mistakes.


The audio was added later, and I have to steady the shot, but it's a fun, little project that makes you appreciate art seen and heard.

We miss so much that we see and hear the first time through. We miss so much when we look down. What a waste!

What's the most dramatic part of a drive home up Highway 2?

The sky.

Whatever you do and wherever you go/
Don't lose your grip on life, and that means/
Don't let any earthly calamity/
Knock your dreamer and your hoping machine/
Out of order.





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