I really like to watch documentaries. I always look at the “Documentaries” tab on a streaming platform first. I find them quirky & interesting no mater the topic, from a doc about a drive-in theater in Pennsylvania, to a typewriter repair shop in California, to the history of the cassette tape, travel, nature, music…most any subject.

I like that I can probably learn something, they are factual, there’s always some history on the subject and it usually involves a personal story involving the human condition. If I find something interesting to watch I will pass along to others because many people don’t watch these films. Friends of mine do the same for me.

This is one of those posts.

A few years ago I came across a documentary called “Lo Sound Desert”. It ended being a great video about the music scene in the Low Desert areas around Palm Springs. I watched it and ended up discovering some great new music as well as discovering an amazing scene that grew around these incredible bands.

Another thing happened as well. Much like when I watched “Live at the Paramount” – the killer Nirvana live concert and one of the best live concerts ever filmed – I really thought about not just the music, but what was actually happening and gained a new perspective on the culture. Seattle had such a vibrant music scene going on during those days and so many great bands came out of it.

Same thing with the Low Desert in southern California. That movie was such a surprise; the raw energy, much like Nirvana yet different, and the whole of what was happening with the generator parties in the desert areas around Palm Springs.

It would have been so cool to have somehow been involved in the music scene in both Seattle and Palm Springs in those heady days. The fun, excitement and the energy that was around both places you could really feel in both films. I would have been right in the middle of it. Well, except for the meth.

Tonight I re-watched a documentary about the Low Desert called “Iconicity” and it rekindled my interest in the area. They talked about the lifestyles and history of many towns and cities in the area from the Coachella Valley to the Salton Sea.

With “Iconicity”, it really showed the artists and their incredible talents who live and work in this area, where there is not a lot of money and very few residents. The artwork is extraordinary and really fascinating, with much being created from repurposed items. They were really interesting people to listen to with their takes on the history and evolution/devolution of the area.

It is not only the artwork, but it is the unique things they do as a community of human beings – a real tribe. Some art installations are so creative that even though it may look like old cars & rusty junk if you take a minute, you will look at it more objectively and think “now that is cool, clever, and it is incredible.”.

In the movie “Into the Wild” there is a scene in there where Chris goes to Slab City, which is an old abandoned military base in the same area, and part of that segment was filmed live & as it happened with the creative mind behind “Salvation Mountain” – a colorful testament to the artists’ calling to his higher power. The guy’s passion about life and his creation was genuine & sincere and his optimism was actually very heartwarming despite his circumstances. That was my first exposure to the area and I thought it would be an interesting place to see but it was only a small thing to experience in a very out-of-the-way place. After seeing the “Lo Sound Desert” film I found the area even more fascinating.

“Desert Coffee” is a bit darker and is exclusively about Slab City. It shows the gritty side of the area. There are drugs, people on the run, there is some crime, but there is also a close community even though they may be loose-knit. They are just trying to get through life. If you watch this one, you may get a better understanding of the homelessness crisis and see these people differently – like the fellow humans that they are.

Plus, there is the area around Quartzite, Arizona. A small place in summer (I guess it is a really hot place to be in summer), but in winter it is a haven for hundreds of thousands of RVers. It is featured in that film “Nomadland” with Frances McDormand. It is a really good watch as well and certainly deserved the Oscars it got. Though it is not a documentary in the truest sense, it is filmed like one so it has an authenticity about it.

You put all of these desert films together and it is looking like a very fascinating place to experience. Watching these films made me think how interesting it would be to go see these places and experiencing the culture.

You know me…I am all about quirky, interesting and off-beat people, places and things. Ever since seeing that scene in “Into the Wild” when the movie came out I have had Slab City on my Life List and it really was the start of my interest in that region of the country.

I think there is a lot to see and explore – you just have to be cautious in some of these places. But, that is really true about anywhere you go. There is a potential for trouble anywhere, but some places more than others.

I am sure many people don’t like to get out of their comfort zone like that, but most importantly these are other human beings and most (not all) are probably good people and you see that in these films. Take the time to watch them and decide for yourself, but have an open mind.

If you don’t like those, there’s always the films in paragraph one above to keep you a bit more in your comfort zone: “At the Drive-In”, “California Typewriter” and “Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape”.

It IS good to be curious, though…

Shawn