PURE COUNTRY MEMORIES
This is the dancin' chicken you've heard so much about. Many years ago I was looking for a post office in Billings Montana a few hours before the concert started. I noticed a familiar set of buses, and realized the Man and his band were in their hotel. As I walked by George's bus I noticed a bumper sticker: "SLOW, SHOW CHICKENS." I laughed about that at the time. Then a few months later I mentioned it to one of the band members. Being curious I wanted to know the meaning behind that bumper sticker. He said it was a long standing inside joke. Well, when "Pure Country" came out I was amused to hear George tell the Dancin' Chicken story - the show chicken, doing his act on a hot stage. I had heard that story before, but hearing George tell it brought a whole new meaning to it. Every time I watch PC I have to grin about that dancin' chicken.
I was one of the lucky fans who attended the final filming of Pure Country; it was the "I Cross My Heart" experience from the Mirage in Las Vegas. Looking back at it now I can see what a difference it made in George's career. He reached people, touched them, and they are still fans today.
I have completed the PC Photos2 page. On that page you will find pictures taken at the Mirage and my review of the final filming of "Pure Country" as seen through a career-long dedicated George Strait fan's eyes - mine.
Following is one of the many 'magazine reviews' of the movie - one of the better ones in my opinion. Then I include many photos from the movie in the link below. The best way to experience "Pure Country" is through DVD or VHS with surround sound. My particular experience of seeing him on the big screen was unforgettable; I went many, many times. My review is told from my point of view, my experience, and my memories. From long habit I have kept written logs of my George Strait concerts and experiences. These have been very informative and enjoyable to look back on through the years and my notes were particularly useful for recalling this very special time with a man who has proven himself to be more awesome, talented, and phenomenal than "Ol' Dusty"could have ever been. In this case truth is much better than Hollywood.
Bigger than life, George Strait is an icon, a Country Legend in his own time, and a Texas Original doing things his way, keeping his private life private.
I can personally attest that he is a good guy, a decent and caring person, and using my Louis L'Amour western lingo, he is "a Man to ride the river with."
After the article click on my link to my AOL page to see PC photos, and at the bottom of that page will be alink to the PC Photos2 page. Thanks for visiting, and enjoy!
"Pure Country" was released nationwide on October 23, 1992.
Move over Clint Eastwood. Stand aside, Willie Nelson.
Pure Country, George Strait's first film, is about to be released.
Bets are in that Hollywood audiences will take to George as easily
as his country fans. Only the box office knows for sure.
So what's George think about all this? Sitting in a leather-upholstered chair on his bus behind the theater, he admits to struggling with insecurities at first. "I was a little scared," he says. "I thought I could do it, and I really wanted to try, but you don't really know how it's going to go until you do it. We shot the big concert scenes first, and that went okay. But the first day I had some serious dialogue, I was really nervous. I was doing a scene with Lesley Ann Warren, and I was nervous because I didn't want these people to be sorry that they committed to make this movie with me. I wanted to be good enough to where they were happy they did it."
The interview took place a few hours into the final day of filming. It was about 5A.M., and the sun had not yet begun to shine on Las Vegas. With only a final scene to finish, George resisted the temptation to say he felt positive about his first film. But his upbeat manner and easy confidence revealed more than his words. "I can't really tell you how I'm doing," says the soft-spoken, humble Texan. "All I can tell you is what they tell me, and they seem pleased with it."
"He was kind of hesitant at first," says Weintraub, a tall, brawny fellow who speaks with a casual, confident persuasiveness common among laid-back moguls with killer instincts. "He said to me, 'What do I have to gain? I sell a lot of albums. I've got a great life. What is this going to do for me? And I don't know how to act."' Weintraub, over several meetings, tried to convince him otherwise. "Acting is reacting," he told him. "It's not that big a deal." George finally asked for a script. Weintraub paid for a customized job tailored to the singer's strengths. He can sing. He's an authentic rancher who can ride and rope.
Weintraub, a big-time producer who tends to gamble and who wins more than he loses, climbed further out on a limb. He edged beyond promoting his $10 million movie venture to predict that his cinematic discovery has a future in Hollywood. "It was important that George was a singer in this movie, and he will sing in future pictures, the producer pronounced. "But I think there will come a time when he makes a movie where he doesn't sing. He reminds me of Alan Ladd, back when Ladd was a number-one box office star. "The women are going to go nuts over this guy, and guys like him because he's a man's man. I mean, he did all his own rodeo stuff in this movie. He got on a horse, he's a great rider, and he did his own ropin'. He shows up on time. He works real hard. And he's a great guy on top of everything else. I've enjoyed this experience with him more than anything else I've done in years." George, however, offers a more low-key assessment. "I never saw it as a risk," he says of his new role. "I see it as an adventure. It's a good change of pace for me. I got to try something new. I'm enjoying it, and depending on how it goes, I'll consider doing another down the line. If it comes out okay, and I can see that I can do it, and if it's possible for me to do more, then I will. I feel comfortable out there."
Part of the charm of his first role was how strongly he identified with the character. He, too, finds certain obligations and trappings of stardom distasteful. But the more the real George's stature and income have grown over the years, the more the singer has seized control of his career. He tours less than most major country stars. He rarely takes part in the van-otis promotional activities expected of performers. He rarely grants interviews on television or to print reporters. He's removed himself from certain burdens, and he can argue that doing so hasn't seemed to hurt his career in any significant way. When it came to choosing his first role, he found plenty of parallels between his life and the fictional tale of Dusty, the overworked superstar from Texas. "For one thing, he's a country singer. I figured I could pull that off. I don't where they got the story about the guy starting off by touring with his equipment in the back of a pickup, but I went through all that. "And, to be totally truthful, I've experienced the kind of burnout this guy has in the movie. Back seven, eight years ago, when I was working 250 dates a year, you get to a point where you wonder if you can do that another year. It's not an easy thing to deal with. It's pretty serious. Everything starts happening so fast, you feel like you've lost control. That's kind of what this guy is going through. He's unhappy with a lot of different things in his life."
Working on the film, though, did the reclusive, private star think of following his character's lead? After all, George is a millionaire many times over. He loves ranching, and he says he enjoys nothing more than tending to his livestock and riding around his extensive plot of land. He gives the question some thought, then says with some deliberation: "I don't see myself as totally retiring from the music any time soon. I may cut down more. But I'm going to make albums as long as people keep buying them and tour as long as people keep coming to the shows. But I do think I'll eventually retire and live on the ranch and do nothing. (He chuckles, low and slow.) After all, isn't that what we all work for?" He pauses again, seemingly running through his own thoughts, before adding "But I'm not like the guy in the movie. I've never been to that point where I'd just walk away from it. I've been close to where I thought I might. This guy actually does it."
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