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My First Rodeo !

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EnnisLovesJack:
I went to my first ever rodeo last Sunday!!! I went alone -  didn't give my friends too much notice, so even those who were interested couldn't go. But I went anyway, and loved it! I mean, yes, I have some issues with the animal cruelty that rodeos involve. But since BBM I've been obsessed with all things cowboy! So it was quite a thrill for me to see a rodeo live.

Quite the interesting anthropological adventure, too. The crowd was a sea of cowboy boots and cowboy hats. White and tan ones made me think of Ennis, and black ones of Jack, 'natch. Nothin' cuter than seeing all those little kids in boots and hats, mini-cowboys and cowgirls.

I saw calf-roping. team roping, steer wrestling. And the best parts, of course, were the bull riding and the bucking broncs (both saddle and bare - "and that's the story of my saddle bronc career"). It is AMAZING to watch a cowboy on a bucking bronc, or an angry bull. Those animals jump, kick and buck so hard, so high! My mouth dropped open and I stared, stunned. How the hell is this guy not being thrown off??? :o Very exciting to witness. You just know those cowboys are using lots of thigh muscle to stay on the animal. Made me think of Jack Twist, and how Annie (or someone) said "twist" is a rodeo term, for the way you gotta grip the animal with your thighs to stay a-horse/a-bull. It was mmm mmm sexy. (Fans herself and takes a deep breath...)

(We interrupt this broadcast for a middle of post, on-topic digression: For a couple months now I've been meaning to post about Jack and the idea of "twist," in the technical rodeo sense. As a rodeo cowboy, Jack fights to stay on raging bulls. In his life, Jack struggles and fights to "stay on" Ennis, to keep their relationship going. Long ago on IMDB, someone brilliantly suggested that Ennis - like Jack's horse - has a low startle point. Intentionally or not, he keeps trying to throw Jack, throw this love that he can't understand, can't accept, can't forgive himself for feeling.

Remember in the story's motel scene, how he tells Jack, "Ain't no reins on this one. It scares the piss out a me." It goes the movie one step further, articulating explicitly Ennis fear of "this thing," of it's power over him. This thing that can "grab hold" of him with no warning, and no way to master the force of nature that is love, desire and lust.

Jack also fights for his happiness, struggling bravely and with unwavering hope against all the pain life keeps dealing him. He keeps getting back up and reaching for happiness, undeterred. He only gives up on Ennis toward the very end (depending on what you choose to conclude from the last scene they share). Even then, he doesn't give up on some measure of happiness, choosing to find what joy he can with Randall, once he's accepted the fact that Ennis will never be able to give Jack what he needs...a life together.  OK, back to your regularly scheduled post.)

And, yes, folks, there was ladies' barrel racing. Just like Lureen does. A couple gals knocked over the barrels, costing them a 5-point penalty per barrel. Coolest part was the third gal. Her hat flew off as she was galloping towards the exit gate. Sadly, Jack was not around to pick it up and hand it back to her....She should have worn a red hat....

There was one thing that kind of scared me, and made me sad. Though it also made me laugh, at the irony. I saw a guy, looked like a marine, wearing a t-shirt that said "I ain't no Broke Back Mountain cowboy." That's how they spelled Brokeback. Then I saw the t-shirt booth where he got it, which was alsoo selling the official rodeo t-shirt.  And I saw then that the front of it said "I'm the real thing." Wow. What's ironic is that the whole reason I got into cowboy culture, the reason I was at the rodeo at all, was Brokeback Mountain. But you couldn't tell them that. At my mother's warning, I didn't wear my Ennis Loves Jack t-shirt, with the galloping horse and the "ain't no reins on this one," (even though it would have been perfect, with the horse, the "reins," and the Western font). And I guess she was right. Because you could see that some people there had not necessarily come all that far from reacting to man-love the way folks did in the movie. Neither Earl, nor Jack, would have fared much better with this crowd, I reckon. Even if these folks wouldn't attack someone for that now, they certainly would scowl at it. Sad. I guess that particular irony is actually central to the movie and story. Annie mentions it in her essay, or an interview. Jack and Ennis are each trying to live out their archetypal idea of the cowboy, and live in that world. A world that forbids and punishes the very thing they are, men who love each other.

For Robyn/Spiceylife, and any other Aussies here:  There was one cowboy from Australia "riding the bulls" (he weren't no "pissant", though, I'll tell you that!). I loved that there were cowboys there from all over the country, and even from the land of Oz. (Are you here Robyn? Or do I need to airlift you to BetterMost safety? If so, hang in there, mate, I'm coming!)

There's another rodeo in San Diego county May 19-21. And you can bet I'll be there!

So for anyone else who finds themselves all psyched about rodeos after watching Brokeback Mountain, here's lyrics to an excellent Garth Brooks song called "Rodeo." Enjoy, cowboys and girls!


Love and yeehaws,

Keren/ELJ





Rodeo – Garth Brooks

 

His eyes are cold and restless
His wounds have almost healed
And she’d give half of Texas
Just to change the way he feels
She knows his love’s in Tulsa
And she knows he’s gonna go
Well, it ain’t no woman, flesh and blood
It’s that damned old rodeo.

               

 (chorus)
                Well, it’s bulls and blood
                It’s dust and mud
                It’s the roar of a Sunday crowd
                It’s the white in his knuckles
                The gold in the buckle
                He’ll win the next go ’round
                It’s boots and chaps
                It’s cowboy hats
                It’s spurs and latigo
                It’s the ropes and the reins
                And the joy and the pain
                And they call the thing rodeo.



She does her best to hold him
When his love comes to call
But his need for it controls a man
And her back’s against the wall
And it’s so long girl, I’ll see you.
When it’s time for him to go
You know the woman wants her cowboy
Like he wants his rodeo

                 

  *chorus*



It’ll drive a cowboy crazy
It’ll drive the man insane
And he’ll sell off everything he owns
Just to pay to play her game
And a broken home and some broken bones
Is all he’ll have to show
For all the years that he spent chasin’
This dream they call rodeo.

                   

*chorus*



Well, it’s bulls and blood
It’s dust and mud
It’s the roar of a Sunday crowd
It’s the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
He’ll win the next go ’round
It’s boots and chaps
It’s cowboy hats
It’s spurs and latigo
It’s the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing rodeo.
It’s the broncs and the blood
It’s the steers and the mud
And they call the thing rodeo

MaineWriter:
Great story/recap, Keren, thanks for sharing...

The closest I have ever come to a rodeo is watching the world championship bull thing on ESPN...which I have to admit, I watched before BBM and have watched since (not faithfully, more when I surf upon it).


To quote an old favorite movie line...and trivia points to anyone who can tell me what movie this is from: Did you stay for the rattlesnake round-up?

L
xo

delalluvia:
Heh, love the post Keren.  I'm in Texas, so rodeos are typical fare for me if I want to go.

I remember one Saturday afternoon, the rodeo was stopped and the announcer introduced some tourists from Japan!  He had them come up and they were all given hats and t-shirts.

I sat there with my friends, marveling that someone would fly over 6000 miles and want to come to the Mesquite Rodeo.  The Mesquite Rodeo isn't like a big Fat Stock Show Rodeo or Frontier Days rodeo, it's just a small event.

I guess they have baseball games in Japan, but no rodeos.

I've always loved bull-riders (ahh, Jack!  :-* ).  I try to watch the finals whenever they come on.

EnnisLovesJack:
but he kept his secrets to himself. Never taught me a thing. Never once come to see me ride. :'(

Hey dellaluvia, great to hear from ya! Japan, huh? That's cool! Yeah, we had foreign visitors at the Lakeside Rodeo, too. Some folks from Denmark. Plus some out-of-staters. Less exotic, but still cool.

How often do you go to rodeos?

I wanna buy Jenny's revelationtees shirt with the matin' call line on it, and wear it to my next rodeo.  ;)

Nicole:
--- Quote ---Great story/recap, Keren, thanks for sharing...
--- End quote ---
You're welcome. Thanks for the comments, Nicole! I had no idea ESPN showed this kind of stuff. Guess it's just never really been on my radar before. ('Course, um, neither has ESPN.)
'Fraid I don't know where that quote's from. Anyone? No rattlesnake round up, but there was a stick horse race, with all the little 'uns. They were pretty darn cute.

cowboy kisses,
Keren/ELJ

delalluvia:
Heya Keren,

I go to rodeos when I get a hankering to go.   ;D  They're fun, but you are very very very wise to understand that as good and salt of the earth as these people are, they are not the kind who would sympathize much with what BBM did for cowboys.

There will be SOME empathy - obviously since many are still closeted - and people like me in the crowd  ;D but for the most part, the conservative mindset is still alive and well in country folk.

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