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???
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