Tailgate The Nation

Updates, what Updates?

J.M. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:01:58 +0000

Hey Everybody!

We know we haven’t had many blog updates lately, and for that we apologize. We’ve been far too busy traveling, interviewing interesting personalities and getting the scoop on this whole American culture ‘thing’. We’ve been everywhere (blues clubs in Clarksdale, hunting settlements off the Mississippi, French cafes in NYC, Cajun hootenannies in Louisianna and on and on throughout this great nation of ours). Don’t believe me? Just check our Multimedia Page for some exclusive sneak previews of segments for the final documentary – I’m sure you’ll change your tune.

In case this is your first time visiting us, here is some information that you might be interested in:

Tailgate The Nation’s, Jean-Michel Werk is producing an independent travel documentary and, along with his brother, Stephan, are attempting to capture ‘American Culture’ and distill it down into a feature length film.

How are we doing this, you ask?

We are driving a 20-year-old RV around the nation a few times following the college football season and capturing ‘local culture’ along the way (music, food, underground hotspots, unique locations, weird attractions, interesting personalities, etc.)

How can I follow the project, you ask?

Several ways. Here’s a few:

Tailgate the Nation’s Official Website

Our Facebook Fan Page (please fan us!)

Tailgate The Nation’s Official Twitter

Tailgate The Nation’s Youtube Channel

Tailgate the Nation’s Flickr Channel

When can I see the film, you ask?

Relatively soon! We are still in the production cycle. We have been on the road for about 75 days now and still have about three weeks to go. Once filming is completed we’ll finish post production, and set out on a tour of our film throughout the U.S.

How can I help with the project, you ask?

Thanks for asking! So far we’ve been covering all the expenses out of our own pockets. We still have about a month on the road. If you want to donate a couple dollars we’ll be able to make our project a success and make it back home in one piece. Check us out our site. If you like what you see please donate. Anything helps! You can click the link to the left to donate via PayPal.

Or if you can’t donate cash/ want to help out in a different way, please grab our flyer and post it up in your favorite pub/ coffee shop/ music venue/ bowling alley/ church/ etc.

In addition, we are still shopping for sponsors. If you know of a business or charity that may want to get involved, don’t hesitate to send us a message.

Also, we’re looking for some good tunes to use in the final cut of the film. If you’re in a band, know someone who plays bagpipes or can bust a freestyle rap – let us know! Eclecticism is the goal.

Thanks everybody, we’ll see you on the road!

The TGTN crew

click to view Bios:

Jean-Michel Werk – Stephan Werk

New Improved Multimedia Feature!

J.M. — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:17:34 +0000

Take a look at our new, improved multimedia section for promos, sneak previews, and stills from behind the scenes.

New Top 10 Photo Feature

J.M. — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:34:50 +0000

Every week, tailgate crew will be posting our favorite stills from our travels.

Check out our features on the media page!

Leaving Marfa

J.M. — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:22:07 +0000

When we got the nerve to leave Marfa it was around midnight. We decided our best option was to get loaded up on coffee and go for it. We drove through West Texas in the middle of the night, which was probably the riskiest thing we could have done considering the oil pressure was entering the red. For those of you not on the same page, driving through west Texas is pretty similar to driving on Mars, only a lot closer to the border of Mexico. To say it was deserted is an absolute understatement. There were no areas to stop, no gas stations and no cell service. The obstacle course consisted of jackrabbits, armadillos and deer in families of 3 or 4 (thankfully they were smart enough to stick to the side of the roads.
Of little concern at the time were the insects (giant alien dragonflies and love bugs). At some point we stopped and slept. We woke up at 10am in a junkyard and instantly hit the road. We finally made it to Austin around 4pm. It was our first game!
To be honest, it was very overwhelming being at our first tailgate with there being so many people and us only having an average of about 3 to 4 hours of sleep under our belts. Among the thousands of people at the tailgate, Jean-Michel recognized Bob and Lisa Wade – pretty good considering the situation. They were extremely accommodating and agreed to sneak us into the alumni center – they also agreed to lend us their tickets so we could get into the second half of the game. It just so happened that Bob was the artist that sculpted the mammoth sculpture of longhorns that hang over the alumni center café. He enthusiastically relayed some of his exploits as an art student, but before too long he and Lisa had to go into the game.
We grabbed some overpriced lunch and settled down for a moment. While we were hanging out at the alumni center we met Chase, an aspiring filmmaker. He had just moved from Cincinnati and was tagging along with his mom (a University of Texas alum). We got his info and he agreed to be our story assistant at a future shoot. We definitely look forward to it.
Once it was halftime the amount of people packed inside the alumni center was approaching insanity. Everyone was decked out in their UT orange uniform. Texas was up big on Louisianna Monroe as would be expected (they’re ranked #2 in the country). Everywhere you looked, fans were drinking their 7 dollar bud lights. We finally reconnected with Bob and Lisa – they gave us tickets to get into the second half
There was no way we were going to get into the game with our HD camera, tripod, and shotgun mic so JM stayed back with the equipment while one of us ran in to catch a glimpse of the game. They were up 30 points and fireworks were exploding overhead – the party had just started but, unfortunately it was time for us to move on.
We drove out before the traffic got too hectic. Both of us were pretty tired so we decided to crash out at an RV “Resort” in Austin. We learned later that when the word “resort” is associated with an RV park that usually means it’s a regular campsite but they get to triple their price. We chilled out for most of the next day and made arrangements to head to Houston.

All-Nighters, Marfa, and Onward

J.M. — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:56:43 +0000

At this point, we’ve decided that getting to Tallahassee for the Miami – FSU game is out of the question. We’ve spent the last couple of days planning the revised itinerary (which you can peruse at your leisure on the new, improved “Follow Us” page), but I digress.

After being hit with a hefty bill in Benson and having lost a couple days of travel time, we decided it was time to take action. We hit the road with a vengeance and spent the night driving along the I-10 along the U.S. Mexico border. It was about 2am when we finally hit the US-90 that crosses down South towards Marfa, TX. This highway is probably one of the most deserted areas in the U.S. – there is literally nothing around for at least 100 miles. In our sleep-deprived state we took the opportunity to try to capture this horror movie quality on tape (teaser trailer 2 soon to come).

A couple more hours and we were at the German Prada installation about 35 miles outside Marfa. This little alien building about 10 foot square lit up in the desert night. More procrastination and filming. Finally came to a rest area outside the town and passed out for the night/morning at 5am. In case you weren’t aware, Marfa is the town where they filmed “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” among other great films. It is somewhat of an artistic oasis in the middle of west Texas attracting photographers, the avante garde and filmmakers. It is no surprise – the vast, flat landscape is unspeakably beautiful. It is impossible to truly capture the vastness of the sky here.

We excitedly snapped up about a thousand photos and then headed into town for lunch. The choice was easy – right across the railroad tracks there was a battered little “rat-can” blaring Lou Reed out of an 8-track player. This place goes by the name of Food shark, offering Mediterranean food with all the fixin’s (appropriate for the middle of a desert). I got the “Marfalafel” with a Mexican coke and JM got the Fatoush – delicious. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, we ran into Chase and Rachel – the only active Couchsurfing hosts in Marfa. We enjoyed a bit of conversation – they let us know what its really like to live in Marfa as a young professional and told us stories of the Couchsurfing folks that they had hosted before. We parted ways – us to go nap, them to go back to work – and made plans to head out that night for a drink.

We met up later at the local watering hole, Padres, for 2-dollar Lonestars (the PBR of Texas, which also happens to be brewed by the same company). Padre’s was built in an old funeral home – you enter in a big dance hall with a bar and stage. You can make your way through the building, past the pool tables, shuffleboard, and pinball machines and emerge on the patio where everyone casually shares conversation. There is a very diverse crowd here – everyone from ranchers to shopkeepers to artists and photographers. Everyone was friendly and supportive of our project. Before we knew it midnight had come around and it was time to say our goodbyes and head to Austin for our first game.

First days on the road…

J.M. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:30:41 +0000

Tailgate the Nation crew is making our way eastward along the I-10. We left out of LA on Monday morning. About 40 minutes into the drive, we started to have some mechanical problems with “Bessie” as she is now affectionately referred to.

Despite a couple of hiccups, a replaced fuel filter and circuit breaker, and 110 degree desert we braved our way to Benson, AZ where Bessie decided to die at about 1:30am. After spending the night in the parking lot at Big Dave’s Auto and a couple new fuel pumps, we’re well on our way to crossing the next border into Las Cruces, NM.

(big thanks to Best Auto in Quartzsite, AZ – these guys are on top of their game)

Our goal is to make it to Tallahassee, FL by Monday for FSU – Miami (our first game of the season!). It has been a bumpy ride so far, but we’re confident we will arrive on schedule.

Final Preparations…

J.M. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:39:04 +0000

Well, we survived NYC and made it back to our respective home bases in California. Though tired and ill (some more violently than others) we should meet the ultimate goal of hitting the asphalt on Monday.