Coachella Road Trip

PHOTOS (TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT)

1. DEX ROMWEBER & HIS TRUSTY SEARS MANUFACTURED AXE.
2. KARLOTTA AT CRANKSHAFT CROSSING, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK.
3. WILD FLOWER BLOOM.
4. INYO MINE.
5. YES IT DOES SNOW IN PARTS OF DEATH VALLEY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
6. I AM REALLY GLAD MY LIGHTING REFLEXES SAVED THIS TORTOISE.
7. A SECRET GARDEN.
8. LOST HIGHWAY, ROUTE 666.
9. SATAN'S RANCH.
10. CHEMICAL PLANT.
11. INDIAN COVE.
12. A POSSIBLE LOCATION WHERE SHERIFF COX WILL TORTURE THE ACID MAKER.
13. WILL & AIMEE AT THE CHAINS OF LOVE.
14. COACHELLA SUNSET.
15. LEONARD COEN.
16. MEAT IS MURDER, MORRISSEY: HE WAS A TOTAL CRACK UP... REFERRING TO THE CONCESSIONS, "OH THE SMELL OF BURNING FLESH, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN BEAR IT..." THEN HE RIPS OFF HIS SHIRT... CLASSIC!
17. THE WALRUS IS PAUL.
18. DRIVE BY TRUCKERS.
19. GROOVY MAN.
20. TIME FOR ANOTHER TEQUILA AND A BEER.
21. THE GUY WHO CREATED THIS NEON MISTING TENT.
22. THE X MUST BE KICKIN' IN ON THESE TEENS.
23. FIRE BREATHING MADNESS!
24. TURBO NEGRO, "ARE YOU READY FOR THE DARKNESS?".
25. THE SIDESHOW.
26. MASTADON.
27. SAUSAGE VENDORS IN LOVE.
28. THE MISTY HORDE.
29. JOHN SILVER SMOKES A GRIT AFTER A RALLY AT THE POOL.
30. THE GANG ON ANOTHER MISSION.
31. PORTRAIT OF THE GANG.
32. THE CHICK FROM MURDER CITY DEVILS SMOKES COOL.
33. THE MURDER CITY DEVILS.
34. TIT TAT.
35. PIT CAM.
36. X
37. SUNSET ON THE LAST DAY.
38. THE COACHELLA TORCH.
39. THE MISTY ZONE.
40. THE CURE.
41. THE WALK OF FAME.
42. THE GETTY.
43. THE GETTY, NO. 2.
44. THE BURGUNDY, LOUDER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE.
45. DEPECHE MODE AT HOLLYWOOD & VINE.

ALL PHOTOS ©2008 JAMES JACKSON : ANY REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT.

After a very long writing session on Satan’s Ranch™ I finally busted out on a much anticipated road trip in search for film locations. Since I had been offered a supreme poolside accommodation timely with Coachella, the music festival had also become part of the mix. Thank you very much to Will and Aimee!!!

The trip kicked off in San Francisco where I had caught a very long awaited show with the Dexter Romweber Duo. If you’re not familiar with Dex look him up, he is often cited as a major influential talent with notable musicians, most prominent with his former band The Flat Duo Jets. On another incidental credit he is also the writer and performer for “Ask Me How I Live” the feature song for which I had obtained the rights to use in my film “A Short Affair”.  When I heard that by fate he and his sis Sara who now form the current Duo were also to play in Nevada at the time I was to pass through Reno, I made a promise to make the date and film which I did (check back for a later posting). Thanks to Mr. Farley the proprietor of the very cool Saint James Infirmary for the Guinness!

Following a brief fishing expedition I had departed from US 395 near Big Pine on a three day diversion where the weather had made for a very rough off road adventure through Death Valley, Mojave, and Joshua Tree. I had discovered very beautiful hidden valleys carpeted with wildflower blooms, abandoned mine ruins, a crazy tortoise, and a lost town along Route 66. The wild winds and occasional rain showers had not finally settled until the time I had made my final camp at Indian Cove. From there I took the back door route on Old Dale Road through Joshua Tree National Park and popped out San Berdoo Canyon into the Coachella Valley where I had been greeted by great friends, lovely ladies, cold beer, cool water, beautiful skies and a very impressive festival overall. Only a few days had passed but it was one of those daze where it had seemed liked weeks.

It was a hard stumble the morning after Coachella to San Diego where I made for a quick script delivery to The Count and a fancy feast downtown where I cooled the jets with a couple cold tall boy PBRs and a nice robusto. The next morning brought a sweet sip of vintage grape The Count has aged in oak barrels before I was off to the final destination.

It was the late afternoon when I had pulled off the 101. There she was, the muse – a beautiful brown tanned brunette stripping totally naked on the sidewalk on Franklin, yep – this was Hollywood all right. The irony was that after all the pictures I had shot on this trip thus far there was not even one left in the camera for this jewel. And of course it didn’t stop there, that is the nature and the one thing you’ve got to love about the grid, it is a dirty pretty rumpus. The last surprise was a flash flood of ten thousand people, massive stage rigging, helicopters, and battalions of cops at Hollywood and Vine. It turned out to be a free Jimmy Kimmel performance by Depeche Mode, they were actually a good note on which to end it all before heading back through the desert for more scouting and finally, home sweet home.