grinner hester's Blog

Maaan life is awseome.
All my life I have wanted to be a husband, a daddy and a maker of movies.
Last night I kissed my beautiful wife goodbye and sat sail with my two boys to roll some tape on some coolness about 2 hours away.
Our ship of fools, now Granny's old boat, a FWD Concorde. Must be a heavy beast. Who knew you could so easlity drift such a boat on hidden gravel roads just by slingin' it? Our destination was backwoods hillbilly country so these roads were our course for most of the voyage. I was already glowing and we hadn't rolled a frame of video as my two decked-out production assistants woohooed in the backseat with every shift of direction.
And speaking of direction, man I have the best crew money can't buy.
I have to set the stage. We were shooting a UFO investigation just outside of Washington, MO. A friend of a friend owns an old wine vinyard at a place with no address and has reported seeing Unidentified Flying Whatevers out there on clear nights. Clear was an understatement. The three of us stood in awe of God's diamonds on velvet for several minutes before making a plan.
Now, we went assuming we'd not actually catch this activity on tape so we came prepped to create our own enetertainment value. The boys, fully camoed, knew their roles well and they included hiding in tick-infested thorn bunkers while holding fake reflactor alien eyes for my camera to pick up 50 feet away. We did this location after location and I watched as two happy whipper-snapped and whipped then whipped and snapped some more. I giggled over and over as I worked realizing this is what people mean when they speak of having a cake and eating it too. I was swimmin' in it and could not keep for continuously showing them with warm words and hugs. They offered willingness, ability and massive creativity and didn't give to fatigue until I did. We shot from sundown to just past midnight then started our return 2 hour voyage back toward society.
Now, I have no idea how oput little movie is gonna turn out. Amongst the first times since making flicks, man, I surely don't care either. We were but three buddies out in the boonies enjoying each other's company.
Simple is good.

The freeby gig. We've all done it. Most of the time we are not quite sure why we are doing as we do it and most of the time we are glad we did it later. Such was the case at Lucas School House, a music venue in St. Louis, MO. I was shooting a music video for friend Colin Gilmore of Austin Texas when in walked in the music industry's best known mystery… Beatle Bob. Beatle Bob is known as the guy who shows up at concerts all over the country and dances like a mad man. He has not missed a show a single night since 1996 and, for years, has boggled fans and journalists with his tales-o-many. I didn't know who he was. He just walked in and started jamming like there was no tomorrow. Some people stepped back and others laughed but I saw a guy that was totally in the now and wanted to learn more. Beatle Bob and I swapped cards and a week or so later, he called me. He explained that he was attending the Americana Music Festival in Nashville TN and asked if I'd like to go with him. I checked my schedule, questioned my sanity and accepted. Now dig it. I'm 38 years old. I have a wife and three kids and I'm going on a road trip with a stranger I think to at least be crazy, staying with friends of his, whom I've never met. For 4 days. Man, I had to tell my kids to never do this as I left to do it. My wife asked me why I was going on this trip and all I could come up with was "I'll know why when I get home." The plan changed. The plan will do that when traveling with the Beatle. Our first change of plan came when he told me he doesn't drive. He had me pick him up in the funky district of St Louis at a sandwich shop between two bars. I didn't mid springin' for gas, I just kept envisioning a bad COPS episode when the cop is like "so who are your traveling with?" and the dude is all "uuuhmm… I dunno really. I know his name is Beatle Bob." And then the cop is all" you're traveling with a guy you don't know his real name? Where does he live?" "uuuhhhm… I dunno, man like I picked him up at a sandwich shop." Casting aside all pre-trip visions, I kissed my wife and kids goodbye, grabbed my camera like a long-haired guy grabbin' a guitar and walked out with what I was sure to be theme music under me. Intrigue follows Beatle Bob as we talk about life, love and dreams on our 5 hour stretch to Music City. We arrive to a friendly destination and I was able to report no gimp chambers with a quick call home. Beatle Bob and I spent the next four daze bee-boppin' all over Nashville covering over 50 bands in 10 different venues. Beatle Bob set up the credential situation and while my badge was good for the convention center, it did nothing for any of the venues we shot at. Regardless, following Beatle Bob, I had no problems shooting in places ranging from back street bars to the Historic Ryman Theatre. Yes, Beatle Bob moshed to Robert Plant in the Ryman and yes I freakin shot it. lol I got kicked out of nowhere and learned in watching Beatle Bob, all one has to do to belong is to look accordingly. I shoot with a Sony FX-1 HDV camera. I tote no sticks or lights but I'm middle aged with high mileage. What I'm saying is these were 4 quite humbling nights. Daddy likes to go to bed now about 2am and that's about when Beatle Bob likes to turn it up to level 11. I was shooting reality for 14 hours a day. My arms were noodles, my dogs were sore, and my one good ear was bad. Beatle never stopped rockin' the whole trip. I'll not spoil the movie with details but highlights of the trip include Glen Campbell singin' Green Day and Beatle Bob stealing a waitress' pie. We rocked with stars, partied with locals and made friends galore. I drove Beatle Bob back to the sandwich shop in the hip part of St Louis. I thought how little I still knew about the man in my car. I can only describe this feeling as success, that being the very point of the trip and documentary; to know more with less details. I dragged ass into the house feelin' like ashes and smellin' like smoke after 5 days on the road and was greeted like a rock star from my biggest fans. I told my kids of the friends I made, the shows we saw and the pie that Beatle Bob weezed. I told my wife the reason I went on this journey. It wasn't to make a documentary. It was to make a friend. I had done that. I edited The Beatle Bob and Grinner Show on an Avid Adrenaline over the course of two weeks, having 11 hours of raw footage. The final documentary runs 90 minutes and is entered in Film Festivals all over the country. The Beatle Bob and Grinner Show can be seen at www.grinnerhester.com.