Jack Rowin (Video)

Click over and watch a short film called "Boot Camp" made by Kristin Windbigler.

"A portrait of storyteller, philosopher and bootmaker
Jack Rowin
by an admiring apprentice."

I met Jack Rowin, back in 1999. He makes a hardworking cowboy boot, occasionally decorated with a brand or initial. Ms. Windbigler's film was like stepping back for another visit.

Here are some my old photos...

Contact Jack to place your order for custom cowboy boots, or to learn the craft of bootmaking.

Jack Rowin, Bootmaker
21595 S. Powerhouse Road
Manton, California 96059
(530) 474-5146
bootmaker@shasta.com

(Video link courtesy of Deep West Videos.)

Think About Cowboy Boots

Think 117. Watch the entire program or fast forward 18:03 minutes into the segment for an interview with Laura Neitzel and a clip from the upcoming film, Bodacious Boots.

In this short clip...you'll catch a glimpse of bootmakers Dave Wheeler, Lee Miller, and the hard working folks at Rocketbuster. The film also includes interviews with talented boot collectors Lyle Lovett and John Tongate.

The 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival begins Tuesday July 31st and runs through August 5th. Laura Neitzel's film "Bodacious Boots" opens the festival on July 31st at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas at 7:35pm. More information about purchasing tickets, theaters, and films being shown during the festival is available at www.videofest.org.

Cowboy Boots in Kill Bill 2

If you don't know the storyline... four years after surviving a bullet in the head, the Bride (Uma Thurman) emerges from a coma and swears revenge on her former boss and his deadly squad of international assassins. In one of her many misadventures, the Bride is buried alive...in a graveyard, in a lonely dark pine box, under six feet of dirt.

Lucky for her, she was buried with her boots on...and I've gotten quite a bit of e-mail from women wanting a pair just like 'em. So help me out here...use the comments section below. What can we tell from this valuable copyright-infringing clip?

• Eagle inlaid on a two-piece top, right?
• Star inlay at the collar.
• Two rows of stitching on the eagle-wing inlay ...or just one?

Who's the maker do ya think? (I couldn't see a label inside the boot. Can you?)

Click here for some fun facts about this movie.

Custom Cowboy Boots in High-Def

Well the "buzz" has already started for Bodacious Boots, an hour-long feature documentary all about cowboy boots.

Bodacious Boots is a high-spirited ode to the cowboy boot and the famous and infamous personalities who make them, wear them, and love them.

Yep. It's true. The film includes an ever-growing list of boomakers including Pascal, Lee Miller and Stephanie Ferguson ...filmed in high-def along side the likes of Lyle Lovett, Kelly LeBrock, Kinky Friedman (and appearing soon, yours truly.)

Click here to view the trailer. Spring 2007 release...for info, contact lneitzel@amspg.com.

Video of Custom Bootmaker Paul Bond

Keep your eye on the Paul Bond Boot Company website. Even though the gallery of cowboy boot styles isn't online yet... it's worth a visit just to see the video of Mr. Bond.

Rumor has it, the legendary Paul Bond printed-on-paper catalog is also going through some "big" changes...stay tuned.

Video: Truckin' (1:26min; 5.6mb)

A small story about truckers and cowboy boots. Words by Dave Cobos (El Paso, TX). Photos by yers truly. Click here to view the video.

Video: Lucky Stitch (1:33min)

Click here to view a video of Martin Chávez stitching a cowboy boot top at Rocketbuster Boots in El Paso, Texas USA. The speed at which Mr. Chávez is sewing is genuine...the video is not sped-up or altered.

Read my essay about cowboy boot stitchwork.

This is my first "videoblog" entry. I filmed the video clips last year using my digital still camera, so there is no sound.

 

I found some free online video hosting, so hopefully they'll be more vlogging to come. I'm planning to buy a new camera (one that captures sound) ...before I leave for Texas this October.