In a segment that aired on Sunday, "
60 Minutes" calls Marfa, Texas "The Capital of Quirkiness." The sweetly artsy spirit of this remote small town of far West Texas was precisely what appealed to me when I first came across it more than a decade ago-- and what drew me to start
writing a book and
podcasting about it back in January 2012. But as I delved in, reading and traveling and interviewing a wide variety of artists, scientists, business people and others, I soon realized that there's a far larger, more complex story, or rather, stories, to tell about the Big Bend region. Start with the fact that the Spaniards called it the Despoblado (Empty Quarter), and on pre-20th century maps it appears only vaguely as "La Apachería..." It's one of the earth's "Thin Places," to steal an Irish term-- and with a frightening history, a starkly beautiful swirl of landscape, border country. . . Watch
"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" for an idea of what it looks like.
So far, of the projected 24, I've posted 11 podcasts about the region. A few favorites:
Cowboy Songs by CowboysA Visit to Swan HouseMary Baxter, Painting the Big BendWe Have Seen the LightsCharles Angell in the Big BendListen in to all the podcasts anytime at
www.cmmayo.com/marfaNext podcast: an in-depth interview with Dallas Baxter, founder of
Cenizo Journal.P.S. Follow my other blog,
Marfa Mondays Blog, for updates about the podcasts, photos, videos, and more.
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