of courage and acceptance. A day into the trip, they called their friend Chad Allen back in L.A. and he encouraged them to go for it. That was a highlight because without it, we’d have had a 15-minute short. Addition- ally, meeting gay men and women in some pretty inhospitable areas and hearing their stories.
living openly in conservative areas. It’s way easier to be gay in Southern California. How long did the trip actually take? I’m curious how many miles it ended up being. 2,200 miles in each direction, across I40—
I’m not sure that I’ll need to do that again. What’s the message y’all (as close to country as I’m able to get) were hoping to communicate with the film? If there is an over-arching theme of the
film, it’s courage: the courage the guys had in taking this trip and making the documen- tary; the courage to be oneself that Dolly seems to inspire in everyone we met; and the courage the guys have to live their lives honestly. I read that you are from the foothills of the Ap- palachians, not far from Dollywood—have you been there? I shot the documentary there, but that
was actually my first time. I think making my parents take me as a closeted little hillbilly child would’ve outed me at an early age. You must have listened to a lot of bluegrass/coun- try music, who are some of your favorites (besides Dolly of course!)? Emmylou Harris. Doesn’t get much better
than that. And I’m loving the Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brandi Carlile—the younger gen- eration sometimes called “newgrass” or “alt country.” Again, real instruments, not processed—soulful.
It’s pretty amazing that you received permission to use her music, was that difficult? I give all credit to the dogged tenacity of
They are my heroes, the people
the twins for achieving that. It’s nothing short of a small miracle, but Dolly’s a smart lady, and she saw the potential for maybe reaching a new audience, as well as getting some of her lesser known music out there. She gave us the rights to all 15 songs I put in the film, including “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors.” But I also used a lot from what I consider her three best albums: The Grass is Blue, Little Sparrow andHalos & Horns—the bluegrass albums fit the mood of the film the best. When was the last time you went to Dollywood? Last May when we shot there, though I’m
itchin’ to get back. Did you get to meet her? What surprised you the most about her? You don’t expect me to give away the
climax of the movie, do you? (And, yes, she’s as gracious and genuine in
person as you’ve always imagined). It must have been quite a journey for you to come to California, what was the impetus? Look, if you want to tell your stories, be it
in film, in TV or music, it’s almost a necessity to be in L.A. For my medium, L.A. is where I need to be. And I actually really love it. I live downtown in a loft that I use as a production space, and the neighborhood is awesome. Do you get back to Tennessee often? At least for Christmas every year, but this
year I had a shoot in Nashville, so I went to see my mom in Chattanooga then. Wish it were more often. Keep an eye out for Hollywood to Dollywood, which is making the OutFilm circuit right now. Check out the website for details at hollywood2dol-
lywood.com
NOVEMBER 2011 | RAGE monthly 49
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