Get out into it…
April 25th, 2006 : by Mike LutzHey Mike Lutz here, as we’ve been talking about so far on this blog, the prep work that an actor does for a role is really important. For me watching old westerns, and practicing shooting a revlover has been part of that. More than that, though, it’s the start of a really interesting journey. In recent weeks, I’ve found myself in places that I would normally never go. (i.e. gun shops on the sunset strip, gun ranges downtown and in the high desert, western wear shops in the valley.) I’m forced to step out of the sunny confines of my beach town and explore. Here in Los Angeles, that can be a truly eye-opening experience. And I mean that in good way. Sometimes in life, you get stale, you get a little too comfortable. It’s so rewarding to get out of that box and get into the world around you. I guess what I’m saying is, let’s all do a little more exploring, people. It brings us closer to where we live. Think about it.
April 25th, 2006 at 8:10 am
Mike, your letter made me stop and do a little thinking about my cowboy past. My folks put me on a horse as soon as I could hold on to a saddle. I think I was in my first rodeo event at the age of three, primarily competing in sportmanship type events, then on to barrell racing and roping events. They have the old 8mm films to show it, looks like somebody tied a baby monkey to the back of a saddle and turned them loose in the arena. One thing I do remember was how so many people wore cowboy hats at school, and always on further investigation none of them had any ranch experience, or land or any tie whatsoever to the cowboy way othe than wanting to be one I suppose. To me this was as odd as wearing your halloween costume to a 4th of July party. I would only wear my hat on the way to the ranch or at the ranch. And believe me once at the ranch you didn’t go anywhere with out your hat. If you walked two steps outside the door of the house, you had might as well gone out naked. Either my grandfather or grandmother would quickly and sternly ask where is you hat? It was not an option and considered essential. One time when my hat was a little to loose, my grandpa said no problem I will fix it, he got behind me and started doing something, next thing I know I feel a tightening, very tightening sensation on my head, as it started to get unbearable I pulled away to see him standing there with a pair of pliers, when I finally pulled off my hat he had wrapped a peice of bailing wire around it and was twisting it with the pliers to tighten it up on my head. That hat never did fall off again.