3 Amigos Taos Days & MacArthur Night's

From the minute we all met in New Mexico we bonded. While checking out the rental car we noticed the plate on the car and discovered we had brought Cyndie along with us for the adventure. After 4 plus hourse touring Santa Fe ( site of my future home) we headed up the Taos Trail.

The Holiday Inn Don Fernando was a great place to stay being a 5 minute walk to the Storyteller Theatre and the host hotel for the festival. Built in the adobe style and set among the mountains it was a perfect location. What we didn't expect to find the next morning was snow and blizzards. What a great way to check out the town and attend the opening of MacArthur Park. You have all read the great adventures from Penny and Beth. What I also remember is sitting up until 4AM and talking after the first MacArthur Park and Billy meeting.

Having to clean off the frost from the car before making the morning donut run with only 3 hours sleep. Than off we where on another day of sightseeing and photo stops. This is one of the most photographed churches in New Mexico and a favorite of Georgia O'Keefe fans. The light in New Mexico can do some real magic on buildings and between that and the color of the sky you get a very peaceful feeling.

The 3 nights of Q&A's brought us closer to understanding the background of the film and the characters. Billy managed to think of something new to share with the film goers everynight so we were never bored. We all noticed that there was never any noise at any of the screenings, no cell phones, no beepers, no coughing just very quiet film goers. It was also our take that most film goers either loved or hated the film, that there was very little middle ground.

You either feel the pain and can relate to the characters or you are lost and simply can't deal with the shock, the pain, and you don't want to understand or accept what you are seeing.

The best decision all of us made was to attend the Gala Award Show, it ws a disaster in organization as Penny has stated but seeing film faces you have seen on television or film and trying to place them in a social scene was really interesting. Seeing Billy in a social function even with the tension of the awards shed a very different light on the man.

The closing night was to be the most interesting night for all of us. The final night with Billy, our final viewing of MacArthur Park, a night for autographs, photos. Up until that night all Q&A's had been positive with no negative feedback to the director, cast or film. On closing night that changed, the subject of explotation of drugs, minorities, came up. Billy was questioned about how an upper middle class white man like him could relate to the drug scene and how and why he had chosen the cast he had.

Billy and Maricel did a great job at fielding these questions and the audience seemed comfortable with the replies.

With that out of the way it was time to get some photos and say our goodbyes. Even after a day of skiing, one last screening of MP, an a very heavy Q&A Billy was ready to do anything we wanted. He could not do enough for us and even with having to pack up the film, and close up last minute details he managed to take his time and not rush. For that we will always be truly grateful.

From talking to Penny and Beth we are all still not sure this happend and what a great time we had. I have two friends for life now, a true respect and admiration for Billy Wirth, Stacy and Maricel, and we can only hope all Billy Wirth fans get to experience this themselves.

We feel at Taos we had the opportunity to meet a very human Billy Wirth, a actor/director we feel all of us are going to hear more from. A film maker who enjoys his craft and treats his film like "his child" with protection and love. A film maker that after all the viewings he has had still finds the film new and is discovering something he missed.

We look forward to seeing what else he can do. We would all like to bid each and everyone of you a goodbye, thanks for taking the time to read and we hope enjoy our adventures. We wish the same to each and everyone of you.

Goodbye from Billy, Max, Penny and Beth

Taos 2001

built mm 4/2001

Penny Part 1|Beth's Taos Adventure
Beth's Taos MacPark Review|Max Meets Billy/Taos| Taos Main Page Home Page

copyright billywirthfanclub.com 4/1/01

photos copyright Max/Penny/Beth 4/1/01