You probably cant tell from looking at all the horror, cult and science fiction movie reviews around here, but I love roadside kitch. I love Americana, I love oddball stuff like the biggest ball of twine in America, the Spot of Mystery (every state seems to have one), and Carhenge. I want to go to Wall Drug, the gigantic crater in Arizona and I want to drive the length Route 66 some day. And so, I was thrilled when I discovered the kindred spirits of Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations.

For those of you who've never heard of the show - and I'd be shocked if you did - let me bring you up to speed quickly. Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations was first broadcast sometime in the mid nineties on the Kansas City PBS station KCPT. Three guys - Don the Camera Guy, Mike Murphy and Randy Mason - struck out in a minivan, seeking out unusual folk, eccentric artists, and fascinating tourist traps (and I mean that in the best possible sense of the word) on the highways and byways of the Heartland of of America and the Midwest states.

After some rave reviews and some Emmys for their first few seasons, the TV Weasels (as they're known) have traveled in ever-widening circles around the US, covering - at least according to the episode guide on their web page - nearly all 48 states, save for Nevada. Frankly, it's a job I'd give my eyeteeth for: visit odd places and make a TV show out of your trip.

I discovered this particular DVD on my trip from Seattle to Four Corners, in a little hole in the wall (quite literarily) called Hole n' the Rock. Hole n' the Rock was created some 60-ish years ago by an entrepreneur man and his wife who carved their home out of a sheer cliff face. It turned into a restaurant and then evolved into a tourist trap with a petting zoo, old school neon signs from the 50's, displays of strange and unusual art, a wide range of chatchki for sale at the gift shop - and of course tours of the Hole n' the Rock.

Each episode covers about half a state - the first episode covers from Moab, Utah to Melba, Idaho. Episode two goes from Eastern Washington to Western Washington. Episode three picks up where we left off in Seattle, heading down to the Oregon coast. The next episode sees us jump over to Portland before heading down into Bend. Episode five is all about the south central Oregon, and episode six is northern California.

Generally you get - depending on how in depth the subject matter - about 6-8 stops per episode. For example, the Spokane-Seattle episode covers a milk bottle-shaped building and a giant Radio Flyer in Spokane, the Gehrke Windmill Gardens near the Grand Coulee Dam (a surprisingly in-depth stop, considering the smallness of the park. I've been there, and it aint all that big), Dick & Jane’s Art Spot in Ellensburg, a couple of Seattle artists and the Walker Rock Garden in West Seattle (a place now on my "must see" list).

In the Seattle-to-Long Beach episode, Randy, Mike, and Don the Camera Guy meet Seattle’s Fremont Troll, painter/accordionist Greg Blackstock before stopping at the Java Jive building in Tacoma and Dan Klennert’s Ex-Nihilo Sculpture Park near Elbe before heading down highway 2 to visit the RichArt Yard in Centralia, the World’s Largest Egg in Winlock, before winding up at the Free Museum in Long Beach.

And so it goes, as Randy, Mike, and Don the Camera Guy discovering velvet art museums, redwood trees that you can drive through, and Evel Kinevel's launching point for his failed jump over the Snake River (now a Best Buy parking lot). The odd and the eccentric, the off-beat and the off the beaten path - no sight is too weird, too unusual for the TV weasels to uncover.

While yes, it's a documentary of sorts, it doesn't go in for the scholarly approach to the people, places, things and other proper nouns. Instead, like sensible collectors everywhere, the TV Weasels look for what strikes their fancy, rather than for what is necessarily considered important - although the two are often one and the same.

This causal approach is does lead to the Weasels glossing over some aspects of the attractions. For example, the Hole N' the Rock segment was all about the home and nothing about the zoo, the surrounding art or pretty much anything beyond the main attraction. It seems that they're just out to whet your whistle than exhaustively document a place. Just as you're starting to get hooked on the Person, Place, Thing and/or other proper noun - and suddenly they're back on the road and zooming off in search of the next attraction. The upside of that is that if you're not especially interested in the subject matter, you don't have to wait long for them to get to something new and fresh and hopefully exciting that you do care about.

Oh sure, it's a bit corny and the guys' shtick might grate from time to time (the constant games of catch strike me as a bit forced), but I do have to admit that it's one of the most weird, wacky and entertaining half hours I've seen on public television in a very long time.

If there's a problem with the DVD, it's that it is damn hard to find. I stumbled on it by accident, I've never seen it in stores, and looking for it on dvdpricesearch.com comes up dry. The only place to pick up a copy - well, aside from driving to Utah - is from the Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations webpage, or the PBS store. Unfortunately being a small nitch show without a wide market, the price is also pretty steep. The single disc will run you about 20 bucks and the boxed set of 10 discs will run about a 150 bucks. Okay, it goes to Public Television and they badly need the dosh, but as the economy implodes and crumbles all around us, 150 dollars is still a pretty big hit to the wallet.

THE VIDEO -
The episodes on this disc were shot later in the shows run, so I cant tell you if they're typical of the quality throughout. But they were shot on what appears to be Betacam - at least judging by the rig on Don the Camera Guy's shoulder - so they look presentable, but not outstanding. It doesn't say on the box, but if I had to guess, it sounds like it's a 2.0 stereo mix for the sound track - and the Soundtrack is just like the video, a bit rough but perfectly serviceable.

THE EXTRAS -
Much to my shock, there are a couple of extras on the disc. We get a handful of deleted scenes from each episode, short bits that expand on some of the stops, bits that sometimes really flesh out the encounters. There's also a music video - basically an extended remix of the main theme laid over a bed of the weasels and their adventures. I don't know if this holds true for the other discs of the series, but I was pleasantly surprised by the extra content.

THE BOTTOM LINE -
Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations is a kitsch little show that will not appeal to everyone. However if your tastes run to an unusual roadside attractions your father would never stop the car for, then this DVD may be just what you're looking for. It's a show not just about art that you'd never have found, but a series that celebrates creativity and human ingenuity.

Me? I know that I'm getting the rest of the series (and companion book) and using it as a checklist for some of my road trip adventures!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4