Hey, not all documentaries have to be about incest, poverty, and porn stars. Inoffensive, quirky Americana can be a delightful change of pace. Bob “Daddy-O” Wade is touted as one of the biggest and brightest artists of Texas. Why? He makes some of the state’s biggest and brightest art. Wade gained national attention for a giant iguana he built that stood on the roof of the New York City’s Lone Star Cafe, much to the consternation of the establishment’s neighbors. Other works include a pair of 40-foot cowboy boots and a 60-foot saxophone at the entrance of a Texas nightclub. The most controversy derives from whether Bob’s projects, often near the entrances of businesses, are actually “art” or just signs.
Bob’s current masterpiece is the “Iguanamobile”, an Airstream trailer that now supports a fire-breathing head and tail. Director Karen Dinitz follows Bob on a promotional tour that also reveals the artist’s influences and, uh, construction methods.
While amusing enough, this film is much like Wade’s art. I think many of his pieces chiefly serve as something for tourists to have their pictures taken in front of, and Wade’s works have about the same importance in the art world as the photos do in the lives of those tourists. Less an expression of the artist’s inner torment, a lot of these giant objects seem designed primarily to amuse Bob and his friends. Niether the film not the art will change your life. They’re just an agreeable way to kill some time.
