With the release of Country Strong next January starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw, I thought it was the perfect time to take a closer look at this fascinating American state that everybody calls Texas where cowboys, country music and fried chicken reside. Since the Oscar winning movie Giant in 1956, every guy is in the hope of becoming as cool as James Dean someday and all the girls are secretly in love with him. It sounds quite logic actually, I mean, we are talking about James Dean here, one of the most talented, good-looking and charismatic American actors of all time who incarnated the real cowboy attitude with so much ease that it’s not even fair. You won’t become the next James Dean overnight though but you can try to live the Texan life if you fancy following some tips.
First, you need to move to Texas (obviously) and find a job in a ranch in order to learn as much as you can about cattle, cows and horses. If you can make few cowboy friends along the road, it would be great for your learning experience and well, let’s be honest, it’s always better to eat fried chicken, baked corn and barbecued spareribs when you share them with mates! Secondly, you need to learn some rodeo skills and take a plunge in the bull-ring…you will never be a real cowboy if you can’t ride guys, make sure you keep that in mind.
On another hand, I hope you are a “manual” type of person because you will need a set of technical skills to take in your luggage before heading to the airport. Mending fences, maintaining farm buildings and repairing trucks among a bunch of other stuffs are on your next to-do list, so be prepared. Thirdly, you have to get someone to look after the ranch while you are away riding in the rodeo. In fact, it’s not a 9 to 5 sort of job that you can escape when you feel like it, having a ranch is a big commitment that is gonna take all your energy, time and dedication. Usually, cowboys stay at their ranch from Monday to Wednesday and compete Thursday to Sunday, up to you to establish your own schedule but start to look now for your next ranch hand!
Finally, when the sun goes down, it’s time to bring your acoustic guitar out and start to play some country songs around a bonfire, surrounded by your family and cowboy peers. Nothing is best than relaxing after a hard day at work with the people you care the most about around some good food and traditional music. That’s what Texas is all about in the end, enjoying being outdoors, working with animals and keeping this American way of living life to the fullest.
Texan life sounds pretty good to me, your turn to tell what you think…
I agree James Dean is a myth, but hey, what would have happened if he wouldn’t have died so young?!
Anyway i just wanted to say, as a woman I don’t wanna be a cowboy. So what do I need to do in this texan world? And how to seduce a real cowboy?! I wouldn’t mind that 😉
haha!! i see what you mean..you can be a “cowgirl” if you want 🙂
i would like to know how to seduce a real cowboy too but we have to find some first, not sure there is any around here in England :/
So true, James Dean is definitely a myth and it’s such a shame he died so young…
Thanks for keeping posting!