I'm a pansy about many, many things, but there is no pansy thing I do that's more embarrassing than my completely irrational fear of fish. I get creeped out at an aquarium, and when I tried to "conquer my fear" by going snorkeling, I was paralyzed in the water. So from where I'm sitting, there is no activity more balls out insane than noodling.
In case you didn't feel like clicking on that link to a definition of noodling, let me break it down for you here - "Noodling is the practice and sport of fishing for catfish using only one's bare hands."
That's right, there are people in the world who spend their free time in muddy river waters, dunking their heads under the water and then reaching into dark holes on the side of the river so they can wiggle their fingers like they were hot dogs, all in the hopes that a gigantic catfish will BITE THEM. Then they'll grab the catfish from INSIDE ITS OWN MOUTH and pull it out of the water.
So yeah, that sounds crazy to me. But seriously, look at the picture above - how is that not crazy?
And yet somehow Bradley Beesley, the director of two documentaries on Okie Noodling, makes you see that the people engaged in this activity aren't crazy at all. They've got a dangerous and marginalized hobby, sure, but remember when Dungeons and Dragons was going to make you a devil worshiper? Give the noodlers a chance!
Bradley will be live in person at the Alamo Ritz on Monday night for a screening of OKIE NOODLING 2 at 7pm, and he's sticking around for a screening of SUMMERCAMP! his documentary about life at a camp one summer after that. Tickets for both screenings are available right here, and I dare you to eat a fish taco during the show.
(Henri)
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