You can watch our podcast with Jason Popow here... and we recommend you do.I rewatched the video New Years Waste of Time Production just to remind myself when I first found Jason Popow and the music videos about his world: The world of cross-continental professional truck driver. This video set to Rafael Lake & Royal Baggs song, “Devil’s Gonna Come.”
I was hooked.
All the places looked familiar even though they were all new to me. I was watching America role across my screen. I soon realized that, when coupled with the song, the music video becomes a storytelling media — the music gives the video someplace to go — a direction. Just as with his life.
Thinking to myself, “This is really different.”
The long-haul truck driver has developed into a type of mythical creature. Not like the old creatures from ancient mythology, but in current American mythology. Here we have a very detailed story— courtesy of Jason Popow.
What we see is our country, from coast-to-coast, through the eyes of Jason Popow, is from Alberta, Canada. What Jason has done with his videos is hold up a mirror for all of us to look at. We all become transfixed by this beautiful photography of North America, and recognize a sense of kinship and pride.
I’m usually more cynical. Sheesh! I watch around 50 music videos every day. Mostly, I just speed through them, looking for something to grab my attention. This was my mood I was in when I first watched “Devil’s Gonna Come” (by Raphael Lake and Royal Baggs.)
Soon I realized what I was watching was something more personal. His music videos form a documentary of his life. All his videos are personal. The secret to what makes them all so good is that most people have similar feeling and experiences. It’s easy for all of us to understand the loneliness of the long road. Where does your mind go when you are on a long trip by yourself? Who hasn’t imagined sitting in the cab of a truck rolling down the freeway. This is all part of the myth the long-haul truck driver has earned.
And I do mean earned. Jason does more than drive his truck. We see him work to load and unload. We see driving in every type of weather. The dangers of the road become apparent when we see him drive through snow and rain. (In the podcast he says how much he hates driving in snow.) And the traffic — the endless miles of cars and trucks seemingly going nowhere.
Watch his videos and you will find yourself holding your breath as he drives through very difficult situations. In one we see him inching his rig over steep dirt roads to pick up a load. Then the entire trip in reverse except with a full load.
Backing up to park at a truck stop is probably second nature for Jason, but watching him back up so precisely makes you realize that he is a professional — making it look effortless. Even after seeing this, I let out a sigh of relief when he is parked.
To fully understand the nature of his work and the dangers he encounters regularly. Watch “Long Way Home” by Hayes Carll, and your eyes open wide and you gasp for breath as we see an oncoming truck skidding on an icy road just about to jackknife. My thoughts went to thinking someone is going to die here. When I mentioned this to Jason he responded by saying, “Yeah and it could happen at any time. But luckily for me the devil doesn’t want me back yet so here I am….” This approach to life seems to be at the core of his philosophy.
He embraces the myth.
Threading a needle is what he does every day. This is what it seems like when watching him drive. A skill he illustrates in this video by “Black Sheep” by J.D. Huggins — “I am the black sheep — I don’t need no permission.” It was around this time I realized every video and every song was about him living his life. All his videos add up to a visual autobiography. We see him doing the job most people know nothing about.
If you watch more than a few of his videos the source of the myth around truck drivers becomes obvious. This is a dangerous occupation. It can be lonely. Meaningful relationships on the road are difficult. Thinking about our culture as a whole: where would we be if not for people such as Jason Popow. He tells his stories for all of us.
For most of the music videos Jason has produced, we see him and his truck getting into and out of various situations.
Now put him on his Harley Davidson and Jason Popow is transformed. He still takes us on wild cross-country trips, but this time he is on vacation. This is the time between trips. His videos on his Harley show him snubbing his nose at conventions and rules. What’s important is the freedom of the road and the wind in his face. He is the outlaw.
As when he is on his truck, he is always recording his trips. On his Harley, whether day or night, we still see the excitement of being on the road with him. Note: at night you can see the underglow on the Harley. This really sets the mood for a mysterious night ride.
As with his techniques in his big rig, he is always searching for that camera angle, making his videos feel dangerous. As he says in his video Can’t Waste Time Better Than This, set to “When The Devil Calls” by Blues Saraceno.
A regular refrain in his videos and the music uses, is the longing to be on the road. When he is not out on the road he is thinking of it. We are then treated to some incredible visuals taken from coast-to-coast. We see the port San Francisco and the New York city skyline. We see sunsets and sunrises across mountain ranges and desert scenery. We see him sitting in his truck cab on the side of the road with his feet up as we watch bumper-to-bumper traffic go by out the window.
If you have ever driven cross-country (as this writer has), you recognize many of the places shown in his videos. Some very familiar, others seem familiar but you’re not quite sure where they are. He has driven through every state and province with the exception of Rhode Island, Maine, and North and South Carolina. (And no, he has not driven to Hawaii.)
Jason calls his YouTube channel Waste Of Time Productions but his videos show he is not doing that — wasting his time, that is. He is telling a story — the story of his life many will recognize because of the places and situations he gets into. This is the secret to what makes his videos so engrossing. He knows his audience and how to make his videos feel familiar.
He spends his down time making music videos that record his thoughts as well as his adventures. It has become a creative outlet for him, and a method to relieve stress.
By sharing his life story through his music videos we see the culture of a continent connected by roads. Roads that connect more than just places, but also people and ideas. He shows a common heritage shared by all people on this continent. Something many of us have forgotten.
Jason admits to wanting to document his travels because he knows this is a part of life most people will never see. In the process, people will better understand the myth of the trucker in our shared culture — and, he shows he is a big part of that myth. The dangers he encounters regularly is part of his life on the road.
Watching his music videos comes with a cost. This being the case, we are going to have to think about what all this means to us, as individuals, as nations, and as a people. Jason shows us how to make it work — by looking for enjoyment in life.
In Jason Popow we found a humble man who never set out to educate people or change their minds about anything. Here is a man who embraces his life and wants to show the world what his life is like. On his YouTube channel there are videos from three years ago. Presumably, this is when he started posting his videos and documenting his life. Along the way he found a way to relieve boredom and stress by creating something others could enjoy watching.
After our podcast interview and talking to him for this article, I found a man who enjoys his life to the fullest — unapologetically. Here is a man with boundless optimism and joy. He is a rare breed.
I consider it fortunate that our paths crossed. TikiKiti focuses on the music video and the people that make them. Finding Jason helped make all of us around here more aware of a life foreign to us. After watching his videos and talking to him, we all felt inspired. Our world is wider than our views of it.
This is what we learned from Jason Popow.
Connect with Jason Popow here:
With his YouTube channel Waste Of Time Productions, Jason Popow has completed a playlist for the ultimate road trip. Below are links to all the videos highlighted in this article, plus a few more of our favorites. Great for your next road trip.
