New York actor and playwright, Taylor Mac, is currently performing at the Undermain Theatre in Dallas and paused Monday to speak with Theater Jones critic, Mark Lowry. Taylor talks about his craft and his creative process in Lowry’s video interview.

Taylor’s a brilliant and thoughtful young actor whose hands move constantly while he’s talking. I simply let him speak and the hands did the rest.

Fast forward to January 6, last Wednesday, when I’m roughly 1,800 miles from Marfa NYC parked in front of Prada Marfa. It’s the sculpture installation created by artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset that sits on a lonely stretch of West Texas highway 90 just outside Valentine. It debuted in 2005 and has been baffling unsuspecting tourists for more than four years.

Despite the fact that it’s one of the most photographed curiosities in West Texas, I wanted images for my agency, ZumaPress, in L.A. I arrived at the site shortly after 4 p.m., and began shooting. Thirty minutes later a white Suburban rolled up, turned and backed up to the front door. A guy in a long black duster and black cowboy hat proceeded to pull out a ladder, unlock the door and go inside. I yelled at him from across the road, “I’ve been waiting here for a week, I thought you guys were never gonna open.” He’d probably heard that same lame-assed line a million times before but he chuckled and shouted, “We never open.”

I crossed the road and introduced myself while he fiddled with one of the dead flourescent ballasts in the ceiling. He told me his name was Boyd Elder and said, “I grew up here and I maintain this piece for the artists.” Boyd and I chatted and I asked him what he did for a living, “I’m an artist, I’ve been making art since I was five, he said.”

He was waiting on an electrician to show up to repair the faulty light and it gave us an opportunity to talk and get acquainted over a pair of frosty Shiners from my ice chest. I noticed Boyd was down to the end of a cigar and asked him if he’d like to try one of mine. We shared a couple of Casa Magnas while Boyd talked about his art and growing up in far west Texas. During that conversation we learned that we had a bunch of mutual friends in the area, Bob and Christi Dillard, owners of the Ft. Davis Mountain Dispatch, Roy Hamric, writer, photographer, university professor now in Thailand and Blair Pittman, in Terlingua, author and former National Geographic photographer. I learned that Boyd had worked closely with The Eagles in the 70s and was responsible for a lot of their album cover art. He mentioned a new restaurant/bar in New York’s East Village and that he had paintings hanging in that establishment. “I was there just two weeks ago and I photographed it,” I told him.

It was Boyd’s paintings I’d seen hanging on the back wall of the restaurant. They’re barely visible in the image I’ve posted here. I promised Boyd I’d email him the photo when I got wherever I was going to sleep that night.

The electrician didn’t show and Boyd had work to do, so I told him I’d planned to shoot after dark and I’d call him if the electrician turned up. Two hours later Boyd called me from his ranch house and asked about the electrician. I told him the only person I’d seen was a beautiful costume designer from NYC who’d stopped to photograph the sculpture.

Boyd asked me how I felt about homemade chile rellenos and I asked him for directions. The rellenos (in Shiner beer batter perfected by Miss Rita) were fabulous as was the company, the cigars, the Aberlour 16, the Shiners and the music.

I ended up bunking at Boyd’s and can’t wait to get back. I’m mailing him an 11×14 print of the Marfa NYC image and a handful of cigars.

Paul Baker, 98, director, educator and author, died yesterday at his home near Waelder in the Texas Hill Country. Paul was the founder of the Dallas Theater Center and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Mark Lowry at TheaterJones.com has written an excellent obituary. He’s also providing a space for friends of Paul to post tributes.

On May 11, of this year I photographed Paul and his family at his ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Those images are part of a slideshow at TheaterJones.com. At 98, Paul was still quite alert and eager to discuss theater and the arts. Mark and I spent several hours with the Bakers; Kitty his wife, and his daughter, Robyn Baker Flatt, founder of the Dallas Children’s Theater.

Paul was delighted to hear that both my sons were graduates of Booker T., 2000 and 2007, and wanted to know everything about them and their careers in the arts. Clearly, Booker T., was one of his greatest passions.

Thank you, Malcolm, for stepping up. I’ll spare you my thoughts on Anderson’s premise, because Gladwell does such a brilliant job of shooting it full of holes.

However, I have emailed Chris Anderson and requested my free copy of “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” because I’m dying to see if this model works for Chris.

I’ll let everyone know when my copy arrives.

The high-sheriffs at his publisher may yet consign me to the composing room floor (do they still have composing rooms?). I received a release yesterday from David, which I signed, granting his publisher permission to use my words.

I think I’m one of a gazillion others included in the book but it’s compliment to have been invited.