R.I.P Les Blank – Filmmaker of “Burden of Dreams”
Les Banks dies at 77 (NYtimes)
Les Blank I 
(For years this blogger developed an allergy to Herzog after seeing the Burden of Dreams, an amazing film.)
Les & W.H.
(via Our Favorite films by Les Blank)
See Werner Herzog eats his shoes..(youtube)
Les Blank II 
Les Blank – NYtimes (NYtimes)
Mr. Blank trolled for subject matter on the American periphery, in cultural pockets where the tradition is long but the exposure limited. His films often have a geographic as well as cultural specificity, and food and music are often the featured elements. His musical subjects included Norteño bands of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Cajun fiddlers of Louisiana and polka enthusiasts from across the country.
“You could call him an ethnographer; you could call him an ethnomusicologist or an anthropologist,” Mr. Hackford said. “He was interested in certain cultures that Americans are unaware of. He shot what he wanted, captured it beautifully, and those subjects are now gone. The homogenization of American culture has obliterated it.”