SHANE BALLARD
1981-2004
MEET SHANE BALLARD
HE'S RUNNING FOR SHERIFF
OF LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
Adult businesses in Lowndes County, Mississippi ("the Buckle of the Bible Belt") are
being unfairly harrassed by local law enforcement. Record label owner Shane Ballard, 22,
plans to change that. He is a Republican candidate for sheriff. This documentary follows Ballard
on and off the campaign trail during his controversial bid for public office. Along the way, we
learn about his strange music, his even stranger hobbies, and his friendship with Charles Manson.
We also discover some unsettling truths about his mother's mysterious death in Lowndes County.
Can an obscene, porn-loving political unknown change minds in a small southern town?
If anyone can, it's "Citizen Shane".
___________________________________________________________________________________
I knew Shane Ballard, and I sent him literally hundreds of rare tapes.
A few years later, he had a film created about himself, called CITIZEN SHANE.
In 2004, shortly after finishing it, the director of the film, Ron Tibbett, was killed in a
car wreck. A month later, Shane Ballard committed suicide by inhaling carbon dioxide.
One year later, Ive just now found out about the death of Shane.
Shortly before his death, he sent me a VHS of CITIZEN SHANE,
and wrote "feel free put it on your site and send a copy to whoever wants it".
I watched it, then wrote him back the next day and told him it was really good
and that I thought it could become a minor "cult classic" on the internet ..
Shane never wrote me back. As far as I know, he was already dead.
The film is truly fascinating AND disturbing, especially in retrospect.
You could say that Shane Ballard was a bit on the "eccentric" side.
He knew Charles Manson well enough to chat with him on the phone.
He had a bizarre fascination with Hitler, the dark side, and serial killers.
He had a tattoo printed on his leg of Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby.
He was an anarchist who officially ran for Sheriff in Mississippi
on a "pro porno" ticket, and got several hundred votes.
He lived a most "unconventional" life, to say the least.
Love him, hate him, mock him, worship him ... this was SHANE BALLARD.
WATCH IT NOW ON A GOOGLE VIDEO STREAM!
"CITIZEN SHANE" (GOOGLE VIDEO)
________________________________________________________________________________
THE WIRE - REVIEW
WRITTEN BY
LARRY CLOW
2004
starring
Shane Ballard, Aaron Dunn,
Warren Dearman, Charles Manson
directed by
Ron Tibbett
the plot: Meet Shane
Ballard, a 22-year-old living in Lowndes County, Miss.,
the
“buckle” of the Bible Belt. This shot-on-video documentary follows
Shane’s
campaign
for county sheriff, in which he runs on a pro-pornography, anti-police
harassment
platform. Shane’s campaign is a disorganized, half-assed mess, much like
the
candidate himself, and the few voters he manages to talk to don’t seem
all that
thrilled
about the prominence he gives pornography. But at home and off the
campaign
trail,
Shane shows his other sides—a loyal friend, an eccentric outsider, and
a boy
still
reeling from his mother’s unsolved murder more than a decade earlier.
why it’s
good: “Citizen Shane”
is about as underground as underground film can get,
and
though it looks shoddy and cheap, there’s a sort of raw emotion
coursing through
the
movie that makes it impossible not to watch. Yes, it’s shot on video,
but director
Ron
Tibbett’s tight pace and structure gives “Citizen Shane” an unexpected
narrative
structure.
It’s also a weird-as-hell movie, with a star who is so eccentric that
you’re at
once
repulsed and intrigued. Tibbett’s camera doesn’t flinch when he
documents
Shane’s
life. It’s all on display, from the stacks of pizza boxes and other
trash that
litters
Shane’s house to his collection of pop culture detritus and his bizarre
museum
of
serial killer memorabilia. And speaking of weird: an entire 10-minute
chunk of
the movie
is devoted to a recorded phone conversation between Shane and Charles
Manson.
The two chat about Manson’s musical career, the new songs he’s been
creating,
and, finally, the “injustice” Manson has faced from the legal system.
Creeped
out? You probably should be, but just when you’re ready to dismiss Shane
as
another lunatic, there’s a touching (though just as morbid) scene of
him walking
along
the patch of road where his mother’s body was found. That sequence is
also
the heart of the film; Shane’s decision to run for sheriff seems to be
nothing
more
than a chance for him to re-open the investigation into his mother’s
murder,
an
investigation he says local law enforcement officials botched and
ultimately
covered up.
Shane is strange, but he also has a sly wit and a creative streak a
mile
wide, and
it’s easy to see how living in the “buckle of the Bible Belt” can take
its
toll on such an eccentric character. Tibbett died in a car accident in
June
2004, just
after the film came out. Two months later, Shane committed
suicide,
making him all the more tragic and enigmatic.
SHANE'S LAST POSTING
REMEMBERING RON TIBBETT
MAGNOLIA FILM FESTIVAL
“Hello?”
“Hey, Shane. Did I ever give you my copy of
‘The American Astronaut’? You have got to check it out!”
I always loved getting phone calls from Ron Tibbett.
As soon as I got on the line Saturday afternoon, he started
rattling off the names of a handful of obscure movies he wanted me to see.
This is how a conversation with him usually began, and as always, I listened attentively.
Film was Ron’s great passion in life, and his enthusiasm for it was contagious.
When Ron created the Magnolia Film Festival in 1997,
some people thought it would fail miserably.
Our state had never held an event like that before, and frankly,
many found the idea of having a film festival in Mississippi ridiculous.
“It’s too high-brow for this community,” they said. Ron saw it differently.
He was convinced that more than a few people in our area were tired
of the typical Hollywood fare, and would be open to more experimental,
more challenging films. As usual, Tibbett was right. The Mag
proved to be so popular that Tupelo, Oxford, and Jackson soon
followed suit by creating their own independent film showcases.
I met Ron in 2002 on the set of a student film he and I had acting roles in.
I was more than a little flattered when, the following year, he asked me
if he could document my run for sheriff of Lowndes County. I was a bit nervous
about letting him follow me around with a camera for six weeks, but Ron
quickly put me at ease when he said “If you don’t like the movie, we can burn it.”
That seemed fair enough.
Ron Tibbett was a gifted filmmaker, a great storyteller, and a man that,
by creating Mississippi’s first film festival, contributed more to our state’s
culture than I think he ever realized. On a personal level, I will miss his humor
and his warmth. Most of all, though, I’ll miss the phone calls.
“So I have this great idea for a movie.”
“Let’s hear it, Tibbett.”
“Let’s do lunch Tuesday. I’ll tell you all about it.
I’ll be sure to bring that Herzog movie with me.”
“Sounds great! See you then.”
“Okay. I have to run now. Much love to you.”
Much love to you too, Ron.
Shane Ballard
Columbus, MS
CHARLES MANSON
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHARLIE
BACK TO
SUBTERRANEAN CINEMA