Filmmaker Jacob Young talks ‘Dancing Outlaw’ during screening at WV Museum of Music

By Matthew Young, RealWV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, on Thursday – as part of its ongoing Glotfelty Film Series – held a special one-night screening of the Jacob Young documentary, “Dancing Outlaw,” at Charleston’s Museum of Music. 

Released on Public Broadcasting in 1991 as the first installment of Young’s “Different Drummer” series, “Dancing Outlaw” introduced the world to Jesco White, a troubled Boone County native hoping to one day follow in the footsteps of his folk-dancing father, D. Ray White. The documentary was filmed on-location at Jesco’s home in Boone County, and features the extended White family. 

Young, who was on-hand to participate in a question-and-answer session, told those in attendance, “When we were making ‘Different Drummer,’ we were looking for characters.”

“Jesco qualified,” Young continued. “To be qualified, they had to be somebody who was on a mission, and Jesco’s mission was to live up to his father, and to dance like his father.”

Beyond his simple desire to fill out his late father’s dancing shoes, Jesco’s troubled nature often led to him to verbally abuse his wife and other family members, and spend some time incarcerated for petty crimes. However, the success of the documentary paved the way for Jesco’s unexpected pop-culture notoriety in the form of additional films, a guest role on the sitcom “Roseanne,” and a voice cameo in the “Grand Theft Auto” video game series.

“At first glance you don’t understand everything about Jesco, and his overwhelming propensity to shoot himself in the foot at every possible turn,” Young further explained. “I was first attracted because I thought he was a pretty good dancer, and he could hold a tune. And then when I saw footage of his father, I thought, ‘people need to know about D. Ray White. Look at this guy!’”

According to Young, Jesco was difficult to control during filming, and would often act out in an  irrational manner. 

“If we were traveling with Jesco, and we would stop at a convenience store, I would pull him aside before we went in and I would say, ‘Okay, Jesco, here’s $100 in cash. Now I don’t want you to steal anything out of this store, alright?’” Young said. “So we would go in and buy some things, and I would look back and he would be putting Hershey bars in his back pocket.”

“It was always a challenge like that,” Young added. “I was never in charge of anything.”

In addition to “Dancing Outlaw,” those in attendance Thursday were treated to a very special rare screening of Young’s very first film, 1987’s “Appalachian Junkumentary.” Shot on 16mm film, “Appalachian Junkumentary” tells the story of West Virginia’s auto-salvage industry, and the colorful personalities which exist within it. 

Through its Glotfelty Film Series, The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame will screen films from West Virginia filmmakers on the second Thursday of each month, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Screenings will be held at the WV Museum of Music inside the Charleston Town Center. Admission to all screenings is free, with a suggested $10 donation.

The Glotfelty Film Series will continue on Thursday, August 14, with a screening of “Mike Morningstar: Here’s to the Working Man.” Both Morningstar, and Director Richard Anderson, will be on-hand to answer questions from those in attendance.

For more information, call or email 304-342-4412 or wvmhof@gmail.com, or visit wvmusichalloffame.com. The WV Music Hall of Fame can also be found on Facebook, @West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.