Hi, folks. Tim Fasano here. The sun is setting on the winter solstice.
It is also the time of year where we celebrate the birth of the divine child and savior. Other civilizations throughout history have had a similar form of mythology: Horus in Egypt, Mithras in Persia.
All speak of a rebirth and a regeneration. All things that are born must die. All things that die will be reborn.
It is something central to human nature to tap into the mysterious and the universal. It is an archetype that seems to be consistent with all civilizations and all humanity. It’s okay in this modern world to believe in myths, to have strong belief in religion.
I mean, myth in the classical sense, not to step it on anybody’s religious sensibilities. It’s okay to believe. That is what makes us human.
My twin brother, Tim, who would have been celebrating his birthday today had he not passed away three years ago. See my Facebook page for a tribute I wrote for him.
I produced the documentary film BIGFOOT TIM. The film recounts the last ten years of his deceased twin brother’s life, using over 1,500 of Tim Fasano’s YouTube videos plus archival content such as 8mm home movies, newspaper articles, podcast segments, and recorded radio interviews.
I made the film with a total budget of $79, using the Filmora software on an older iMac.
A little background: Tim was born in Virginia and eventually settled in the Tampa area. The film explores the last decade of his life as he struggles to pull himself out of poverty as a cab driver while developing a late-life interest in videography and a passion for finding Bigfoot in the swamps of Florida. The film brims with wild stories, wild characters, strange dreamers, and big ideas about human existence.
The soundtrack uses 31 compositions by the Australian/Swedish composer Scott Buckley. It also uses the song “Wishes” by American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Matthew Mondanile, performed by his solo music project, Ducktails.
A trailer I did for the documentary about my twin brother and his exploits searching for Bigfoot. It took a lot of work to put this short film together, but it was fun.
Tim Fasano, who died last November of cardiac arrest, penned a memoir of life at the margins of society.
Before his YouTube page became a sensation with over 1,300 videos of his search for Bigfoot, Tim Fasano wrote a popular blog called Tampa Taxi Shots. The blogging craze was at its height in 2006, and Mr. Fasano began documenting his view of life on the streets from behind the wheel of a United Cab.
Mr. Fasano often said there was more philosophy in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven than in a college lecture hall.
He often wrote about ne’er-do-wells and down-and-outs, strippers and prostitutes, nightclub patrons, and guys looking for a late-night date. He wrote of vacationers who thought they were long-routed, sick people headed to the emergency room in the wee hours, and the mentally ill. There was no shortage of surly drunks, bums with no money, and addicts who believed Mr. Fasano knew where to score drugs. Several newspapers wrote articles about his blog, and often Mr. Fasano appeared on local television — once for finding a suspicious package at the Tampa airport. News outlets from around the country published obituaries about him, including US News & World Report.
His short, concise posts were compelling and bewitching in their effort to find meaning in the hustle of cab driving. A student of philosophy at the University of South Florida, Mr. Fasano often said there was more philosophy in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven than in a college lecture hall. An amateur photographer, he filled his blog with photos of the road, billboards, and graffiti. He took dozens of photographs of his fellow drivers, many of whom have passed away.
We at Coyote Canyon Press had the pleasure of reading his manuscript a few years ago. Based on his blog entries but fleshed out significantly, his book focuses on the unglamorous lives of people on the margins, people whose stories are rarely told.
The Cabbie’s Tale will be published in the summer of 2020.
Frank Cerabino has a write-up about my brother today in the The Palm Beach Post. The interview was the result of a cold-call by Mr. Cerabino.
Hunt for Bigfoot yields more exercise than sightings Many of you are probably vowing to start exercising after the holiday season. It happens every year. Gym memberships swell in January. But maybe instead of joining the gym, you should consider hunting for Bigfoot. I thought of this after talking to Tim Fasano, a 56-year-old Tampa, Fla., taxi driver by way of a college philosophy degree.
“I wouldn’t last five minutes on a treadmill,” said the 260-pound cabbie. “But I can spend hours walking around the woods. It’s good for me. I need the exercise.” Fasano walks through Florida swamps, woodlands and forests about three days a week in search of Bigfoot. It’s more than a hobby with him.
He has devoted countless hours to the hunt and posted YouTube videos of suspicious footprints and audio clips of animal howls. His website “Sasquatch evidence.com” makes for enjoyable reading for anybody who has the inclination to imagine that the mythical Bigfoot creature lives in Florida. Fasano says it makes perfect sense for Bigfoot to be here. “Florida contains some of the wildest areas of remote, dense jungle and unexplored areas,” he said. And I’m guessing that if Bigfoot doesn’t live in Florida, certainly Bigfoot’s grandparents do.
(Sasquatch Village?) Fasano is used to the skeptics. But he’s too enamored with the quest, which probably has something to do with his philosophy degree. “I was very interested in exploring the universe and finding out why we are here,” he said. “With all the oceans explored, now the great explorers must look inward to find mythical beasts.” Fasano and a small band of enthusiasts have created something they call the Florida Bigfoot Organization. “I’ve been doing it four years now,” he said.
“I never thought I would be doing it this long. Every time I think I’m going to quit, I find something.” Like a large fresh footprint in a remote swamp. “I was covered with Off that day because the mosquitoes were so thick. So I couldn’t imagine a person would be barefoot out there. And I didn’t see anybody else,” he said.
His YouTube channel, “Fasano-Tampa,” has hundreds of videos posted, and they’ve already gotten more than 1 million views. The videos typically feature the camouflage-wearing Fasano wandering Florida’s swamps in search of clues with his camera. Some of his videos are shot at night, when creature sounds are heard and Fasano narrates to a black screen with a voice dripping with drama. “I’m putting myself in real danger in the middle of the night,” he explains on one video. “There are critters out here that can eat you.” Fasano is not beyond showcasing his own persona as something that might ultimately be far more fascinating than the theoretical beast he is allegedly looking for.
In one of his videos, he spoofs a popular beer commercial by calling himself “The Most Interesting Bigfoot Man in the World.” He says he’s been in touch with reality TV people in Los Angeles. He’s hopeful. But the field of Bigfoot searchers in America is already pretty crowded. So where does it all end? “I think it’s an ongoing quest,” Fasano said. “I don’t know if there is an endpoint, unless you find a dead body.
Until a dead body comes along, it will never be classified as an animal.” If nothing else, there’s always the exercise.
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