Latest news with #DennisGenereux
Calgary Herald
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Stampede, July 12: This guy's seen everything over 48 years Pink sunglasses for charity
There are only two days left before Stampede cowboys and cowgirls hang up their hats, the final notes are played on stage and the midway rides take on their last passengers. Article content There will be much to see around the grounds and on the infield — and even for someone like Stampede Rodeo camera operator Dennis Genereux, who's seen pretty much everything in his 48 years on the job, he's primed to expect the unexpected. Article content Article content Article content Article content The former guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and occasional member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Tom Morello presumably has plenty to rage against these days in his home country. The artist's solo work has always been an interesting hybrid. His most recent single — Pretend You Remember Me — is a moody and tense mid-tempo rocker full of blazing guitar riffs. In 2021, he teamed with Springsteen for a slick but powerful cover of AC/DC's Highway to Hell. He also released albums under the name The Nightwatchman, his acoustic-based left-wing alter ego. Who knows what the Stampede audience will get, but it will likely be memorable. Article content Article content At their best, Alberta's Blake Reid Band recalls the Band's musical interplay. Reid also possesses a rich, expressive baritone and knack for penning country hooks and songs that seem custom-built for the stage. Check out the bluesy and dramatic Big Train and rollicking, fiddle-fuelled Penny from 2021's No Roads In to prep for the show. Article content Article content Article content Dennis Genereux has seen it all in his 48 years behind the camera at the Stampede Rodeo.
Calgary Herald
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
'You just fall in love with rodeo': Longtime Stampede cameraman reflects on 48 years
Dennis Genereux has seen it all in his 48 years behind the camera at the Stampede Rodeo. Article content 'You never know what's going to happen, so you have to have total concentration,' he said. Article content Article content Genereux says one of the most memorable moments of his career was the iconic showdown for the 1986 Stampede bareback championship, between Steve Dunham and Robin Burwash. Article content 'They tied. Well, you got to have a runoff for the money, right? So they had to ride a second horse — damned if they didn't tie again,' Genereux said. Article content Article content 'Of course, they put so much into it, because you're riding for big money. The two of them went off into a corner of the chute, talked for a minute and said, 'To heck with this, we're going to share.' ' Article content Article content Article content That's just one of many incredible moments Genereux has witnessed from behind the camera. Article content 'There are stories out there that would break your heart. It's so friendly, so good, so honest — they're just super people,' he said. Article content The excitement of capturing those unexpected moments is what's kept Genereux coming back year after year. Article content 'It's sometimes just so amazing out there,' he said. 'The challenge of trying to capture that little instant in time is so important to me. You never stop learning when you're working here.' Article content Throughout his career as a freelance cameraman, Genereux has done a little bit of everything, but not everything comes with the same challenge or excitement. Article content Article content 'I did 47 years of hockey,' he said 'It's the same thing over and over. After that amount of time, I wasn't thinking about doing hockey. It was mostly muscle memory.' Article content Genereux said the people he meets at the Stampede each year have also contributed to his love for capturing the sport. Article content 'You just kind of fall in love with rodeo,' he said. 'The people are so nice, so accommodating. The stock handlers in the back, the cowboys that are out there doing the show — they're real people, real down to earth, and there's no BS.' Article content Article content Genereux's love of the rodeo has also become a family affair. His son, Kal, has been doing camera work at the rodeo for about 30 years, and this year, his grandson was hired as a television assistant. Article content 'My grandson came here last year to help us tear this out on the Monday after the Stampede is over,' Genereux said. 'It's a gruelling, dirty, ugly job — those cables are not covered in just dirt — but he enjoyed it. We can't keep him away now.'
