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GAME SHOW HOSTIt appears to be an average American town. It sits baking under the strong New Mexico sun; a sleepy place which first attracted the native Mescalaro Apaches because of its natural hot springs, then white men came in droves, eager to mine for silver. Like anywhere, fortunes change, the silver is gone and the town is left with its share of young skateboards and retirees alike.
It stands out because of one fact. In 1950, the 1,500 inhabitants of this small desert community known as Hot Springs, took up a game show challenge and changed the name of their town to that of a radio quiz show.
Truth or Consequences was a well-known, well-loved show which had already been running for a decade by the time presenter Ralph Edwards made the bizarre request. He proposed that any town willing to change its name to T-or-C would host a 10th Anniversary Festival from which a live, nationwide broadcast would be aired.
The people of Hot Springs voted. By a margin of 1,294 to 295, it was decided to re-name their town.
On April Fools' Day, 1950, Ralph Edwards came to the new town of Truth or Consequences where the whole population gathered round. With 19 million listeners tuned in, he cried 'Here we are! The whole lock, stock and barrel of us in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. What a name! What a city!'
In the book Truth or Consequences, artist Nick Waplington takes us on a photographic journey through the town. It is a fascinating pictorial tribute. Through the pages we are allowed glimpses of these people's lives and landscapes.
Families perch on kerbs or outside shops; cowboys sit astride bucking horses at the local rodeo; people shop and eat and live. Some faces smile at the camera, some stare, some don't even seem to notice. We see the graffiti inside a public toilet; giant cacti outside timber houses; dusty streets; scrub land and sandy banks; ants in dirt; large skies; even the contents of a food larder.
Waplington was first attracted by the odd name, but found himself drawn back to study and record the town, ultimately spending 10 years in and around T-or-C. Presented are 135 images, which also serve as a tribute to this photographic genre and those who championed it.
An introduction by John Slyce tells the story in fascinating detail. "The weight of truth and consequences belongs to those who live there, and now you", Slyce concludes. Gently entertaining, this is a book which records the culture and society of a place in time.
In Truth, no place is average.
Truth or Consequences by Nick Waplington; £29.95; Phaidon 2001; www.phaidon.com