November 8, 2003
Part of the reason for yesterday’s headache (Kathy had one all day) was I made coffee when we came home late from Spanish class and used an unmarked container of java And of course it was de-caf. Ouch!

Coyotes attacked Buddy Boze Bell this morning. Happened on an early morning walk. I didn’t go, but Kathy walked the dogs down toward the creek and five coyotes came out of nowhere and immediately tried to peel Buddy off from the herd (Peaches, Kathy and Buddy). He got nipped but managed to get away.

Funny the circuitous route these journal entries sometimes take. I was fuming about weak ad sales in here (see Nov. 4 entry) and a guy named Andy Melrose read it in Saint Charles, Iowa, and he writes to our general sales manager, who comes into my office yesterday and reads me Andy’s E-mail regarding a 15% shortfall in ad sales. Mike Melrose then proceeds to tell me it’s only an 8% drop and would I please make this good to Andy Melrose. And yes, Andy is Mike’s dad. So there.

The real lesson here is never trust the numbers an artist gives you. Either cut them in half, or double them, depending on which way the artist is trying to skew things.

Good talk with Al Frisch yesterday. I want to maximize the tape we shot at Turkey Creek Canyon last summer and I think he got that message. He needs to trust me on how it will be used. I have faith that it will work out good for everyone.

Also had a good talk with Chip DeMann in Northfield, MN. He is recommending an art show next Labor Day showcasing all of my Jesse James, Younger art at Saint Olaf College during the big Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield. I marked my calendar for the weekend of September 6, 2004 and you should too.

I was proofing the January issue a couple days ago and ran across a quote from the sheriff of San Miguel County, NM. Gary Graves said, and I quote, “I love our history. It barks at you.” Isn’t that priceless? I had Daniel put it in a logo for the January front cover: History That Barks. Best quote of the year, really.

Read a big interview with Brian Grazer concerning the pushback on The Alamo. His comments are positive, but there seems to be thinly veiled contempt for Disney’s bone-headed move (turning down Ron Howard’s proposed R-Rated version of The Alamo). Disney was allegedly bragging how that they kept costs down by going the route they did, but now with the postponement, they are going to be suffering from escalating costs on an ad campaign that stalled and will need to be restarted, all the cuts in the movie, a new, re-positioned ad campaign (it will now be a comedy and at the end Davy Crockett, Billy Bob Thornton, puts his arms around Santa Anna and tells Mexican jokes like this one: “Why were there only 5,000 Mexicans at the Alamo?” And Santa Anna says, “No se, cavrone.” And Davy says, “I understand you only had four cars!” Everyone laughs heartily and they hug. Cut to a Tostido logo on the roof of the Alamo. Credits roll.).

Not really. That is a totally tasteless joke and I can’t believe Disney was even seriously considering it. However, if you know anyone in the Disney legal department tell them they can use that joke in the re-edited version. No charge, because, it’s not my joke. It came from a good friend of mine who is in La Raza.

"No facts are to me sacred; none are profane; I simply experiment, an endless seeker with no past at my back."
—John Berger