January 7, 2006
Well, we are cruising into our seventh year at the helm of True West and since day one, Bob McCubbin has maintained that we need to somehow, someway locate all of the old True West readers and let them know we are still in business. Sometimes it happens one magazine at a time. Case in point:

“I bought this month's issue [January] and found a photo I was interested in, two actually. The photo is on page 41 of Texas Ranger Jack Webb.

“We are west Texans, and we have west Texan Webbs in the family tree, so I thought hmm, I just wonder. I took the photo out to my Dad, and he too, is wondering. His sister, my Aunt, is researching the family tree and has been looking into it.

“But what I wanted to share with you specifically was my Dad's reaction to the magazine itself. He was happily astonished to see the title on the magazine, True West. He was amazed you guys are still in circulation. A few days later, (today) he presented me with a near mint condition issue dated June of 1962. The mailing label is to my Dad at his home at the time in Sierra Blanca TX, where my parents were married. Dad is also tickled that you guys are here in AZ. I just wanted to share, thought you might like food for thought.
—Kim Taylore
PS. The other photo was an advertisement for Rawhide in Chandler. One of the men pictured is an old friend of ours, we are driving up from Tucson to see him Sunday.

“Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped.”
—Old Vaquero Saying

And how are they responding to the movie Brokeback Mountain up in Wyoming? This is from a friend of a friend up that way:
"I ain't never met a queer cowboy. Any queer cowboy ain't no cowboy, it’s a sheep herder."

More News from the Front Lines:
"Store manager, Larry Siegel, from the Shea and 101 Barnes & Noble ordered 6 more Classic Gunfights, Vol I on Tuesday. He called today to say they are selling well and that he has put them on their Regional Display Table, so they will have better exposure."
—Carole Glenn

A couple responses to Bob Dylan’s classic Billy the Kid tunes:
"Billy 4 is incredibly sad—seems to capture the whole story in one fell swoop!!”
—Bob Reece

Yes, that's what makes Dylan so amazing to me. That he can moan (almost croak) these poetic words and weave out a tapestry of truth that is just stunning. He is a freak of nature really. I have this fantasy of doing a new Billy the Kid movie but of using all his music from PG&BTK. Ha. And speaking of which, here’s another response:

“Peckinpah suffered a hailstorm of criticism and abuse over that soundtrack back in '73, and I thought I was the only person who ever really loved it. Your words on the subject were refreshing; thanks. I'm attaching an mp3 file I think you'll enjoy. It's an out-take from the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid album called, ‘And He Killed Me Too.’ When you hear it, you'll wonder why it didn't make it into the movie. (Probably would have if Sam had had final cut.) Regards...
—Sarge McClintock

Classic Onion Headline de Jour
More Than $30 Worth of Burned CDs Stolen From Residence

I'm closing in on 300 drawings in my sketchbook and this morning's first piece, right out of the chute, was blur-fect! By that, I mean, I have often been accused of being a "motion" freak, or an "action-ary" with my art, and so recently I've been going with that notion and seeing if I could push it even further. Yesterday, I xeroxed a blurred photo of a bulldogger at a West Texas rodeo and, this morning, I laid it out sideways on the kitchen table and then laid my sketchbook sideways as well. Then I quickly sketched what I saw (not what I thought I saw!). And, when I got that blocked in, I turned the sketchbook around and Viola! that sucker was moving! This is a trick I learned in college where they taught us to get past our minds by drawing with our toes and projecting slide images upside down, or blurred. It's also the theme of the best-selling art book, "Drawing On The Right-Side of the Brain." Anyway, it works, and works very well and is another baby-step towards drawing like John Bonham drums. I hope.

“In this life we get only those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice.”
—George Matthew Adams