January 24, 2008
I spoke last night to the Dude Ranch Associaton, maybe 250 people in the main ballroom. Showed a slide show of our recent covers. When I got to 3:10 to Yuma I asked how many people had seen it and maybe 12 raised their hands. Then I showed the No Country For Old Men cover and I asked for hands and two people raised their hands. Then I showed them our next cover (at the printer as you read this) Daniel Day-Lewis and There Will Be Blood on the cover and only one person raised his hand (it was one of the people who raised his hand for No Country). Afterwards, I saw the guy and asked him where he is from and he is a Bronx guy who lives in Palm Springs, went into developing with other wise guys from Jersey, and they bought a dude ranch in Mancos, Colorado. And this is their first convention. So, he is hardly the average dude ranch guy (or, maybe he's the wave of the future?). Take him out of the equation and those covers are not appealing to anybody in this group. Of course it's just one sampling, but a whole bunch more people responded to the horse cover and Darly Newman's column than either of those hip, dark movies. Hmmmmmmmmm.

On a related note, a woman who runs an art gallery downtown told me that The Assasination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford played in Cody for two weeks. She went because of our cover story and was shocked when three couples walked out in the middle of the movie.

I always learn good stuff on these jaunts. Did have a great conversation with two guys from the Buffalo Bill Museum last night. We're meeting this morning.

"The fewer the voices on the side of truth, the more distinct and strong must be your own."
—William Ellery Channing