Billy's Back Bigtime

March 31, 2015

   Got the Kid on my mind, big time. We're doing a 12 page feature on him for the next issue of True West with quite a few surprises in store, with stuff from Nolan, Hutton, Buckeye and the Boys.



 
Daily Whip Out: "Billy Gets His Picture Took"

   We love him, but you must remember he was so buck-toothed he could eat pumpkins through a picket fence.

 
Daily Whip Out: "Billy's Big Ol' Buck-toothed Grin"

   Billy owed much to the vaqueros of New Mexico. . .

 
Daily Whip Out: "Vaqueros Ride Hard"

Vaquero Wisdom
“He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads  to.”
—Old Vaquero Saying

 
Daily Whip Out: "Pene-tente"

   Yes, Billy is back and he's up to no good.

 
Daily Whip Out: "Billy's Back"

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”
—Old Vaquero Saying

BBB at G2 And Close to D8 and H8

March 30, 2015
   Just got back from Santa Fe and points south. Spent most of yesterday out at the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch south of Santa Fe. Castle Pictures is filming Gunslingers 2 and I am back to be a talking head. There are several numbered movies shooting in the area right now. Adam Sandler is doing "The Ridiculous Six" which appears to be a parody of Quentin Tarrantino's "The Hateful Eight" which also filmed up here. There is a Tina Fey movie with an Afghanistan setting filming on the site ("The Last Survivor" also used New Mexico as a stand-in for Afghan, although not very convincingly to my eye). The funny thing is that there are signs everywhere leading up to the ranch with cryptic, temporary placard road signs with arrows that say "G2", "D6", "H8" and "A7" for the Tina Fey project. Each one leads to a different location on the ranch for that day's shoot.


 BBB at Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch working on G2

   Someone on the set said that "Gunslingers 1" was the highest rated series ever on the Military-American Heroes Channel. From what I saw, it looks like season two is going to be even better.

   The Top Secret Writer followed me as a talking head, and then we drove down to Albququerque to see his new digs. Sat out on the back porch, watched the sun set and solved some life.

Hutton, BBB and Buckey (named for Buckey O'Neill) sitting and hanging out at the High Chaparal

   Flew home this morning and back in the saddle this afternoon.

"Workaholism is such a tough addiction to get over. I had to divorce my wife because she was an enabler."
—Dave Marshal

What Town Am I In?

March 28, 2015
   I'm visiting a town where menus are serenaded by street musicians.


I'll have the "local tortillas" with the green chile and I'd like to get back to where I once belonged.

   This town has the class to honor pick-up trucks and put them up on a pedistal where they belong.


In this case, a 1941 half-ton Dodge Pick-up truck

   This town works hard to proect the past.


Sign outside of a postal station: "A nation that forgets its past has no future."

   This is a town where the oldest Baby Boomer in Arizona can stand outside of the oldest house in The United States of America.


The oldest house and the oldest BSer in the same place at the same time.

   This town is also home to Kid Ross, one of this country's best and funniest artists.


Kid Ross and BBB standing in the center of San Francisco Street.

   If you haven't guessed it by now, here are two final clues: this town is fond of terrible puns for names of businesses, like Santa Facial and Santa Cafe.

"You had me at Santa."
—Some kid from Lamy

A Half-Assed Friend Saves The Day

March 27, 2015
   Got up this morning and tweaked a Mickey Free painting I was suposed to file for Curator Cal, but saw something I could improve:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Mickey Free Rides Through The Tundra On His Half-Assed Friend."

   I say "half-assed" because I got the following critique from the "Mule Lady":

   Now, about your boy Tu. This may hurt like falling onto a cactus, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point it out. Over the years you have referred to him as the “not-so-trusty mammoth jack”, but then a sentence later, “big mule”. And, in the early days a “mammoth jack 16 hands high”. I, for one, paid attention and do read what you write, because it is great fun. But, the Mammoth jack is a breed of donkey, as in the American Mammoth Jackstock. The AMJ is the only American breed of Ass and while Washington did not breed the first American mules – by a long shot – he actually was the Father of the American Jackass. The AMJ is the outstanding Papa of the mule. Male mules are actually called “john” or “horse” mules, and females, “molly” or “mare” mules. Male donkeys are called “jacks” and females “jennets or jennies”. Back in the mid-19th century the vernacular was really convoluted and mules were called jacks and jennets, horse mule, mare mule – and other words that a polite lady such as myself would not put down on paper – naw, that’s a lie. So, calling ol’ Tu a mammoth jack just ain’t possible. He is either an Ass or a 1/2 Ass. Then again, I did love the time you used the term, “semi-equine”. As a breeder of the now “threatened” American Mammoth Jackstock and their bastard hybrid children, the mule, I find them to be semi-canine!
—Mule Lady

 
Daily Whip Out: "The Mickster & His Half-Assed Friend Tu"

"A mule is a horse, but even more so."
—Al Sieber

If Lozen Is Chosen, Ain't Nobody Dozin'

March 25, 2015
   Bike Week in Cave Creek so it takes ten minutes longer to get anywhere.

   “Lozen is my right hand. . . strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy,” said the Apache leader Victorio about his sister. She also fought alongside Geronimo and his warriors, surrendering with him in 1886. She, too, became a prisoner of war, dying of tuberculosis sometime after 1887.

 
BBB Daily Whip Out: "When Lozen Is Chosen, Ain't Nobody Dozin'"
 

   I did another version, a little more ethereal.

 
BBB Daily Whip Out: "Lozen Stalks The Dawn"
 
   I'm also working on a Tenth Cavalry True West Moment.

 
BBB Daily Whip Out: "Tenth Cav Courier"
 
   Notice the smile on his face. I have a hunch those Tenth Cavalry dudes really enjoyed their freedom out West. Is this authentic?
 
"Authentic, or not? Hasn't [America] been built on the premise of avoiding this very question?"
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, in his #2 take on American in New York Times magazine

The Desert Is Blooming And So Are The Local Idiots Like Me

March 24, 2015
   The desert wild flowers are in full bloom around our casita.

 
The Pump House Amid Blooming Desert Wild Flowers

   Here are couple of the boards I tried to ruin last weekend. First up, The Duke of Dust Gets Serious:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Don Pedro Stood In The Saddle And Said, 'No Se.'"

   And another dust storm attempt:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Mickey Free Rides Deeper In To The Billowing Dust"

   Tried to file this next one, but saw it needed a little definition on the cleavage (and other anatomical regions):

 
Daily Whip Out: "Native Women"

   And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't show, the failures. Or, at least the times when I go home for lunch and get MY butt whipped, instead of the Daily Whip Out getting whipped. Here is a painting-in-progress that I worked on at lunch time but couldn't finish:

 
Daily Semi-Whipped: "Tent City (originally started for 'The 66 Kid'—in 2014—to illustrate Ben Rux at Goldroad, but left undone)"

    Working on a writing piece for the launch of the True West Moments book. Handed in the rough yesterday, tweaking today. Yesterday, Curator Cal followed me into the breezeway and said, "Stop drawing for five minutes, okay!" It wasn't a question, or a request, it was a demand. So I gave her five minutes. When I told this to Kathy this morning, she laughed and said, "Well, you certainly ARE prolific, aren't you?" And I sighed and said, "I just don't know if it's any good." To which my therapist wife replied, "Who cares, it gives you joy to do it. Enjoy that."

"When we realize we're all mad, then the whole world suddenly makes sense."
—Mark Twain

Jackboots & Cowboy Hats, Part II

March 23, 2015
   There was some concern expressed last Friday by our publisher Ken Amorosano that my editorial illustration of a Sublette County deputy with a jackbooted Brown Shirt behind him with the Nazi insignia was too much. I reluctantly had to agree. When I went online to research Brown Shirts, I found dozens of depictions of Obama as a Brown Shirt, an SS officer, or as Hitler himself. I hate this kind of cliched hyperbole, from BOTH sides. Plus, I wasn't happy with the caricature of Wyatt Earp and thought I could do it better.

   On Saturday, after Kathy came home from Jazzercize, I had her take a couple reference shots of me in the pose I wanted:

 
Old Man take a look at yourself, you're a lot like me. . .

 
No, seriously old man, take a look at me acting like I'm twelve.

   Did some more prep sketches to capture the pose I wanted:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Wyatt Earp Studies for Jackboot Illustration"

   And whipped out a colored pen version:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Wyatt Earp Jackboot Study, No. 2"

   Got up this morning and whipped out the final before I came into work:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Wyatt Earp: 'Seriously? Jack Boots And Brown Shirts?'"

   Rushed it into the office to scan and changed the copy on my editorial (To The Point) to match the new version. Goes to press today.

"I was in command of the content, but not the form, and form is always the most important aspect of human communication."
—Karl Ove Knausgaard's #2 essay on America in New York Times magazine

What A Concept: Ruin Five Boards

March 22, 2015
   I'm experimenting with a new concept: pick five boards and ruin them. I find that when I have nothing to lose, the juices flow and I get past the stops (the fear of "ruining" a painting is a self-fulfilling prophecy). So, this morning, I grabbed five boards with washes on them and let fly. Here they are: five boards done without hope, without dispair.



Daily Whip Outs: "Ruin Five Boards"

"Where there is hubris, there is tragedy."
—Erik Larson

Dust Storms Over Pinal And Blackhawk

March 20, 2015
    Curator Cal has been on me to label and date the growing pile of DWOs in the studio but sometimes I can't label them without seeing things I want to improve. These will be familiar to the oldtimers who follow my blog, but here are the "improved" versions: 
Daily Whip Out: "Heavy Hangs The Star"

    This was a study done to illustrate a Classic Gunfight on The Wham Payroll Robbery, but it needed something. So I spent about fifteen minutes this morning tweaking it and, to me, it speaks to the heavy toll law enforcement takes on everyone who wears a badge for a long time. These people, most of them, good people, see things nobody should have to see, or do, but they do it with professionalism and with courage. I admire them for doing stuff so we can live lives of relative comfort and safety. Thank you.

    It wouldn't be a BBB blog if there wasn't a dust storm involved and here is a doozy. Originally titled "Dust Storm Over Pinal," I believe (Gay will correct me if I'm wrong),



 
Daily Whip Out: "Dust Storm Over Pinal"

   I gave it another go this morning before I came into work, bringing out the foreground and giving the lone rider some definition.

Daily Whip Out: "Dust Storm Over Blackhawk."

"All good storms must pass."
—Old Vaquero Saying

The End of The West Is Near

March 19, 2015
   I'm working on a new True West Moment AND my editorial for the May issue which goes to press on Monday. I got the inspiration to do something on "The End of The West" when someone, I think it was Ken A., suggested doing a piece on the sheriff in Wyoming who banned his deputies from wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I know it's old hat here, but we have never covered it in the magazine.

   With that context in mind, I thought to myself, "What would Wyatt Earp say about this new law enforcement uniform the new sheriff is proposing? I sat down and sketched this and the words came quickly (sorry about my French, but it was the first thing that came into my head, AND I think it's pretty accurate to what he WOULD say):



 
Daily Whip Out: "A Western Lawman Ponders The New Look of Law Enforcement"



   Did a couple more studies, then went online to find the articles that were done on it and discovered Sheriff Haskell has ordered his deputies to wear "black trousers, a tan shirt, black boots and a black ball cap." Holy Guacamole, that is very Western, if you are in West Germany. That is the exact dress code of the Brown Shirts!



Daily Whip Out: "Studies for 'Seriously? Jack Boots and brown shirts?'"

   Went home for lunch today and knocked out the final:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Seriously? Jack boots and brown shirts?!"

"Shoot first and ask questions when you find your cowboy hat."
—Old Texas John Slaughter Saying

Hohokam Explained

March 18, 2015
   Just got back from a history talk to 51 admirals from the War College. I was on a panel with two In-dins from the Apache and Pima tribes. Talk was at the chapel on the Cave Creek Museum grounds and it was set up by Lt. Col. Michael Montgomery.

 
L-R: Apache Tribe historian Dale MIles, Pima Tribe historian Kelly Washington, token anglo BBB, and Lt. Col. Michael Montgomery

   It was a lively group and we each got fifteen minutes to tell our stories. After my usual complaints about Kingman, I went out of my way to blame everything else on the Spanish, and by extension the Spanish admiral (to big laughs, of course).

 
The right half of the War College crowd, with the Norwegian admiral (center with tall head) and the Spanish admiral, directly in front of him.



 
The left side of the War College audience.

Learning From Deceased People
   Kelly Washington told about how archeologists refer to the Hohokam as being a tribe of people, but that when the old time researchers asked the Pimas about who built the ancient pueblos they answered "deceased people," which sounded like "hohokam" to the anglos and so today the Hohokam are cited as being a tribe that vanished. And how! This is a tribe we will all belong to, eventually.

"I see dead people."
—Old Sixth Sense Joke



"

Whippin' & Fixin' Daily Whip Outs!

March 17, 2015
   Went home for lunch and reworked an existing image Curator Cal wanted me to name for filing. Had to add some picketed horses and sky through the trees.

 
Daily Whip Out: "Wind In The Pines."

   Of course, once I started tweaking I couldn't stop, so I grabbed another couple DWOuts and gave them a go:

 
Daily Whip Out: "Campfire Talker" or "Little Diggler"

   And here's another one I couldn't help but "fix":

 
Daily Whip Out: "Dixxy Diamond at Sunset"

   Grabbed another one and gave it another wash. . .

 
Daily Whip Out: "Floyd"

   As in Floyd Cisney, my Little League coach, neighbor and legendary Mohave County lawman.

"In Death Valley we feed our chickens shaved ice so they won't lay hard boiled eggs."
—Old Furnace Creek Saying

The Tucson Book Festival

March 16, 2015
   Spent last weekend down in The Old Pueblo for the 7th Annual Tucson Book Festival. Attended a writing the West panel that featured Jeff Guinn, Mary Doria Russell and Michael McGarrity talking abuout writing and editing Western stories: Jeff told a story about the relationship between a writer and his editor (told to him by Stephen Ambrose). A writer and his editor are walking through the woods and they come upon a beautiful mountain stream. The writer drops to his knees to scoop up some of the sparkly, clean water to drink and he hears splashing. He looks up to see his editor urinating in the water. The writer says, in horror, "What are you doing?!" and the editor says, "I'm making it better."

   This got a huge laugh because this is how writers relate to editors.

   True West had a very impressive, double-wide booth (#156):

   That is author Chris Enss in full costume, talking to the crew. Sold a ton of books, met some great people. An estimated 100,000 people attended the two day event.

   Picked up the Special 90th Anniversary Issue of Arizona Highways:

 

Arizona Highways 90th Anniversary cover by Ed Mell

   The issue features cover art by my old studio mate, Ed Mell.

BBB and Edmundo Segundo at the unveiling of his Centennial stamp in Prescott, 2012

   I'm proud to say, Highways included one of my cartoons in the 90 year coverage:

 

BBB's Santa's First Wild West Ride (Santa on a Jackalope)

   On Saturday night we had the awards ceremony for our True Westerner of The Year   presentation. This year's winner was our very own Marshall Trimble:

BBB, Marshall Trimble and his lovely wife Vanessa posing after the presentation.


   Caught fellow cartoonist, David Fitzsimmons, who did a hilarious send-up of a literary game show in the Tucson Daily Star tent:

http://tucson.com/news/opinion/navigating-the-tucson-book-festival-don-t-forget-pants/article_23adea1e-2d9f-5dfa-9860-1e7129ba62bd.html

   My family is joinng Froggy Hauan to go visit our homeland next year.

"A Norwegian party consists of 10 gallons of bad booze, a darkened room, half a candle and a suicide note."
—a letter writer sniping at Norwegian Karl Ove Knausgaardd's long piece in the New York Times about traveling to America

Marshall Trimble Is Awarded The 2015 True Westerner Award

March 15, 2015
   Last night we presented the 2015 True Westerners Award to our very own Marshall Trimble, at White Stallion Ranch. The award is presented to someone who has significantly kept the Old West alive. And Marsh is that man. Here we are, BBB, Marsh and his lovely wife Vanessa.

The King of My Tribe and Cussin' Up A Pink Streak

March 13, 2015
   One more sketch from the Larry Floyd sketchbook. This is the king of my tribe: Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. You can draw a direct line from him to Richard Pryor, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert and anyone who stands on a stage and makes people laugh—and think—by telling the truth!



Daily Whip Out from The Larry Floyd Sketchbook: "The King of My Tribe"

Cussin' Up A Pink Streak
   Believe it or not, there was a time when people (mostly men) went to great lengths NOT to swear around women and children. Today, of course, women and children swear like sailors, but in the Old West, adults went out to great lengths to create softer oaths to use in mixed company. When did this end? Durned if I know.

   Here is a list of the "Milk Toast Oaths" I remember as a child:

• Heavens to murgatory!

• Oh, for Pete's sake!

• What in the Sam Hill?!

• Yer durned tootin'!

• Son of a bees wax!

• Oh, fudge!

• Durn you! (and the horse you rode in on)

   Okay, what am I missing?

"Them boys was cussin' up a pink streak."
—Good Ol' Ben Rux

Al Sieber, Mark Twain and Sneak Peek at True West Moments Book

March 12, 2015
   My production manager, Robert Ray, is putting the finishing touches on Volume I of the "True West Moments" book which goes to the printer today. Here's a sneak peek at the cover:

Volume I of True West Moments, the book

   Should be out next month. Meanwhile, here are a couple more sketches from Larry Floyd's 50-Whip-Out sketchbook:

 
Larry Floyd's Daily Whip Out #16: "Sam Clemens"

   And here's another Whip Out I did of a soldier that fought at Yorktown:

 
Larry Floyd's Daily Whip Out #19: "Lee's Legion"

   Curator Cal had a stack of artwork to be filed, but, as usual, I saw one board that needed a little tweak, so I spent fifteen minutes "saving" it. Not sure I did, but it is more committed.

 
Daily Whip Out: "Chief of Scouts Al Sieber On The Hunt"

"I find any book that talks about me, charming."
—Mark Twain