Bill Tilghman's Hat, Bird Noises And Radio Clowns Like Me

 June 9, 2023

   Let's take care of some correspondence:

The Bill Tilghman Look

"Hi bob, I sure enjoy your stories on the Old West. I was born and raised on a cattle ranch, so being a cowboy and the old west is right up my alley. You ran a picture of Kevin Jarre and another man when you were on the set of 'Tombstone.' I would like to know where that man got his hat. Kettle curl brim and round top. What a great looking hat! Thank you for your time and keep up the good work."

—Jay Branch

Jeff Morey and Kevin Jarre

on the set of "Tombstone" June of 1993

"It has been almost 35 years since I obtained that particular hat.  Since I don’t have it anymore, I can only go by my rapidly failing memory.  As I recall, Tom Hirt, of Penrose, Colorado made up that hat for me.  I would advise Jay to send a copy of that photo of 'another man' to Tom and see if he confirms having made it up for me way, way back when fuzz was still fresh on the peach.  Perhaps Hirt keeps records of who he’s made hats for over the years.  I think I purchased that hat in the late 1980s or early 1990s.  I was trying to get a kind of Bill Tilghman look."

—Jeff Morey

Lawman Bill Tilghman

(1854 —1924)

It Takes One to Know One

"Snide remark on Rush Limbaugh; my guess is 75% of your subscribers love him. I hope you don’t become the Bud Lite of the western genre. Is there really any need to expose your intolerance for other points of view?"

—Anonymous

Mocking All Points of Views

   Okay, I vaguely compared the esteemed clown Emmett Kelly to Rush Limbaugh in yesterday's blog post, because when it comes to Morning Drive and Radio Wars I have some shared history with Rush and when I noted he is not that dissimilar to Emmett Kelly, I am speaking with some experience as a radio clown myself. See below.

A KSLX radio promotional postcard

From One Clown to Another

   I meant no disrespect to Rush specifically, but truthfully, there is a lot of profound similarities between Rush and Howard Stern and Tom Brokaw for that matter. All of us have made bird noises to get paid. This latter—and right on—metaphor is not mine. The master spy author John Le Carre dislikes book tours and interviews — he calls them “making bird noises.” Amen.

Emmett Kelly Preeminent Clown

A circus performer who created "Weary Willy" based on the hobos of the Great Depression.

"Writers are a little below clowns and a little above trained seals."

—John Steinbeck