Aging Backwards to Reach New Readers?

October 21, 2024

   Billy the Kid was barely in his twenties when he cashed out. Jesse was 15 when he really got going and quite a few others were not even teens yet. Their youth is what really appealed to all of us Boomers when we were that same age. In large measure, that's why we love them so much. They were kids like us only they had something that most of us did not—they were really brave.

Daily Whip Out:

"Killer Kid's Demon Eyes"

   And, if you have read our cover story on Killer Kids, you know where all of this came from. 

Daily Whip Out:

"Killer Kid In Gray"

Daily Whip Out: "Killer Kid Shines"

    Last weekend when I was in Fort Worth

for the Will Rogers Award Ceremony I talked to many authors and content providers about how to reach a younger audience and it was our food writer, Sherry Monahan who made the point that virtually all of the Old West heroes we love were in their twenties and early thirties when they did their nefarious and incredible deeds. And then what happened is, we Boomers grew old with them in our hearts. That's why when you go to Tombstone or Prescott, Deadwood, or Dodge City and see Old West re-enactments, they are invariably portrayed by old guys in their sixties! (At the very youngest)

   So, how do we reinvent these characters for the new kids coming up? Well, for one thing, go back to them being so young and we just might capture the current youngsters?

   It's worth a shot, said the guy who is as old as these guys.

Lakota elders Chikalakte, age 79

and Wahachanka Chikala, age 78

"You're only as old as the women you feel."

—Groucho Marx

Homeward Bound

 October 20,  2024

   A rollicking time was had by all at Coopers BBQ in the Stockyards last night. One of my best True West writers was blinged out for the Will Rogers Award Ceremony. That would be this babe and longtime friend, who writes Frontier Fare.

Sherry Monahan Boot Stylin' Babe

   Heading for Love Field to catch a flight home this morning.

Stockyards Cattle Drive With Real Longhorns

   And, of course, no visit to Fort Worth would be complete without finding the exact spot where the Wild Bunch had their last photo taken. You know, the one that got most of them killed and captured.

The Last Sitting of The Wild Bunch

Site

   I get such a goose by Walking Where They Walked. We are going to feature this phenom in the magazine for most of 2025. So if you have a shot of yourself doing this kind of crazy activity, please send it to me.

"Say Southern Pacific Cheese."

—The Photographer

A Letter to my younger self

 October 19, 2024

   Taped a couple shows with Rob Word of A Word On Westerns this morning. His son is helping him and they have a state of the art 360 degree camera that takes in the entire room and they can cut all sorts of angles from the video with a tiny camera not much bigger than a thumb drive.

Rob Word, at right, and his techie son RJ

   There was only one problem, the camera overheated and RJ had to put the camera in the freezer for five minutes before we could continue. This happened twice.

   For every step forward, take two backward,

   Last night I got to visit with Barry Corbin, who lives in the Forth Worth area and who came in to the banquet, walked right over to where I was sitting, sat down and said, "I love your magazine. I read it cover to cover." Doesn't get much better than that!

BBB and Barry Corbin on the right

   The most exciting event of the past two days, was buying Kathy Sue a cowboy hat in the legendary Fort Worth Stockyards.

Kathy and Dustin with shovel front brims

   One of the aspects of my talk last night, was built around helping other writers. I decided to write a letter to my younger self. Here is the basic outline I used to riff on in my talk.

A Letter to My Younger Self

    Hey, you spoiled little half-Norwegian twit! Listen up. I know you think you know it all, but I am going to tell you what you need to know going forward.

• I want you to know that what you desire most is possible if you push against the old ways of thinking.

• Everything you want is on the other side of fear.

• Write every day, without hope, without despair.

• One of your vulnerabilities will become a strength.

• At some point you will need to jump off a cliff and figure it out on the way down.

• The pefect recipe for life is: something to do. Someone to love, something to hope for.

• If you ever retire be sure to get up at 6 and drive real slow making everyone late for work.

• If you can avoid it, do not play "Wipeout" at a band reunion practice on March 22, 2008.

• Forget the girls, find a hot, eighth grade school teacher who teaches math so you can have great sex and she can balance your checkbook.

• The greatest revenge is to not be like your enemies.

• If the magazine biz survives 2024 there will be a kegger in Cave Creek on me, and you are all invited.

• If you ever win a prestigious award be sure to compliment random people in the audience.

• "Nice hat, Rob!"

"Hey, Chris, great taste in cover art!"

—BBB

BBB Cover Art

Five Words that Saved True West

October 18, 2024

   Kathy and I flew from Phoenix to Fort Worth yesterday to attend the Will Rogers Memorial Awards Show tonight where I am receiving the Golden Lariat Award. Here is one of the stories I intend to tell them tonight. And, by the way, today is actually the day—October 18, 1999—Bob McCubbin and I flew to Tulsa, rented a car and drove to Stillwater, Oklahoma to officially buy True West magazine.

A Smattering of True West magazines

(on our watch)

   Twenty-five years ago today I was seized by a strong desire to save a history magazine I respected and admired. I thought everyone would love me for it, but they did not. In fact many loyal readers attacked me for desecrating what they viewed as a holy shrine. “Joe Small is spinning in his grave!” is how almost every letter addressed to me began. My crime? Changing the paper from pulp to slick stock. And, to make matters worse, my partners agreed with them! So my hands were tied for making the bigger changes I felt the magazine needed, but I knew one thing, if we didn't change, we were going out of business, fast.

Five words saved the magazine.

    By 2002 we were losing $30,000 a month and we were stuck in a terrifying free fall. Out of the blue I got a call from a Texas subscriber who asked me if I wanted to interview Elizabeth Small, the wife of our founder, the late great Joe Small. She was, at that time, in assisted living in Austin, Texas. I readily agreed, got the number of the facility and called her. She was very feisty and clear spoken and I loved her immediately. After some small talk about old times, I finally asked her the burning question: "Elizabeth, True West used to sell 250,000 issues on the newsstand and now it's down to 6,000. What happened?" Her simple and direct answer stunned me.

“The footnote crowd took over.”

—Elizabeth Small

   Five simple words that spoke volumes. After the call I got up off the floor, collected myself and went into the library and pulled down the earliest issues of True West magazine going back to 1953. What I saw shocked me. Joe covered rodeo, he talked about movies, but mostly he specialized in dramatic stories told well. The magazine was a Popular History magazine that had been hijacked by the footnote crowd, i.e. serious historians who were hell bent on improving the magazine—to finally have it be taken seriously as they probably saw it, but in the process they almost killed it. This was a lesson I never forgot. Which brings me to my real epiphany: the universe is trying to help you, so pay attention!

   Also, if you want a new idea, read an old book. Or in this case, an old magazine.

   This goes for everything. The answer to your current problem is probably sitting in plain sight, right behind you. As the Old Vaqueros are so fond of saying, “Study the past so you can see what the idiots are going to do next.” Or, better yet, let's end by quoting a good friend of mine:

"If you want to make money, stay away from serious historians."

—The Distinguished Professor of History at The University of New Mexico

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Us

October 17, 2024

   Took off from Phoenix this mornng and landed in Texas for a big Will Rogers event in Fort Worth. 

   Heavy traffic all the way. Ran into this guy outside Love Field.

Daily Whip Out: "Don't Touch My Hat!"

   Stockyards tomorrow. Need to buy Kathy a new hat.

"All my Exits live in Texas."

—Old Hard of Hearing Saying

Best Foot Forward And A Monument to Your Peace of Mind

 October 16, 2024

   Uno and I got out on the road early and caught this sunrise.

Another Typical Sunrise On Old Stage Road

   Thanks to the cooling temps (high 80s!) we can actually sit outside in the late afternoon for the first time in four months!

BBB & Uno Playing Best Foot Forward

   Still having fun with my 300 widows project and how a community would react to the slaughter of all the adult males in town. Of course, this is not a new concept. I remember certain comics growing up, giving this theme a go.

   Meanwhile, while were on the subject of bigger than life women. . .

Another Dan The Man Fave Cover

   And, just for grins, here's a rough mock up of our next cover.

Highly Unpaid T-Shirt Models

   Myself, Darlene and Dan at Chompie's in Paradise Valley last Sundy showing off Dan The Man's new Monument to My Peace of Mind shirt

   Thanks to new web technology, now you can have your own shirt delivered right to your door:

A Monument to My Peace of Mind Shirt

"The first motorcycle race began when the second motorcycle was built."

—Old Flat Tracker Saying

More True West Covers That Rock!

 October 15, 20024

   Here are 7.5 more classic True West covers that kicked arse and took names.

Classic True West Cover #6

   We had this issue on our booth table at the Tucson Festival of Books back in 2019 and people would stroll by, glance at the table, keep going, Mississippi one, Missisippi two. . .and they would come rushing back, pick up the mag and gush: "My mother loves Gus!" and this went on for three days. Sometimes they loved Call, sometimes their father made them watch "Lonesome Dove" every Christmas. It grabbed everyone, young and old. Such an iconic book, show and story.

Classic True West Cover #7

   Just a great story and it's amazing  it has not been made into a movie, yet. Mort Mortensen wrote a wonderful script with me and someday it will find it's way to the big screen. You can bet on it.

Classic True West Cover #8

   Way off the wall, but Dan the Man loves this one. Didn't do great on newsstand but I like it that we took a chance. And, speaking of taking wing-ding chances. . .

Classic True West Cover #9

   Dan did a great job of grafting the head of Bass Reeves on to the iconic Lone Ranger but this did not sit well with readers or newsstand buyers. Stuart Rosebrook quoted the old Jim Croce song, "don't pull on Superman's cape, don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger. . ." Once again, not a newsstand winner, but a classic nonetheless.

Classic True West Cover #10

   This issue and my blog post about it, gets viewed and watched every day since it came out. This concept struck such a nerve and it didn't hurt that we scored the excellent photograph of Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday from Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp.

   Oh, and Dan the Man said we would be remiss if we didn't include two more of his favorite covers.

Bonus Classic True West Covers

   "Wrong eye, Pilgrim!" is why Dan loves this cover and that is so Dan.

   But enough about past covers. In my opinion, the best is yet to come. Dan the Man and I are working on a killer Samuel Walker cover that works on the premise, "What if there was an actual photo of Samuel Walker holding two of the Walker Colts named in his honor?

Daily Whip Out:

"Samuel Walker Holds A Pair"

(in progress)

   

"Though the Mattie Silks Nude Duel was my 1st subscription issue the Wyatt Earp Without a Scratch was my 2nd issue. I still read the 32 page excerpt about the O K Corral gunfight from that issue that you and Jeff Morey did for your Doc Holliday Illustrated Book. I read it every October 26th and then watch the Appointment with Destiny program about the gunfight. Great stuff!" 

—Mark TW Maniac 235

The Best Covers Ever!

 October 14, 2024

   Honestly, I really wasn't fishing for complements, but it always warms the heart to get a response like this for my recent "dumb" cover exercise:

   "Don't beat yourself up about 'bad' covers.  You have hit so many home runs that a few less than outstanding covers don't matter.  And I'd wager that every one that you call a dud is a few folks favorite cover. Excelsior!"

—Michael Lowe

   And, this.  . .

"Love your magazine and the covers….even these! Just curious, what were your best covers?"

—Unknown

   Funny you should ask.

The Best True West Covers Ever!

   Let's get right to it.

Best True West Cover #1

   All time best newsstand seller in the 25 years I have been running the magazine. Is it the red stop sign background? Is it the intriguing questions? Whatever it is, Dan The Man outdid himself with this one. Just a brilliant cover all the way round.

Best True West Cover #2

   I always get this complaint that sex doesn't sell in True West but this one rocked. Also, Jennifer Tilly went on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and pulled out the issue and showed it on national television. That didn't hurt!

Best True West Cover #3

   We got into what we called the Mexican Wrestler look, with woodcut poster images. Great graphics and cool type. What's not to like?

Best True West Cover #4

   This is Dan the Man's favorite all time cover and he has a point. Just dang cool.

Best True West Cover #5

   This came out at the same time as a movie with the title, "Dude, Where's My Car?" so it had a cute backstory to play on. Sold like crazy. Mom's loved that little buckaroo.

   And, that's just the first five big time sellers. The rest tomorrow.

Daily Reworked Whip Out: "Wyatt Frets"

"Wyatt Earp matters because of what he means, not for who he really was."

—Thom Ross

Horse Humiliation vs. Horseback Appreciation & Topless Gunfighter Appreciation!

 October 13, 2024

   And, now, for your viewing pleasure, we have a very angry chica from Divisadero, Sonora

Daily Whip Out:

"La Poderosa"

   She is one of the widows in Divisadero who is not fond of Mexican machismo which she blames for her husband's death. She is not alone with this idea in the village of 300 widows.

Halloween Cover Buy In

   "Funny but the Halloween issue was the 1st True West I bought since you took over the magazine and I've been hooked ever since! Took out my first subscription and got the Mattie Silks Nude Duel issue in January 2001 and have every issue since then."

—Mark, TW Maniac 235

Well, we certainly got Mark's attention!

Topless Gunfighter cover

   My original partner, Bob McCubbin, was not a fan of this cover. We were doing an Old West show in Mankato, Minnesota in 2001 and I had a sampling of True West issues on the table and this one had just come out so I had it prominently, front and center. I went out to get something and when I got back I noticed the issue was face down so I turned it over and was talking to someone and when I looked down again Bob had turned it over again. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I hate that cover. It's embarrassing!" So, it's more than a little ironic that Mark The Maniac #235 received this as his first issue.

Horse Humiliation vs. Horse Appreciation

"I don't do horseback riding, mainly because I prefer to be comfortable—and it's not the 1800s. I'm sure the horses aren't thrilled either: "Why am I carrying you around? I saw you drive up in a Honda Accord." But people love to horseback ride. I have a friend, she told me the reason she enjoys horseback riding is because she loves horses, which seems like a strange way of expressing love for someone. Making it carry you around on its back. I mean, I love my great aunt Katie, but I'm not making her carry me around on her back. Not anymore, you know."

—Jim Gaffigan

Daily Whip Out:

"Horse Sense Appreciation"

"There's just no end to the indignity of being a horse. You go horseback riding. The horse sees you pull up in a car. He knows, you have absolutely no real need to do this. I get out of a car that has 500 horsepower. So I can sit on an animal that has 1. Why do we even use the term 'horsepower'? Is it just to further humiliate the horses? Each Space Shuttle rocket has about 20 million horsepower. Is there any point in continuing to compare it to the horses?"

—Jerry Seinfeld

"If I had asked people what they wanted—they would have said faster horses."

—Henry Ford on his invention of the model T

Honoring Jay Dusard And A Stinking Junior Deputy Arpaio Badge Wearer

 October 12, 2024

   A great guy with even better taste in art, just came out to the Triple B Ranch and walked off with my original painting of Charles Poston.

Uno With Craig Schepp Yucking It Up

   Yes, and he's wearing a Joe Arpaio junior sheriff's badge to answer the Patinas question, "I got your stinking badge right here!"

Junior Deputy Joe Arpaio Badge

   Meanwhile, down Douglas way. . .

We are getting set to honor the guy who took this wonderful photo of Julie Hagan way back in 1981 at the Wagstaff Land & Cattle Company in Wyoming. My best friend, Charlie Waters gifted me a signed print of this image and it now hangs prominently in my daughter's house. The photographer's name is Jay Dusard and he is a Master. He lives in Douglas, Arizona and is an Arizona legend.

Two More Covers I Wish I Had Back

   To put the cover failures conversation in context, it isn't that I didn't like how these covers came out, it's that they wayyyy underperformed on the newsstand, thus the Dumb Cover title. When Craig Schepp came out today to pick up his original painting he commented that he loved all the covers, and in fact, some of them were his favorites. Well, yes, he and I and two others as crazy as we are. So, here's two more to discuss:

Covers That Were Too Hip for The Room

   One of the pitfalls in choosing an image for the cover is the discovery of an actual photo of a major Old West character that is a little mind blowing. Take this cover for example:

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #7

   The crazy thing is this is an actual photo of Sitting Bull wearing snow goggles! And we were just so excited to print it on the cover for the joy and benefit of our readers. And we knew everyone would freak out and tell their friends. Well, turns out, many of them were turned off by the image and thought it was faked. Later on, we ran the same photo of him without the goggles (taken at the same photo session) and it did quite well. The moral is, be careful about being too hip for the room.

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #8

   Lots of negative phone calls on this one (not a surprise) but the extra attention did not result in extra newsstand sales. Still it's a classic and I'm glad we ran it because my Kingman kin all puckered at the site of this. And anytime you can make Kingman folk pucker, that is a fun thing to do.

   Oh, and here's the painting Craig Schepp bought today.

"The Father of Arizona Charles Poston"

      The lad has such good taste in art.

"The quality of a painter depends on the amount of the past he carries with him."

—Pablo Picasso

Some of The Dumbest Covers I Have Ever Done

 October 11, 2024

   It isn't often we take stock of our failures, but here's a partial listing of my biggest regrets in publishing, so far.

The Dumbest Covers I Have Ever Done

   Normally, I would say "the dumbest covers we have ever done" because I believe in the edict that it's truly amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit, but these covers were my idea from the get go and I won't share any of the resulting embarrassment with my comrades in graphic design. Here's the first boneheaded one, done early in our ownership of the magazine.

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #1

   I think it was Marcus Huff who found this weird old photo of a guy posing with a skeleton. It think it was an 1850s image. Someone, probably the sitter, was so embarrassed by this he put a postage stamp over his own head to hide his identity. That's just a guess. Why we would run this—on the cover!—is beyond me today. Well, maybe not beyond, because I green lit it, but dang, I wish I had this one back.

   Same with this next one.

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #2

   One of our writer's room jokes is that in the old days, True West featured a dead man in every issue. But on the cover! This flirts dangerously close to death porn and I wish I had it back, but it's dead to me. Sorry, and the "Craps Out" line is a total groaner.

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #3

   Known internally as the "Savior With No Name Cover" this is, well, dang close to blasphemous, although Jana's piece inside was very respectful of Christendom out West.

One of The Dumbest Covers Ever #4

  The premise was not bad: would you pay $500,000 for this little piece of tin? And we thought it would be great to show the tintype at the actual size. This runs counter to the Ten Foot Rule: if you are walking by a newsstand and you are ten feet away and you can't see what is on the cover, you are going to die. And this cover did just that. Also, to rub salt into the wound, all the photo experts we talked to thought a half mil was close to lunacy and the absolute ceiling of what a sane person would pay for the picture so imagine everyone's surprise when Bill Koche paid $2.3 million for the only known photo of Billy the Kid!

One of the Dumbest Covers Ever #5

   Known internally as "Bring Me The Head of The Idiot Who Came Up With This Cover". In my defense, Paul Andrew Hutton and I were immersed in the Mickey Free story and we thought this Weird West angle would light up the switchboards, which it did, but with complaints from mothers everywhere who wanted us put in jail!

   There's actually one more, but I'll save that bad boy for tomorrow.

"Study the past if you want to know what the idiots are going to do next."

—Old Vaquero Saying