Hell to Breakfast And 1910 Barrio Skateboarders

 October 31, 2025

   Here's the final cover for Roger Clyne's newest album:

   And, here is the artwork in my studio before delivery, last week, when Uno wasn't sure it passed muster. . .

   And, speaking of passing muster, Erik Wright forwarded me this alleged photo of an early skateboarder from the El Paso barrio back in 1910.

Posted by Thrasher magazine on X

   I'm sorry, but I smell AI as that kid with the primitive skateboard looks dropped in, or, faked in, to my eyes. The scary part is, it looks almost accurate with maybe a smidgen of fakery that AI hasn't quite mastered yet. But be forewarned when artificial intelligence can illustrate any and all scenarios and have it look totally real that is going to create a weird dilemma for authentic history, isn't it? Will there be any way to prove it's fake, if the human eye can't tell? But, it's all coming like a freight train and I don't think it's a problem I'm going to solve, so good luck!

"You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance."

—Ray Bradbury

Kevin Costner's Sexy Sadie Goes Semi-Topless

 October 30, 2025

   I must say I had forgotten how Kevin Costner treated the Kaloma photo, but I remembered distinctly that both films, Tombstone, 1993, and Wyatt Earp, 1994, dealt with the racy, so-called Kaloma image as being "Mrs. Wyatt Earp."

Joanna Going as Sadie Marcus in Wyatt Earp

   So, I rented Wyatt Earp (Amazon, $5.95) and fast forwarded to a Tombstone saloon scene where the Sheriff of Cochise County Johnny Behan (Mark Harmon) is holding court and he pulls out a carte de visit and flashes it around to the assembled bar flies, just as Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner) walks in. Behan gleefully shows the scandalous photo of his live-in girlfriend to the "Kansas Law Dog."

Sexy Sadie (Joanna Going)

   Wyatt says with disgust, "You're a fool, Behan," and turns on his heel and walks out.

   The irony to me is, Tombstone is often labled as the more edgy version of the story, while the Costner version gets the rap of being a bit stodgy. But on the subject of Josephine "Sadie" Marcus's scandalous photo— Tombstone's Dana Delany as Sadie, is covered up, while Costner and the director, Lawrence Kasdan, went for semi-topless! Yikes.

   And, it must be noted, neither one is remotely true. The Kaloma photo is not Sadie and was added to the story to sell books and that it did.

"You can't judge a book by its topless cover."

—Old Bogus Author Saying

The Zombie Zone Whip Outs

 October 29, 2025

   As you know by now, I find old artwork in my studio and think to myself, I can improve on this. Actually, now that I think of it, I almost always find old artwork and think I can improve on it. Case in point:

Daily Whip Out: "Mule Man"

   On rare occasions, I find a page of whip outs and think two things: I can't improve on that, and, how in the hell did I do that?

In the Zombie Zone

   And, in rare cases, I find something that curls my toenails. . .

Daily Whip Outs: "Life On The Line"

   And, once in a blue moon, I find something more powerful than I ever intended.

Daily Whip Out:

"Mickey Free's Tragic Triangle"

   And, sometimes I do composites that have a crazy kind of potential:

Daily Composite Whip Outs: 

"Jesse The Conundrum"

   And, let's not forget the school of Loosey Goosey. . .

Daily Whip Outs: "Loosey Goosey, Part 78"

See any trends?

"Someday, everything is gonna be different, when I paint that masterpiece."

—Bob Dylan

Historic Hilarity Meets Behan's Girlfriend in "Tombstone"

 October 28, 2025

   In the film "Tombstone," 1993, Johnny Behan makes a wimpy attempt to stop the Earps and Holliday as they come down Fremont Street (just like in real life!) and as they pass Fly's Boarding House, Behan exits, stage right, and goes into Fly's only to encounter this:

Sheriff Behan discovers his girlfriend

apparently doing a selfie in a semi-nude outfit.

   Here's a closer look at the scene. . .

Behan Sees Daylight!

   Sadie (Dana Delany) has assumed the Kaloma pose although we don't see her main attributes.

   And, for the record, here is the image they were aping. . .

Kaloma, 1914

   Both movies, "Tombstone" and "Wyatt Earp" dealt with this bogus image which in itself speaks to how crazy and peculiar popular history has always been. But, it's not new. Check out this clever take on morals from an early American writer.

Historic Hilarity

“In short, it has been shown that no man can sit down to write without a very profound design. Thus to authors in general much trouble is spared. A novelist, for example, need have no care for his moral. It is there—that is to say it is somewhere—and the moral and the critics can take care of themselves. When the proper time arrives, all that the gentleman intended, and all that he did not intend, will be brought to light, together with all that he ought to have intended, and the rest that he clearly meant to intend: so that it will all come very straight in the end.”

—Edgar Alan Poe, 1841

John Fusco Is Going to Spill His Guts About Young Guns III

 October 27, 2025

   We are going to have some fun this coming Saturday at Scottsdale's Museum of the West when myself and Dr. Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator at the museum, tag team acclaimed filmmaker, novelist and musician John Fusco for a special evening to discuss the creation of the Young Guns franchise and to find out, once and for all, if the rumors are true: is there is going to be a Young Guns III?

   Fusco, screenwriter of the Westerns Young Guns (1988) and Young Guns II (1990), will take part in a wide-ranging conversation about his career, the making of the Young Guns films, and the enduring legend of Billy the Kid.

   “Few figures in Western history loom larger than Billy the Kid, and few writers have reimagined his story as vividly as John Fusco,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator at Western Spirit. “We’re excited to bring him together with Bob Boze Bell, whose work has kept the Kid’s story alive for decades, for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of history and storytelling.”

   And, this will give you a chance to see our Resurrection of Billy the Kid art show as well.

   Get your tickets to the event right here.

John Fusco Tickets

   Better hurry. It's almost sold out but I wanted my closest friends here to have a shot.

"I'll make you famous."

—Emilio Estevev, Young Guns

This One Is For My Dad

 October 27, 2025

   Funny, how complicated our relationship can be with our fathers. Somehow, the makers of this Arizona Historymakers video got me to divulge my true frustrations and deep feelings with that stubborn Norwegian and I got a lump in my throat just watching this:

The Arizona Historymakers Video And My Reaction to It

Arizona Historymakers Program

(#7, that's my father, Allen P Bell, and me at

Peach Springs, Arizona with Blackie, our dog)

"Remember, your father is the only man who wants to see you be better than him. Don't ever forget that."

—Old Vaquero Saying

The Bell of The Ball

 October 26, 2025

   My daughter and her daughter arrived on Friday night on a flight from Seattle and on Saturday afternoon we drove into Scottsdale to attend the induction ceremony for the Arizona Historymakers at Scotts Resort. There were seven other inductees and myself, and we gathered in a huge banquet hall for the ceremony. The lights dimmed and I was up first and they ran a four-minute video on my life and times.

The Bell of The Ball, Frances B

   I had mixed feelings watching it, because they kept asking me questions about exactly how I got into history in the first place. The bottom line is I was 8-years-old when the fuse was lit and as I said on the video I just had a burning desire to find out what was true and what was not in the history of the Old West. So, just watching it, I became very focused on the fact that my granddaughter Frances was sitting next to me and she is eight-years-old!

   I don't know exactly how you create a spark in someone else's life, but I do know that I love telling stories and as you might imagine I can go on and on. Perhaps my granddaughter knows something about me telling them that I don't even know myself. 

   And, so, I quoted her advice to me before I went up on stage:

"Whatever you do, Grandpa, keep it short."

—Frances B.

Wild Rides On A Bus to Tin Cup

 October 24, 2025

   The other day, someone asked an old man what he thought about the current state of affairs in our country and he replied, "It's always a wild ride, isn't it?" That old geezer should know. He's been on the planet for almost 79 years. And that's why it's time to celebrate. . .

Wild Rides, Indeed!

   Meanwhile, back at the chuck wagon. . .

"Bronc to Breakfast"

by Charles Russell

   Meanwhile, another wild ride happened right here.

Boze Under the Mittons

   And here is the same scene ten seconds later. . .

Fred Weldon comes by to say hi! 

That is Ken Amorosano in the background and I think we had just finished taping a True West Moment for the Westerns Channel.

   And, speaking of True West Moments it was the Encore producer Jeff Hildebrandt who discovered me on a bus ride to Tin Cup, Colorado in 2002 and signed me up to do those little one minute history blurbs that we produced and ran for almost ten years. I just got word that has Jeff passed and I must say he gave me such a great platform and I still get people coming up to me all these years later and tell me how much they enjoyed them. Thanks, Jeff.

The Marsh Gives Us A Gift

"If my column Ask the Marshall is still popular and you want to keep running it, you are free to keep doing so. I mean free, no charge. It never was about the money anyway. I love answering questions and once a teacher, always a teacher. There must be some 25 years of ATMs or Q/As in the morgue. Q/As don't have an expiration date."

—Marshall Trimble

The Legend of The White Buffalo

 October 23, 2025

   There is a Native American belief that if you see a white buffalo, it means good things are coming your way. Well, look what I saw this morning on my walk with Uno:

An entire family of White Buffalo

looking at me as if to say,

"Duh. What did you think would happen?"

   Not that I'm counting my buffalo before they hatch, but it seems fair to say, based on the sighting, I will be getting four times as much of a good thing?

   Well, one of them just landed in my front yard this morning. A box of the new issue!

The Nov-Dec issue of True West is landing in mailboxes across this fine nation. Expect yours in the next 48 hours if you are a subscriber.

   Okay, that is one, what else you got, White Buff Fam? Okay, now that I think about it, another fine thing that has come my way is a visit tomorrow from this fair lass.

My daughter Deena forty-some years ago.

   She is flying in from Seattle with her daughter, Frances.

Frances B es mucho groovy

   They are coming to town to join me as I will be inducted into the Arizona Historymakers in about 48 hours. I think this is exactly what those white buffalo were trying to tell me. Get ready for a true honor and a splendid crew to celebrate it with.

From Dust to Dust

The dust came in thick and heavy, obliterating the entire area. Still, I could see a face that no one else could see. Was I crazy?

Daily Whip Out:

"The Face No One Else Could See"

   Of course, I have always seen things no one else would admit to seeing, like this:

Daily Whip Out: "Not Fade Away"

(every face fades until only the stories remain)

   And, I have to agree with Stuart Rosebrook who said, "People would be surprised at how few people make True West magazine happen." Yes, and here they are:

Robert Ray, Dan Harshberger, Ken Amorosano, Lucinda Amorosano, Rebecca Edwards, Beth Devany, Sheri Jenson and Jana Earp.

   Of course, there are a couple dozen others who are contributing editors, mapmakers or contributing writers but the hardcore, day-to-day development of each issue from copy to graphics to page numbers and photo credits belongs to the names on the above list. Indeed, it is a very small group who have made it happen every day of every month since 1999. And, for that, I thank the white buffalo and every lucky star that hangs in the sky from here to Uranus. Oh, and one more lucky star—white buffalo blessing:

There are no surviving photos

of me wearing these shorts!

"We can thank our lucky stars when once in a blue moon we find rare and kindred souls along the pathways of our lives."

—Laurel Burch

Mongoose Sunrise And The Fragrance That Is Heaven Scent

 October 22, 2025

   We got some unexpected rain this morning. Made for dramatic skies on my walk with Uno. 

"Mongoose Sunrise"

   That was looking east, and here is the view to the west:

"Rainbow Over The Seven Sisters"

   Great way to start the day. Especially with that smell after the rain. Meanwhile, in Whip Out news. . .

Daily Whip Out: "The Last Sunset"

The Science Behind That Sweet Smell After A Desert Rain

   It's been described as "post-deluge euphoria," and now botanists at the University of Arizona have identified 15 compounds released by desert plants—especially creosote!—after a rain and they surmise that this "heaven scent" contributes to "improving sleep patterns, stabilizing emotional hormones, enhancing digestion, heightening mental clarity and reducing anxiety and depression."

   Other than that, it's kind of a downer.

"You can't fight the desert. You have to ride with it.”

—Louis L'Amour

The Number One Lesson I learned From Doing 10,000 Bad Drawings

 October 21, 2025

   I am often asked what is the most valuable lesson I learned from my quixotic quest to do 10,000 bad drawings, and the answer is it made me a more loosey goosey drawer. Not perfect, mind you, just looser, which I would translate as better. Here's my drawing skills on display before the quest:

Monthly Whip Out:

"Overwrought And Over Drawn"

And, here is my new skill on display this morning.

Daily Whip Out: "Mystical Mamacita"

   Don't believe me? Here's another old rendering from my long ago past:

Monthly Whip Out:

"D-R Roping Hippies On Red Lake"

   And, here's another loosey goosey from this morning:

Daily Whip Out:

"Doc Goes Home to Prescott"

   Speak of the devil, I just did a podcast with Stuart Rosebrook on the current BtK art show at Scottsdale Museum of the West and the upcoming art show in Prescott in a couple weeks.

Bringing Doc Home to Prescott

   At the end of the day, I have to admit it's all been fun and I simply enjoy the process. So, right or wrong, I keep on drawing just for the fun of it. One more for the road. Oops. Actually five more for the road!

File This One Under "You Can Say That Again"

"History teaches us that man learns nothing from history."

—Georg Hegel

Bell Mell Connections: Following The Predictions of Edmundo Segundo

 October 20, 2025

   As you undoubtably know, I spent some quality time in the same art studio as Ed Mell. I learned a ton and I owe some of my modest skills to being in the same room while the Master did his daily work.

A tiny part of Ed Mell's collection in his studio

(photo by David B. Moore

for Phoenix Home & Garden) 

Ed Mell in his studio

(Edmundo passed at age 81, last year)

Ed Mell Bell pieces

(notice which scratchboard is in the first photo)

Bell Mell Ripoff

(Poaching From The Master)

   Edmundo always predicted I would return to the saguaro as my main subject matter. It makes some sense, since they loom so large in my line of vision every day I go outside on the great Sonoran Desert.

Crazy Arms 1987

   This big, bent bad boy was about fifty yards from our house towards the cave. Every arm is just as I drew it, bent by the cold air that hovers in the creek that Cave Creek is named for. I also shot tons of reference photos of saguaros in our neighborhood.

Saguaro Contact Sheet, 1988

   And, from time to time, some of these reference images show up in my work.

Daily Whip Out: "Saguaro Ridge Rider"

"Cave Creek Crazy Arms"

Cattletrack Art Print 5/38

   Sometimes I see the strangest things on my morning walks with Uno. Here are two jackasses jawing, while a cow climbs the fence to get at the leaves on that tree. 

Gurnsey Fence Climber

Yes, I know, if someone told me this I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Perhaps this social climbing bovine is a fan of Waldo.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Getting Old And Getting Old, Dad-binged Advice

October 19, 2026

   What is our problem in America? If you ask me, the lamb is in the yard and the wolf has jumped the gate.

Frank James Jumped A Few Gates Himself

    In 1902, Frank James sought a court order to prevent the play, The James Boys in Missouri, from being shown on stage in Kansas City, Missouri. He voiced his concern like this:

“The dad-binged play glorifies these outlaws and makes heroes of them…. I am told the Gilliss Theatre was packed to the doors last night, and that most of those there were boys and men. What will be the effect on these young men to see the acts of a train robber and outlaw glorified?”

   The lamb is in the yard. . .

 "Just remember that once you are over the hill you begin to pick up speed."

—Arthur Schopenhauer

Reframing A Savage War That Taught An Entire Generation of Kids How to, Well, You Know, Kill People Creatively

 October 18, 2025

   Sometimes, as a parent and grandparent, I worry about who we have become. My current creative dilemma is how do I reframe a very famous historical story?

   All the while being honest and true? And without overly glorifying the bloody aspects of the tale? As most parents know, the wrong examples can ruin kid's lives.

      Speaking of which, a couple years ago, I was visited by this crazy cat.

The Victorian Dandy Darcy Sullivan

   Yesterday, I received a book in the mail from London and it was a gift from Darcy.

   It's mostly a book full of crazy Old West caricatures and I must say, I especially enjoyed this obvious homage to a certain Kid we all know:

"Touched"

      Here is the foreword from a famous cartoonist:

"These drawings are about history. They're about the brutal, feral part of America. They're about guns and violence. They're about cultural collisions. They're about environment. They're about deranged roles of masculinity and femininity. They're about phony cultural mythologies and cheap patriotism. These drawings explore the themes of America—the historical and the mythic West as the essence of the American character. . .and ye gods, look at who we are!"

—Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes's cartoonist