A Wyatt Earp Moment In A Waylon Jennings World

 April 25 2026

   I had a profound realization this morning as I was waking up. I am reading three books about Phoenix in the 1970s. I want to tell a story about what that era was like and all three tomes are wonderful. Here's a taste:

   "We cruised slowly through the unincorporated roads that ran off the dry riverbed, several miles of cinder block buildings, high cyclone fences strung with concertina wire, and some of the nastiest bars and massage parlors in the Valley. Neither Tempe or Scottsdale wanted the land. So it stayed under county jurisdiction. But today even Ace's Tavern and Terry's Swedish Massage institute ('real coeds') were quiet."

—John Talton, Camelback Falls

    That faraway time is now fifty years ago, and here's the realization: it's the about the same amount of time that had elapsed when Wyatt Earp was trying to cash in on a decent story about the events in Tombstone when he walked by a certain corral.

   And, I am sad to say, he was never able to cash in on his own story even though he had help from Tom Mix and William S. Hart two of the biggest Western stars of his era!

   So, what have I got to work with? Well, there is this bonehead.

The 66 Kid with Glendale Biker Babe

circa 1970

(The important details: it's a Tiger Triumph 500cc)

   I turned 21 at midnight on December 19, 1967 and I waited in line with Renee Prefontaine until midnite and got my hand stamped to see this guy and order my first legal beer.

JDs In The Riverbottom

(The river being the Salt River)

   Oh, and about a year later I returned to JDs and went downstairs with Charlie Waters and heard Mike Condello do a just released Beatles album (I want to say it was "The White Album"), song for song, in order. We were so impressed. JD's, Fifth National Bank, Mr. Lucky's those were my haunts, plus I had an experience, or two, at Bourbon Street and Band-Aids.

   After a short-lived stint in Tucson, I came back to Phoenix and went to work with these guys.

   And, yes, for starters, I'm not the protagonist in my story, but the challenges are the same: how do you take the essence of a bygone era and make it into Chinatown meets Blazing Saddles?

   Stay tuned.

Tara's Mine Shaft would be a good setting.

A 1995 Memory of Driving With BBB

   "On the drive home from End of Trail in California. I’m in the backseat and you and Jim Dunham are in the front seat. The whole way you only talked about old west characters. And for over an hour you argued about THE position of either Doc’s or Wyatt’s hand when he fired his pistol. Complete with demonstrations. Finally I said 'please pull the car over at the next exit. I need to get away from you two for a few minutes.'  You laughed but did pull over. When we got back in the car you asked me what I wanted to talk about and right then my favorite ‘67 Corvette passed us and we talked about that for two minutes and then it was back to old west characters."

—Theresa Broniarczyk, Tri-Star Publisher

Daily Whip Out: "Bandito Sneer"                

                                                         

"History is something that never happened, written by someone who wasn't there."

—Old Vaquero Saying