May 27, 2026
A sneak peek at my editorial for the next issue:
Old Glory—New Story
Hard to believe it was fifty years ago that we were celebrating the bicentennial of this great country. And, for you kids out there too young to remember, it was still the Wild West out here in Cactusland. Yes, in the 1970s, half the country was very upset with the other half (sound familiar?). And what was all the anger about? Hair. Yes, the country that started with wigs and gravitated to shoulder-length locks on the legendary scouts of the Plains decided that long hair on men designated them as a sissy, or worse. Perhaps it had something to do with the buzz cuts favored by The Korean War kids. Anyway, when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan in February of 1964, the hair wars began and by the 1970s it was a full-blown culture war. If, heaven forbid, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time (like say, at a rodeo dance in Kingman, Arizona in 1967) cowboys would call you out for not wearing socks and having your hair touching the top of your ears. Yes, it was, ahem, a hairy time. Then it got worse—"out of the car, longhair!" went a typical rock lyric of the day.
Just when all seemed lost, a Texan, perhaps hearing the call from President John F. Kennedy: "We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future." Well, our cover boy did just that. And, more.
Thank you Willie Nelson.
Daily Whip Out:"Tell Them, Willie Boy Is Here."
"You know why divorces are so expensive? They're worth it."
—Willie Nelson
No comments:
Post a Comment
Post your comments