November 11, 2008
Dan the Man Harshberger came out for our monthly design meeting. Went over several design issues, then looked at the proofs for the 2008 Source book (found a couple mistakes). Now we're going to lunch at the Silver Spur to celebrate the Source Book completion.

Smart Vs. Stupid
"It's Elizabeth Banks in the movie Zack and Mira Make A Porno. Elizabeth Smart was the kidnapped Mormon teenager."
—A concerned blog reader

True. Banks looks smart though. That was my point.

Not really. Major dyslexic behavior.

Up to my armpits in snow reference. Scenes in progress are:



As a working regimen I rapidly do five or six snow and sky washes as loosey goosey as I can. I'm looking for the subtle atmospheric movement that snow and clouds often reflect. Here is a case (above) where the effect is wonderful, but I'm not sure what to put in to complete the scene.

Here's another one:



Same problem. Wonderful happy accidents. I've never nailed the subtle snow highlights as strong as this puppy. Yes, it's a poach from a Frederic Remington nocturne, but now I'm afraid to touch it. Ha.



Here's a storm cloud preliminary that I will definitely proceed on, but it does have some of that same "Oh, my God, I can't mess this up!" Which ruins more paintings than my lack of skill, which has ruined plenty.



This one is very problematic because I wanted a neutral sky to offset the bottom of the painting (which is unfinished). and yes, this is a final on the study I posted a couple days ago.

Kathy downloaded a song for me called "Message From Your Heart" by Kina Grannis. Great words. In part:

"I don't work for free, please take care of me. Don't hurt me, I bleed constantly. . .This is a message from your heart, your most devoted body part, taking blood and making art, this is a message from your heart, pounding away in the dark, you could thank me for a start, this is a message from your heart."
—Kina Grannis

November 10, 2008
Went home for lunch and finished three snow studies for "Two-Page Westerns." Here's the first one:



Just a tad too Leanin' Tree (that's a legendary greeting card company) and not enough graphic novel. However, I do like the smoke from the adobe off in the valley (middle right).



This one (above) has some subtle aspects I rather like. For instance El Kid is almost hidden by the trees and I may run this as a long horizontal and bring the bottom and top way in.



This one had the coolest sky, but then I ruined it with a crappy rider. Very amateurish. Wish I had it back. It could have been a contender.

"To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature."
—Francois Auguste Rene Rodin

November 10, 2008
Went down into the Beast yesterday for the Cowboy Artist's Show at the Phoenix Art Museum. Hit a big storm at Union Hills and Cave Creek Road. Lots of hail and rain.

The art show was great, although there were mighty few red dots on the paintings (I heard from an insider that sales were down 40% from last year). Came back out to Bell Road and caught a movie, Zack And Mira Make A Porno. Elizabeth Smart was cute as hell but Kevin Smith's story was a bit vile.

Spent most of the weekend on storm studies. Here's one that started out as a snow scene but ended up in the Topock Marsh:



Also, working hard on giving El Kid that infectious smile he is legendary for. Copped a couple smiles from Audey Murphy (upper right), Elvis (lower left) and two Hollywood stuntmen (Summers, bottom right). And that's Ron Howard (upper left), playing the stage driver in "Manos Arriba," my graphic novel I'm working on for the April issue:



Did six snow scene sketches playing with color. Some solid work. In fact, better than the finished stuff:



Which I'll post later today. I've been copying the masters, Victor Higgens, Monet (or is it Manet, I can't keep those Frogs straight?) and Berninghaus. Anyway, does all of this copying lead to anything good?

"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for."
—Socrates

November 9, 2008
Chilly. Built the first fire of the season in the studio stove. Felt good.

More work on New Mexico snow scenes. Got a good sky going with dramatic snow clouds offset by lit up adobes. Lit up, as in late afternoon light.

Going into the Beast in an hour to see the Cowboy Artist's Show at the Phoenix Art Museum. Might catch a movie afterward.

Still struggling with story boarding. Can't seem to get past the rough sketches to a solid finish. Not sure how to get past this obstacle. Gee, I wonder what ol' Mr. Cohen has to say about this?

"When your intention is clear, so is the way."
—Alan Cohen

November 8, 2008
Worked all day on El Kid snow scenes. Lots of hard work. Snow is everything but white. I have been studying (poaching) from Monet, Victor Higgins and Remington (who also did very nice snow effects in the last couple of years of his life). Lots of purple, Monet made snow with yellow!). A very delicate dance. I'll post some of the efforts on Monday.

Went up to the feed store at noon and got dog food and chicken feed ($50, includes $1 tip to the guy who loaded the bags in the truck).

Met up with Michelle and Jim Rizzi on Friday afternoon. They are in town from Salt Lake City. I worked with both of them at New Times Weekly and we were in a band together, called "The Weeklies." Great talking to them about the old days and all of our wild experiences in the seventies and eighties. Gee, I wonder what those old experiences are worth today?

"If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we would all be millionaires."
—Abigail Van Buren

November 7, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Well, Hollywood may not be ready for Mickey Free, but recently expired True West subscribers are:

"Just thought you'd like to know that I re-upped a long-lapsed sub (two years) on the strength of Mickey Free (the pdf). I am a fan of graphic novels of a historical nature (no fantasy) and, while your take on it is not standard, I think it's a fine piece of work. I've always wished someone would take on a good story from the Mexican Revolution (hint!) in this format. It lends itself so well to that vivid kind of visual interpretation.

"Just for your reference, my favorite graphic novels are Queen & Country (gritty espionage — love the writing; like some of the artists better than others) and Scalped (contemporary noir on a stand-in for the Rosebud reservation).

"Anyway, thanks for a great story well-told and keep it up."
—Jim Cornelius

And speaking of writing screenplays for movies:

"A good film script should be able to do completely without dialogue."
—David Alan Mamet

November 7, 2008
Got a haircut from Bev this morning. Kind of cold out, but we used her patio chair anyway. Talked about our old neighbor "Mad Dog" J.D. Nelson who moved to Utah earlier this year. I saw my neighbor Joe Yaeger on the road yesterday and stopped to ask him about coming over to start the John Deere. He half-jokingly said, "Better call J.D. and see if he'll come down to help."

So I did. Called him last night and offered J.D. a plane ticket to come down and help us start the tractor. He seemed touched but declined. When I told him my dad was bugging me (from heaven) about getting "Mad Dog" to help me start the family tractor, J.D. quipped, "I may see your dad before I see you."

When I mentioned this to Bev, she joked, "Oh, J.D. he's always dyin'."

Paul Hutton and I received a blunt critique from a well known Hollywood screenwriter this morning. He doesn't want his name mentioned but his basic take on our chances with Mickey Free being a feature length movie are these:

• No bankable star will sign up to be in a movie that is about fighting Native Americans.

• The heads in the sack scene is too harsh for Hollywood.

• The main characters are not very likable.

• The female lead, Beauty, gets her nose cut, so no bankable female star will take the role.

• The title is too weak since Mickey Free is not well known enough.

Other than that, he thought we were in good shape. Ha.

Actually, these are all aspects of the story we have debated since the beginning, but we went ahead anyway, because:

• The characters are true to their times.

• Heads in a sack happened in the Apache wars and it still happens in Iraq and Afghanistan, so what's the big shock? In fact, that's all the more reason to portray it.

• Mickey Free may not be the best title, but it certainly is different from any other Western in a long time.

• And The Top Secret Writer nailed it when he responded to our mutual friend: "I really see this as a post-modern/post-racial western where we do not pander to 1960s sensibilities. Its the first Obama Era western!"

Ha. It's true. Mickey Free and Obama have so much in common (besides delivering John McCain's head in a sack).

I'm working on more studies for El Kid. Here's a dusty vignette of a bandido I like very much:



And here's a study of El Kid riding across a snow-capped landscape, searching for—what else?—homemade tamales!



This is inspired by a New Mexico landscape painted by Victor Higgins, one of the Taos Seven. Victor did great snow scenes.

"The worst thing you can do to a filmmaker is to walk out of their film and go, 'That was a nice movie'. But if you can cause people to walk out and then argue about the film on the sidewalk... I think we're all seeking dissension, and we love to affect an audience."
—Paul Haggis, the director of Crash and The Valley of Elah

November 6, 2008
Working on snow scenes for "Two-Page Westerns." Got a nice little vignette of El Kid travelling through snowbanks for homemade tamales.

Had lunch with Pierre O'Rourke, an old friend from Scottsdale. We traded Hugh O'Brian and Chris Pischke stories. Pierre was close to Chris and continues to be close to Hugh.

Mark Boardman sent me a funny article on Pulitzer Prize Winning Cartoonist Art Spiegelman (Maus). A couple quotes caught my fancy:

"The main thing to me is the Mark Twain quote. . .which is basically 'there's ain't no humor in heaven, and life is pain.' I think he nailed it on the head when he said everything human is pathetic, the secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow. When you're watching Tina Fey, you're watching pain! Humor's just a specific way of telling the truth, when it's genuinely funny."

"Therapy is vomiting things up. Art is about eating your own vomit. There's a therapeutic aspect to all making, but the nature of working is to compress, condense, and shape stuff, not to just expunge it. It's not just an exorcism."

—Art Spiegelman

November 5, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Went home for lunch and had a bowl of homemade green chile (Hatch, New Mexico chiles) and then went out to the studio and whipped out six sketches of bandidos.

If someone gave me truth serum and asked me to name one positive thing about the scourge of meth upon our culture, I would be forced to admit this: I appreciate the mug shots that run in the Arizona Republic of meth addicts. Case in point:



Can you spot the meth addict? Yes, that's him in the lower, right-hand corner. Of course, he wasn't wearing a sombrero, but you can't make up a face like that. The others are from old movies (center, left) and a book of photos on the Mexican Revolution.

I'm striving for authentic, individual types without resorting to the stereotypical bandido. Not easy to do. I guess I'm trying to create new stereotypes. Gee, I wonder if ol' Waldo has anything to say about this?

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Which leads us to this quote:

"Even a blind dog finds an acorn once in a while."
—Old Artist Saying

November 5, 2008
Mark Robeson drove out from Phoenix today and had me sign two of my books and the Mickey Free issue of True West. Mark said he has read the Mickey Free graphic novel excerpt three times and that he's a huge fan of Tom Horn and loves what we did with the character.

Mark also requested we consider doing a graphic novel on the Arizona Rangers. I made a note to work on this as I have long been a fan of the unsung lawmen in the "transitional West" as Bob Alexander so aptly put it. I wonder what the copyright status of "26 Men—Who Lived To Ride Again" is? I'd love to use that, but I'm not sure who, if anybody, owns the rights to that.

On a related note, today we sent a copy of the Mickey Free issue to a book agent in New York who has requested a look see.



Paul Hutton and I are anxious to get on with the book length version because so many plot points and artwork (above) would not fit in the 20-pages we had for the excerpt.

"It's hard to understand how a cemetery can raise its burial rates and blame it on the cost of living."
—Old Vaquero Saying

November 4, 2008
I'm wearing red, white and blue and a "I voted" sticker, although I voted two weeks ago.

Mickey Free Feedback
"The story on Micky Free was one of the best things I have ever read in True West."
—Frank Cutler, Sodus, New York

Here's a photo of Tom Tumus, myself and Joey Dillon at last weekend's Wild West Days at Frontier Town in Cave Creek:



"Meet the sun every morning as if it could be a ballot."
—Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.

November 3, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Graduated from cardio rehab today. My 36th visit to Paradise Valley Hospital at 38th St. and Bell Road. I'm proud to say there has been improvement in all the categories. I've gained four pounds ("all muscle," according to Beth: 174 pounds). Got a T-shirt and a hug from the girls. Still plan on going back there once a week just because, like most slackers, I work harder with supervision (and when women are watching me).

Want to see what sketches number 7.397, 7,398 and 7,399 look like:



Very nice desert effects if I do say so myself. The top sketch of a canyon is actually from a photograph of China from the Sunday New York Times Travel Section, but I was intrigued by the rimmed highlights on the ridges and it reminded me of the rock formations around Wickenburg actually.

The second and third sketches are New Mexico inspired. The middle sketch is not far from the Trinity Site (in my mind) and the bottom illustration is actually a color poach from N.C. Wyeth, who painted "Pyle's Barn" in 1921 (I assume that's Howard Pyle and not Gomer) and I was amazed that he created a nocturne with such a light palette. I copied the colors, changed the barn to an adobe and, there it is, Fort Sumner before the flood (not intended, but a "happy accident.").

Speaking of Old Fort Sumner. . .

Back To Billy
I have been busy reactivating my Billy the Kid synapses (and photo reference) for the January issue of True West which will feature El Kid in a new feature we are calling "Two-page Westerns."

I have been contacted by a gentleman who is doing a new Billy the Kid museum and wants me to paint an original of Pat Garrett and the Kid, together. I have two concepts: one is Garrett and the Kid outside the Lincoln County Courthouse when Pat brought the Kid back to be hung in the Spring of 1881. The other painting concept would be of Garrett with his hand on the Kid's shoulder, on the snow covered parade ground at Fort Sumner. In the background is the Garrett posse with the other prisoners and the dead body of Charles Bowdre (we see his feet sticking out of the wagon).

It's funny, but I guess you could divide my life into three periods: BBB and the Young Billy (age 8 to 21, when I came under the spell of the Kid through the pages of True West magazine); the Immature Billy (when I rediscovered the Kid at age forty and flew to New Mexico every chance I had doing research on the Kid for my book which was published in 1992, then four more years as I totally reworked it and added many dozens of illustrations and photographs); and now, the third phase: Post-heart Attack Semi-Mature BBB Billy.

I say "Semi-Mature" because you can't really be a Billy the Kid fanatic and be totally mature. It just isn't possible. Just ask my wife—and every wife of every guy I know who loves Billy the Kid.

Gee, I wonder what ol' Nathaniel has to say about this?

"The present is burdened too much with the past. We have not time, in our earthly existence, to appreciate what is warm with life, and immediately around us."
—Nathaniel Hawthorne

November 3, 2008
Finally finished the "Manos Arriba!" set piece this morning:



Three Mexican bandidos are holding up the Anton Chico stage near Glorieta Pass. As I worked on this scene I realized the preacher—from Maine, by the way—asked to ride on the box with the driver because the two strangers in the coach were getting "randy." And when the stage climbs the final hill, just prior to the robbery, the vixen asks her rider his name, and he replies, "Antrim." She calls him Antrim from then on, as if it's his first name. Young William is amused by this.

"Some of us are timid. We think we have something to lose so we don't try for the next hill."
—Maya Angelou

November 1, 2008
Just beautiful out. Have the doors open, sunny and cool (high in the lower eighties). Working on another stagecoach scene for El Kid. Master shot of sequence for "Manos Arriba!"

Went up to Frontier Town at noon today to help Tom Tumus with the True West booth at the annual Cave Creek Wild West Days. Met some great great people and talked with a few Western history fans. One guy, a new subscriber, spends his time in the Bradshaw Mountains looking for lost mines. He said he just cancelled his Arizona Highways subscription and is only keeping ours, because they stopped doing ghost towns and lost mines. Interesting (note to self: find a ghost town piece for next issue).

I imagine my friends at Highways would hate to hear that since they are doing their best to reinvent the pub. But that's why these events are critical to attend. You get to hear the truth from the readers. I've had people come up to me and say, "Tell your boss he's ruining my favorite magazine." I always smile and say, "I'll be glad to tell the son of a bitch. And, by the way, what is he doing to wreck your favorite magazine?"

One guy told me he doesn't like the Western movie reviews and made a big stink about there being no room in True West for the "reel West." In the next breath he asks me if I have seen Apaloosa and what did I think about it. I told him I liked it and we did a big piece on it in the magazine and he said, yes, he read it, and that's why he went and saw the movie.

See, you can't pay for that kind of insight.

Last night Kathy and I watched The Valley of Elah the 2007 film by Paul Haggis (Crash). Once you get past the politics, it is a joy to watch Tommy Lee Jones. He is stunning as Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam Vet who's looking for his AWOL son, just back from Iraq. The role was originally written for Clint Eastwood, but Tommy Lee is just amazing and I cannot imagine Clint doing a better job. In fact, I believe Tommy Lee is without a doubt, the best actor we have today (If you don't believe me, go screen No Country For Old Men, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Lonesome Dove and The Valley of Elah, and I dare you to name a better actor who portrays Western characters). He was definitely robbed of an Oscar for this portrayal. And no matter your politics (Haggis gets a little heavy handed toward the end) it is just pure joy to see Tommy Lee live in Hank's shoes.

He goes after a Mexican soldier who pulls a knife on him, and Tommy Lee pulls out a tire iron and says, "What's with you Wetbacks, it's always the knife, isn't it?" then proceeds to beat the crap out of him, and, in the process, he decks a woman (Charlize Theron) and bloodies her nose. So much for political correctness by the Hollywood liberal establishment. Ha. That was refreshing, but then this is the guy who made Crash.

The little details were wonderful, like when a local detective (Theron) comes to talk to him while he's washing his clothes in a laundromat, and he sees her coming, rushes to the dryer to put on a shirt (he has on a T-shirt but evidently feels that is unseemly). They have a serious conversation about his son's disappearance as he hurriedly buttons up the shirt. She mentions it looks like it's not dry. He says, "No, it's dry enough." Through the rest of the scene he squirms uncomfortably with the wet shirt and, ahem, soldiers on. In the next scene they are in a chicken shack fast food place and he's still fiddling with the shirt, trying to pat it dry. Hilarious and it's so subtle and so good. There's 25 other tidbits I could mention, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Check out this movie so you can see Tommy Lee at the top of his game.

One of the other things to look for is Valley was filmed in Albuquerque (and also Morocco and Whiteville, Tennessee) in late 2006 and many of the actors from this film are in No Country For Old Men (also filmed in Albuquerque) including Tommy Lee, Barry Corbin, Josh Brolin and several character actors Kathy recognized from both films. It's almost like they were all in town and thought, oh, what the hell, let's make another movie with the same people.

"You are the point the universe is trying to make."
—Debbie Payne, my yoga instructor, quoting some spiritual yoga guy

October 31, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Here's a great capper to this morning's post:

"A happy childhood is the worst possible preparation for life."
-Kinky Friedman

"Considering my own idyllic childhood, I've found the above statement to be very accurate."
—Seth Wilson

October 31, 2008
As I've said before, paintings talk to me. Invariably, as I'm laying in the washes bits of dialogue come floating into my mind. Case in point:

The morning stage from Anton Chico contains three passengers: a minister, a woman and El Kid. I looked through my scrap file (named "Femme Fatale") looking for the right type of female to be on that stage. As I began the painting she was quite demure and spinsterish. But then:



But then, she turned into Angelina Jolie (or a young Pamela Anderson). And what she said to me (or more accurately, to young William Bonney), is this:

"You certainly know how to take advantage of a bumpy ride. What did you say your name was?"

"Bonnie. James Bonney."

Can't really use this, although I think Westerns could learn (and do well to borrow) a few things from James Bond.

Meanwhile, here's another image, in progress (from the same sequence):



These scenes are painfully slow to develop. My goal is a movie on paper and in a complicated scene like this with three passengers, a stage driver, two bandidos on the ground, one on a butte with a trained Winchester on El Kid, and four nervous horses in harness, well, I sure could learn to reduce things to symbols, if you know what I mean.

Got a call the day before yesterday from my Kingman Cowboy Cousin Billy Hamilton. It was great talking to him about his ranch activities and his horse operation.

Speaking of Kingman, I'm going to lunch today with one of the bandmates who saved my life. Terry Mitchell is coming out to Cave Creek to grab a bean. Mike Torres is supposed to come with him.

Which always gets me to thinking about growing up in Kingman. As much as I like to complain about—and make fun of— my hometown, I really had a pretty decent childhood. My parents were honest and hard working and I had friends among the Hualapais and the Mojaves (Moon!) and the cowboys and the cheerleaders. And all of this, on glorious Route 66 in its heyday! Yes, all in all, it was a very idyllic upbringing, and perhaps that is my problem.

"Bad childhoods are a human misfortune, but for writers they are often a stroke of luck."
—Dan Chiasson, in The New Yorker

October 30, 2008
Most of us at True West dressed up in Halloween costumes today, continuing a tradition that goes back to 2001. Here are a few photos of that tradition:



Yes, this is the first year, 2001. I'm dressed like a fighting clown. There was some reference to someone in the news (Mike Tyson?) although I can't remember now who it was. Some other highlights:



I'm dressed as John Kerry on vacation, so this must be 2004.




That's Joel Klasky at right as a "doctor" and I think I'm "The Graduate" which is an inside joke at my house because I'm the only one without a degree in the whole fam damly.

This one got the biggest laugh out of Abby this morning. I'm on the ground, and apparently came as Stephen Hocking:



And finally, here is this year's group, taken out back of the True West offices:



Left to right: Sue as Honkytonk Sue dressed as a pirate (very clever): Allison as a peace loving hippie, Tom as vaquero, Lauren as a cowgirl, Meghan as a pirate: BBB, this year Kathy put quarters all over my body and on my top hat and I came as "Change you can actually believe in.": Robert as Farmer John, Abby as the Scarecrow and Sheri as the very Wicked Witch of the east (or, would that be the West, as in True West?):

"Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike."
—Alexander Hamilton

October 29, 2008
We've been working on a historic ride with Steve Shaw in New Mexico. Here's an ad that's going to start running in the magazine:



Yes, this was designed by Dan the Man Harshberger. This is going to be a ton of fun. Mark your calendars.

Big coyotes were waiting for Peaches and I this morning as we went for our walk. Went back to the house twice, finally brought along a can of mace. I'm not kidding. These guys are aggressive and I would have brought a gun but my favorite neighbor called the law on another neighbor when he shot into a beehive recently.

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
— Newt Gingrich

October 28, 2008
Got some feedback:

"Of course, Canned Heat was named after a song about an alcoholic who turned to Sterno for a little buzz...now that's hardcore.

"One other thing you and Fito have in common--survivors. You went through the two heart attacks. Fito--the only original member of the Heat still around--had to watch as founders Bob "Bear" Hite (heroin overdose at Fito's house) and Alan Wilson (suicide by barbiturate OD) went across the river. Most folks would have packed it in and called it a day, saying this band's time is over. But Fito kept things going through Lord knows how many different lineups.

"Come to think of it, you've done the same basic thing with True West, especially through those early days when you (and the mag) were bleeding money. I'm still not sure how you did it...

"Anyway, as brother Neil Young says, rock and roll will never die..."
—Mark Boardman

Cardio Rehab, Or Not?
"$10 for something that's got you in the best shape ever? And girls you like beside? A bargain!"
—Will Shetterly

Free, At Last Arrives In Mailboxes Worldwide
“I got my new [November-December] True West yesterday. I sat down last evening and read it cover to cover. I have been reading TW since I became one of the original maniacs back in the beginning. This may be the best issue I have read. If it's not, it's right up there at the top. The Mickey Free Story was worth the wait (but probably not worth the heart attacks) The stories on Butch and Sundance etc, everything was great. I laughed out loud at Prof Hutton's remark about struggling to not strangle you!!!"
—Hugh Howard, Maniac# 9

[read on for a good example of why.]

“The True West cover is, I think, the best ever. I can see why you and Paul were attracted to the Free story. Charles Bronson is long gone, so who is left to play Free in the cinematic version?
—Dan Buck

Hutton's Notion of Who Could Play Mickey Free
“BBB: Micky Rourke.”
—Paul Hutton

Paul,
Micky Rourke? Who do you see playing Sieber? Mickey Rooney? Let's try to stay in this century, not the last.
BBB

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
—Henny Youngman

October 27, 2008
Went to cardio rehab at four. This is my 33rd visit. Very physical workouts, about an hour and a half of major cardio, actually never been in this good of shape. My insurance runs out at 36 visits. Have to decide whether to continue at $10 a visit. I do it because of the girls who work at cardio (Beth and Christie: it always comes down to the girls, doesn't it?).

Here's a photo of the two left-handed drummers:



That's me and Fito of Canned Heat at El Encanto last night. the only difference between us is that he toured the world in a major rock band and I passed out at the Elks Club in Kingman and woke up in Kingman Regional. Other than that, we're exactly the same.

"United we stand, divided we fall, come on people, don't drop the ball. Let's work together, come on people let's work together."
—Canned Heat