January 14, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Paul Cool emailed me and said his new Salt Warriors book is now available from Amazon.com.



"Thanks for the plug. The book has done pretty well, on the Top 100 best selling Southwest history books list most days since Dec 31, though of course it fluctuates wildly. (Overall, of course, between 600,000 and 46,000, behind all the self-help books.) The good news is so far this month it has been the top selling not-yet published book on that list, so that's a good harbinger (I hope).

"Best wishes for you and your mangled hand."
—Paul Cool

Meanwhile, my good friend, Sherry Monahan has updated and recreated her website, and she would love to know what you think:

www.wildwestinfo.com

And, I was asked by Gary McLellan of the popular Old West History website if True West is going to fill the gap left by NOLA and WOLA journals. My response is posted at the Old West News section:

The Old West History Net

News From The Front Lines:
"Bob Schrader from Flagstaff called to order your newest book Classic Gunfights, Volume III today. He started reading True West, after seeing an article in the Arizona Republic about you and TW, last Sept or Oct. He is a fan of yours and Marshall’s. Thinks people relate to you because you are down to earth."
—Carole Glenn

I've really been working hard on the facial images for Mickey Free and gang. Here's a sampling, going back to last week:



Nice scarring effects, (above, middle right), but not quite there.



Yes, that's Manga Mick, (above, lower right).



And yes, the blowing hair (above, bottom right) is totally Manga influenced. Ha.



Nice designs, crappy features (above). I'll publish my weekend efforts tomorrow. Gee, I wonder what Ike (I like him) has to say about all this?

"Our real problem is not our strength today; it is the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow."
—Dwight D. Eisenhower

January 14, 2008
After a couple days of warm weather, woke up to a cold wind this morning. Donned my Bob-ushka outfit and trundled out to the spare bike for the gashed-knuckle tour. Peaches was good, although we didn't meet anybody on the road.

Talked with Mike Torres over the weekend about our big, "Exits Exit" gig in Kingman in March. Here's a photo of Mike's band, The Dimensions, with the Paup twins as Go-Go girls, circa 1967. I believe this photo was taken in the Mohave County Union High School Auditorium:



I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I think it would be great to have the Paup twins, Maureen and Coreen, dance at our gig.

Met Deena and Kathy at Chompies for dinner last night, then joined them for a chick flick, The Orphanage. Lots of holes in the story (it's in Spanish): for example, if the kid went into the stair closet and found the downstairs room, why would there be wallpaper over the opening that had to be removed at the end of the movie to gain access? And, by the way, what's with the never-ending endings? Is this the new curse of our age? Movies that just refuse to end, with turn after turn. Makes me long for a film where the guy shrugs and rides off (Shane, The Searchers, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and about 1,500 other Westerns).

When I brought up the fact that The Orphanage was too long, she retorted, "It was only 110 minutes. I looked it up. So, what did you think of that Jesse James movie that was three hours?" And I replied, "Touche, I guess one person's eternity is another person's flash card."

Worked all weekend on artwork, trying to get one good face. Struggling. Very frustrating. Gee, I wonder what Ralph has to say about this?

"Relish the difficult challenges. They are the ones which will bring the most spectacular results. Take on the tough projects. They carry the biggest opportunity for excellence."
- Ralph Marston

January 12, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Here's a review of the film all my friends are talking about:

2007 restored my faith in American period films. Lots of long titles and great material culture as well as highly watchable movies. The most recent, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, (title taken from Exodus 7:19) is no exception. When a move gets the hats correct mysteriously all other elements fall into place (usually). TWBB is at once a bio-pic and an exposition on Capitalism and Religion and the strange uniquely American marriage of the two.

TWBB opens with protagonist Daniel Plainview mining silver by himself, he gets injured and then crawls into town with his ore to the assayer’s office. Following events occur which show us that Plainview moves into oil and adopts an orphan. All sans dialogue. I didn’t time it but would guess it runs about ten or so minutes and we learn everything we need to know about this man and his drive. Off genre by a ways, the opening reminded me of the DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004) opening where we learn everything we need to know for the story with only images.

Plainview, now a successful oil man establishes operations in New Boston, and we see the roughnecks’ camp organized with military streets oriented on the derrick, the object of their worship, just as past centuries martial camps had their colours so situated and venerated. There are several antagonists for Plainview, notably a Pentecostal-influenced Elmer Gantry-like young preacher, Eli Sunday. Sunday’s family owned the land where the oil was discovered by Plainview, and the first salvo fired is when Plainview denies Sunday his invocation at the beginning of the drilling. Another notable protagonist is Plainview’s half-brother (Played by Kevin J. O’Conner who appeared in SERAPHIM FALLS but is most memorable as Beni in THE MUMMY franchise) who shows up and is so seemingly affable and innocent; Plainview brings him into the family business.

Plainview is not the normal corporate fat cat. He is self-made and family oriented almost to a fault. Understanding a young girl is being beaten by her father, Plainview lets him no in a surprisingly delicate way that he will not tolerate this. This tenderness is later overcome by Plainview’s inner-demons, but we are reminded that this is not a cardboard character.

The ending, as with the other endings of the long-titled period films this season is problematic. In NCFOM, if the viewer forgets the story is about Ed Tom, may be confused. Such is the case with TWWB. The story is about Daniel Plainview—a sympathetic and determined, fairly decent man at the beginning who becomes something else by the end.
—ALAN C. HUFFINES

"Yes, the Western is back, Bigtime."
—BBB

January 12, 2008
Woke up to a beautiful day. Worked on Mickey Free closeups. Did three, want to do five today.

Top Secret Writer Exchange, Part II
On Wilson's War--you are so damn left wing! Knocking the reds out of Afghanistan brought down the Soviet Union and ended the Cold War. Nice work. So now we are fighting these same Islamic nutcases--so what. First we worked with the Soviets to defeat Hitler and helped create that monster. Just like the French helped us in the Rev and then got their own Rev as a result. You never know what will happen--thats the joy of history. The point now is to finish off Islamic fascism. I could do it--but of course I can't be President. [because the Top Secret Writer is foreign born—German!—and was adopted by an American family and the constitution strictly prohibits "foreign born" history professors from being president, or at least part of that.]
—PH

P,
Let's see, we created a vacuum in Afghanistan, armed Osama bin Ladin, left them in the lurch then complain when they turned their guns on us. In the opening of the movie, we see an Islamic kneeling to pray, in silhouette. Prayers over, he stands and brandishes an RPG, turning to point right at the camera, and ta da, just like the cowboy in "The Great Train Robbery", he fires the missile right at the screen. Nobody ducked. We're too jaded toward that gimickry, but it is symbolic in more ways than one, you damn Legal Immigrant, you.
—BBB

"We f----- the end game."
—Charlie Wilson, quoted at the end of the movie

January 11, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Just got back from lunch down at the new Marriott Resort near Desert Ridge. Talk about instant lush environment. It's amazing how they truck in the mature trees and foliage and the place looks like it has been there for a half century, rather than the half a year ago when it was raw, flat desert. Met James McPherson of the Arizona Preservation Foundation to talk about our joint efforts. Good guy. He bought.

Ever wonder what the behind-the-scenes correspondence between the Top Secret Writer and myself, looks like? Well, wonder no more. Here is a typical, recent exchange:

January 10, 2008

P,
We saw the Brit flick “Atonement” last weekend and it really jumped around in a non-linear fashion. It appears , Pulp Fiction-style storytelling has entered the mainstream. With that in mind, here is a beginning of the graphic novel I’m toying with:

He sees the village from a blackened, volcanic ridge. Sporadic fires have broached it’s rambling borders, but have not consumed the center. Swirling smoke still eminates from some of the outlying buildings and the pungent smell of seared livestock wafts over the landscape.

As a biting sandstorm sweeps across the the far edge of the village he sees furtive rat-like figures fleeing from the church with their hands full of shiny objects. He guesses at their trajectory, and takes a side street, coming in from behind as two of them round a crumbling adobe corner. Pulling up at the rear of a cantina, Mick warily dismounts, pulling his machete, as he approaches the rear entrance where a flickering light cuts the gloom.

Cut to: the interior of the cantina where an assortment of bandidos and miscreants are sitting at tables drinking out of bottles, with their hooch (stolen goods) spread out in front of them. One of them wears a Rurale uniform, and while he has no swag in front of him, it’s obvious he is condoning, if not profiting from the massive looting of the town.

A cry is heard along with a SL-NNNNNNK, as the head of the portly bandido bounces into the room. Mick wades in with pistol and machete drawn and dispatches most of the bandidos, shooting and slashing as he goes. The Rurale escapes the carnage and gets the drop on Mick, but out from the back room flies a feminine form as Beauty plunges a knife into the Rurale’s back and drops him.

“Damn you Beauty,” Mick says with some digust. “I told you to stay out of
this.”

TITLE: 13 Hours Earlier

He sees the twin sunsets floating above the distant peaks of the Sierra Madres, but he knows they are not sunsets because he is heading due south. His relentless range finder takes note of the billowing dust on the far side of the massive dry lake bed. Rarely does he follow a road unless he knew it leads to a place his prey wanted to go.

Dry lake sequence with warning: “Beware those devils left behind.” Mick
trails the Kid across the dry lake, and thru the fire.

TITLE: Three Months Earlier

Escape of the Kid.

etc.

BBB
____________

BBB: It Only works because you know the story--a bafflement to all others. Reminds me of the beginning (tease) of an old TV western. Of course I started my TV doc on Kit Carson that way (the Mrs White episode) and then flashed back. All this new non-linear filmmaking is simply character driven as opposed to narrative driven. Its not new--think of The High and the Mighty or other disaster flicks where the characters' soap-opera tales are given as the main part of the filmwithin a film while the plane in peril frames it all.
—PH
_________

“But it Only works because you know the story--a bafflement to all others.”

P,
Poppycock! We know everything we need to know at this point. Good story
telling is about giving the reader information only when it's necessary.
—BBB
______
January 11, 2008

“BBB: Poppycock?!?! Is that some kind of Kingman term? Have you been
watching Bill O'Reilly? Poppycock??”
—PH
_______

P,
Yes, it is a Kingman term, translated loosely as, "distinguished opium penis."
—BBB

_______

BBB: While you busy yourself getting bitten by dogs and seeing art films (which is what "Atonement" is) I took the kids to see "National Treasure". No non- linear structure in that puppy--but its now in its third week at boxoffice #!. The girls all went to see "Juno" as well, which they loved. I want to see "Charlie Wilson's War", but can't find the time.
—PH
_________

P,
" Juno" is wonderful (I gave it a 9.5). Really excellent little film with a very satisfying wrap-up (unlike "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood"). "Charlie Wilson's War" really irritated me (I'd give it a 4). Here they try and make us root against the Russians, but every time a Mig is shot down I kept thinking, "Now these same people are shooting at us! Those aren't faceless villains they're shooting down, those are kids like Robert Chenal from Cave Creek who's in Iraq now. Everything Wilson and the CIA did, led directly to 9/11! And they spent $500 million messing it up, and the Saudis matched it! They matched it, with no questions!" And other things, but I won't bore you with them. By the way, "Atonement" has a five-and-a-half minute tracking shot at Dunkirk that is better than anything in "Charlie Wilson's War".
—BBB

And does anyone wonder why the Top Secret Project is not finished?

"Not me. I knew it from day one."
—J. Waldon, Kingman area president of the Anti-BBB Fan Club

January 11, 2008
Big planning for our first True West Preservation Society party to be held in March. We're still mulling names for the event to be held at the Buffalo Chip. Here are the finalist names we're considering:

• Western Legacy Ball (Trish's favorite)

• Save Our West Swar-EE (Soiree, Meghan's favorite)

• Save Our West Fandango (Dan's favorite)

• True West Preservation Fandango (I like this one because it says our name and has a bit of bite and flair)

• True West Preservation Celebration

• Dust And Roses Ball

• Heritage Stomp

• Bronco Ball

Got Those Lowdown Doghouse Blues
I didn't even go on a bike ride yesterday because of the Amy-Fang-Fest on Wednesday. This morning I brought a leash and went on foot (bike tire is in shop). All the way up the road past Amy's spread, Peaches is lunging and wheezing. Once beyond I took off the leash and let her run. She immediately takes off and sees one of my new neighbors coming out on his bike to pick up the morning paper. He has two dogs with him and Buddy runs up to play. For some reason Peaches didn't go into total attack (she came close) and, after much screaming, I got her leashed. Sigh. I guess the good old days of living out in the Boonies where the dogs can run free are coming to an end. One thing's for certain, that little B---- (inappropriate term) has ruined my morning ritual.

Yesterday, one of my relatives from Thompson, Iowa dropped in. Bonnie (Bell) Kaiser is my father's cousin. She married an FBI agent (he's retired) and they spend their winters at an RV park in Chandler, I believe. Bonnie told me there are about 15 other Thompsonites living out here (Thompson has maybe 800 residents). They brought along a couple from New Jersey who watch me on the Westerns Channel and subscribe to True West. He seemed quite impressed with the operation (I always give visitors the tour).

Got this from my son, T. Charles, who sent this photo of himself teaching a class in Peru:



Not quite sure how he ended up on this path. Gee, I wonder if Anne Frank has anything to say about this?

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."
—Anne Frank

January 10, 2008
My hand is much better today. Feel awful lucky on the dog-related injury. Here's a couple comments:

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Defense
"Action and adventure-hell of a bike ride. I have used the 'hey-hey-hey' (no caps-almost whispered) weapon myself, always after I promise myself to buy some of that pepper spray, never have. I hope you heal up-I suppose even today a writer/artist/drummer stills needs his hands. "
—Larry Murphy

"You had me all excited for a few lines thinking you had neighbours with some real charactor. Then my imaginary balloon is pricked by the knowledge they are only DOGS. What a bummer! Next time stay away from the pooches and save your own hide! You run with the dogs you have to act like a dog. Bite back!!"
—Bill Dunn

"BBB: Don't you know by now not to mess with dangerous, snippy bitches??!! This is not acceptable--I have quite an investment in the continued mobility of your hands. Watch it!!"
—Paul Andrew Hutton

Don't worry. I'm going to finish the Mickey Free project if I have to draw with a pencil stuck in my nose!

On a related note, the Arizona Republic has asked me to post my blog on their azcentral.com site. When I posted yesterday's blog, their automated censor-bot changed "bitches" to (inappropriate term). Funny how words go in and out of fashion. Apparently it's still okay to bash "Men," as this Honkytonk Sue from 1991 shows:



Although we'll see when I post this over there today. Ha.

And, by the way, here's a shot of the Hualapai Mountains south of Kingman covered in snow. I took these two photos several years ago at Coyote Pass (and just found them looking for something else):



Still struggling with a clean way to illustrate Mickey Free. Have some so-so sketches from yesterday, but I still feel confident. Gee, I wonder if Horace has anything to say about that?

"He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise: begin!"
—Horace

January 9, 2008
Worked up copy for the next Classic Gunfights, utilizing Robert Alexander's excellent book Lawmen, Outlaws, And S.O.Bs., Volume II. We're going to do the Steins Pass attempted train robbery by the Black Jack Ketchum Gang on December 9, 1897. My mother's family has lots of history at Steins and my great-grandfather, Henry Guess, is buried there.

Went home for lunch and painted on stagecoach commission. I'm painting in oils for the first time in a long time (1991). I forgot how nice it is to rub and blend. Oils are so pliable.

Meanwhile, here's another couple scratchboards for consideration to be included in the Black And White book:



Nice ethnic effects on this Native American farmer. I really like his lower lip and chin. Very subtle and accurate (for a change). The second sratchboard is of a store clerk (below), which I created to illustrate the Tombstone census count which ran in Classic Gunfights, Volume II. Good beard and fabric. Poached from an old west photo, perhaps in the Time-Life Old West series:



"Through imagination, we can visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lie within us."
—Stephen R. Covey

January 9, 2008
Typing with a sore right hand. File this one under:

BITCHES GONE WILD!!
Went for my daily bike ride at about 7:30. Beautiful day, nippy and damp, but not too cold. On the way back down the road I saw Nikki and Amy, two neighborhood bitches hanging around the Ratcliff driveway. Peaches really hates Amy, but she normally is a coward and runs through cholla patches to avoid running into her face to face. When we got closer, I saw Peaches run through a rain puddle to get away as Amy came out to challenge her. Peaches cut across Muffy's property, then came back out on the road with Amy giving chase. After about a twenty yard run, Peaches stopped, turned and went right for Amy's throat, throwing her down with a choke hold and ripping back and forth like a, well, a wild dog. I came up on the bike brandishing my usual weapon of choice, the big, loud, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"

No one listened, and now Buddy runs in, "Hey, let's play!" and Nikki comes in as well, I don't want to reach in there because I just know I'll get bit, so I ram my bike tire at Peaches' mouth, attempting to dislodge Peaches, but Amy bites my front tire and it immediately goes flat (that should have been clue number one: do not reach in!). But, of course, I reach in, and Amy bites me right on the right hand. I manage to separate the two and grab Peaches by the collar and pull her free. She seems calm, so I let her go and she runs betweens my legs and attacks Amy again. I'm holding my bloody paw, I mean hand, and I kick them free this time and grab Peaches by the collar and hold her for about three minutes until Amy can retreat to her corner.

Both dogs seem to be okay, but my bike's front tire is history and I've got to go to the Doctor's office and get a tetanus shot.

Just got back from Doctor Voelker's. Turns out I had a tetanus shot last year (they're good for ten years). I was lucky on the puncture wound, as it missed my knuckle by about a quarter inch and the doc told me if Amy had punctured the knuckle they would have had to go in and clean it out. Whew! Had a $20 co-pay and I'm going to be on anti-biotics for a week or two and a new tube and tire is going to run about $50. So that was a $150 bike ride. Ha.

"Dog gone it, dogs like me!"
—Al Franken

January 8, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Buddy Boze Hatkiller treed a bobcat on the bike ride this morning. I saw him up ahead, near Rockaway Hills, circling a tree and looking up. When I got within 50 yards I saw the big cat high up in a palo verde giving him the evil eye. Can't say I wasn't proud of the wayward New Yorker, but I turned around and called to him to come along home. Fortunately, he obeyed (a first!) and sauntered along with that look on his face that said, "I cornered a cat. . .I cornered a big cat."

Here's another shot of the Exits, circa 1966, at the National Guard Armory in Kingman. Bandmates are, lower row, left to right: Charlie Waters and Wendell Havatone; second row, Wayne Rutchsman and Steve Burford; top, BBB.



By this stage of the game we were making a cool $25 a man and our songlist included such monumental hits as "Steppin' Out," by Paul Revere And The Raiders" and "Snoopy And The Red Baron, by The Royal Guardsmen.

Actually, though, the number one request we got from our standing only crowds was this:



And speaking of the Exits, got this today:

"BBB, you should make it an open event, It would be worth the drive to Kingman."
—Kip Coryea

Kip, you've got your wish. We are going to do two nights at the Old Elks Club in downtown Kingman on Friday, March 21 and then Saturday night, March 22. The Friday night gig will be styled as "Mike Torres And Friends" and we will be jamming for fun and profit (open to the public). Saturday night will be the "Exits Exit" and is for family and friends only (hint: if you read this blog and are actually willing to drive to Kingman, you qualify as a friend of mine).

"Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought."
—William Hazlitt

January 8, 2008
Woke up to a jolting headline over the breakfast table. One of those where you blurt out, "Oh, no!" when no one else is even in the room: Ron Bergamo, of KSAZ TV was killed in a head-on traffic accident coming home from Prescott yesterday. Happened east of Prescott Valley, when a car going the other way veered across the center stripe and struck his car. Ron's wife, Jane, is in critical but stable condition after being flown to Good Sam in Phoenix. Ron ran Channel 10 when our radio station, KSLX was bought by the same chain that owned them. We shared many a laugh together. He attended U of A, so we had the Cats in common and every time I saw him we dissected the problems in all sports. I had lunch with him about six months ago to talk about doing a True West show for KSAZ. He was 64.

This morning, I got this from Pierre O'Rourke, who knew Ron well: "When I introduced him to Willie Nelson on the famed bus, as soon as they shook hands, the legendary singer offered a ‘smoke’ to Ron who politely thanked him and declined. What some did not hear was, that after shaking hands, Willie hugged me and whispered in my ear, 'It’s in his eyes and hands. There’s a man you can trust. Keep him around you.' I did my best, and regret we didn’t get to that lunch in last December."

I was just on that stretch of highway in November when the Top Secret Writer and I were in Prescott, so I know it well. The road between Dewey and Cordes Junction has always made me nervous, because you have highway speeds going through small towns where people pull out from side roads.

It certainly does give one cause for pause. Gee, I wonder what Nikita has to say about this?

"Life is short. Live it up."
—Nikita Krushchev

January 7, 2008
Rained all night. Really soaked out. Clear out now (3:20 P.M.) but it really came down about 11 this morning. Ken Amorosano is in town so he, and the Brinks and I, went down to Tonto for lunch and the wash at Grapevine was closed. Of course the big clue was the TV helicopter hovering over the area, which is always an easy way to determine if the washes are running. Ha.

Would John Kinney Lie Like A Rug?
"As for where he was born--of course he would lie. First he was a criminal, so he lied about everything. Seceondly he lied so he could be an American citizen and not another Mick immigrant. He lied for the same reason that Phil Sheridan lied (on three sworn federal documents and in his memoirs). Hell, I should have lied, then I could be President!"
—Paul Andrew Hutton

As previously mentioned, Charlie Waters and I are planning a farewell gig in Kingman, styled as "The Exits Exit." In 1964 (the year the Beatles invaded), we landed a slot as "entertainment" at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix, and the Arizona Republic ran a photo of our band, the Exits all decked out in our almost-matching-uniforms. The photo was taken by Dick Waters (Charlie's father), who published The Mohave County Miner newspaper in Kingman and had a professional camera (think big box camera with the bar flash, a la True Detective). This shot was taken in my parent's living room on Ricca Drive (note my high school class photo on edge of coffee table, at left).



Why they styled me as "Bobby Bell" I'll probably never know. My mother went by Bobbi Bell, but I never was called that. The actual gig was in the Teen Building, a small, delapidated affair near the front gate of the State Fairgrounds, with a dirt floor dressing room that was a step down from my current chicken coop (maybe five feet wide, more of a lean-to shed on the back of the building). I remember the manager (or was he the janitor?) of the building coming backstage and telling us, "Better keep these two end doors closed. We had a knifing in here yesterday." Ah, that was my welcome to the "big" city.

"I want to hold your hand."
—Bobby Bell to Bobbi Bell at the Fairgrounds in 1964

Deena and her boyfriend Frank came out yesterday afternoon for football and tacos. Made a big fire in the living room fireplace and snuggled in. First NFL game I have watched this year. After tacos we played a word game. Really fun. Nice to have kids who are grown and act like adults.

Struggling with too many deadlines and not enough progress. I really tend to get down on myself and the more I do it the more I get stuck. Had a good therapy session with my shrink yesterday afternoon. Felt good to lay out my troubles and concerns. Kathy, I mean my shrink, had some good advice, essentially, the same as Ms. Hendrick's advice:

"A workable measure of your progress is how fast you can get free when you are stuck and how many ways you know to get free."
—Kathlyn Hendricks

January 5, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
In response to the gent from Omaha who had the info on outlaw leader John Kinney (see Jan. 3 post):

Kinney (Or Can't He?)
Your Omaha Mesenbrink must be related to the Dorothy Mesenbrink of Denison, Iowa who I contacted back in 1994 or so about the origins of John Kinney. No reason to suppose he'd make all that up about Ireland, but surely the "Potato War" was part of the Wars of Bavarian Succession in the 1770s -- perhaps he means the Irish potato famine of 1845-1852? As for John Kinney's having been born in Ireland, I can only say that's not what he told the U S Government when he applied for a pension. He claimed to have been born in Hampshire, Massachusetts in May, 1847 although no such place exists in that state. His obituaries said the same thing. Hampshire County, MA yielded plenty of Kinneys but none where the names of known siblings coincided. It's not impossible that Mr. Mesenbrink is right, but why would Kinney have had any reason to lie about his birthplace?

According to Kinney's grandson George Linn, Kinney was the son of carpenter John Kinney and his wife Mary Ellen (Hoar) who was Irish. The family tradition was that John died when the children were quite young (there were eight or nine of them) but the cause of his death was unknown. Mr. Mesenbrink might like to take a look at my two-part study of "Boss Rustler" Kinney in the September and October, 1996 issues of TW. I wouldn't claim it was definitive (I know better than that) but it was pretty thorough.

Love to Kathy,

—Fred Nolan

January 5, 2008
Cloudy and cool. Started sprinkling at about 11:30 this morning. Went out to toss an apple core into the chicken coop and noticed the silent pool ripples.

Went up to Bashas' after work last night and bought groceries ($85, plus $20 cash back). Came home and made spaghetti. Kathy got home late and we watched a bit of the 24/7 coverage of the latest Britney Spears meltdown. I'll give her one thing: she sure is a cute mess, as opposed to say, Kenya or Pakistan.

Fiction By Omission
Read with interest in this morning's Arizona Republic that Pistol Pete Maravich died 20 years ago today. Pete was one of my basketball heroes, making show-boat, ridiculous shots with ease. He averaged 44.2 points a game in college. Yes, I said "average." In the NBA he once scored 68 against the Knicks in 1977 and three weeks later against the Phoenix Suns, after five of his teammates were injured in a taxi cab traffic accident at Third Street and Thomas, Pistol Pete came into the Coliseum with only seven players and single-handedly beat the Suns, scoring 51. "We couldn't stop him," former suns coach John Macleod remembered. "We double-teamed him. Tried to prevent him from getting the ball. Nothing worked." Alvin Adams, of the Suns said, "That night, Pistol Pete beat an NBA team all by himself."

My beef with the piece is that it skims over the rest of his life, mentioning "he gave his life to Jesus Christ," but fails to mention Pete had nasty problems with cocaine, dying of a heart attack at age 40 (cocaine abuse, of course, can lead to a weak heart). If you didn't know the real story you would conclude by this article, that Pistol Pete Maravich's life ended on a happy note.

To me this would be like summing up Custer's demise with, "in the last hour of George's life, he found religion." Yes, I'm sure he did—among other things—maybe worth mentioning.

" In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious."
—Blaise Pascal

January 4, 2008 Bonus Blog Post
Picked up a big bag of Scratch chicken feed ($11 plus $1 tip), at Black Mountain Feeds on my lunch hour. Went home for lunch today and finished culling the 75 black and white illustrations for Kathy's book project (she and Theresa at Tri Star will choose the finals). Here's two of my nominations:

Road Rage In Front of The Heatwave Cafe, 1986


This illustration was based on a photo I took circa, 1976, in Tucson. We were doing an article "A Guide To The Gritzos" about funky Mexican food in Arizona, and this was for The Razz Revue. I pulled over on South Fourth Avenue and took a photo right out the window of my Ford Pinto, of Mi Nidito, I think it was, and the resulting photo had my Pinto side mirror in it, with a beer truck going the other way. I changed the logo to an A-1 Beer logo for nostalgia's sake and converted Mi Nidito into the Heatwave Cafe, a fictitious place I made up, which is actually based on Froggy Bottom, a legendary cafe-brothel, north of Buckeye. It's no longer there.

The second image is a look at aging Baby Boomers (the button on his leather jacket says, "Class of '65"). I did this for New Times in about 1990:



This image might work well with our upcoming, proposed farewell band gig ("The Exits Exit") which Charlie Waters, Johnny Waters, Mike Torres and I are planning for March 22 at the Old Elks Hall in Kingman. We're inviting all the old pickers and players, Vern Andrews, Arnold D, Steve Burford, Wayne Rutschman, Terry Anderson, Steve Paroni and Gordon Smith for one more set, in honor of bandmate Wendell Havatone (he passed a couple years ago). It's going to be an intimate affair with just our old friends and family. And hey, it's in Kingman, so what could possibly go wrong?

"Do you think anyone actually cares whether you can still play Wipeout?"
—J. Waldon, Kingman Area BBB Anti-Fan Club President

January 4, 2008
Never fails: been writing 2007 for the past two days on my blog and in my sketchbook. Sigh. So damn stupid and predictable.

Had dinner last night at Earl's on Frank Lloyd Wright and the 101 with fellow Hat Nazis, Rusty York and Thom Ross. Thom had an art opening in Scottsdale and we got together to talk about all things Western. Ross has a big Indians on the Beach Show coming up next September in San Francisco. It's based on a famous photo of Buffalo Bill and his Indian performers posing on the beach. Thom expects to have over a hundred cut-out images for the performance piece (similiar to his Little Big Horn performance several years ago, mounted right on the battlefield, on Crow land).

After dinner they went down to the show and I went to see the last sneak of There Will Be Blood (it opens today). The opening of the movie is spectacular with Daniel Day-Lewis in a silver mine. No dialogue, just riveting images of him using a pick, setting fuses on a bunch of dynamite, breaking his leg, painfully crawling out with his ore sample. Brilliant exposition on his character without a word of dialogue! And oh, the landscape (Marfa, Texas) and the costuming and mining equipment is dead-on accurate to the times (turn of the twentieth century). Then comes a slew of the best hats I've ever seen in a Western themed movie. I'm not joking (Hey, I'm a Hat Nazi!) I mean, the main hat Daniel Plainview (Lewis) wears is just about the best ever: brown job with pencil curl and haphazard dents in crown (see examples, below).



Plainview had a kid with him (below, left) who he claimed was his son (don't want to spoil a plot point) and I read this morning that the Casting Director Cassandra Kulukundis shunned the usual Hollywood precious types and drove around Texas, finally finding a kid in Fort Davis, Texas named Dillon Freasier who knows how to shoot shotguns.

Believe it or not, I got a call in the spring of 2006, asking if I would audition for a part in the film (they saw my photo, top) and I thought about it, but ultimately decided I had no business being an actor (I have a hard enough time pretending to be an artist). In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the tornado of trying to audition for a part in the film, because I heard that they had to fire one guy and refilm a whole bunch of scenes because the poor guy was getting blown off the set by Daniel Day's intensity. I have a sneaky hunch, that even if I had gotten the part, I would have been humiliated by Lewis blowing me off the set in spite of my substantial resume ("Hey, I was the second lead in Arsenic And Old Lace in high school!").



The mining and oil rig stuff was just amazing and delightful for a history nut like myself. Lots of big action and small attention to detail. The little railroad siding town of Little Boston, was dusty, forlorn and perfect.

When I got home late, Kathy was in bed and she said, "How was it?" and I said, "Great hats, bad ending." She laughed at my absurd value system, but she understood the short review.



Here's Daniel Day in a bowler. Ain't that a sweet lid?



The first half of the film is just about perfect. Really strong story. But then, it kind of goes off the tracks at the end. It seemed overcooked to me. They had me, and they made their point long before the long, drawn-out ending. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a hat Nazi.

"'There Will Be Blood' is a masterpiece; Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as a ruthless oilman is without flaw. That doesn't mean it's easy to watch."
—Bill Goodykoontz, who gives the film five stars in The Arizona Republic

Janauary 3, 2007 Bonus Blog Post
Got this in just now. Had to post:

"Hey Boze, I read on the internet yesterday where a Cave Creek man got bucked off and mauled by his pet buffalo - does Buddy Boze Hatkiller have an alibi?"
—Kyle

No. Of course not. Been talking to Law Dogs all morning.

January 3, 2007
Just got a call from Jim Mesenbrink from Omaha, Nebraska who claims to be related to outlaw John Kinney. Jim claims that the New Mexican gang leader was born in Ireland, how he came to America at age 15. His father was in the Potato War and they hung him on the dock as the family was leaving for America. Jim told me to tell this to Fred Nolan and I assured him I would. Fred?

Feedback On Beasty Voyages
"I'm surprised how often you visit the so-called 'beast'. You either don't gave a 'D' about traffic or the food is awfully good!"
—Bill Dunn

Actually, most of the restaurants mentioned in my Sue chronicle in yesterday's post, are in Cave Creek, or the foothills, which is north of the Beast. But it is true, that the Beast is coming out to meet us. We had a pretty woman in yesterday looking for a job and she commented on how "small town" Cave Creek is. But every day it becomes less and less so as Phoenix and Scottsdale sprawls out to overrun the area.

Need to catch you up on my Mickey Free efforts. Did a sketch, based on a logo I saw in the SASS Chronicle, of the Mickster, flying high on his mule. Did about ten versions of it, here are two:




By the way, according to author David Michaelis, Charles Schulz's ex-wife, Joyce, raises mules. Ha. Too funny. She is also quoted by a New York Times reporter who tracked her down after the publishing of the Schulz And Peanuts book, saying, "I'm not talking to anybody about anything." The reporter makes the case that this sounds like something Lucy would say. Ha. Too true, although, I must admit, I really like and admire her. To some she may come off as a bitch and the heavy ("poor Sparky!!"), but I know a thing or two about the Saints who put up with cartoonist behavior! ha.

Meanwhile, here is what my sketchbook looks like lately:

Contrived Doodles # 5,454
Meandering on style and technique. By the way, that's Spike, the Silkie Rooster, bottom, right:




I really need to knuckle down and get Mickey Free ready for the big screen. I kind of see the Mickey Free movie as a summer event. Gee, I wonder if box-office-champ Will Smith (I Am Legend) has anything to say about this?

“Summer movies are about things that happen, and fall movies are bout how people respond to things that happen.”
—Will Smith

January 2, 2007
Woke up to clouds and a warm wind. Went up Old Stage Road in the twilight with the dogs. I've taken to wearing a Cossack hat that Kathy bought in Bolivia. It keeps my ears warm. Over the holidays I also borrowed Kathy's pink gloves and as I pedaled up the road I kept wondering why everyone I met was grinning from ear to ear ("Gee, my neighbors sure are sweet."). Then when I got back to the house, I happened to see myself in the window of the Ranger and did a double-take: "Well, hello Shishka-Bob."

Saw a bunch of movies and tried some new restaurants. Last Saturday, Kathy and I drove into the Beast and met Deena for lunch at The Sierra Bonita Grille at Seventh Street and Glendale. Joel Klasky told me about the place, and we've been threatening to go there for over a year. Man, was it a great place! Manu Chao and Dwight Yoakam was on the box (Thomas Charles turned us on to Manu Chao when we went to visit him in Costa Rica in 2000). I had a very nice glass of Chono Cabernet, 2004 Chile ($8), and a cup of Green Chile Posole, and then Carne Asada Tacos and great cowboy style pinto beans. Kathy had the Green Chile Macaroni & Cheese and a Seafood Tamale in Lobster Cream Sauce. I almost tried the Cowboy Stew, which looked very good. And we ended up splitting an Apple Cobbler ($75 cash, includes tip). We caught them between rush times (3 P.M.) so we kind of had the place to ourselves. Really enjoyed it.

Finished the Charles Schulz biography last night. Very impactful. I think Kathy is glad I'm finished with the book because I kept reading passages out loud to her, and commenting on how much the two of us, Charlie Brown, I mean Charles Schulz and I, have in common: He suffered from panic attacks, he had acne scars (and was sensitive about them), he flirted shamelessly and constantly, he hated to leave home, he was very competitive with other cartoonists, he had a huge ego, he liked Jaguars and he didn't like old age. The only thing we don't have in common is he made as much as $64 million a year, which is just a tad more than I make. Ha.

He told one of his affair honeys, Tracey, "Don't worry about money, I make $4,000 a day." Ego? Cocky? I think so.

Speaking of cash and write-offs, Kathy asked me to cull out of my Franklin Daytimer all of the 2007 cash expenditures for Sue. Here they are:

• January 3, 2007, El Encanto with George Laibe re: TV projects, $85 cash

• Dues to Los Artistas Vaqueros, $100, Sue account

• January 13, lunch at El Encanto with Kathy to discuss new book ideas, $37.50 cash

• January 20, lunch to discuss Mickey Free, Taco Tio, $17 cash

• February, 10, snacks in Wickenburg for rodeo parade, $15 cash

• February 19, Denver airport, $12.50 for snack, cash

• February 20, $5 snack box on United flight, cash

• February 20-24, cab rides in New York, $250 cash (itemized in daytimer)

• February 7, Bev haircut, $20 cash

• March 12, Mark Boardman meeting at El Encanto, $41.49 cash

• March 15, funeral in Kingman, $15.50 Cracker Barrel, cash

• March 16, took Carole to lunch, Sue acount, $40 cash

• March 20, El Encanto take-out for meeting w/ Kath on book CGIII, $20 cash

• March 26, bought stamps for postcard mailings, $24 cash

• April 1, lunch at Taco Villa to discuss CGIII, $60 cash

• April 7, lunch at El Encanto with kathy to discus Mickey Free, $25 cash

• April 10, lunch at Carefree Station to discuss book deal with Northland
Press, $18 cash

• April 19, True West staff idea meeting at Flapjack Deli, $3 cash

• April 21, lunch at Guadalajara on Central, to discuss art show, $65 cash

• April 28, lunch with Kathy at El Encanto to discuss progress of Mickey
Free, $30 cash

• May 4, fixed watch for Mickey Free reference, $60 cash

• May 4, dinner at El Enanto with Joel and Lauri and Kathy, marketing for
CGIII, $81.66

• May 17, beers at WETA meeting at El Encanto, $8 cash

• May 21, bought subscription to Illustration Magazine in England, $65 Sue
check

• May 28, lunch w/ Kathy at El Encanto to talk about Mickey Free, $24.32 Sue
check

• May 31, took Carole to lunch at Bad Donkey to discuss office management,
$35 cash

• June 1, lunch at El Conquistador to dicuss Mickey Free, $75 house account

• June 3, breakfast at Martan's in Flag with Tommy and Kath, $35 cash, on way
to speech in Prescott

• June 5, framing artwork for SASS show, $243.31 Sue check

• June 7, Big Dry Wash reference trip for CG, $9.65 coffee mug and nuts, cash

• June 8, lunch at El Rancharito in Spanish Fork, Utah on way to Helper, $15
cash

• June 10, lunch at El Conquistador with Kathy and Deena to discuss TW
business, $80. 56 Sue check

• June 14, lunch with Carole to discuss upcoming SASS art show, El Encanto, $25.19
Sue check

• June 15, more art frames for art show at SASS, $92.19 Sue Check

• June 19, trip to SASS, Chilo's in Safford, lunch, $9.50 cash

• June 19, gas at Three-Way, $40 cash (trip to SASS)

• June 20, bought Lew Jones breakfast at Alma Cafe, $15 cash. Bought dinner
for Paul Hutton at Owl Cafe, $32 cash

• June 21, bought art reference at Albuquerque Museum, $54 Sue account

• June 23, Owl Cafe, breakfast, $11.52

• June 24, trip home from SASS, bought breakfast at Earl's in Gallup, $11.05
cash

• July 5, paid Michael Feldman for more art framing, $292.33

• July 5, lunch at McGrath's at 101 studying Border's books and display for
CGIII, $30.43 Sue debit

• July 28, art supplies at Aaron Bros, $76.50 Sue debit

• July 31, rain and wash trapped me in town, ate at Tonto Bar & Grill, $33
Sue, worked on Mickey Free

• August 5, dinner at Havana Cafe with Deena and Frank, lots of talk about
Source Book placement, $37 Sue account

• August 7, bought art reference in Managua, Nicaragua, $22.95

• August 9, Art Museum and art reference in Leon, Nicaragua, $25 cash

• August 15, Super Shuttle home (lost keys), $50 cash

• August 21, lunch at Matador, with Kathy to discuss new book idea, $35.16
cash

• August 25, Bamboo Club, pre-book signing meeting, Kathy and Deena, $41 cash

• September 7, trip to Ridgeway for True Grit Days, $20 cash for breakfast at
Martan's in Flag, $5 cash for Squirt and nuts in Kayenta

• September 8, late dinner in hotel with Jason Strykowski, $45 cash

• September 9, bought reference books in Telluride bookstore, $104, plus $6
for lunch at Baked In Telluride (Bakery).

• September 17, haircut, Bev, $20 cash

• October 19, trip to Kingman for Beale Days Parade, $25 lunch in Wickenbrug,
cash, dinner in Kingman, $55 Sue account

• October 20, gas in Wikenburg, $31.95, Sue account, dinner at El Encanto
Dos, $79 Sue account

• October 24, dinner with Hawkins re: trade for apartment and artwork, $185
Sue account

• October 27, dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Deen and Frank, $55 Sue
account

• November 11, dinner at Manuel's on Bell with kathy to discuss new book
idea, $56.90 Sue account

• November 15, breakfast at Dinner Bell in Prescott with Paul Hutton to work
on Mickey Free project, $20 cash

• November 16, Sharlott Hall Museum, books for Mickey Free reference, $23 Sue
account

• November 18, dinner at El Encanto Dos with kathy to discuss progress on
Mickey Free, $50 Sue Account

• December 4, haircut from Bev, $20 cash

• December 6, trip to Vegas and SASS show. Riviera Hotel doorman, $25 cash
tip. Dinner at Capital Grille on Strip with Hutton, $150 Sue account

• December 8, dinner at Luxor Hamburger place with the Waters and Huttons, $103 Sue account

"All glory comes from daring to begin."
—Eugene F. Ware

December 31, 2007
Took a couple days off from doing the blog. Felt like a free man! Ha.

Working on commissions in the studio, going for bike rides and pampering the chickens, especially Bea-52 and Bea-53.

Went into the Beast twice and saw movies: Juno and then Walk Hard yesterday. One was a nine and one was a two. Shouldn't be too hard to guess which one was a huge disappointment. More details in 2008.

Still really enjoying the Charlie Schulz biography, but I'm now up to the late sixties and after unbridled success and acclaim it's turning darker (it's funny, I wouldn't even be reading it if I hadn't read that it's controversial, the family hates it because of his alleged affairs and yet as he and Joyce slide towards the inevitable divorce I find myself going, "No, No! Turn back! Work it out!") Gee, I wonder if Sparky himself has anything to say about this?

"Unhappiness is very funny. Happiness is not funny at all."
—Charles Schulz