“The promise of America is that something is going to happen, but after a while you grow tired of waiting because nothing ever does happen to people in America; except they grow old. And nothing ever happens to American art, either, because the story of America is the story of Read more…
When we lived in our little white rented house a few miles north of the big river there were two bushes that grew in a corner of the back yard. They struggled because an old cottonwood and two orange trees took most of the sun and when the slanted rain Read more…
“Well, you know we’re probably too old for this Maybe the rest of the world is too young We drive five hundred miles to get loose and get wild And stay up ‘till the last song is done.” – Gary P. Nunn, Terlingua Sky There is a time in Texas Read more…
“DJ wanted, first class license required, morning drive, top-notch entertainer, produce commercials, local news gathering/reporting, sports announce, public appearances/promotions, light sales – $131.50/week and no beginners please.” Broadcasting Magazine Help Wanted Ad Circa 1974 “You know this road pretty much follows the old Oregon Trail, don’t you?” The man with Read more…
Flint used to be a place of hope. When Daddy and Ma came up from Mississippi with the first two of their six children, big tractor graders were out in the meadows cutting roads for new neighborhoods. A great post war migration was underway from south of the Mason-Dixon Line Read more…
“Remember when we listened to the radio and I said that’s the place to be? And how about the job as an FM jock the day you married me?” – Harry Chapin The town had two exits off of the Interstate and I thought it was the perfect location to Read more…
“Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth. Rise free from care before dawn and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home. There are no larger fields than these, no worthier games than may here be played…” – Read more…
When The Truman Show debuted to great acclaim sixteen years ago this summer, film critics were, initially, slightly baffled. Audiences were intrigued, though, by the story of a man whose life was being secretly broadcast to the world and had billions of viewers. Eventually, he becomes aware that secret cameras Read more…
When Ben Leaton went into his fort after sunset and closed the thick mesquite gates, he knew he was not safe. No one was ever completely secure in the Big Bend region of southwest Texas. Water and food were scarce, the sun and snakes were often fatal, and any help Read more…
We were flying due north out of Omaha. The old DC-3 had shuddered with effort on takeoff and rose so slowly we thought the treetops would remain just beneath our wingtips for the entire trip. Level much later at around 20,000 feet the props spun with efficiency and the checker-boarded Read more…
Because Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have fallen in our name, I am republishing a story I wrote several years ago. This was first printed in American Legion magazine and was noticed by political leaders in Texas, who were unfamiliar with the little town’s history of Read more…
Anyone who says, “All publicity is good publicity,” has, obviously, never had bad publicity. There’s also that other lame line about, “I don’t care what you say about me as long as you spell my name right.” In public relations, neither is an informed approach to dealing with an image. Read more…
We lived in a trailer on the ranch and the Rio Grande was less than a mile distant across the old Mines Road in Laredo. The river was so close that immigrants were often still wet when they came by our door on the way to the railroad tracks that Read more…
“There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind who were crucified for what they tried to show. And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time but the truth remains and someone wants to know.” – Kristofferson In the morning dark, he stood Read more…
“Remember when we listened to the radio and I said that’s the place to be? And how about the job as an FM jock the day you married me?” – Harry Chapin The town had two exits off of the Interstate and I thought it was the perfect location to Read more…