Radio Days
How many of you are familiar with Old Time Radio and its plethora of wonderful shows? How many of you know you can order sets of episodes on CD? (www.radiospirits.com) Well, you can! Radio Spirits offers a number of new starter sets for fans of various genres. These sets consist of three hours on three CDs, digitally remastered and restored. I recently ordered The Shadow, Superman, The Green Hornet and The Lone Ranger. For fans of comedy I would recommend the new Baby Snooks set. The episodes are often hilarious, laugh aloud hilarious. For mystery fans there is Suspense. For horror fans, Lights Out. There's nothing quite like a chilly autumn night with the lights turned down and these shows playing. It's a forgotten or unknown experience for most people today, but well worth stepping back in time t those golden days of yesteryear.
"I don't read Westerns!"
I get that a lot. Many folks who don't read Westerns have a certain perception of the genre--cowboys with six-shooters, high noon and "howdy Pardner" dialog. And to an extent they are right. Not that there's anything wrong with the trappings associated with the traditional Western. Just the same way the mystery has its detective, the horror story its monster, the romance its happy-ever-after, the western holds true to certain restrictions and ornaments. Yet within these trappings there's room for an incredible diversity of character and topicality. The western is a-changin', pards! At its best you'll find grand tales of the indomitable human spirit, explorations of the soul and emotions that are relevant even today. Perhaps even more so because there are lessons to be taken from the past and the pioneers who made this country, their fortitude and seemingly limitless strength.
Even in the traditional Western, what we call the "Mythical West", you find heroes and escapism, comfort from the everyday realities and drudgery of existence. There's nothing wrong with that, and, in fact, there's something downright, well, "right" with it. Sometimes we need heroes. Ever found yourself depressed or discouraged over the day's news reports, stories of war and strife, famine and hardship--the myriad blights that plague humankind? Sick of it? Read a western and get away from it for a spell. It helps. Being bombarded with sorrow and bad news everyday plays hell with our emotions and psyches, so as the saying goes: "You deserve a break today." Reading is an excellent way to take that break, Westerns a wnderful way to release the tension and believe in the "myth."
Witness a recent rebirth of the Western on screen, big and little. The Peacemakers, a crossover mystery/western drew the USA Network's second highest ratings for a premier (behind their horror series The Dead Zone) and beat out even network programing in the time period. A recent Tom Selleck Western on TNT garnered big ratings. Even the pitiful recent Lone Ranger movie on Fox did very well and Hollywood has more Westerns on tap. Do folks want a heroic genre? Do they need it? I sure do. That's why I write it. And that's why I recommend giving it a try. There is something for everyone, whether you want people stories, hero stories, historical adventure or epic struggle and perseverance.
My own westerns run the gamut. The more traditional "shoot 'em ups" that appear under my Lance Howard name are generally focused on the mythical west, yet I work very hard to develop characters modern readers will find engaging and root for and identify with. They cross traditional Western boundaries often--with hints of the macabre and dollops of mystery, yet I strive to touch on issues that affect us today: spousal abuse in The West Wolf, alcoholism in The Last Draw. And the feelings of isolation and loneliness certain characters face I feel reflect what many people struggle with day to day. But they also show there is hope. Other westerns I have written under my own name are a bit darker, more mixed with horror and mystery; for those who think the western is all about gunfights you may be (pleasantly, I hope) surprised to find vampires and Jack the Ripper type killers (The Dark Riders and Pistolero).
You don't read Westerns? Maybe it's time to give them another try? I hope you will and I hope you'll enjoy them. There's more gold in them thar books than you might think!
