Where the West Commences podcast

The boys recall the summer of '73 & '74 when they built a fully functioning western frontier fort at a Michigan summer youth camp for the enjoyment of campers.

The Boys delve into a wide range of historical and technical inaccuracies they've noticed in Hollywood westerns. Some of the errors are forgivable, but others are not. You can decide for yourself how much meticulous precision you demand for the sake of your viewing pleasure.

What kind of western hero do you admire most? The solitary individual standing his ground against evildoers? The resolute lawman defending the rights of others? The gritty mountain man battling the elements to survive? This week the boys explore the wide range of western heroes and share the ones they love the best.

We pull back the curtain and invite you into our creative kitchen to learn our "secret sauce". We share how we come up with story ideas, how we blend our different writing styles and divide up writing chores to take a book from concept to completion. If you ever thought about writing a book of your own, you'll draw inspiration from hearing our journey through the writing jungle.

Saddle up for a ride through four of the wildest, most lawless frontier towns of the old west - the ones that made the west famous. These havens of villains and debauchery were written about and romanticized all over the east coast in their heyday, tantalizing every young buck with wanderlust in his veins to jump right into the middle of all that excitement.

The boys tip their hat to two of the most famous western painters and sculptors of all time - Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Labeled by some as the "Norman Rockwell" of the American West, these two artists recorded the authentic look of the west on canvas as a reference for all future generations.

Tom & Larry delve into the world of cowboy grub out on the open range on a cattle drive. They praise the genius of the portable kitchen called the "chuck wagon", the importance of the cook to a successful drive, the typical cowboy menu, and the spoken and unspoken rules around the mealtime campfire.

Tom and Larry pay tribute to the hugely popular western TV show BONANZA, which ran for 14 seasons and ranked among the top rated network TV shows the entire decade of the 1960's. The boys share their memories of the famous Cartwright family and their adventures on the sprawling Ponderosa ranch, and offer up a few surprising trivia tidbits.

We celebrate the life and acting career of John Wayne with a review of his many film roles that established him as the symbol of the American West and epitomized the virtues of courage, toughness, humor, and loyalty.

Tom & Larry celebrate the talented composers, musicians, and singers that brought a unique musical sound to the western landscape. They review a sample of the best in western movie scores, symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, western balladeers, and musical bands that gave us those haunting tunes we will never forget.