Old West Steampunk--an Interesting Fusion of Genres

Last fall, while doing a book signing at an Old West festival in Glendale, (Arizona), I was approached by a couple of men who invited me to their upcoming Wild Western Festival at the Old Tucson Studios.  It sounded intriguing, and certainly a change of pace from all the other western events I've attended over the years.

Steampunk is an interesting concept.  It's the fusion of two entirely different genres--historical fiction--specifically western and Victorian romance, and science fiction.  Steampunk pays homage to Jules Verne, and the modern interpretation has actually been around for sometime.  The earliest examples that I can think of would be the book and movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the television series, The Wild Wild West.  Both came out of the 1960s, and, interestingly enough, Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame, was also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

As I talked to some of the people I met at this event I came to the conclusion that steampunk is big with science "nerds" and "geeks," meaning its followers are well-educated.  It also appears to a big hit with the Goth community.  Definitely not the traditional followers of western books and movies, but nonetheless, many of them seemed to have a genuine interest in the history.

I spent a great deal of time talking to one of the event organizers at a promotional book signing the week before their convention.  It seems I share a common goal with many in the steampunk crowd, and that is using historical fiction as a vehicle to teach young people.  They use it to teach science and engineering, while I wrote my Luke and Jenny books to teach history.  And even though this steampunk convention didn't appeal to the true Old West followers, I found it to be a fantastic venue for introducing the real Old West to a whole new audience.  And that's a good thing.

GM

If You're Looking for Books About the Occult You'll Have to Look Elsewhere

This past weekend I was signing my books at the Wild Western Festival in Glendale, Arizona.  It was a nice, family-friendly Old West event, and a lot of families stopped by my table to say hello.  One person, however, was a bit unnerving.

She was looking for a book suitable for a pastor's daughter.  My Luke and Jenny books are indeed family-friendly, and along with teaching young readers about history, they also teach lessons about morality and doing the right thing.  However this woman decided that they were "occult" books because some of the characters are ghosts, so she refused to buy them.  I'm surprised she didn't tell me I was going to burn in Hell for writing them.

Let's set the record straight here and now.  The Luke and Jenny books do not, in any fashion whatsoever, endorse witchcraft, the occult, or devil worshiping.  The ghost characters in the books are the catalysts who take the children back in time, and they act as guides to help teach the youngsters about the life and times they lived in.  Hey, I do living history presentations, and that's what I do with my historic personas.  Gee, do you think this could be a coincidence?  I think so.

I've been careful not to endorse any particular faith, religion or sect in my books because I want readers of all different faiths and religions, including Christians, to read and enjoy the books.  They are meant to teach history and good old-fashioned morals and values.  If some want to be closed minded that is their loss, however there are other good Christians out there who have read and appreciated my books. 

So if you're looking for a book to teach you're kids about the occult you'll have to look elsewhere.  Occult teachings are not included in the Luke and Jenny books.

GM

The Real WWII Housewife

When I created my living history WWII housewife persona I modeled her after a real person -- my aunt, who lived with my mother and grandparents during the war years while her husband, my uncle, was in the service.  I created that program to honor the sacrifices and contributions of ordinary women during a dark time in our nation's history.

My aunt recently passed away, and it serves to make the point that these ordinary folks, particularly homemakers, deserve to be remembered.  It's great that we live in a time when women can be doctors, attorneys, CEOs or hold public office.  Unfortunately, with this so-called "liberation" of women, we've overlooked, worse yet downgraded, the homemaker.

My aunt's obituary described her as "a homemaker all her adult life, and she excelled at it."  She may not have been a corporate exec, but no one ever said running a home was easy.  My aunt, and women like her, are responsible for creating a stable home life, and from a stable home comes a stable family, and with stable families come a stable society.  I hear so many experts say that the underlying problem with our society today is the breakdown of the family.  And I would argue that the breakdown of the family began in the early 1970s, with the "Women's Liberation Movement."  All of a sudden home and family and children were a bad thing.  In the 1980s, those women who opted to leave their jobs to stay home and take care of their families, were considered to be traitors to the sisterhood.  After all, the reasoning went, if you quit your job to stay home the boss will think I'll do the same thing someday so they won't promote me.

It would be nice if our society would stop and rethink all the important contributions homemakers and stay-at-home moms make.  It may not be as visible as the contributions made by lady executives, but it is certainly valuable.  From what I hear the younger generation of women, the ones who grew up as latchkey children, are rethinking things and are more likely put careers on hold to stay at home with their kids.  If more of them do, then maybe twenty or thirty years down the line our society will be better off. 

Yes, women should have choices, and that includes the choice to be a homemaker.

My thought for the day.

GM

The Two Kinds of "E" Words

I have many fond memories of the years I spent as a volunteer and living historian with the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe. It was a real watershed event of my life and a time I look back upon and truly miss. One of the things I liked best was helping out with exhibit openings and special events, like Reenactor's Rendezvous.

But as much as we museum folks enjoyed it, it seemed nearly impossible to get the public to show up at these events in big numbers. The museum had a full-time publicist back then, and she always went the extra mile to get the word out about what we were doing. But as hard as we tried we just couldn't seem to generate much public interest, except for one time, and I'll explain that in a minute.

I think the real problem we had was the fact that our mission was to "educate" the public. And even if we didn't use that particular "E" word in the press releases, it was implied nonetheless. And words like "educate" and "education" are dirty words to a lot of people. They are synonyms for "boring!" It makes their eyes glaze over and conjures up memories of being back in school. People don't want to be "educated." They want to be "entertained."

I don't call myself an educator. I am an "edutainer." That word "edutainment" was coined in the museum community a few years back because someone figured out that the best way to "educate" the public is to "entertain" them while you're at it.

I try to be as entertaining as possible, whether it be as a storyteller, or with my books. Imagine that. Writing a series of books about two modern day kids who travel back in time as a vehicle to teach history. I've raised the hackles of academic historians in the past by doing this, and no doubt I'll do so again in the future. While they may be very credible and very well educated people they just can't get the concept that the average Joe really doesn't give a rip about the straight historical facts or if our period outfits are 100% accurate. To him that's "boring." He just wants to be entertained. So if I have to disguise my historical education as entertainment so be it. At least I got the job done.

As for that one museum exhibit opening that really drew in the crowds -- it was the opening of the Wallace & Ladmo gallery. Wallace and Ladmo were local entertainers and pioneers in Phoenix television history. They hosted a children's TV show that ran for 35 years. Again, it just goes to prove that most people want to be "entertained;" not "educated."

My thought for the day.

GM

The WWII Housewife is Alive and Well

The other night I had the pleasure of driving up to Chandler, (a suburb of Phoenix) to perform my living history presentation, "Anna Ferguson, WWII Housewife & Defense Worker."  This was for a quilting group studying WWII history.  Performing "Anna" again was like reconnecting with an old, long lost friend.

I originally developed her for The Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe.  She even got her name from two of the people I knew at the museum.  One of the museum's galleries, Views From the Home Front, chronicles Arizona's contribution to the WWII home front, and the contributions of those who stayed behind and fought "The War Back Home."  This composite character was created to augment that gallery.  She represents the typical wife and mother of that time.  "Anna" also incorporates some of my personal family history with her anecdotal stories.   She was inspired in a lot of ways by mother, and the stories she used to tell around the family dinner table while I was growing up.  "Anna" was also the inspiration for my first book, Anna's Kitchen, a WWII ration cookbook.  She was a special friend indeed.

The WWII Housewife & Defense worker was officially launched in January, 2001, and for a number of years "Anna" visited schools, seniors, and other groups.  Then the reality of current economic times caught up with her, and she became a casualty of years of school budget cuts.  Sadly, I rarely get the opportunity to perform her anymore.  


Anna still has a story to tell -- that of patriotism, sacrifice, and the ability of a generation of Americans to unite and do the job that had to be done to lead our nation to victory during a dark and uncertain time in our not-too-distant past.  Hopefully I'll get to tell her story again--someday.

GM

Other Means of Living History

To me, living history isn't just about donning a period outfit and giving a talk about the times my character lived in. I also consider doing the things our ancestors did another form of living history. To me, it is a more intimate and personal connection. For instance, I do quilt-making, and every time I'm sewing my little scraps of fabric together I feel a kinship with the pioneer ladies and the ladies who lived during the Old West. For them quilt making had a real purpose. It was a means of recycling old clothing and reusing it as bedding. Talk about being practical. And even though many of my quilts have modern themes, and are made from new fabrics purchased just for quilt-making, I still feel that connection to the past as I'm sewing them together.

Another way I connected to people in the past was with my first book, Anna's Kitchen.  I grew up with WWII era parents, and sometimes around the dinner table my mother would talk about food rationing.  So putting together those ration recipes and WWII home front stories made that time in history seem much more real to me.  And what better way to really experience how our parents and grandparents lived then preparing food the way they prepared it.

I also tried my hand at planting a vegetable garden this year.  While gardening may be considered a hobby in modern times, it wasn't that long ago that families grew their own gardens out of necessity.  Gardening for me was a little bit hit and miss, and I made plenty of mistakes, such as planting things too closely together, but still, there's nothing quite like the fresh taste of a vegetable, or herb, that came from your own garden.  This experience also made me more appreciative of the fact that I can go to the grocery store whenever I need food.  Something we all take way to much for granted these days.

I sure some, if not most people probably could care less about history, and that's too bad. Because connecting with people from the past really can enrich our lives in the present.

My thought for the day.

GM

Creative Tools for Teaching History -- from Museums to Books to Video Games

Keeping history alive seems to be one of my callings in life. It all started when I started volunteering at my local historical society museum and looking at their marvelous displays. I soon became a docent, leading tours for school kids, and discovering that when they could look at historic artifacts and displays they got more excited about learning. It was also while being a docent guide that I first learned about living history, and, over time, I developed two living history personas. Again, doing these presentations for the schools, I couldn't get over how excited the kids were. This was probably because I was a living, breathing representation, and it was the enthusiasm from all those kids that inspired me to start writing my series of children's books on the history of the Old West.

I'm amazed that I have an interest in history at all. When I was a kid in school we didn't take field trips to the historical society museum, (it didn't exist at that time), nor did we ever have a living historian visit our school. Instead we were taught history from dull, boring textbooks and the occasional 16 mm movie, which was all narration and no dialog and almost as boring as the textbook. It wasn't until I started college, and took history courses for my liberal arts requirements, that I started becoming more interested in history. There I had professors who were good speakers and storytellers and who were able to make the subject matter interesting.

When it comes to learning history kids today have it so much better. Along with historical museums and living historians and book authors like myself, they have interactive video games to help them learn history. I've not tried any myself, but I've heard from others who have, and they sound pretty interesting. Instead of learning about a historic battle in a dull history book they get to have a virtual experience with sophisticated graphics and interactive software. If experiencing history in a virtual setting doesn't help them learn I don't know what will, although the books, museums and living historians certainly don't hurt either.

What an interesting time to be a kid.

GM

Jonah Hex, Box Office Flop

It appears that the jury has reached a verdict regarding the recently released Jonah Hex movie, and the public has, by in large, given it a big thumbs down. I hate to see that happen whenever a new Western comes out, but by all accounts Jonah Hex really isn't a western. At least not as we know them.

I first heard of Jonah Hex at a book signing I did last fall in Mesa. I found out that Jonah Hex is a comic book hero. Don't know if it is DC or Marvel as I've never cared from comic books. (I prefer to read real books, but that is another story.) Nonetheless Jonah Hex is supposed to be a blend of the Old West and mysticism--something more in the genre of the old Wild Wild West TV show from the 1960s, which wasn't really a western either.  Nonetheless, I'm told that Jonah Hex is a big hit with the younger generation.

I went over to Yahoo movies, and in reading audience reviews, it seems that the reason the movie is a flop is because the script is so poorly written, and because Megan Fox has so little screen time. There was hardly any criticism at all of it being a western. The other issue that audiences seem to have is that the hero, Jonah Hex, has a badly scarred face.

It's a funny little quirk in human nature. We are naturally drawn to beauty and repulsed by the ugly. That's why throughout history in virtually all stories the hero is always handsome, while the villain is oftentimes ugly or even disfigured. Think Darth Vader or the Wicked Witch of the West. A "hero" who is physically unattractive, if not downright ugly, simply isn't someone we're going to root for. The only exception to the rule that I can think of is Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

I hope this box office failure doesn't discourage Hollywood from making anymore Westerns. My observation, time and time again, when I did my Tombstone Storyteller living history program for the schools was that the kids simply couldn't get enough of it. Today's generation didn't grow up watching Westerns like we did. For them westerns are something new and different and exciting.

My thought for the day.

GM

Kudos to the Town of Tombstone

I just completed a book signing down in Tombstone, Arizona, and it looks like the town may be building up a new major event--Salute to the Buffalo Soldiers. This is only the second year for this event, and it is gaining a following.

There is a Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club comprised of military vets and police officers with chapters throughout the country. Members came from as far away as New Orleans and Florida to participate in the parade this year, and all had a great time and plenty of good things to say. Some of the ones from the eastern part of the country said they didn't even know that they town of Tombstone was real, but they did say that they would be back again.

We also had Buffalo Soldier reeanctors with displays on Allen Street, and many passersby stopped and took a look. Overheard one of them say he made the comment to a young serviceman that he was "old school" army.

Needless to say this event will be back again next year, and more is being planned. The organizers say they want this event to be as big as Helldorado. We'll see. Meantime it's nice to see more military history in Tombstone. I doubt if many people realize that without the support of the Buffalo Soldiers moving and settling in the west would have been a far more difficult and dangerous proposition.

GM

So What Makes a Historian a Historian?

Sometimes when I'm out promoting my books, or my living history programs, I'll run into folks who'll call me a historian. I never know quite how to take that. On one hand I'm flattered, but at the same time, not having a degree in history, (my degree is actually in art), I admit that I'm not all that comfortable with the title.

Having a college degree, and having spent a lot of time working with historical museums, means I've spent a lot of time in academia.  As far as those folks are concerned, unless you have the initials, "M.A." or "PhD." after your name, you're not a historian. In some instances, this makes sense. Those credentials probably would put you in a position of authority to, for example, verify the authenticity of a historic artifact. But I don't think it necessarily makes you any smarter, or a "better" historian, then a well-educated lay person.

A few years ago I was acquainted a man who had done extensive research on early motion picture exhibition equipment. He was certainly an expert and had done enough work to probably have his master's thesis done. I even once suggested that to him. He was flattered, but decided not to pursue it. It would have been an expensive undertaking and I'm not sure he had the funds. Besides, he wasn't exactly a young man anymore, and he probably figured he'd been doing what he'd been doing, which was a living history presentation as an early 20th century showman, just fine without his master's degree. He's one of many "lay historians" that I've come across over the years. And just because he's a lay historian certainly doesn't mean he can't publish a book or call himself an expert.

Then there are living historians, such as myself.  I too have put a lot of research into both of my historic personas, but I actually market myself as a speaker.  I've discovered that those who are outside of the museum or education environment simply have no clue whatsoever as to what a living historian is or does, and they sometimes find it a very confusing term. But they do understand what a professional speaker is, so I leave it at that.

So I suppose you can call me a historian if you want, but I prefer to call myself a published author.

My thought for the day.

GM

Speaking Fees, Historical Reenacting, and Old West Venues

I love what I do. I really do. But sometimes I wonder if I'm not allowing myself to be used.

I perform a living history storytelling program called The Tombstone Storyteller, and I normally charge a speaking fee for it. I have a lot invested in the program, including period clothing, props, hours of research, plus my time and effort to promote and market the program, so I don't think charging a speaking fee is unreasonable because I'm performing a service. I market mostly to schools, as that is where the most demand is, but with so many schools having budget cuts these days I don't perform it as often as I did in the past. Sure, I'd probably get a lot of bookings If I gave it away for free, and there's the rub.

There is a lot of pressure out there for Old West entertainers, including living historians, to perform for free. Whether you're a storyteller or a musician or other so-called "entertainer", a lot of the folks that run these Western venues seem to have the attitude that because you're "entertainment" you should be lucky they even allowed you at their event in first place so of course you should be happy to work for them for free. After all, it's not a "real" job. Or is it?

Does your doctor work for free? Or the guy that prepares your income taxes? Ever try to get a plumber to work for free? Then why should those of us who "entertain" at an Old West festival or venue be treated any differently? But we are.

Whether it's an Old West themed restaurant, a festival, or a tourist trap, you know, those little fakey Old West towns with a steakhouse and a few shops attached to it, they all depend on live performances, such as "stunt show" skits, for entertainment to help draw the crowds to their venues. And, more often than not, the performers are not paid. They literally have to pass a hat around to collect tips from the audience. And that just doesn't seem right. The cooks and the servers and the store clerks all get paid, and whoever is running the venue is surely making a profit, but where would they all be without those "entertainers" who help bring in their customers in the first place?

Some of my friends and colleagues tell me that they are saying no to these venues, even the big name events. They are professionals. They've worked hard to get where they are, and they aren't going to cheapen themselves by working for free. I'm starting to rethink this myself. I've already built up a good resume for myself as a living history performer. Maybe it's time I stopped undercutting my piers and stopped working for free. Perhaps I've been doing more harm than good.

My thought for the day.

GM

Living History and Period Correct Language

One of the many controversies happening in the town of Tombstone lately has been the one of the reenactment groups coming to Helldorado who use so-called period correct language in their skits.

Spending a lot of time on Allen Street performing and signing books at these various events has given me a lot of opportunity to watch a lot of groups, and their idea of "period correct" is more like the show Deadwood. Now they're not dropping the f-bomb, but it's certainly "R" rated dialog, and yes, I've watched people's reactions, and yes, some people are offended.

The purpose of living history, first and foremost, is to educate the public about history, and that would include using as accurate of language as possible. There are, of course, some limitations. If you're doing ancient Roman living history you'll certainly be accurate if you speak Latin, but no one will understand you. So you have to modify your presentation for what is appropriate for your audience. And that's the key point here, what is appropriate for your audience.

When I first started doing living history I was working with historical museums, and most of the audiences I performed for were schoolkids. And while the museum education department had high standards for historical accuracy they were also very clear that all the performers have material that was age appropriate, and some material, despite being historically accurate, simply was not suitable for young audiences.

The Old West period occurred during the Victorian era, and this was a time when certain words were never uttered in polite company, particularly when women and children were present. I'm sure the cowboys and miners who lived in those days may have used some colorful metaphors on cattle drives and in the mines and bordellos, but NEVER in the company of women and children.

It's one thing to perform your skits for an adult audience, it's quite another when Grandma and the kids are watching. Sure, they can make their announcement at the beginning of their performance, but when you're doing street skits you don't have a captive or static audience. People are coming and going, and should Mom and the kids step out of a shop only to hear inappropriate language being shouted from street performers that they weren't expecting to hear it doesn't go over too well and they shouldn't have to put up with it.

While I'm a big proponent of the right of free speech I am also aware that with free speech comes certain responsibilities. There really is too much profanity out there, and too many kids are being exposed to things they really shouldn't be.

My thought for the day.

GM

Educating Young Skulls Full of Mush

I've been leading docent tours at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum. One of the things I love about this is getting to educate a few young skulls full of mush, but sometimes it does gets depressing.

For those of you who are not familiar with southern Arizona, this museum and modern day railroad depot is built at the site of the old railroad depot where Wyatt Earp gunned down Frank Stillwell, and there is a statue of Wyatt and Doc behind the main building. Needless to say, that is my favorite spot for interpretation.

I always begin by asking if anyone has ever heard of Wyatt Earp. Most days virtually all of the hands go up, but the other day I actually had a few kids who had never heard of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Tombstone, or the Gunfight (near) the O.K. Corral. I then asked if anyone had seen the movie "Tombstone" and only a couple of hands went up. Everyone else, including a few of the adults, just gave me the Bambi in the headlights stare. Perhaps the weather was a factor. I can only describe today as being stinking hot. But then again, as someone I once knew often used to say, some mothers have them. So Auntie Gayle immediately got into her story telling mode and gave them just a bit of an education. Whether or not it meant anything is another thing entirely.

Well folks, I don't think it's just Hollywood that's dumbing down our society. At least when I'm dealing with folks who've seen the movie "Tombstone" I have a starting point and from there I can point out what was fact and what was fiction. But when I just get blank stares I do get a bit depressed. What can I say. The schools are doing a fantastic job of dumbing down our kids. But on the other hand maybe I shouldn't complain too much. As long as the schools keep producing graduates who are completely uninformed but supposedly have high self-esteem, we authors and living historians will have a job, right?

My thought for the day.

GM

Museum Dynamics, Culture Shock and Tombstone, Arizona

It's great to be working with historical museums again. The other day I lead a tour of the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum and I haven't lead a museum tour in five years. But it's like riding a bicycle as there are some things you never forget how to do.

I got into this whole historical reenacting bit through working with historical museums. It was there I learned that when it comes to reenacting the emphasis is on accuracy and educating the public. That's because many, if not most, historical museums depend on government funding and grants, so there is a mandate which means they have to meet certain criteria in order to obtain that funding. So I learned from the get-go to be as accurate as possible.

The first time I went to a non-museum historic site, the original Rawhide Wild West Town in Scottsdale, Arizona, I experienced some real culture shock as soon as I walked in the gate. This site didn't care that much about historical accuracy. They were a for-profit corporation with no government or endowment funding. They didn't even have an education department. They had an entertainment department instead. That's because they depended solely on visitor's dollars to survive, and since most visitors want a "Hollywood" type of experience that's what they got.

There have been some real interesting discussions about Tombstone going on at one of the social networks where I hang out. And that's a good thing. We're there to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Some of the members of this group are purists. Everything has to be as period correct as humanly possible, and they're upset about the fact that too many people in Tombstone dress "Hollywood" instead of being 99.999% historically accurate. They too are experiencing culture shock and they don't quite know how to handle it.

If took me awhile to accept this fact. The town of Tombstone is NOT, nor will ever it ever be, a historical museum. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, but so are a lot of historical buildings and places that are not museums. Tombstone is a real live town that, so are as I know, receives no grants or government funding for historical education programs. Tombstone depends solely on tourism to survive, and, as someone who spends a lot of time there and has been doing most of the big events, like Helldorado and Wyatt Earp Days, since 2004, I will tell you this -- these events are about celebrating the town's history, but they are not necessarily intended solely to EDUCATE the public. The skits, the costume contests, the chili cook-offs, and all the other events are meant to ENTERTAIN. The goal is to attract more visitors during the summer months, which is the slowest time of year for tourism. The town needs visitors so the local merchants can meet their payrolls and survive another summer.

The average Joe Six-Pack probably doesn't know much about history other than what he learned in school. The average Joe Six-Pack could probably care less that the movie Tombstone is about 10% history and 90% Hollywood. But when the average Joe Six-Pack comes to Tombstone for Hellodordo or Wyatt Earp Days he expects to be ENTERTAINED. That is why the town puts on the entertainment, so Joe can be entertained and spend his money while he's there. With any luck Joe will take an interest and want to learn more about the town's history. But more than likely all we've done is given a break from his everyday headaches so he can walk away having had a good experience. And maybe there's some value in that too. Sometimes we have to just let people relax and enjoy themselves.

GM