by Baxter Black
Coyote Cowboy Company, P.O. Box 2190, Benson, AZ 85602
http://www.baxterblack.com * (c)1999
60 minutes, $19.99 * Telephone: 1-800-654-2550
This colorful video has a dozen or so poems, stories and songs from
the Baxter Black and Friends live performances on Iowa Public Television. Dr.
Black does plenty of his patented material, plus, plays guitar with his string
band (mandolin, bass, violin, and female vocal) and sings two tunes: "Ship My
Body Back to Texas" and "Rope and Ride." As a singer and TV entertainer, a male
version of Britney Spears he ain't. The Singin' Vet is more a mixture of the
Singin' Cowboy, Gene Autry, without the voice, the horse, or the money and the
TV comic commentator, Mark Russell, without the glasses, the piano, or the
politics.
We have published Black's written pieces in Horse Previews Magazine for
years, but this is the first time Helen Boyd, the editor, has ordered me to
preview one of his videos. It was especially refreshing to amplify my
impression of his talent from the visual perspective. His appearance is
trademarked from the floor up: boots and spurs, tight blue jeans setting off
the wire cloth torso, shining rodeo belt buckle, long sleeve western shirt with
pockets, colorful knotted bandana; the face of an imp completely moustached,
inset with sparkling eyes...wearing a big cowboy hat or bareheaded, disheveled
hair accentuating his energetic delivery into the hand held microphone. He is
an accomplished performer.
I liked the kickoff poetic presentation about Wilford the Farrier trying to
shoe Freddie's horse "Pigeye." Next, his twinkling eyes (exaggerated moderately
with makeup for TV) enhanced the "Fetal Eye View" poem that typifies his verse.
The cowboyfied Robert Service meter of "Junior," a poem about a bar brawl, and
the hilarious "Dunny and the Duck," complete with quacks and feathers, just
generally embeds the mood of congeniality. "Take Care of Yer Friends," the
last poem on the tape, is just a calm and relaxing rendition of cowboy wisdom.
Black ends the video with some profound words of advice and a comforting
thought: "reach down and pull up your socks."
I got a little extra from the video to increase my enjoyment of the way he
writes. He has an obvious affinity for his audience and they showed an
appreciation for his flawless performance. His is a niche genre, where fans
continually test his terms for a humorous match into their ranch reality, and
he seldom fails to deliver a hearty laugh. He does it without lavish
expenditure for effect. He does it without the bitter goal of cynicism. He does
it without prejudice or stereotypical innuendo. And, he does it without
profanity. Check out his video for an uplifting hour of entertainment.
Bob Howdy, PhD
Baxter Black Fan
