The Immortality of the Western

Every few years or so, rumors start up again about the supposed "death" of the Western.  It seems to go on a cycle and if the rumors are to be believed, then the Western has died a thousand times. 

Yet, the genre is still around and going strong today. Granted, it is not nearly as popular as it was during the Fifties and Sixties, but it is a long way from being dead.

Iconic Western actor John Wayne believed in the durability of the genre. 

"Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at Westerns. They're art–the good ones, I mean.  They deal in life and sudden death and primitive struggle, and with the basic emotions–love, hate, and anger–thrown in.  We'll have Western films as long as the cameras keep turning. The fascination that the Old West has will never die."

The Western will never die for one simple reason.  It is the one contribution to literature that is entirely and uniquely American.  Just as the great works of the Greeks and Romans are remembered today, so will the Western be remembered thousands of years from now. 

For some reason, some folks seem to want the Western to die or they at least want society to believe that it has, perhaps because it is not politically correct and may offend some people's delicate sensibilities.  However, there are much more offensive things in other genres than there will ever be in the Western.  The so-called offensive things in the Western are historical fact. 

There is nothing wrong with any aspect of the genre.  Some folks prefer the classic Western with the hero wearing the white hat versus the villain who wears the black hat.  Personally, I prefer my Westerns of the gray anti-heroic type.  

I enjoy all of John Wayne's movies and watch them time and again, but my biggest influences are Clint Eastwood's movies, from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly to The Outlaw Josey Wales to Unforgiven.  However, perhaps my biggest influence is legendary writer, Louis L'Amour. 

The Western is not as popular as it once was, but that is not because there is anything wrong with the genre.  The reason that popularity has waned is because society has drifted away from the principles and ideals portrayed in the Western films and books of the past, as well as the ones being written today. 

Whenever I meet new people and tell them that I'm a writer, the first question they ask is about the kind of stories that I write.  When I tell them that I write Westerns, most of them generally frown and mutter something about not reading Westerns.  To which I always ask, why not? 

There are a lot of great Western stories being written today, all over the world.  In addition, the Western lends itself well to blending with other genres.  There are a lot of great Western mystery stories and a lot of Romance Westerns, even Horror Westerns.  Generally, there is some kind of Western story for everyone. 

Any story can be told as a Western and can be told better as one in my opinion because of the great tapestry that the backdrop of the Old West provides. 

There's no reason to change anything about the genre.  If we do that, then we aren't writing Westerns anymore.  The genre has gotten along just fine like it is and will continue to do so.  

Regardless of what some tenderfoots may think, the Western is just too tough to die.  

Westerns Make The World A Better Place

One of the problems with American culture is quite simple.  Not enough people read Westerns.  As a genre, it represents a set of virtues for people to emulate.  Over the last century, ideals and principles in society have declined markedly.

The Western influenced a generation of Americans when it was popular on television and in Hollywood.  Children grew up with heroes like Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, and Marshal Matt Dillon.  While these may have been fictionalized characters, they still portrayed ideals for growing minds to emulate.

"Westerns... created a model for men who came of age in the twentieth century." – Jane Tompkins, West of Everything

Even in the Revisionist Westerns when the anti-hero became popular, the protagonist still emulated honor and loyalty.

In Unforgiven, Eastwood's character Will Munny is a man who "has killed everything that has walked or crawled at one time or another," yet he is on a quest to bring to justice men who have harmed a woman.  Later in the movie, he seeks vengeance against those who killed his friend.

The protagonist in any Western stood up for his beliefs, no matter what the cost and offered no compromise. Pick up any Western story and you will find virtues that have all but vanished from society. 

The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales by Forrest Carter offers some insight into what many consider to be the Code of the West, although it's improbable that such a code actually existed during the Old West time period.

As a man had no coin, his coin was his word. His loyalty, his bond. To injure one to whom he was obliged was personal; more, it was blasphemy.

How many people nowadays are actually concerned about keeping their word?  How many people actually stand up for their beliefs?  Today, instead of standing up to evil, people look the other way.

There's no such thing as honor, integrity or loyalty in American society.  There is no line that hasn't been crossed.  Honor has become a word that people look up in the dictionary and not a value to be lived by.

Without the Western, there are no heroes for today's culture.  While some celebrities and athletes are fine people, the majority of them are not the best of role models. 

As Louis L'Amour said in his novel Sackett's Land, people need someone to admire.  "A man needs heroes. He needs to believe in strength, nobility, and courage. Otherwise we become sheep to be herded to the slaughterhouse..."

Strength, nobility, and courage are virtues that are exemplified in one only persona, that of the American soldier, and popular media downplays the contributions and sacrifices of the only true hero left to us. 

The problem with today's society can be summarized by a quote from John Wayne.  "A man's got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job." 

With no heroes to emulate and no creed to live by, how long before we become sheep to be herded to the slaughterhouse?

Why I Admire Louis L'Amour

One of the saddest days in my life came when I realized that I had read everything that Louis L'Amour had ever published. It felt akin to losing a loved one or a close friend. For several weeks I brooded, unsure of what to read next. I tried reading other authors and found several good ones, however most of them just didn't measure up.

I found several books with blurbs on the back stating: "If you like Louis L'Amour, then you'll love 'this' writer!" or "This writer is the next Louis L'Amour." I snatched those books off the library shelf only to be sorely disappointed after taking them home and cracking them open.

While some of those authors are excellent writers, their fiction lacks the essential element that separates L'Amour's work from everyone else. In addition to being a great storyteller, L'Amour had a code. He stood for something and his beliefs transferred into his writing.

There are a multitude of quotes from his work. However the one that has stuck with me over the years is this: "The difference between a man and a boy is the willingness to accept responsibility."

As a young man growing up I instilled that line into every aspect of my life until it became the code that I lived by. L'Amour's work often deals with morals and honor and closeness to family. I incorporated all of those virtues into my own personal code.

Although I never met him and didn't begin reading his work until after he passed away, L'Amour became a foster father to me. Someone that I admired and strove to emulate. The men and women that he wrote about became my heroes. I may sound crazy for admitting it, but some of his characters are my best friends.

Then one day, I had an epiphany. If I there weren't any more new L'Amour stories for me to read, I could create my own stories. I started writing and instantly became hooked. I had always loved to read but writing my own stories was a thrill all its own.

A story often told about Louis L'Amour is that once his daughter walked into the room while he was writing. She asked why he was typing so fast. L'Amour replied, "Because I want to see what happens next."

There are a myriad of reasons why writers write, even why I write. However, I began writing simply because I ran out of L'Amour stories. And I have continued because like L'Amour, I want to see what happens next.

I am not the 'next' Louis L'Amour. There was only one L'Amour and there will never be another. If you liked his work, you may or may not like mine. I don't write to be like Louis L'Amour. I write because of Louis L'Amour.

"The Wanted Man" is a collection of eight of my short stories and it is available for the Kindle at Amazon.com. I am working on a version for the Nook through Barnes and Noble as well as a print version that will be published through Createspace. If you have a Kindle or a device with a Kindle app, download The Wanted Man. It's available for just $0.99. Update: It's now available as a Nook Book at Barnes and Noble: The Wanted Man for Nook.