The Ballad of the La Grange Chicken Ranch

Quick: Name the first song ever written about the famous La Grange Chicken Ranch. Did you answer "La Grange" by ZZ Top? You're not alone--but you're also wrong. If you answered any of the songs from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack, you're also wrong. No, the first song (to my knowledge, at any rate) written about that brothel of yore was "The Ballad of the La Grange Chicken Ranch," penned by a 16-year-old guitarist named Ron Rose circa 1968-69. Being a youngster at the time, Rose didn't share it too widely, but in the 1970s the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters teamed with Rose's band at the time, Man Mountain and the Green Slime Boys, to release it as a 45 single. Rose went on to enjoy top 40 success with the group Toby Beau.

I discovered "The Ballad of the La Grange Chicken Ranch" during research for Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch, but there wasn't much opportunity to discuss it in the book beyond a passing reference. Fortunately, Rose, who currently lives in San Antonio where he plays regular gigs with the BFR Band, agreed to an interview with me to discuss the origins of this song and an interesting period of the Texas music scene. For those curious to listen to this song, a portion of it can be heard as the soundtrack to my book trailer posted at the end of the interview.

Blaschke: You were a part of Man Mountain and the Green Slime Boys. Can you tell me how that band came together?

Rose: Basically, I had sung a little bit with a guy in high school my senior year. We got together with acoustic guitars just sitting around, playing and singing songs. Then I met a guy at San Antonio College, which is a junior college here in San Antonio. He was interested in acoustic instruments. The first guy, David, had a higher voice and this guy had a lower voice, so immediately I thought, “Three part harmony.” I introduced them to each other and we started as a trio in 1972.

Then we were working a night club a few months later and the steel player, dobro player—that’s the dobro featured on the single—he showed up at this club we were playing one night and sat in. We just went through the roof with this guy, so we added him to the band after a few rehearsals. By the time we did the live performance at Victoria, Texas, on the town square—that is the recording—we had added a drummer. That was a period of about two years, from inception to fruition, if you will. In fact, that performance was what they called the “Third First Armadillo Confab and Exposition,” which I guess is the equivalent of a county fair. But it was done in Victoria on the town square. Willie Nelson was the big headliner on the show. Greasy Wheels was on the show. There were some other notables whose names escape me.

By that time of the recording, it was that version of the band’s last performance. Over the next few months, I developed a new band using the same name but different musicians. Anyway, that was what we affectionately refer to as the original incarnation: David Hill was the guitar player, high voice. Don Cass started out when we were a trio on acoustic guitar, but went to bass. He’s actually a very good bass player. Low harmony voice. Jimmy Fuller, dobro and pedal steel electric guitar. And Jimmy Rose—no relation—was the drummer.

Blaschke: So you guys were a Central Texas band through-and-through?

Rose: We were based out of San Antonio. I had a brother living in Austin. His name was Dub. He got me names and phone numbers of the guys at Armadillo World Headquarters. He said, “Man, you ought to get a gig there! It’s right up your alley. It’s your kind of music and they book nationally-known acts, yadda yadda.” So that came to pass. And that’s how we wound up doing the Victoria show. It was one of many, many shows that we did either at or for the Armadillo World Headquarters produced the show that that recording was of.

Blaschke: What’s the story behind the band name?

Rose: My dad bought 80 acres near Fayetteville in 1959, as a weekend place. We spent a lot of time out there, growing up. We had a two-acre, spring-fed stock tank. It was pretty deep, had good bass and perch fishing with slimy green moss covering the bottom. On a hot summer day, one form of refreshment would be swimming in that tank. My brothers and I, and quite often our tagalong friends from the big city, would traipse back up to the house after swimming, with a fair share of that green slime attached. My mother met us at the back door, denying entry to the "green slime boys" until they rinsed off with the hose.

Popular bluegrass bands of the day were Ralph & Carter Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, etc. My band dabbled in bluegrass—not strictly a bluegrass band, but we played some. Being in Central Texas with no mountains, but wanting to pay homage, I decided to switch it around a bit. Man Mountain (a big guy) and the Green Slime Boys. You get the idea. It was all tongue-in-cheek, but the name stuck (like dried slime). There was a popular restaurant/bar in Austin that wouldn't book us unless we dropped the "slime" part of the name. We never played there.

Blaschke: “The Ballad of the La Grange Chicken Ranch” has a distinct sound. There are bluegrass elements but a lot of other stuff is going on. I can honestly say I have not heard another song quite like it!

Rose: (Laughing) I’m going to take that as a compliment whether it’s meant to be or not!

Blaschke: Oh it is! It’s great!

Rose: It was probably one of, if not the first song I ever wrote. My daddy bought 80 acres outside of La Grange, between La Grange and Fayetteville, in Park, Texas. We were living in Houston when my daddy bought those 80 acres place in 1959, so I spent a lot of weekends out there burning brush and clearing pastures and doing things that city kids don’t normally get to do, unless their daddy’s brave enough to risk the G.I. Bill—not that it was a bad thing. Turned out to be a great thing. I had three brothers, so he had four boys to try to wear out every weekend so they’d stay in line during the week. Anyway, that’s sort of how Ron Rose came to know about Fayette County at all, much less Fayetteville, La Grange, Round Top, Columbus, Schulenburg, all those little burgs around there.

By the time I was a teenager I began learning about the Chicken Ranch. The worst kept secret in the county was the Chicken Ranch and my brothers and I would drive by on the sly to have a look and wonder about what might be going on inside. I never had the nerve to spend any money there, but I had friends who did. “The Ballad of the La Grange Chicken Ranch” was probably the first song I ever wrote, at about 16. Afraid I'd get in trouble, I never played it for anyone until I was 19. That was the musings of a teenager with a little bit of talent for the five-string. And that’s about the beginning and end of it.

That was a fun song and once I played it for the guys, it became a regular part of the repertoire. As I like to say from the stage, it sold under a million. I think we printed maybe a thousand copies of that single, or pressed a thousand copies, as the terminology would go. The artwork was done by Michael Priest out of Austin. He did a lot of the poster artwork for the Armadillo World Headquarters. The band broke up after the Victoria gig, I was able to get my hands on the tape and press the record. It was August 1973 that [Texas Governor] Dolph Briscoe shut down the Chicken Ranch, and that’s how the cover art was inspired. That’s Dolph holding the keys. All of these things kind of came together in a timely fashion.

Blaschke: What was the audience reaction to the song?

Rose: Well, we got a good response always. It was at the beginning of what Steve Fromholz used to call the great progressive country scare that descended upon Austin and parts there ’round. It fit right into that genre, you know, talking about things Texas. There’s a resurgence of that kind of stuff now, they call it Americana or Texas music, but it’s really kind of—to my mind—a continuation of that sort of feel. Probably Willie Nelson was responsible for it as much as anything, but it became okay to sing about things that you really knew about, or that were locally generated. You know from your experience writing this book, you do your research about things you’re already interested in, or already know something about, or that you already have a clue about. It makes it easier to create the whatever it is—in your case, the book, in my case, the songs—so that was the idea.

To answer your question, it was well-received, particularly as it got to be more and more known. It got some airplay in Houston, on radio stations in Austin, you know, the progressive country stations, the country rock stations in San Antonio. It was never a chart buster, but it was a door opener. I was able to book dates out of the area and for that matter out of state, somewhat. Never the tour dream you always want to shoot for, but we played Lubbock several times. We played Corpus Christi some, we played Houston, we played Tucson, Arizona. We played Evergreen, Colorado, once. You know, just hit and miss, pretty much working a 100-mile radius of San Antonio. Most often around San Antonio, second most around Austin. It was more subsistence than living. Any musician who’s dreaming of driving a new Porche is dreaming!

Blaschke: You’re in San Antonio now—do you play regular gigs?

Rose: Yeah. I have a band called the BFR Band, and the BFR stands for the three vocalists’ last names: (Phil) Bepko, (Chuck) Fletcher and Rose. We’ve worked together since like ’81. So, a long time. And yes, we do play. Not real often, but pretty regularly, three-to-four times a month. We sing a lot of harmony and still do that song. Certainly, it’s a novelty tune, but a lot of our fans recognize it from over the years.

Blaschke: Is any of your old music available anywhere? MP3 downloads or CD Baby?

Rose: Not at this point. I have a world of editing to do with old tape, and the thing about old tape is just that—it’s old tape and needs to be preserved for one more recording dumped onto digital so you don’t lose any more quality. I’d love to do that with a lot of the stuff I’ve got recorded from those times, and of course later, but time and money are always the defining factors. At this point no, it’s not available any way, shape or form, but that’s subject to change and I sincerely hope it does. I listen to some of these things and think “You know, that’s no half bad.” It’s amazing what you can do with a Teac four-track in your living room, even back in those days!

Now Playing: Sting Brand New Day
Chicken Ranch Central

Friday Night Videos

I really, really love Electric Light Orchestra. The disco stuff, not so much, but even there I like what Jeff Lynne & company did more than most other disco bands. That's neither here nor there. Today's video is the catchy "Hold on Tight." The song itself is kinda nuts, with random French verses thrown in because, presumably, Lynne couldn't come up with any additional English lyrics and just translated what he already had. But the video itself? Utterly nuts. Random pastiches of various film tropes--most of which are thuddingly obvious to the viewer--thrown together in a nonsensical manner that conveys the message that the band said "screw it." There's no attempt to make any sense or tie the imagery in with the actual music. They simply blew a bunch of money on a screwy, three-minute joke.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Flight of the Conchords.

Now Playing:
Chicken Ranch Central

Chicken Ranch report no. 83: Bibliograpby

Confession time: I've got a chip on my shoulder. It's been there since I started researching Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch back in 2009. Once I realized there had been no serious historical survey of the infamous Chicken Ranch, I decided then and there that my book would be the account of record. The only problem was that I was neither an academic nor a historian. I was a journalist, and the only way I could approach such a project was as a journalist. I treated the Chicken Ranch as an exercise in investigative journalism and went from there. I remained keenly aware throughout the project that my results could be viewed as suspect by serious researchers because of my credentials (or lack thereof), so I endeavored to document and cite every source I used in the book.

If you've taken a glance at the Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch endnotes, you'll know that there were a lot of sources cited once all was said and done. In fact, once I turned in my completed manuscript, with all the endnotes, index and bibliography, my publisher flinched. An already large book hand grown substantially larger--far larger than the average book they publish. In the interest of controlling production costs, they suggested that maybe we should eliminate the bibliography, as the vast majority of those sources listed were already cited in the notes. Me, being an agreeable sort, agreed.

Fast forward to now. Along the way, I'd seen references to "scholarly works," and how these were held in higher esteem amongst academics and researchers. Curiosity finally getting the better of me, I sought out clear-cut definitions of "scholarly works" to flesh out my vague notions thereof. One of the first qualifications for such was that the sources used be thoroughly documented and cited. Well, great. I'm all aces on that count. The next criteria gave me some pause, though: Scholarly works should not be entertaining or pleasurable reads. That's not much of a paraphrase. One place online specifically listed the inclusion of academic jargon and a high difficulty in readability in order to be taken seriously as scholarly work. This, of course, is anathema to me. In journalism, clarity of language is paramount, and in my day job I do more than my share of translating jargon into English (which isn't always easy to do). Now, I can understand how a book or article on a serious research topic shouldn't necessarily be restricted to an 8th-grade reading level, the famous target of most mass-market print journalism. At the same time, I see zero reason to make information intentionally opaque via the use of artificially complex sentence structures and obscure word choice. I've no idea of the FOG index of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch, but I'll wager it clocks in somewhere north of 8th grade. Writing can be sophisticated and still be clear.

Then I came to the third criteria: Scholarly works must be written by recognized experts in the field, tenured university professors and the like. If a book is written by anyone else, laypeople or journalists then it is explicitly not scholarly work. It may be suitable as reference material for high school essays, but is wholly unsuitable for consideration at the collegiate level. At which point the chip on my shoulder grew three sizes that day. Every demon that hovered over my work for the prior six-plus years let out a collective sneer.

After the throbbing from the moral insult to my person subsided, I considered the entire concept of "scholarly work" and realized that the only point that really and truly mattered was the first one--that all research be thoroughly documented, referenced and cited. The others--writing style and background of the author--are subjective. In this case, subjective snobbery. Yes, some degree of confidence in the presented material may be inferred from an author's credentials and writing ability, but that is secondary to the research itself. I make zero apologies to any student, scholar or researcher who picks up my book and enjoys reading it. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and offer a preemptive "You're welcome."

As for my journalistic research methods, well, I admit there may be gaps in my material. I may have shortfalls in my research. But show me all the doctoral-level historians who've conducted more than nine hours of recorded interviews with Edna Milton Chadwell and published comprehensive histories of the Chicken Ranch brothel, and then we'll talk.

The lack of a published bibliography remains an issue, though. No getting around it. So here it is, in its entirety. I'll add a downloadable .doc file to JaymeBlaschke.com in the near future, but for any high school students desperate for non-scholarly essay material, here's your lifeline.

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch:
The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse
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Johnson, Robbie Davis. “Folklore and Women: A Social Interactional Analysis of the Folklore of a Texas Madam.” The Journal of American Folklore, 86:341, July-September 1973. 211-224. Print.
“Jury at La Grange Gives Man Life in Carmine Holdup.” Victoria Advocate, May 12, 1933. 4. Print.
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Kelso, John. “Party plans run afowl of the law.” Austin American-Statesman, January 7, 2000. 1B. Print.
Kindrick, Sam. “Offbeat: College Reporting in Changing Times.” San Antonio Express, February 28, 1972. 3B. Print.
Kindrick, Sam. “Offbeat: Texas’ Oldest Brothel Has Closed Down.” San Antonio Express, December 29, 1971. 3B. Print.
Kindrick, Sam. “Offbeat: Violence Ignores Geography.” San Antonio Express, January 3, 1972. 5D. Print.
Kindrick, Sam. “Offbeat: Old City Ordinance Could Control Dogs.” San Antonio Express, January 10, 1972. 9A. Print.
King, Larry L. “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” Playboy, April, 1974. 130-132, 219-226. Print.
King, Larry L. The Whorehouse Papers. New York: The Viking Press, 1982. Print.
Kitzman, Oliver. Interview by author via phone. Digital recording. Brookshire, Texas, May 22, 2009.
Kitzman, Oliver. Interview by author. Digital recording. Brookshire, Texas, June 26, 2009.
Kleffman, Robert. Interview by author via phone. Digital recording. Berryville, Arkansas, May 13, 2009.
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Lefffler, John. “La Grange.” The New Handbook of Texas vol. 4. Eds. Ronnie C. Tyler, Douglas E. Barnett and Roy R. Barkley. Texas State Historical Association, 1996. 6-7. Print.
“Listen.” Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1981. I3. Print.
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Martinez, Ramiro. Interview by author via phone. New Braunfels, Texas, February 8, 2012.
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McNeely, Dave. “Marv’s Second Visit Was Bigger Mistake.” Dallas Morning News, January 20, 1975. 3D. Print.
Meinardus, Dottie. “Hoffman plans to revive the historic Chicken Ranch.” Banner Press, January 8, 1987. 1, 12. Print.
Miller, Neal. “The Secession Movement and War Participation in Fayette County.” Fayette County: Past and Present. Ed. Marjorie L. Williams. La Grange, Texas: Fayette County Historical Commission, 1976. 393-395. Print.
“Monument Hill-Kreische Brewery State Historic Site.” Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Print.
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“Plans to Commemorate Famous Bordello Draws Criticism.” Associated Press, January 22, 1987. Print.
Polasek, Diane. “Early Bohemian Settlers of Fayette County.” Fayette County: Past and Present. Ed. Marjorie L. Williams. La Grange, Texas: Fayette County Historical Commission, 1976. 26-27. Print.
“Pressure from Austin Closes Texas’ Oldest Bawdy House.” San Antonio Express, August 2, 1973. 6A. Print.
Prewitt, Ray. Interview by author via phone. Digital recording. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 13, 2009.
Pylant, James and Knight, Sherri. The Oldest Profession in Texas: Waco’s Red Light District. Stephenville, Texas: Jacobus Books, 2011. Print.
Rapp, Jamie. “Harvey Dipple interview.” September 8, 2005. pacweb.alamo.edu/Interactive History/projects/rhines/StudentProjects/2005/LaGrange/dipple.htm : accessed January 8, 2010. Web.
“Raymond Hamilton, Bank Robbing Expert Of Barrow Gang, Is Captured.” Lubbock Morning Avalanche, April 26, 1934. 1, 11. Print.
“Raymond Hamilton Captured in Texas Posing as a Tramp.” New York Times, April 6, 1935. 1. Print.
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“Tut! Too blue for Madam.” Daily Mirror, February 19, 1981. 10. Print.
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Vanek, Sharon and Schulz, Charles. “Overflows of Fayette County.” Fayette County: Past and Present. Ed. Marjorie L. Williams. La Grange, Texas: Fayette County Historical Commission, 1976. 44-45. Print.
Walters, Ken. Interview with author via phone. Digital recording. Freeport, Texas, August 11, 2009.
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Weidner, Elizabeth, Hrncir, Linda, Bade, Bart, Griffin, Donnie and Faison, Genevia. “Thomas James Flournoy: A Fayette County Peace Officer.” Fayette County: Past and Present. Ed. Marjorie L. Williams. La Grange, Texas: Fayette County Historical Commission, 1976. 185-189. Print.
Wilson, Diana. Interview by author via phone. Digital recording. Dallas, Texas, July 29, 2009.
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“Zany Zindler’s Zestful Zeal No Zany Zero.” Colorado County Citizen, August 9, 1973, 1. Print.

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

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The Chicken Ranch sells out!

I am informed by people In The Know at History Press that the first printing of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch has sold out, and that the second printing is now arriving in their warehouse for distribution. That, my friends, is pretty darn cool. I don't want to overstate things, though. History Press (and its parent, Arcadia) specialize in niche, local history, so their initial print runs are not comparable to, say, Random House or St. Martins. Still, based upon their enthusiasm for my book, the first print run was a little larger than what they'd normally order up. So the fact that they've sold out and gone back to press in just a little more than three weeks from the release date is an encouraging sign, no?

My trip to Houston yesterday was encouraging as well. I swung by the Houston Public Media studios shortly after 4 p.m. and had an interesting interview with Michael Hagerty for the "Houston Matters" program. It will probably air in September. Afterwards, I was kicking myself for all the clever and intriguing things I should have said but didn't. Even so, I think it came out pretty well and touched on a few areas not widely discussed about the Chicken Ranch. Plus, Michael promised to crank up the bass filter and make me sound like Barry White.

After grabbing a quick dinner of overpriced Tex-Mex, I headed over to Brazos Bookstore for my signing event. Lydia, the event manager, was funny and on top of things, making the entire experience smooth and enjoyable. The audience was on the smaller side, but they made up for it by being very engaged and curious about all things Chicken Ranch. One gentleman was particularly enthused that I discussed the corrupt DPS officer who set the wheels in motion that finally took down the Chicken Ranch, because he'd heard that story discussed by law enforcement in the past but never seen it documented or confirmed anywhere. One fellow shared with me that he'd visited the place the year prior to its closure. A woman shared that she'd visited the place as well--in college, a couple of male friends drove her out there on a lark, and she was mortified at the time (she thinks it funny now). There was also a photographer from Texas Highways there. Not entirely sure what that was about, but he took a few shots of me talking and we discussed some of the interesting new information my research uncovered regarding the Chicken Ranch. After the talk and signing was finished, Lydia brought out a stack of 20-plus books that were presales, as well as another five or so for stock. I signed them all, and I think everyone went home happy.

Next up is a signing and discussion 5:30 p.m. September 1 at Inferno's Pizza for the Comal A&M Club; a signing 6-10 p.m. at the Fayette County Fair at the Fayette County Record booth; and a signing noon-2:30 p.m. at the MSC Bookstore on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, prior to the UCLA football game. Should be a great event!

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

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Destination: Houston!

Okay, folks! I am off to Houston for a 7 p.m. signing tonight at Brazos Bookstore. If you missed me when I came to town a few weeks ago, now's your chance to rectify that opportunity squandered. I know what you're probably thinking: "I'd like to go, but Brazos Bookstore is way over there on Bissonnet. Traffic's going to be terrible." This is true, however, I remind you that I'm driving all the way in from San Marcos and braving that very same traffic just to make it so you don't have to make that same drive in the opposite direction to get a signed copy of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch. And do you know why? Because I'm a giver, that's why. In fact, I'll have some additional goodies for everyone who shows up tonight. My goodness, it's like Christmas come early! You Houstonians with a keen interest in Texas history can't pass that up, can you? I didn't think so.

In other news, well, there's more news. The San Marcos Record devoted an entire page to yours truly and my humble little book in the Sunday edition. Alas, there's no online link, but you can click on that photo above to get a good look at the splashy layout. They've treated me very nicely, indeed.

You know who else has treated me nice? The San Antonio Current. After that nice, big review they ran earlier this month, they turned around and ran an advance prior to my signing at the Twig last Friday. "‘Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch’ Author to Read at The Twig on Friday"

Let's see if Houston and Austin media can start showing me as much love, eh?

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

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Chicken Ranch report no. 82: The Party

First things first: On Tuesday, August 23, I will be at Brazos Bookstore in Houston for a 7 p.m. signing, so all of you Houstonians who missed me on my visit to H-Town two weeks ago, here's your chance to right that particular oversight.

Secondly, the Austin American-Statesman acknowledges my humble book's existence with "All over the book map with the latest Texas titles." It's been quite illuminating to watch how individual media outlets approach my book and attendant subject matter.

I've been running hard these past few weeks, and this past weekend was the most intense for me yet. There was a huge turnout for me at the Nesbitt Memorial Library Thursday in Columbus, with a turnout even larger than that of La Grange, believe it or not. I came darn close to running out of books, and that's a good thing. Amazing interest and enthusiasm from my home town.

Friday saw me back in San Antonio, for a signing at the Twig Book Shop. Again, a strong turnout showing interest in the Chicken Ranch isn't about to ebb any time soon. The staff was wonderful and accommodating, but the audience is what floored me. One woman drove all the way from Uvalde to meet me. Another couple had just moved here from out of state and thought the Chicken Ranch as good a place as any to start learning about Texas lore. Long after my reading and Q&A had ended people continued to trickle in, hoping they weren't too late to meet me and get a copy of the book. When your signing's at 6 and people are still showing up at 8 on the off chance you're not gone yet, well, that's enthusiasm.

The highlight of my weekend, however, was the book release party on Saturday. I've never had a book release party before. With Voices of Vision it just didn't really make sense, and all my other publications have been in magazines and anthologies. So this was something I'd been looking forward to. We had a fantastic time. People started showing up half an hour before the shindig was supposed to start, and continued coming and going the rest of the night. The weather behaved for the most part, with some rain starting up around 9:30, but the party continued unabated and before we knew it, the clock was showing 2 a.m. and we were still gathered 'round the back patio, talking away and enjoying our drinks (on that note, I have to say I've fallen in love with Amarula Gold. It's generally rum-like in profile (and I do like rum), but smoother and a lot more fruity. I found it mixes very nicely with guava nectar for a easy-sipping tropical drink).

Lots of people got copies of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch and a few enthusiasts also took home Ghosts of the Chicken Ranch, but nobody went home empty-handed. We had party favors, you see. Take a look at that picture up top. "Baby repellent" is what my 10-year-old son calls 'em. We had bowls and bowls filled with baby repellent, and there was lots of laughter when our guests took a close look and realized what was going on. I mean, it's a book about prostitution, after all. What could be more appropriate?

A lot off you may know that I'm into homebrew, although I haven't been terribly active since our move almost two years ago now (Goodness! Time does indeed fly!). Well,the party was as good an excuse as any to shake off the doldrums, and I brewed up six gallons of nut brown ale, in this case, offered as "In-the-Buff Brown Ale" and also "Chicken Ranch approved." Brown ale is a great choice for this kind of thing.. First of all, it's almost impossible to screw up as long as all the equipment is sanitized well. It's a dark beer that has an interesting, rich flavor profile but at the same time is light-bodied and crisp so as not to overwhelm people who normally drink Budweiser, Coors and the like. The custom beer with custom labels earned widespread approval. I also uncellared my last two bottles of the best mead I've ever made and labeled them as "Chicken Kisses." Mead is like wine, but instead of fermenting grapes, honey is used instead. This was bottled back in 2014, before out move. It started out as demi-sweet vanilla bean mead, but the result was somewhat bland, so I steeped some bags of icewine-infused tea we brought back from Vancouver on our vacation that summer. The result was smooth and gently spicy and very pleasant to drink. Lots of people had never sampled honey wine before, so it was a popular novelty experience.

Next up was Miss Edna's Rules for Boarders. I've never been able to actually get my hands on an original booklet, but I did have a copy of the original rules handed out at the Chicken Ranch, so I used my imagination to create what one might have looked like. There are some anachronisms here--the "chickens in love" logo didn't exist until 1977, but hey, we're just having fun with this. I also printed them up in blue ink to simulate the old mimeograph machines us children of the 70s remember from our school days. Sadly, I was not able to replicate the damp paper and distinctive scent of those long-ago copy machines. The rule booklets proved very popular, and just about everyone there found a seat at one point or another to flip through and soak in the sometimes absurd history.

And then there were the koozies. Nobody went home without a koozie. Sometimes with armfuls of koozies to pass out to friends and family. Hardly a wedding goes by without the foam drink wraps being handed out, so why not do the same for a book release party? I've been using them for a few weeks now myself. They class the joint up, don'tcha know.

As for the rest, well, a party happened. The Wife and her friend Laura really outdid themselves. The decorations were amazing. There was so much food! And desserts! We've never had the time to have a proper housewarming party when we moved in, so this one did double-duty. We showed off the pool and the patio and The Wife's photo studio (which we spent most of last year building). I debuted my tiki bar, which I built with my very own hands over the past couple of months (don't tell anyone, but it's not actually finished), which I think impressed more people than my book did. Even Lola, our studio mannequin, got in on the act a little bit. I did a short reading that was well-received and talked about all sorts of things, including--but not limited to--the Chicken Ranch. A good time was had by all, and we hope to do it again before long. We always suspected our new house had been designed, at least in part, to accommodate parties, and now we have verification.

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

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Friday Night Videos

It has occurred to me that amidst all of the promotion I've been doing of late for Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch, some people might become confused and think that I'm actually advocating in favor of prostitution. That is not the case. To clear up any ambiguity on the matter, I offer this public service message from Flight of the Conchords:

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66.

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Chicken Ranch report no. 81: Riding the whirlwind

Where to start? The BookPeople event in Austin on Monday was amazing. It's been one of my personal goals as a writer to have a for-true book signing at this literary Mecca, and I have to say I was somewhat emotional when I walked up and unexpectedly spotted my name headlining the marquee. The nasty weather kept some people away, but there was still a good turnout and after a brief reading from Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch I signed books and answered questions about the for a long, long time. It was close to 9 p.m. before I finally packed up and headed home. And the staff was fantastic--not only were they professional and helpful, they were genuinely interested in my book and the history of the Chicken Ranch. Yay!

So what's next on the agenda? Tonight I'm headed to Columbus for a 7 p.m. talk and signing at the Nesbitt Memorial Library. Friday, August 19 brings me back to San Antonio for a signing at The Twig book store. Then August 20 is the big Book Release Party at Casa de Blaschke, and Tuesday, August 23 sees me back in Houston for a 7 p.m. signing at Brazos Bookstore. Oh, and this afternoon, before I roll into Columbus, I'm making a quick detour to La Grange to sign books for the Fayette County Record, the Visitors Bureau and the public library. Busy! Busy! Busy!

Finally, you know things have entered the Twilight Zone when Chinese media starts reporting on the Chicken Ranch. Does anyone read Mandarin? At least I assume it's Mandarin. Could be Cantonese, I suppose:

• 101 News Media
• Mingjing News
• China Times

There's also a writeup in today's New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung: "Book by local author delves into ‘Chicken Ranch’ history"

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

Title: Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse
Author: Jayme Lynn Blaschke
ISBN: 978.1.46713.563.4

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Chicken Ranch report no. 80: BookPeople and more!

First things first: Tonight at 7 p.m. I'll be at Austin's landmark book store, BookPeople, for a 7 p.m. signing and discussion of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch. I've been looking forward to this for a long time, and hope the weather cooperates so we can get a good turnout (I've checked the hourly forecast, and chances of more wet stuff drop off significantly this evening, so yay!). This kicks off my busiest week thus far on the book tour front--Thursday, I'm in Columbus at the Nesbitt Memorial Library, Friday I'm at the Twig in San Antonio, and Saturday is the official book release party at Casa de Blaschke. So yeah, I'm going to be busy.

In all honesty, my busy week actually started a couple of days ago, when I made the trip over to Bryan/College Station for the Theatre Company's production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." I had a fantastic time, and was welcomed by everyone I encountered, from the performers to the staff to the audience. I met several La Grange natives who were excited by me book, and met several more former customers of the brothel who joked about "the good old days." The play itself was fascinating. Sure, it was rough around the edges as community theatre often is, but what struck me was how different it was from the San Antonio production I'd recently attended. Both used the same book--essentially, the version reworked for the Ann-Margret national touring show from 2001 (I've found out that the Samuel French Company is currently not allowing any productions of the original 1978 book, presumably so as not to conflict with the proposed Rob Ashford/Kristin Chenoweth Broadway revival). Simple direction choices and line delivery by the actors made this play very different, even though the lines and songs are all the same. Some lines in Bryan got huge laughs that didn't play as remotely funny in San Antonio, and vice versa. And the characters were very different as well. Harold Presley's version of Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd was all rapid-fire dialogue and fluster, whereas Paul Galindo's version in San Antonio was stoic and brooding. David Blazer played Melvin P. Thorpe as an over-the-top televangelist with zero self-awareness in San Antonio, whereas Corey Barron took the character in an entirely different route, channeling the late Marvin Zindler by way of Elvis Presley, complete with sneering, self-aggrandizing arrogance. Finally, I have to give a big shout-out to Ellen Wilcox's choreography. She took a limited number of athletic men and created a wonderfully entertaining "Aggie Song" despite not having nearly enough bodies to replicate Tommy Tune's original choreography. And she took a real sow's ear in the revamped "Angelette March" (the 2001 Ann-Margret version does away with the blow-up dolls and balloons and attached social commentary) and made it a seamless and entertaining part of the production, as opposed to the awkward speed bump it was in San Antonio. It's amazing what talent and passion can accomplish, even when resources are lacking.

Oh, and finally, I've got several more media interviews lined up in the coming days, along with these two stories that just hit. I'm not sure if this media attention is moving the needle any as far as book sales go, but I'm doing my darnedest to pull my own weight.

This ‘little whorehouse’ in Texas helped a president relieve stress: New York Post

The president's favorite brothel: Lyndon Johnson would 'relieve stress' by secretly visiting a prostitute named Penny in Texas... And introduced her as a 'family friend': Daily Mail (U.K.)

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

Title: Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse
Author: Jayme Lynn Blaschke
ISBN: 978.1.46713.563.4

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Chicken Ranch report no. 79: Steps forward, steps back

So I received word yesterday that the Texas Book Festival has declined to accept Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse as an official selection of this year's event. What this means is that I will not be participating in any of the scheduled panels, nor will my book be mentioned in any of the official materials. I'll be honest, I'm not terribly happy about this turn of events. Turns out I'm not alone in this, though, either--the excellent Texas Jailhouse Music by Caroline Gnagy also received the official snub. Seems as if the best way to improve one's chances of making the cut is to 1) not be from Texas and 2) not write about Texas.

That doesn't mean I won't be at the Texas Book Festival entirely, however. Arcadia/History Press will have a booth there, and I'll be there signing copies both Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 5-6). Nothing like crashing the party, eh?

Fortunately, the universe has intervened to lift my spirits somewhat. Yesterday, I received an unexpected phone call from Oliver Kitzman. For those of you who've read the book already, you'll recognize the name. He said some very kind things about my book, and for that I am grateful. I also received--again, unexpectedly--the above letter from former Texas Lt. Governor Bill Hobby. He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to agree to an interview with me several years ago. And he darn sure didn't have to give me a pull-quote to help promote the book. But he did, and that's why Bill Hobby will forever remain a class act as far as I'm concerned.

In other news, this week is a busy one. Starting tomorrow, I'll be at the Theatre Company in Bryan/College Station for their production of (what else?) "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," signing books and answering questions about the historical Chicken Ranch. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, August 13, and 2 p.m. Sunday, August 14. Monday, August 15 brings me to the legendary BookPeople for a 7 p.m. signing in Austin. On Thursday, August 18, I'm at the Nesbitt Memorial Library for a 7 p.m. signing and discussion. Friday, August 19 brings me back to San Antonio for a signing at The Twig book store. Then August 20 is the big Book Release Party at Casa de Blaschke, and Tuesday, August 23 sees me back in Houston for a 7 p.m. signing at Brazos Bookstore. Whew! That's a lot of events! The crazy thing is that I've got a bunch more coming up, although none, I believe, packed so tightly into one stretch of days.

Finally, Arcadia/History Press has taken my book and packaged it with several other recent Texas history titles to run an in-house promotion. Visitors to the publishers' website are greeted with this. How cool is that? And if you have interest in Texas history, check out these books--I used several of them as reference material in my own work, and they're pretty darn engrossing reads.

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

Title: Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse
Author: Jayme Lynn Blaschke
ISBN: 978.1.46713.563.4

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