Customer Reviews

Blacktop Cowboys: Riders on the Run for Rodeo Gold

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is not run-of-the-mill. It is unique. The book is a fascinating narrative of what took place over one year for one group of traveling cowboys. I don't think I have ever read a book before where I felt the author was a silent mouse in the corner and didn't miss a thing; words, actions or silence. The correlation of facts, action & the written word was dumbfounding. It was camaraderie, trashy talk and action mixed with gentle emotion. The picture of Luke with his girlfriend speaks volumes. The personae of rough cowboy/polite rancher are like the people I have known.

As for the actual writing, it is not often that a book is this perfectly edited and presented. The addition of pictures so we could actually keep track of names and people was extra special. I was impressed. Five Stars from me, Ty.

I had read a glowing review of Blacktop Cowboys that piqued my interest. Though my husband describes me as a neo-aristocratic fashionista, little did he know that up to the age of 11 I rode western saddle and particpated in, albeit very small, local rodeos. There is something about these men (and women) who capture a part of America that holds a seemingly romantic life. Hats off, literally, to Ty Phillips! He wrote a wonderful book on today's steer wrestlers. And thanks to the gentlemen who allowed Mr. Phillips into their life. Without their participation I don't know if Mr. Phillips could have written so honestly about them. Mr. Phillips does not romantize, per se, about the life, but is able to put one there, watching the milesigns go by, feel the dust in one's nose, and the frustration or joy of an event. Whether one has an interest in rodeos or cowboys, buy this book, you won't read anything better. Thank you Mr. Phillips for writing about a subject few of us will ever know as well,than through your words.

You reckon rodeoin' is beer, bruises, and "buckle bunnies" (the name for groupies). Well, you're right. But like the steer wrestlers Ty Phillips tailed during the 2004 season -- loud and proud fellas with nicknames like Fatty and Donkey -- he knows how to tell a good story. One 11-page scene of tokin', pokin' debauchery aside, the lasting images are the quiet ones. "Every minute or so, the distant headlights of a freeway car threw light on the lonesome silhouette of a cowboy walking his horse at night," Phillips writes. He captures the solitude and camaraderie in Blacktop Cowboys, which runs deeper than an unattended cooler of Coors Light: Competitors even share scouting reports on steers. Reviewed by Mandi Bierly. Grade: B+

As a "semi-retired" part-time PRCA cowboy this book was a fantastic reflection of the fun and heartache I have felt on the rodeo trail. This book may be offensive to some, but the manner that Ty was able to capture the realism of traveling down the road is dead on. I have never read a book about this subject that accurately portrays the characters as this book has. Many of the people mentioned are my friends and acquaintances and they are all just trying to make a living in a very difficult and competitive manner. Ty has done an excellent job of giving the reader a true sense of why and how they do what they do without using any of the typical cowboy stereotypes that most writers cannot get away from. If you have any interest in this subject what so ever, this is a must read. Congratulations Ty on an excellent book!

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. A humorous but realistic portrayal of true rodeo cowboys. I recommend it highly to anyone who has ever known a cowboy.

Phillips takes all those fans of professional rodeo on the road at 85 miles an hour in a 350 pickup, pulling an alumumum trailer loaded with horses and living space.Due to the descriptive skills of the author, the reader becomes a silent witness to the good, the bad, and the ugly side of life with the rodeo cowboy. I couldn't put the book down.

This is an awesome book. I picked it up on whim and haven't regretted it. It a blunt look at group of rodeo cowboys and their life on the road. There is nothing hidden, it's ALL WRITTEN.(EVERYTHING!). The good, the bad, and the hallarious. If you are easily offended don't read, but if you want a honest look into the life of these men you won't find one as detailed and open as this one. All my friend are wanting to steal it and read. Especially the hilarious chapter: Tyler Becomes A Sex Therapist (And when I say nothing is hidden I mean NOTHING). Great job and well written Ty Phillips.

... the more they remain the same.

For some time I've been trying to find a book that tells it like it was, just "going down the road", back in the late 60's. Blacktop Cowboys has accomplished it. Though it's 2006 instead of '66-'69 and we sure weren't chasing any NFR standings, the feel is the same. Weren't no cell phones or fancy trailers with sleeper compartments back then and I ran with the "roughstock" crowd, not the ropers or doggers; but, this book transported me back in time. It was fun to recall what it was like to run from "show" to "show" traveling how and with who you could, the harsh practical joking that was always going on and the ever present cold beer. I long searched for a story of what it's like to pursue your dreams, on a shoestring, free of most encumberances that life later puts on us, that describes the pure enjoyment of that freedom. Ty Phillips has accomplished it.

I suppose if one hasn't cowboyed some they won't truly appreciate some of the nuances herein, but if you have, you will. It provided me the chance to revisit one of the most carefree and idyllic times of my life. Thank you, Ty.

Author Phillips follows a handful of champion steer wrestlers on a year's round of rodeos, focusing mostly on 23-year-old Luke Branquinho from Los Alamos, California, who in 2004 went to the National Finals and finished first, with over $193,000 in overall earnings. That is the book in a nutshell. Readers follow along as Luke, his brother Casey, best friend Travis Cadwell, and a colleague Marc Jensen crisscross the West to compete at dozens of rodeos. The steer wrestling itself and the competition get almost as much attention as the long-distance rig driving, poker playing, carousing, beer drinking, junk food eating, gambling, pot smoking, cell-phone talking, and the idle conversations, story telling, boredom, practical joking, raillery, tomfoolery, and high jinks that fill the time between rodeos and rides.

The book is an honest effort to recreate the experience of being on the road with this fraternity of men in their twenties and thirties, living out dreams of rodeo glory, pitting skill against luck in the arena, building friendships that qualify as a rough-and-ready kind of male bonding, struggling with disappointments, and dealing with physical ailments that range from colossal hangovers to serious injuries. You won't find much padding - no history of steer wrestling, no side-trips and detours into related subjects, and very little character study or analysis of the sport itself. It's pretty much play-by-play - whether behind the scenes or out in front of the crowd - ending in a 40-page account of the ten-day Finals in Las Vegas. A quick read, with a 16-page section of great action photos and thumbnail portraits of the cowboys featured in the book.

I got very interested in the characters, and learned some things about the life of a rodeo cowboy. It's a good summer read.