Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? [Paperback]

Baxter F. Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995

America's favorite cowboy poet, NPR commentator, and "former large animal veterinarian" delights readers with a rip-roaring tale of today's Wild West, ruminating on such topics as the existence of second-rate guardian angels and the signifcance of the slow dance. NPR sponsorship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This comedy about life on the rodeo circuit may please fans of Black's 10 volumes of "cowboy poetry" or of his syndicated column, "On the Edge of Common Sense," but it likely will perplex the rest of the reading public. Lick and Cody are two rodeo cowboys who specialize in roughstock events, especially bull riding. Though the narrative nominally concerns the pair's quest to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo ("the Superbowl of rodeo") in Oklahoma City, that premise, as Black readily admits, merely allows for a picaresque series of rough-riding, rough-drinking and rough-womanizing exploits set along the rodeo circuit. Both Lick and Cody need girlfriends, but each must choose carefully from among the available women on the circuit since many are still angry at the pair for past encounters and some are out simply to rob them. When Cody's new love affair goes awry, Lick helps out as best he can by getting his pal drunk and marrying him to a Butterball turkey. Meanwhile, Lick goes for the championship ride of his life but pays for it with a broken collarbone. These low-humored, high-spirited adventures are related in breathless, exclamatory prose that proves more exhausting than edifying, making this a potential treat for rodeo rats only.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

What an excitin' life these rodeo cowboys lead! Ridin' them bulls! Ropin' them calves! Lovin' them fine-lookin' wimmen! Fightin', playin' cards, settin' around shootin' the breeze, and goin' from state to state, rodeo to rodeo, tryin' to earn their livin'! Cowboy poet and National Public Radio commentator Black's first novel tells the story of cowboy cohorts Cody and Lick, and what happens when Cody gets bit by the love bug and Lick is in hot contention for a place at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Very funny, rowdy, and affectionate, with a bit of magic thrown in (there's a guardian angel named Pinto who lives in a can of Copenhagen chewin' tobacco), this is the rodeo version of Dan Jenkins's Semi-Tough (LJ 10/15/72), but a lot less raunchy. A good choice for public libraries.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014025093X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140250930
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Send the critic in your head on holiday for a couple of days, November 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? (Paperback)

Those who read this first attempt at fiction by Baxter Black purely for the pleasure of it will come away with both an increased appreciation for Mr. Black's razor sharp wit and a newfound respect for rodeo cowboys. Those who read it (Seabeck, WA) while attempting to force it into some category will simply miss the point. This story does not pretend to be anything but pure entertainment, and the word "tedium" simply cannot be applied to a book that the average reader will finish in one or two readings. Trim it down to novella length? It's only 210 pages long! Simply sit back and enjoy yourself without constantly thinking about how you would have written it differently, and your jaw muscles will soon be aching! And when was the last time you laughed out loud while reading?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lick and Cody's excellent adventure, October 19, 2002

By 

Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? (Paperback)

Most reviewers talk about this book as bust-a-gut hilarious, which it certainly is at points, but it's also a whole lot more than that. If you have an interest in rodeo cowboys and their life on the road between those hoped-for 8 seconds of adrenalin in the arena, this book is primarily about that. Exaggerated, you bet, but compared to the yarns told in Bill St. John's book of real rodeo cowboys, "On Down the Road," not all that much.

Baxter Black captures and celebrates the comical that exists in the self-deprecating and unpretentious manner of cowboys. The story of his two cowboy pals doing the summer rodeo circuit all over the western states, with hopes of winning enough money to make it to the national finals, explores that rich vein of American humor between guts and glory and human comedy. There is a fine line between fearlessness and foolishness, and few sports make failure not only ignominious but dangerous (being thrown and getting not only a faceful of dirt but broken bones to boot). It's no accident that in the rodeo arena the hardest working cowboys are surely the clowns.

Black's book achieves one other enjoyable objective; it represents the friendship between two men, a subject that has found its way into the buddy movie, but is seldom treated in literature of any kind. These two guys are different enough to play off each other's strengths and weaknesses, but they're no odd couple. Their devotion to each other, their companionship on the road, their late night talks attempting to make sense of the world they inhabit -- not to mention their adventures with porcupines and "wild women" -- all of it is an entertaining celebration of being best pals.

St. John's book about rodeo cowboys is out of print, but if you can find a copy, I heartily recommend it as a companion to this wonderfully entertaining novel by Baxter Black.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not a 5-star novel, October 18, 2005

By 

K. Rowland (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? (Paperback)

There's no doubt that Baxter is a talented writer, but his style and this story didn't hold my interest throughout. Some parts of the novel were funny, but they weren't rip-roaring funny like some reviewers suggested. If someone bumping their head on a car door makes you laugh, you'll enjoy Baxter's humor.

Another complaint I have about the writing style is that Baxter continually interrupts the reader with his own remarks. Most of the time he does this to point out something that was either implied in the writing or common sense. The constant interruptions took away from the flow of the story. When uninterrupted, the story was a good one. Lick and Cody were very likeable characters. This was a great novel about the lifestyle they led and the friendship they shared.