Mostly True [Paperback]

Bill Daniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0978866525 | ISBN-13: 978-0978866525

From the director of the underground documentary film Who Is Bozo Texino? comes a rollicking rail zine of boxcar graffiti and obscure railroad nostalgia: the result of a 25-year obsession with hobo and railworker folklore. Freight riding stories, interview with hoboes and boxcar artists, historical oddities, and tons of photos of modern day boxcar tags are all presented in the guise of a vintage rail fanzine.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Texas-born, San Francisco exile, and confirmed tramp, Bill Daniel continues to experiment with survivalism and bricolage in his attempts to record and report on the various social margins he often finds himself in. Working without an art or film school education, he endeavors to make work that connects with an outsider audience. His work began in 1980 as he participated in and photo documented the blossoming punk rock scene in Austin, Texas. Since then his subcultural documentary subjects have included bicycle messengers, radical environmentalists, hobo graffiti artists, swap meet guitar players, rural drag racers, and "water squatters"--outlaw anchored live-aboards.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Microcosm Publishing (April 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978866525
• ISBN-13: 978-0978866525
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Movies > General
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Pop Culture
  • #81 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Entertainers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars we are coming for YOU Wikipedia!, April 14, 2008

By 

S. Mack Royal "cult member #709" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mostly True (Paperback)

For young and old, anyone with wanderlust and an urge to draw on the side of a rail car, and the simply curious.....

What is it all about?! Who IS Bozo Texino? What's with all of these old advertisements? Which ones are the REAL advertisements? This book is a real work of art and informative in a sufi sort of way.

If you have the movie, "Who is Bozo Texino?" then you gotta have this book.

If you get this book, you will HAVE to get the movie.

It's a mysterious path to the land of the hobos, the drop outs, the misfits, the wandering souls. It's about riding the rails and surviving without a steady job.

You may not know this, but the author, Bill Daniel, is an artist and film-maker. He rode the rails and took a movie camera. He was looking for the guy who drew all of those Bozo Texinos. He survives without a 9 to 5.

You know, it's hard to get a handle on exactly what is so special about railroad graffiti and those who hop freights and so on....BUT IT IS FASCINATING.

Hop this! Unravel the mystery.

google bozo texino stock exchange

4.0 out of 5 stars great, August 25, 2011

By 

rusted - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mostly True (Paperback)

A superb overview of the hobo and railroad worker's culture of marking on freight trains. Also included are wonderful in-depth interviews with many of the 'patriarchs' of this tradition that are so important to American culture. A view into an outsider's hobby, obsession, and life.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hobo lore abounds, March 1, 2011

By 

J. Shenk "the dude has got no mercy" (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mostly True (Paperback)

I picked this up because I really enjoyed Bill Daniel's documentary "Who is Bozo Texino?" There is a good overlap to the material. Some of it is a duplication from the film, but I didn't feel like I got ripped off. I really enjoyed reading the stories in here. Not recommended for anyone not interested in the lives of hobos and rail workers, highly recommended for anyone who is.