I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood, so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore, Oklahoma. I never knew […]

The Gift of the Magiby O. Henry, written Dec. 10, 1905 One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close […]

My Dad, The Iceman Before the refrigerator there was the icebox. The icebox required ice, of course. You could either buy it yourself at the ice plant or you could have it delivered to your house by the iceman. My Dad was The Iceman. Dad delivered ice to homes and businesses in our town for […]

In 2006, a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond – and his response is magnificent:  Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta: I thank you for your friendly letters. You […]

The flag of the State of Oklahoma consists of a traditional buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field. The shield bears crosses symbolic of stars, as is common in Native American art. The peace pipe is a symbol of peace for Native Americans and the olive branch is a symbol of peace for […]

Sundown in Muskogee was written 18 years ago. It is the imaginary diary of the wizard as a young boy.

A good friend of mine recently wrote, “Underneath all the gloss and confusion about inclusion and diversity, it just seems like the real dividing line is socio-economic and the erosion of family. And as a Catholic, albeit not a very good one, I believe that the erosion of the family system is ultimately the most devastating. It’s at the heart of the unraveling of […]

Sundown in Muskogee

I’m Going to Fly, Vicki Berg! Vicki Berg and I became good friends in 1970 when we were both employees at Shell Oil Company in Tulsa. I’ve always called her by her full name. It just seemed to fit. I think of it as one word. Vickiberg. Vickiberg and I went to real estate school […]

“Unlike Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx is a strong believer in models that forecast the course of an outbreak.” “Dr. Fauci has cautioned that ‘models are only models’ and that real-world outcomes depend on how people respond to calls for changes in behavior — to stay home, for example, or wear masks in public — sacrifices […]

“Unlike Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx is a strong believer in models that forecast the course of an outbreak. Dr. Fauci has cautioned that “models are only models” and that real-world outcomes depend on how people respond to calls for changes in behavior — to stay home, for example, or wear masks in public — sacrifices […]

From the obituary of Congressman John Lewis: “He once described an incident when, as a young man, he was beaten bloody by members of the Ku Klux Klan after attempting to enter a ‘white waiting room.’” “Many years later, in February of ’09, one of the men that had beaten us came to my Capitol […]

From the obituary of Congressman John Lewis:“He once described an incident when, as a young man, he was beaten bloody by members of the Ku Klux Klan after attempting to enter a ‘white waiting room.’” “Many years later, in February of ’09, one of the men that had beaten us came to my Capitol Hill […]

The Thing About Us Okies… I lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma for 3 years before Merle Haggard released his hit song, “I’m Proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.” Even though I was only 12 at the time, I realized Brother Haggard’s song contained more corn than the whole state of Iowa.  I laugh about being […]

“As I age, I think I grow smarter about who I choose to spend time with. If I could go back in time, I believe I would chase after folks who could mentor me on getting wiser and kinder each day. Those people were all around me, but I think they scared me off. I […]

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Read “Good Strategy for Sheep, Bad for Business”

If you haven’t already done it, here’s a second chance to review Jon’s book.

Connecting the Dots of Data Every Wall Street investor walks tip-toe on the ice above an ocean of data. Some of them will tell you they are ice-skating on that data, but don’t let them fool you. Misinterpretation of the data is the ever-present danger facing investors AND marketers. Every business owner is a marketer. […]

“Everything about Liechtenstein is ridiculous. For a start it is ridiculously small – barely 1/250th the size of Switzerland, which is itself ridiculously small. Liechtenstein is the last remaining fragment of the Holy Roman Empire, and so obscure that its ruling family didn’t bother to come and see it for 150 years… Liechtenstein’s last military […]

Today is the day to review Jon Spoelstra’s book!

“We’re Part French, You Know“ Having traveled to 33 countries, someone was bound to ask which trip was my favorite. My answer, “My accidental trip to Paris”. Before I moved to Spain, my sister and I traveled to Europe every year for many years. Each year we chose a different European city to fly to; […]

When Harold Met the Schoolboy’s Momma Harold was an Irish bullyWho always got his way,Until he met the Schoolboy’s MommaAnd she blew his ass away. Schoolboy didn’t have a Dad.He worked every day after schoolIn a welding shop full of bitter menWho had broken every rule. Life is hard when you don’t have a name.You […]

The Day I Learned What I Didn’t Know I’m a high-top oilfield rigger,Riskin’ my life for pay,And there ain’t no evenin’ bigger,Than the darkness on pay day. I’m makin’ America Great Again,With black gold from underground,Being proud ain’t a sin,When you know you’re lost, and found. I’m a high-top oilfield rigger,Riskin’ my life for pay,And […]

Broken Hearts and Broken People I’ve seen some good ol’ times,Fueled by beer and halter tops,Jukeboxes with cheap rhymes,And the other shoe when it drops. Thank God for May-o-nnaise,White bread and the KKK,We’ll all see happier days,If we see another day. He was raised on daytime TV,The only sitter she could afford.He looks a lot […]

Once Upon a Time I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood, so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore, […]

How to Make Paper Cigars When it is time to write an ad, and there is no felt need in the heart of the customer to which you can speak, make a paper cigar. Teddy Roosevelt was a man of improvisation. He knew his paper cigars. This allowed him to explain the process of making […]

This is the rabbit hole that Ski and I were discussing.

The Lives of Others

My Dad died 3 years ago. He worked hard in construction – seven days, most weeks – to feed his 6 kids. And he played ‘drums’ every waking hour. Everything was a song and a rhythm inside his head.  Dad didn’t give direct advice. He was a “show, don’t tell” guy. I asked him for […]

January 8, 1941 – Citizen Kane and William Randolph Hearst

Read about Wizard of Ads Partner, Ryan Chute

You’ve heard the wizard talk about the importance of “the origin story.” This is Elmer’s in a 60-sec radio ad.

MAMA WASN’T PERFECT BUT SHE WAS MY MAMA. I didn’t have very many years with Mama before she had her first episode of Bipolar Disorder. It was called Manic Depression back then and medication to treat it was not discovered until after Mama had committed suicide. At the time of Mama’s first episode I was […]

All my life my Father has told me, “Manley, just remember we have a lot of class… but it’s all low.” So I knew when I had the opportunity to go big potty on a $7000 terlet…“I was born for such a time as this.”  Upon entering the bathroom, the first thing I notice is […]

Riding the White Elephant The generation of male Okies to which I belong has the inexplicable tradition of mercilessly teasing their friends. It’s a dumb tradition, I know, but these are the rules: We tease only our closest friends. To say to strangers the sorts of things that we say to our friends would be […]