Curly Bill's Archived Notes, Articles, & Pages

Page 2

                                  Wild West Express

2005 Cast Members Roster

             Ken McMeans

                  Executive Director, Founder,

                   Senior Cast Member..'.Curly Bill' 

              Jessica McMeans

                  Daughter, Boss,

                       Senior Kid Cast Member...............'Jessie'  

           Steve Rothblum

            Associate Director, 

                        Senior Cast Member....'Rattlesnake Jake'

         Eric Holmquist

             Events  Coordinator,

            Senior Cast Member.........'Dusty Bottoms

       Ron Graham

         Team Leader, Senior Cast Member.....'Doc'  

           Terry Horton

         Gold Cast Member......'Cousin Jeb'

           Francisco 'Paco' Sanchez

                Gold Cast Member......'Pancho'  

             Mike Piper

           Senior Cast Member...'No Hawk'

           (and introducing David Piper

           as 'Billy No Kiddin')

                 Brandon Terrell

                     Cast Member...'Cousin Clem'  

                                                              Todd Pierce, Founding Cast Member......'Jake the Snake'                                               

            George Lindsey, Jr., Team Leader, 2003, 2004 Cast Member,'Rufus Leekin'

             Earl Baze, Team Leader, 2002,2003,2004 Cast Member......'Cousin Earl'   

             Damian Gravino, 2004 Cast Member...

            Marq Del Monte, 2004 Cast Member.....'Frank N. Beans'

             Lori Soto, Gold Cast Member, ......'Lora Ly'

             Earl Baze. Jr,  Gold Cast Member.                    

             Tim Colceri,  2003 Gold Cast Member...'Johnny Gringo' 

             Rich Warren, 2003 Cast Member                          

             Stephanie Roberts, 2003 Cast Member...'Cousin Kate'      

             Ed Bengasser, 2003 Cast Member 

Stephen Lord, 2004 Cast Member

Dan Wiles, 2004 Cast Member

         Wild West Express Pit Crew: 

             Jerry Ross, Artist Representative, Harmony Artists

             Adrienne Crane-Ross, Artist Representative, Harmony Artists

             Randy Mah, Accounting

             Bob Epstein, Attorney-At-Law

Brittany Danielle Felty, Videographer/Photgrapher

             Diane Brinkley, Wardrobe Department

             Sina Taylor, Wardrobe Department

         Ornery  Members: 

Paul Tibaldo, President, Galveston Co Fair & Rodeo

Joseph Tibaldo, Young Comedian, Galveston County Fair

Ty Hickman, Kid, Chowchilla-Madera Co Fair

Jody Gray, CEO, El Dorado County Fair

             Katie Cannon, CEO, Oregon State Fair

             Debbie Gorsky,  Ent. Director, Oregon State Fair

             Lee Hindman, Treasurer, Board Of Directors, Cal Mid Winter Fair & Fiesta

             Roger Gibbs, former CEO, Ventura County Fair

             Jessie Thomason, Michael Thomason Band

             Donna Thrall, National Orange Show, Livestock

             Tom Sailor, Entertainment Agent/Producer

              Randy Merrill, Agent, Winterset Agency

              Herb Dixon, Comedian

              Clair Carlson, Board Member, Teton Co. Fair

              Geneal Bott, GM, Eastern Montana Fair

              Debbie Nielsen, Medicine Hat, Alta, Canada

              Chris, GM, Northern Idaho Fair

              Karen Bonomo, Wyoming

             Ralph, Lea Co. Fair, New Mexico

Cast Members 2005 Biographies:

  KEN MCMEANS-  It was only a short five or six years ago that you could've caught

group founder Ken McMeans appearing in a really small television or film roles, or

playing music in a Casino lounge. Or another country (he toured in China in 1998 for

four months).  "My heart wasn't in it anymore, I knew something else was waitin' for me,

I just didn't know what." 

  The 'what' turned out to be twofold, a new daughter in 1996, and a new career in 1999,

with the debut of cowboy comedy team Wild West Express.  "If it hadn't have been Rick

and Judie at Viking Agency, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing now," Ken says of Rick

and Judie Fatland, who gave the gang their first fair dates and a big push, along with

 a lot of good advice, and continue to this day to provide them with a half dozen key fairs

 a year on the West Coast. "Having spent my life in the music business, and then the film industry,

 I wasn't use to people  being so helpful."  But it's just that kind of  feeling that the fair

industry exudes that makes it all worthwhile for Ken, and his life quest is now to make

people smile and chuckle, and he, along with his crew, do that in a 'wild west', over- the- top,

good- natured sort of way.  "People, it turns out,  have a great sense of humor. We're gonna

 try to help some of  them find it again."   And in a sudden moment of inspiration, Ken says

he thinks he knows what they'll say at his funeral one day- "Look he's movin'"!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 JESSICA McMEANS-  2003 was Jessie's first season with the gang, and even at the

innocent age of seven years old, she was able to match wits with some of the orneriest

 of the outlaws.  "It's probably something to do with genetics," says Ken McMeans, leader,

 and Dad of the littlest cowgirl. "Yep, just like her Mom,"  Ken says with a grin.  But how

 she ended up in the group has nothin' to do with family.  "My daughter saw Wild West

 Express perform at the Ventura County Fair, and afterwards she came up to me and,

with a serious look on her face, reprimanded me...she said 'Dad, you gotta do a better

 job than that.  It's gonna be my business one day.'  So we put her to work, and now

she's upstaging us!"  But make no mistake about it,  Ken's one proud Dad and doesn't

mind missing a 'margarita' ( or two) when Jess is on the road with him.  He knew he'd

 done well at the 2003 Siskiyou Golden Fair when he interrupted Jessica to tell her

they we're headed in, and needed to get goin', as they had a long way to drive to the

 next fair.  On the drive later that night, Ken sensed his daughter  was not happy

about something, and he finally asked her what was up.  She looked at him with

 disbelief and said, "What were you thinkin' Dad? I was right in the middle of my

routine, I was trying to do my show!"  It was a defining moment for Ken, as he

 instantly knew the family business would be safe in Jessica's hands... 

STEVE ROTHBLUM- One of the original members of the Wild West team, Steve

 portrays easily recognizable character Rattlesnake Jake.  "Yeah, Jake's easily spotted

in a crowd- he's loud, cantankerous, and still somewhat charmin' to the gals. I like that,"

 says his alter ego Steve. "He reminds me of myself a bit!"  With the fifth season on the

 road approaching,  Steve takes his position as a veteran rider seriously, and helps

 develop some of the new talent who otherwise might not be able to keep up initially

 with the outrageous and high-strung nature of the act. "The new guys that join up

 don't have the luxury of a year or two to develop their characters- people expect

 a certain, high standard of performance when they see us.  That's why we've spent

 any free time we've had, the last couple of  years, searchin' for nothin' less than the

 best.  Our teams keep raisin' the bar so fast, that most wouldn't cut it."  Rothblum's

 former career in the film industry, as well as his many successful years training the

'other' kind of horses, helps him in all aspects of life on the road with the gang- the

 original goal remains to use real cowboys and horsemen, who also know how to

 make folks laugh and smile...

  ERIC HOLMQUIST-   Eric, (along with his upstanding character Dusty

 Bottoms) has come around the hard way gaining his spot in Wild West

 Express. Now, in his fourth season, Eric has risen from "part- time rider"

 to  Events Coordinator, a feat made most impressive because he's one

 of the only members to ever join without a performance background.

 "My first year I was pretty quiet, but that's all changed. If you don't get loud

 and crazy working with these guys, you might just as well go home."  Not

 only has Eric, (as Dusty) got a word in , the others  say they can't get him

 to shut up- which is what it's all about.  With less and less time at home,

 Eric still finds time for his family and the kids, and occasionally gets a

 long enough break from the road to get in some quality time on the trail

 with his 'other'  horse, Topper.  He won't say  which one he prefers

 (the faux 'Muppet-like' one, or the one that still eats like there's no

 tomorrow), but he seems to favor his new "cowboy comedy" lifestyle

 over gettin' dumped on his head by the real thing.

   RON GRAHAM- A native Southern Californian, Ron was scouted and

recruited while performing as a senior cast member and stuntman at Knott's

 Berry Farm's Wild West Stunt Show (something he continues to do in his

 rapidly diminishing time off). If you've been to a theme park in recent years,

 you've almost surely seen Ron onstage performing, or perhaps even caught

 him on TV, appearing with regularity on shows like General Hospital or NYPD

 Blues. His first love however, is in theater (his true passion), and he can  often

 be found working in productions on the west coast.  Unfortunately for Ron

, the Wild West Express gang has decided to not let him out of their sight

any time soon. His elixir salesman,' Doc',  has brought another dimension

 to an already edgy, and quirky, cast of characters.  "Doc says what we're

all thinkin' of sayin', but never do...he might just be drinkin' more of his

 magical elixir than he's sellin', " says Curly Bill. 

        JOHN CRATER-  You won't be seeing a whole lot of John on the road with the gang,

 with his real life job as a firefighter for the past eight years still keeping him busy most

 of the time.  He's also recently retired from his other 'job' as a bull rider in the PRCA, with

 several years on the road in one of the most extreme sports known to man. So ridin

' with the posse's got to be a piece of cake for a guy like John, right?  Well kind of, but not

 always.  ( "Take the time for instance, he ... . well, yeah but who said you couldn't ride

after drinking margaritas").  Well, the rest of the guys on the team aren't that excited

 about the potential of John, someday, becoming a full- time member, what with his

 rodeo cowboy good looks and his charm with the gals. "Hey leave some for the rest

 of us" says Dusty Bottoms of 'the Kid'. "Not only is he making me feel old, he's making us

 all look old."  (We're actually kind of surprised Dusty made it this long, anyhow).

 Nonetheless, the gang's happy to have John riding along side. You just never know

 when the horse you're riding might hit a tree and burst into flames...

TERRY HORTON-  Terry Horton brings not just funny, but funny looking to the group

with his character Cousin  Jeb, a sort of backwoods version of some of the great comedians of the

heyday of comedy classic films. Abbott and Costello, The Keystone Cops, and others

 come to mind when you see Jeb on his trusty steed. "I knew Terry from the film industry,

as we'd worked on a number of movies together," says group founder Ken McMeans. "But

I never thought of him for the team until I put him on the horse, and took a look at him. He

looked like Red Skeleton or Art Carney gone west." So Terry gave up the film industry (and an

upcoming part as a regular on a fall TV series) to join the gang. And so far, the Old West seems

to fit Jeb, and vice versa. Oh, and there are some folks sayin' Jeb bears a remarkable resemblance

to President George Bush. And you know what they say down in Texas..."Remember the

 Alimony!"

PACO  SANCHEZ- The entire population of Mexico  probably has a chill running up their spine since

Francisco 'Paco' Sanchez joined Wild West Express. "The Hispanic audience is one of the most

 appreciative and respective we perform for," says big cheese Ken McMeans. "We wanted to

 give something back, and we're trying with Paco, but they said they don't want him back!"

Paco and his Spanish alter ego Sancho Villa are now in their second year with the gang and

the team is using Paco/Sancho to their best advantage. "We perform at many fairs on the West

 Coast with a large Hispanic demographic. Fortunately, in addition to Paco, we have a number

of members who speak Spanish quite well, including myself," says Ken. Hasta la vista!

August 2005

Dusty, Jess and I just got

back from some fantastic times

on a road trip encompassing

Alaska, Washington, and

Northern California (and what

a trip it's been!) I'll have photos

posted here as soon as I catch my

breath and I'll fill you all in

on some of what transpired

and the planned relocation

of our World Headquarters

to the Kenai Peninsula hope-

fully in the next year or so.

Congrats to Kenai Peninsula

State Fair's new manager Lara

McGinnis for putting on a

three day fair that rivals some

of the biggest in community

involvement and showmanship!

Also thanks to Rebecca Desmond

at the Siskiyou Golden Fair for

inviting us back in 2006 for a 4th

straight year!

This week begins Oregon State

Fair and Antelope Valley Fair,

both with us for the past four

years. I'm wrapping things up

with Doc and Jess in Kennewick,

Washington before heading to

Salem, with Doc off to the

DuQuoin State Fair in Illinois.

Stay tuned for photos from all

of these great fairs in the next

 two weeks...

Ken McMeans, Aug 26, 2005

Kennewick, Washington

Well, I can tell you the whole crew is

 breathing a sigh of relief as our

 lawsuit  has been settled,

and I believe both sides should be happy

 with the settlement.

I'd like to thank our Attorney Bob Epstein

for representing us with class and patience

(Bob could whoop those guys on' The

Practice' with one hand tied behind his

back)..

Also, thanks to Jerry Ross at Harmony

Artists for his help, support, and wisdom.

We also want to thank the good people

of the fair industry who stepped up to

the plate on our behalf and were willing

to tell the truth without taking sides.

Now we can all get back to work,

and do what we do...make people

smile.

Take care,

Ken McMeans, Duarte, CA

June 20, 2005

Dusty, Jess, and I just got back from

the Calgary Stampede. It's amazing

we came back! (It's amazing they

 let us come back...).

 Special thanks to Jim Hobart, and

 Tracy Stutsky who, along with the

Board, were instrumental in giving

us the chance to play in Canada.

Also thanks to the GMC Rangeland

Courtesy Shuttle drivers and Bob

 Taylor who  were at our beck and

 call daily and saved Calgarians

 from two sometimes disgruntled

American drivers, for sure.

Thanks to John in Parking for letting

 us run  crazy as 'faux' traffic

 directors and self appointed

crossing guard

monitors at the new Olympic Gate

Entrance, and to Ken in Infield

Security who gave us the best

seats in the house for the

Chuckwagon Races and the

Rodeo events...

And most of all, thanks to the

great people of Calgary who showed

 the  ultimate in hospitality

and first class graciousness at all

 times. We Americans can learn

 a great deal from our Canadian

neighbors...

Truly the Greatest Outdoor Show

 On Earth...

And I also want to thank my 9

year old daughter Jessica for

helping us out and being just an

all round great stage tech and

assistant, and the best kid a

Dad could ever ask or hope for.

 Love ya baby!

Take care,

Ken McMeans, back in the States,

July 20,2005

Curly's Place!

Howdy!

The most important date

of the year (to me anyway)-

June 12 is my daughter's 9th

 birthday! Jessica is truly my

 pride and joy and certainly

the best thing I've ever done...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!

  Just added some new dates-

DuQuoin State Fair in Illinois,

The Big Fresno Fair in

California, the Desert Empire

Fair in Ridgecrest, CA and we've

got a number of other events on

the table now for October and

November so keep watching

to see if we might be headed

your way (so you'll have time

to warn the townsfolk we're

comin').

Seee Yaaaaa!

Ken   Duarte, CA June 8, 2005

              2005 Best Of Jessica's West Awards

                                                                                       Favorite Fair:

                                                             Kenai Peninsula State Fair, Ninilchik, Alaska

                                                             El Dorado County Fair, Placerville, California

                                          Favorite Fair Manager:

               Jim Abendschan, CEO, El Paso County Fair, Calhan, Colorado

                                (and Debbie Galle, Asst. Manager!)

                                                                                           Favorite Hotel:

Friday October 31, 2008 04:12 PM

Howdy,

Well, Jake and I are at the

National Orange Show while

Dusty has run off to Wyoming and

married my former wife, Wendy

(I know it's hard to believe, but

we all get along great). Dusty (Eric

Holmquist) is not just our Events

Coordinator, but something far

more important, as you see, he is

my daughter Jessica's Stepdad.

And I couldn't ask for a better man

to fill my shoes when Jess is not

with me. And we have a little more

in common than that as Eric's

son Eric Jr. is Jessica's little

brother. I guess that makes Eric and I

related somehow.

I wish Wendy and Eric the best always and I

and I hope and expect them to be

together and in love for years to

come.

Now if we can just find

me, Curly Bill, a gal, all will be

right with the world...

Take care,

Ken

Duarte, CA 5/30/2005

Yep, it's true. Dusty and I are  headed back

  to Texas,   this  time to Hitchcock, for the

 Galveston County  Fair & Rodeo ("Houston,

 we  have a problem child...")  We've already

 told the Big Guy, Paul Tibaldo, he'd need to warn

 the townsfolk we're coming. And he said he

needed to warn us about the townfolk.

Now what does that mean? Think we've met

our match? I'll bet Paul is riding with us by the

 end of the nine day fair. Any takers?

(Won't likely be updating the website until we

get back May 1, so y'all are gonna have to find

something to entertain you why we're

gone...seeee yaaaa!)

Take care,

Ken                          

• From Feb 13,2005

• Well, the booking part of the year is in full swing, with myself and Jerry Ross and Adrienne Crane at Harmony Artists giving it our best to see as many venues and guests around the country as we comfortably can. We backed off this year from quantity to try and maintain the quality of the 'Wild West Express experience'. Loud, crazy, over the top and at the same time, somewhat lovable and backwards charming is what we're shooting for. We've trimmed our cast member list down to just the absolute best performers you're going to find in the entertainment industry!

   I was getting kind of use to filling up the Calendar with eight teams at a time working but it just got impossible to organize, logistically, and not easy to make sure everyone was on the same page. What remains for this season are the performers that  most suit what I originally envisioned this whole thing to be about. It's changed, for certain,  but also become more defined in the last five years on the road. And  I believe that's for the better. Wild West Express is always going to remain fresh and original, edgy and lovable. Thanks for supporting us (and enabling me to buy the first new car I've had in 25 years (a Mitsubishi 'mid life crisis' Spyder convertible)...

  From Feb 11,2005

• THE TRAIL MAP... 

• Wild West Express World Headquarters Trail Guide/Homepage.......... February 11, 2005  

• (ALSO KNOWN AS ERIC HOLMQUIST, AND OTHER THINGS...) who on this day in history, February 11, 1893 (or thereabouts) was born into the anxious arms of his ma and pa. And promptly given to the neighbors. Who lived in the next county. Not to say, young DUSTY wasn't wanted...much like today, he was wanted everywhere! (For holding up the stagecoach mostly, even at that ripe old age of one.)  But young DUSTY eventually found his way home and has gone on to be quite the upstanding individual and warrants many an accolade for his dedicated service to his family and fellow Wild West Express gang members. Er, ...okay, let's just say he has warrants. Happy Birthday Dusty! And may your horse not roll over on you riding down the trail or in the middle of the night. (Tell that whiny horse to get his own sleeping bag! )

• Your friends, associates, and Partners In Crime...Ken, Jessica, and the gang.  Feb 11, 2005       

•                                                                                                                   

           August 26,2004: