Editor's Interview with Ednor Therriault
1. How did you select the places for Montana Curiosities?
The contract required that I submit a "table of contents" with 200 entries before I ever wrote a word of the book. My modus operandi evolved as I undertook my fact-finding junkets, and this usually included a visit to the local watering hole. That's where the locals revealed the lesser-known curiosities, and where I learned so much more about local history and personalities. I would go out on a two- or three-day swing, say, armed with a list of entries to check out, knowing that a few would not pan out, but would be replaced by even more discoveries.
I did have kind of a litmus test for these entries. Some were inherently funny, like the Glendisaurus in Glendive, a dinosaur statue that looks like it was designed by the Gumby people. Other things, while interesting, weren't funny at all. I'd try to write about those things from a humorous perspective. I'm a big fan of wordplay, and usually some idea would present itself as I was checking out the place or event. Some things, like the Testicle Festival, were famous enough to be passed over.
2. What did working on the book teach you about Montanans?
I happen to live in the most progressive city in Montana, and the more widely I traveled, the more I realized how smug we are about our liberal attitudes. The further east I got, especially out past Miles City, the more I heard about those Missoula "hippies,” and how people in Helena think Montana ends at Billings. But folks from the Missouri River Breaks or the Big Timber prairie were every bit as proud to be Montanans as the people from Kalispell, Dillon, or pretty much anywhere else in the state. We live here because we love the Western lifestyle, we love the wide-open space, and we take great pride in protecting what's important to us.
Also, no matter where I went, from Wolf Point to Troy to Alzada or wherever, people were nearly always happy to share their knowledge with me, and frequently went out of their way to show me some local treasure that I never could have found on my own. Montanans seem to have a very trusting nature, or maybe I just have an honest face.
3. Tell us about “Bob Wire.”
"Bob Wire" is the nom de guerre under which I write, record, and perform my original music, in a style I call Maximum Honky Tonk. It's a rootsy stew of traditional country, blues, folk, and good old rock 'n' roll. The music is generally pretty straight ahead, very catchy and danceable. Lyrically, though, I put a lot of effort into avoiding the clichés that are so prevalent in popular music, especially modern country.
Bob Wire is also a byline you'll find on a weekly humor column I publish on NewWest.net. "Bob Wire Has a Point (It's Under His Cowboy Hat)" is a wide-ranging platform, from which I write satire and comedy about parenthood, music, drinking, school, politics, sports, drinking, domestic issues of a househusband, doing business as a self-employed artist, cultural developments, drinking, road trips, and occasionally picking up dog poop in the back yard. It's never boring, and it's never modest or humble. Some blogs get 45,000 hits within a few days; other blogs have prompted big advertisers to drop their ads from NewWest.net. Bob is a loose cannon, but one with pretty good aim. He also covers occasional gonzo-flavored assignments from the Missoula Independent and the Missoulian. Speaking of himself in the third person is another occupational hazard.
4. What are highlights from your ideal day?
I guess a person’s ideal day would be an amalgam of his favorite activities, right? So here goes: Interludes with my wife and children…A cup of Bob Wire Blend coffee as the sun come up over Pattee Canyon in Missoula…Going down to a coffee shop to write for a couple of hours.
Once I get a brilliant and provocative column written, I join my buddy Steve and his charming crew from Kent Bros Automotive for lunch. After sharing some gossip and jokes and getting caught up on Steve’s exploits, I return to my home studio. There, I tune up my ’64 Epiphone acoustic and finish writing a song I’ve been working on. I get a quick, two-track demo recorded, and switch gears back to writing.
I go upstairs and grab a cold drink, and take the laptop out to the deck. While my dog Houdini chases mice through the leaves under the bushes, I pound out a few thousand words on my novel. Then I check my email, which is all good news and a couple of writing job offers, and go inside to discover that the laundry has folded itself.
The kids come home from school, where they’ve both had wonderful days, and we share a snack. Then they do some homework and practice their instruments while I assemble the ingredients for dinner. It’s going to be barbecued ribs, Benson’s corn on the cob (in my fantasy it’s available year ‘round), and a big salad with Cardini’s Caesar dressing, which, miraculously, now has zero calories.
That evening I climb in between clean, 480-thread count sheets and crack open a brand new crime novel by James Lee Burke, T. Jefferson Parker, or Michael Connelly. And then, the biggest luxury of all, eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Thanks, Ednor.
Valerie Harms, Editor
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