About Mostly True: The West's Most Popular Hobo Graffiti Magazine: In early 1900s Texas, a simple chalk drawing began appearing on boxcars: a minimalist figure wearing a 10-gallon hat, smoking a pipe, and signed “Bozo Texino.” This iconic railroad tag mysteriously persisted for nearly a century, appearing over 100,000 times. But who was Bozo Texino? Artist and filmmaker Bill Daniel embarked on a 25-year journey to uncover the identity of the man behind the pipe and hat.

His quest led him through railyards and graffiti across the U.S., culminating in the documentary *Who is Bozo Texino?* and the book Mostly True—a deep dive into modern-day hobos, rail workers, and an overlooked outsider subculture. Filled with obscure railroad history, freight-riding tales, interviews with hobos and boxcar artists, and a wealth of photos of contemporary boxcar tags, the work is presented in the style of a vintage rail fanzine.

The book spotlights beloved railroad artists Matokie Slaughter (Margaret Kilgallen), Colossus of Roads (Russell Butler), Herby (Herbert Meyer), Mind Detergent (Big Will), Twist (Barry McGee), and others, including an interview with itinerant sign painter Heidi Tullman. Contributing writers, researchers, photographers, and artists include: John Held Jr., Joey Alone, Duke Riley, Old Broads, Daniel Leen, Eden Batki, Andy Dreamingwolf, North Bank Fred, Michele Lockwood, The Historical Graffiti Society, Susan Phillips, Walt Curtis, Beau Patrick Coulon, O. Winston Link, Murray Hammond, Brad Wescott, Marisa Evans, Roxy Gordon, and many, many others

Mostly True: The West's Most Popular Hobo Graffiti Magazine

Name: Mostly True: The West's Most Popular Hobo Graffiti Magazine
Brand: Microcosm Publishing
SKU: RCD080

SKU: RCD080

$14.95

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Bill Daniel
“In a world of put-ons and art scene fakery, moniker writing has endured for generations; organic, unchanged and pure of intent.” So says Bill Daniel in the introduction to the second edition of his hobo graffiti zine, Mostly True. As Daniel also notes, rail graffiti is a pre-Internet form of social networking whereby hobos and tramps communicate with each other through crude chalk drawings, symbols and a few coded words. But who are these people who’s only mark on the world is a transitory icon on the side of a boxcar? And is that any less important than the mark most of us leave on the world? These are exactly the questions Mostly True seeks to answer.

In addition to documenting boxcar art in printed form, Daniel is also the creator of the underground documentary film, Who Is Bozo Texino? which has screened in countless cities across the U.S. The film seeks out the enigmatic “Bozo Texino” whose ubiquitous railroad tags have been seen on boxcars around the country for over half a century. Many people claim to know the man behind the Texino moniker and Mostly True contains an interview with “Bozo” aka “Grandpa” in which he tells his tale of a life working on the railroads all the livelong day. The zine also features interviews with other railcar artists, letters from rail fans (some of which are reprinted from long-gone publications), and photos of boxcar art.

Endlessly fascinating and a great document of the folklore and lost world of the rail yard that is being kept alive by a few dedicated tramps, writers and artists. Bill Daniel answers many questions, yes, but the free spirit of the rails isn’t so easily defined and if things are still a bit of foggy mystery for you after reading this zine, well, it’s only mostly true anyway. —3 Zines About Riding Trains, Reglar Wiglar Magazine