**Gary Laffew Bullrider consultant for Deadwood Series

Link: Archived Story.

Local cowboy brings 'Deadwood' to life

Kirsten Flagg/Staff writer

Deadwood, S.D., circa 1876: a booming gold-mining town evolving from a lawless frontier to civilization's latest outpost.
Gary Leffew, a Nipomo native and former bull-riding champion, stands in front of the Bella Union Saloon on the set of HBO's "Deadwood," for which he is a consultant and soon to be a writer. The second season of the rough-edged show begins tonight. //Aaron Lambert/staff photos

Nipomo, Calif., circa 2005: a booming coastal town trying to balance the needs for more housing and water with a commitment to its rural roots.

At the center of each stands one man, bringing the spirit of each to life: Gary Leffew, 1970 world bull riding champion, mentor to aspiring rodeo cowboys at his Nipomo ranch and muse to David Milch, creator of the award-winning HBO television series "Deadwood."

The link between the two towns was forged more than three years ago in one of those typically unlikely Hollywood encounters.

Milch was searching for inspiration for a script that kept falling flat to his ears. Leffew was searching for a master to sculpt his emerging talent for and love of writing.

The rodeo king and screenwriter met through a mutual friend, a horse trainer who had worked with Milch in the past. The connection was instant; so was the birth of "Deadwood."

"I thought this was the real McCoy," Milch said of that first meeting, during a recent visit to the set. "I felt he grasped what I was trying to do. And I thought I'd seen the show come to light for the first time."

On the set

Leffew arrives on the streets of "Deadwood" about 7 a.m. every day. He roams the mud-smothered alleyways, clogged with carriages.

"I watch and observe, and then I see if there's something not being done right, I let them know," Leffew said of his abstract role as "consultant" to the show.

He spends a lot of time back in his pickup writing lines he'll later share with Milch to be included in a script. Typically, Leffew said, they're the gruffer comments, delivered by the likes of Al Swearengen, a foul-mouthed, scheming saloon operator.

More at site. Just listening to an interview with Gary Laffew on NPR Fresh-air show. Sounds like he should be writing "Zen of Bull Riding" instead of Deadwood series.

But, the guy is one of those characters who is just plain fun to listen to as he spins his tales and stories. ...and what the heck, Deadwood really is in South Dakota....but in the series, kind of like South Dakota of the mind...as the old public radio Cowboy Theatre of the Mind.

*** Stay tuned even if I am surprised at being interested in some ephemera of the media and wild and crazy guys in a TV series which I have never seen.---Doug Wiken

Comments

[Vince F]

I enjoyed hearing Gary on NPR. Not so much about the show or riding bulls, but what made him a good rider. How hr got in tune with the bull.