"He stood six foot two, weighed 195, was kinda broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hips, and everyone knew you didn’t give no lip to Don Woodbeck"…
Play that back in your mind to the tune of the Jimmy Dean song, Big Bad John.
I had approached Woodbeck to be my partner and go after the prairie pirates that robbed me and years earlier tried to murder Don and his partner Jim Woyt. They got away, but their two friends weren’t fast enough and were shot dead.
That was the Arizona I knew in the early 1970s.
I was a student at Arizona State. Woodbeck and Woyt were former military from Vietnam. Woodbeck was decorated for Bravery, twice.
Woodbeck said after I pitched my idea, "So you want to pose as the law and go after these Mexican/American Bandits, huh?" I nodded. He was in his early 20’s and I was just 18. If Lee Marvin and Charlie Bronson would have had a little brother, it woulda been Woodbeck.
Tall, lean, thinning blonde hair, steel blue eyes. And deadly.
He asked me if I’d ever shot at a man. I said, "I’ve been hunting with my Dad."
So Don and Jim took me out in the desert with a trunkfull of guns. Woodbeck took out two Salute targets, walked about 20 feet and placed one on a cactus. He came back toward me and placed the other one near me on another cactus. Maybe four feet or so off the ground. He handed me a holster, shoulder holster and a six-shot Smith handgun. A revolver. It was loaded. He walked with his handgun to the other cactus.
Then Woodbeck said, "You need to practice shooting at a human. It ain’t the same as hunting a bird, son. I’m gonna draw my pistol and fire at the target right by your head, all six shots. When I draw, you do the same and fire at the target next to me. Got it?"
I turned white.
"Uh, Don man, I don’t know. What if I miss and hit you by mistake?"
"Then my friend Jimmy will kill you," Woodbeck responded. "Don’t worry, if I miss you’ll be dead. Ready, NOW!"
THE SOUND, THE GUNFIRE, I JUST REACTED.
What else could I do? In a blink it was over. I remember smelling the smoke as Woodbeck walked towards me looking at his work. It was all in black, six shots only inches apart. We walked over and looked at my target. Not bad, five hits all over the target but only one miss. Woodbeck smiled at Jim. "Well, he’ll do."
Then Woodbeck said "le’ts try it again."
Christ. See, now I understood better what it was like to shoot at a man. Woodbeck already knew.
My career as a gunman was just about to start.
I knew Woodbeck was brave. That’s not something one can learn. You either are or you aren’t. In time I would find out about my own guts. Woodbeck was the baddest man I’d ever met, ever. Everyone feared him – the pirates, the Mexican Mob, Woyt, me.
You just couldn’t take your eyes off of him.
"One day we rode the mountain crest and he rode east and I rode west, I took the law and wore a star while he spread terror near and far…..all through the west they feared the name… "
You Never Fail To Amaze Glazer
You are a special person. My first post. Unreal, yeah I want to read your book now. I will.
Now Thats A Story
simply fun and exciting. Thank you.
Cool.
🙂
You Are A Treat Sir
My first post. Please want to know more sometime. What is the name of your book Craig?
I Met Don
He was a looker to be sure. Yeah you and he came to Harlows in the 70’s, Don took out one of my friends. Wild boy. Sure liked him. I remember his tan leather jacket from North Beach Leathers, he was so proud of that.
What A Way To Learn
You were probably too scared to be shaking right? I would have been. Damn smart idea. Was that his or did someone show him that concept?
IN The END JUST TWO MORE BAD GUYS
So after all your travels and adventures, you two were simply outlaws the cops had to deal with right? What did you guys accomplish? Who did you help? Just yourselves, or am I wrong?
Two What?
Come on now, this is a great adventure don’t stop him from doing more!
YeeeHa!
Just like the old west, fun read. Summer movie, hah.
Crazy Life My Friend.
You sure lived a wild one. I want to read your book now. Is it still in stores?
Balls Baby
Woodbeck is awesome
You Guys Were Out There
Do you know how Don won those medals? I’d like to hear it.
Grow Up
Nice example of life Glazer. Who do you want to follow in your footsteps?
Sexy Story
That made me wet! Thanks.
Really?
As someone who is well trained in handling small arms, including CQC, Close Quarters Combat training and participation in IDPA International Defensive Pistol Association events the scenario that you have described is quite frankly unbelievable. I would wager that you could not repeat that “live fire” performance once out of ten times today, assuming you lived to try it ten times.
My Life Is Unbelievable
Yes much of my life is rare. That what makes me famous. See I lived that life, read the book, most of it is documented with court records, eye witness accounts and law enforcement comments and then there has been the one year plus federal task force watching me in a couple of cases as well. Thanks for your worthless input SmartMouth. The difference between us is I lived it you didnt do much of anything, huh. I’m nor proud of everything I’ve done, but I know one thing my friend, its all true and it all happened and that is a kinda undeniable fact. I would think my story/book is the closest to ‘true’ of maybe any crime story, ever. The research my Sal Mana was second to none. He is the one who found Woodbeck’s medals/awards from the Navy, not me. Woodbeck told me his tales and like you I thought, maybe, maybe not. It wasn’t til after Don was dead that Sal checked much of Woodbeck’s life story before me out, All was true or damn close.
Woodbeck(Cover of High Tiimes) shot it out in the air over Palm Springs with law enforcement planes, the first ever “Weed Air Combat”
Now that was hard to believe, but all true. They dumped the weed, Woodbeck was wounded, Woyt was the pilot with Woodbeck. I was not there.
The stories are endless, some hard to believe or figure out, thats what makes it HISTORY.
PS, I think I can still do it, right now
Just saying.
Smartman Why So Much Hate?
My man has a point. This is the life he lived and its a fact. Not his opinion. You may have all this training, but using it and learning it are two very different things. Right or wrong?
You Bad Baby
Now thats a story hommmmmmiiiiieeee!
Arizona Is Whats Left Of The West
I lived there in the 70’s-80’s. It was still a bit wild back then. Today its like LA. All gone.
Ready Aim Fire
The story would be a lot more believable, albeit less dramatic, if you got at least one practice shot to site in the firearm.
Only an absolute idiot with a death wish would do what Woodbeck did with a newbie who had only used a longarm for bird hunting. Back then barrel sights on revolvers weren’t the most accurate especially on a S&W. Possibly as much as 2″ off MOA middle of aim at 20-25 yards.
Even today you see many close quarter shootouts on TV from security or police video where dozens of shots are fired within ten feet and no one gets hit. When bullets are recovered they are no where near what would have been in the vicinity of the target. A reflection of what the impact of fight or flight response is during a high stress confrontation even with trained law enforcement officers.
While it may have happened it is nonetheless unbelievable and I’m sure any law enforecement officer or firearms expert would agree. Did I say you lied? No I said UNBELIEVABLE. You chose to see a negative in that word. Your thin skinned response and follow up with an assertion that you could do it again speaks for itself.
As for fame, well Casey Anthony is famous isn’t she.
And as for the badass jew, STFU. I doubt you are prepared to defend yourself or your friends and family if you are attacked on the street or in your home. At 25 yards my only choice with you is which of my custom made Les Baer 1911’s to use and whether to place the bullet in your right eye or your left. I’m even getting good throwing my switchblade. Might be able to plant it in your chest at 10 yards. That’s pretty damn good. What are you gonna throw at me? Your wallet?
For What It’s Worth
I am a former US Army sniper and current KCMOPD officer. I have to agree with smartman. For Craig and Don to have survived the shootout as described is unbelievable.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris made Ellen Degeneres straight.
Chuck Norris uses ribbed condoms inside out, so he gets the pleasure
Chuck Norris and Superman once fought each other on a bet. The loser had to start wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants.
Well If You Thought That Was Something?
You’ll surely enjoy future stories from the king of sting. That was really a mild one, simply target practice. Glad you guys didn’t review my book, maybe it would have never gotten off the ground huh. So stay tuned, for some events that really will amaze you. Enjoy.
Truth, Fiction, and time long gone
smartman makes a couple of excellent points. Your skin is thinner than a Zig Zag. He seems to know a bit about guns. Me, I don’t know dick about guns, except that every criminal I personally knew, which is a shit load of them including myself, who was involved with guns had zero business being near one. I owned a 380 for about 2 days. Shot myself in the shin with it. Got rid of it when I made it home from the ER. While I don’t know you or smartman, I do know that I’ve never heard the guy mince words in this comment section. If he was calling you a liar, I think he would have just said it. You jumped the gun Glazer. Heh. Maybe it’s less the stories you tell, than the way you choose to tell them. I can’t recall what I had for lunch yesterday, yet you can give verbatim accounts filled with minutia that is hard for anyone to recall from last week, let alone decades. Now, before you get all pissy and tell me you can still shoot straight, I’m NOT calling you a liar. I’m saying your writing has the appearance of someone taking actual incidents and inserting dialouge that sounds like a pulp fiction novel. I imagine most true crime books are full of that kind of dialouge. I guess my point is this, You lived your life, you say your famous, no shame to your game. So why get all worked up over the first guy who makes a comment that isn’t filled with awe over your escapades? You tend to glamorize your past, at least on this site. I’ve never read the book, but on this site when you write about your past you tend to just fill the page with the flashy side of it. You haven’t ever really delved into the down side, aside from the short prison stint. I was in my 40’s before I ever really put much thought into the lives I fucked up with my bullshit. The people who cared about me, that watched me piss my life away. The victims. I know, I know you just robbed the bad guys. The fallout wasn’t confined to just your “pirates”. Every time you guys took up a gun there was a real possibility that some innocent could get hurt or killed. That’s a fact, one you can’t gloss over with the Jesse James shpeel, at least not with anyone but your growing list of fan boys on this site. Mickey Rourke had a line in Body Heat that pretty much sums it up. He is giving William Hurt advice on how to torch a building. ” Anytime you commit a crime there’s a hundred things that can go wrong. If you can think of 99 of them, you’re a genius. Counselor you ain’t no genius.” Life isn’t a hollywood B movie Glazer, as much as you might wish it were. It may sound like it to rubes like B A berkowitz, who clearly idolizes you like a school girl. Just my thoughts. Not that you should give two shits what I think. When you start writing on this site about the downside, then that’s something I’ll find worth reading. But that might diminish the persona that these square world fan boys hold so dear.
Mr. Glazer your
still not famous. Only in your own mind. You been telling the same old stories for years. The “fan boys”are the only ones who think your famous. You could not get 50 people to follow you on twitter. Not even 20 people. You need to give the famous bit up. Makes you look like a jerk!
come on…all books/movies fudge on the truth
if not…who would read them. Every writer adds some nonsense and action into their
books….like Wizard of Oz….Alice in wonderland…all fantasy writings add extra action and
exctiement into their writings…
so leave glaze alone…he’s just making the story more saleable and marketable.
Who would want to read about guys sitting around telling stories 3 decades old and
about shooting guns at each other wsithout some elightenment.
Never shot a gun…but if a kcmo policeman doubts glaz’s story…I’m going with th
e cop…
Funny The Book Has Been Out Three Years Nobody Doubted It
Thanks for your input guys, 50 people wouldn’t follow me on twitter, hmmm…I already have over 3,000 facebook pals, and am pretty popular on like four radio shows, hmmm….Johnny Dare seems to disagree with you….hmm…I did over 100 radio shows and TV on the book, no law person called or doubted anything hmmm….and by the way, legal has to aprove the book, lawsuits you see, FBI read it, no complaints hmmm……sorry you don’t want to believe in me, NOT! Am I famous? Well maybe not to you, hmmm……but I’m getting there…B movie, yeah Clint and Eisner are known for B movies hmmm….I can keep going….When you try and reconstruct past events it is tough, of course what was said and when is impossible, unless it was recorded, our court cases were recorded for the record and including stings and more, THREE CASES, TWO FEDERAL…hmmmm…..like I said when its convient I’m a bad guy druggie, when its convient I was a law person(I was) and so on….its all in the eye of the beholder I suppose. With the haters I will always be a nobody and a full of shit guy…hmmm….oh well. Like I always said, “the dogs bark and the caravn moves on…”
Sorry Craig…
…but if you have to defend your fame, then you’re not.
I Don’t Have To Do Anything
Yeah, right, haters are just haters.
Great Story, Who Cares What Those Two Guys Think
Glazer if you don’t respond, than you are a liar, if you do, you are a liar, it doesn’t matter. I’ve said it before, you owe no explantion. The fact you wrote a big book, nationl press, sold as a film to some big guys, says it all. Not too many Kansas Citians have done that in their lifetime. Hey I like you man. Have a good one.
So I am a Pussy Cause I Like Craig?
Why does that make me a rich pussy? PS Debbie no word from you lady? I am willing to meet you. Just give me a heads up ok.
A person could get
3000 facebook friends blind! Not the same as twitter. All the “famous” people have twitter! Its amazing that you dont with all your “fame”. You could tweet your fan base. “Hi, buy my book”. “Hi, buy my movie. Etc. etc. Your slipping!
Guess Dare Is A Bum Too He Doesn’t Twit Either
People, I think from my radio,TV,this website, and other medai, we hear enough on Craig Glazer. I don’t have the time to tell followers I am taking a shit at Royals Stadium at the moment. Dare also doesn’t do it, guess nobody knows him either. WE ARE BUSY.
Its a pretty tiny teeny
little market around here! Its also the midwest. Its not like Dares show or this website hits very many people in New York, California etc. etc. Your talking about your movie and book on Dares show,”television”and this website while all those people on both coasts are taking shits and sleeping. Mister Glazer in case you did not no all the famous people are on twitter. “Dare does not do it either”. That means nothing!! I never here Dare tell people he is famous. Do you?
Glaze
Buzz….is giving you good constructive advice in funny way…….Glaze, I got on Twitter about 8 months ago. …..Twitter is the real deal. Things are moving fast…its all about the stream. Much to old media’s chagrin.
Buzz is wrong– in that I’ll bet you’d have great following…I’m surprised your comics haven’t got you on board…it’s their go to media right now. You and Hearne need to be there —-uuhhh like tonight.. Also great to promote your blog. $$$
Nothing better than live tweeting big games and events.. #thenewcurtgowdy
Good Words Bschloz
I just feel I’m doing enough right now. As for Hater number 3, Dare has a NATIONAL TV SHOW MORON. Johnny is in season 3 of “Full Throttle” on Tru TV….I don’t have to defend Dare. He is by far our biggest local media star, BAR NOBODY, including Royals and Chiefs. Remember nobody has heard of any Royal or Chief save Matt Cassel. No they don’t know who Jammal Charles is, sorry. Not yet. Dare TV show which he hosts and plays himself on, is in season three, and has 3 million weekly NATIONAL VIEWERS. DARE JUST SIGNED HIS NEW CONTRACT and its huge. Sorry to tell you more than a moron. As for me I have appeared on too many national shows to mention, including Entertainment Tonight, Today Show so on and all bigtime radio a ton, not just Dare. Dare is my home though. We argue but he is a friend and very talented. I RESECT DARE AND he likely respects me, even with all the jokes.
No I don’t think I’m a household name in the nation. But millions, not thousands know who I am. In time many more may. Fame is up to too the media and history. I’ve earned it and time will tell. My life story, which is true, is unequaled in this past century as far as individual outlaws or adventure lives go….there are many others who have great stories, but not at this level and not as long and I lived.
I never said I was a role model. Maybe I am a good speaker on many subjects, but I never say “do as I did” learn from it and make your choices to be better thats all. Its a fun amazing story. Thats all. I risked my life too many times to count. I should be dead, I’m not. I’m lucky. I appreciate my life, I really do. I even kinda like the hate at times, its kinda fun. I’m not perfect and have made mistakes, who hasn’t huh? I DO NOT SAY I”M SORRY FOR MY LIFE, NO SIR…I HAVE LEARNED ALOT, MAYBE TOO MUCH….I KNOW WHAT I KNOW. We all have stories, I’m sure many of your lives are very interesting. I’m not judging you. Just enjoy this ride thats all….pull at times for a guy who wouldn’t lay down, who wouldn’t quit, who NEVER stopped fighting, never. I think its something to admire, thats just me, sorry I have to self proclaim, but its worthwhile. Life is short as we know, I knew this wasn’t a preview,PS I KNEW WHILE LIVING IT THAT IT WOULD BE HISTORY, THATS WHY I REMEMBER MOST OF THE IMPORTANT MOMENTS, I KNEW.
I really didnt no
that Dare had his own television show. Does he let you talk about your book and movies on it? I really was not talking about Dare. Entertainment Tonight story is as old as Jesse James grave. If anybody ever cared they sure dont care about that story now! Millions no you? I dont hate anybody but your so wrong. Outside Dares radio show no one knows you. They wouldnt no what you looked like. One thing you are is self proclaimed! Make no mistake about that! If you really thought “millions of people knew you”, you would have twitter. Only a maroon would not!! “Millions of people”. I still think you could be the first famous person to be famous by telling people your famous!! You should try comedy again!!!!!!
Hey Keep ’em Coming Glazer
I just loved that one, look forward to more life story shorts. My wife loved it as well. Don’t let these couple of “Glazer Haters” stop you from doing what you do so well. Entertain. Yeah, I believe your stories, they have the ‘ring’ of truth. So blast away buddy.
People Will Never Love You
You seem to want that from too many people Craig. It isn’t gonna happen. Just be you. We’re OK with that. I met a great guy from Chicago, so I didn’t do the pool thing anymore. He is about 40 and maybe I found the right guy, finally. I’ll let you know. Keep that tan.
Oh JoY
I read the book, King of Sting, but these short stories will be tons of fun, write more soon, ok.
Haters wanna hate…
xoxo