"Billy the Kid and the Battle of Tierra Madre" by Bruce Buckner
Around 1990 some of Santa Fe's "movers and shakers" approached Otis about writing a Musical to be performed year round on an outdoor stage (ala Six Flags). It was to be propaganda against the Federal Government's proposed WIP program, wherein nuclear waste would be "stored" in Carlsbad Cavern. They advised that they wanted it to be in the form of mixed myths... those of Billy Bonny and Faust... and that it should be anachronistic, jumping back and forth in time, with unrelated items and issues overlapped. He and Jim Hoke made a demo of the music, to be presented along with the script to these auspicious gentlemen. It was incredible and I anxiously awaited word that it was in production. I was beside myself. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Upon inquiry, I was told that infighting had erupted among the principles and the idea was dropped. He then advised me that the Santa Fe Repertory Theater was considering doing it. After a year or two I asked whatever happened about it and Otis rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. In 2000 I went to Nashville to help him move back to Oklahoma for a while. In the process of packing his stuff I found dozens and dozens of tapes and a box labeled "Billy the Kid." I told him that I was taking all of them to listen to, label and catalogue before he lost it all.

Until that time I had never read the script or even had Otis tell me the "story." The music had always revealed enough of the story that it gave necessary context to the songs for them to make sense within themselves. And it was so good, it seemed silly to need to know anymore than you did just from listening to the lyrics. But now I had the script in my hands at long last.

I was both blown away and shocked. Blown away by the whole dadgummed thing and Shocked at what a skilled propagandist he was. He could have had a life of luxury in the Soviet Union. His skill at making the enemy into dangerous buffoons and the heroes into Heroes was beautiful.

It became clear to me that if the play had been produced, it would have been harassed by the FBI and the Feds would have launched a vendetta against all involved. And now, of course, it is a moot question. New Mexico lost. The issue is long dead. There is no NEED for the play anymore so it will NEVER be produced. So what to do? Throw it all away? Recently it dawned on me, "Billy" could live on as a soundtrack of "The Greatest Musical Never to Have Been Produced," and sold over the Internet. The project has begun.
Billy the Kid and the Battle of Tierra Madre

1. Badlands

2. Jailhouse Jitters

3. Billy's Lament

4. Well Bill

5. New Mexico Swing

6. Just 10,000 Years

7. Tightrope to the Top

8. Why We Can't Be Just Friends Anymore

9. Tierra Madre

10. Wet Back

11. In Our World