A friend of mine Nick, a local Literature and Art critic, that lives in Memphis, Tennessee recently took a trip up I-40 to the State Capital Nashville. While there, he was persuaded to accompany his then lady friend to a local comedy club. Just so happen, one of the Stand Ups entertaining the drunken audience was small-time author Barker Milford, a very poor man’s Hunter Thompson and obviously wannebee comedian, whose roots are deep in Tennessee, but in the 70’s, lived in Southeast Texas. Striking up a conversation with Barker, he was excited when solemnly discussing a rough draft of his new book to be published around the end of September or the first of October, will definitely be out by Christmas. “This book is almost 2 years in the making.” Milford said. The chance came when they were invited back to his West End bungalow near Nashville’s Green Hills area. My friend says he doesn’t make it a habit to go back to strangers homes, especially with his girlfriend in tow, but was curious when asked to read a few excerpts of the new book from Milford’s Microsoft Surface. He said it had a good storyline but mediocre at best, but then he is definitely a hard sell. When Barker was asked what gender the book was, the reply was, Non-Faction? “Yeah, it’s about a 70-30 truth-fiction, the reader has to figure out the Truth versus the Fiction man.” Barker said. “You would freak to realize what is truth and what is fiction, you’d never figure it out and it will never be divulged which is which.” He continued to say, Barker was a very nice person and apparently indulged lots of drugs in the 70’s and even a gunshot to the chest, what he gathered by the pages he read, “Hell, couldn’t put it down, or should I say, turn it off.” he said. (Spoiler Alert) for anyone wanting to read it. It is the account of Milford’s association with the “Cowboy Mafia” in Texas during the late 70’s, which was true but funny, because Milford was light years away from being Cowboy, or Mafia.
Barker Milford’s book Catching the Katy was published in September 2017.
Being ridiculously young at the time, he was a drug smuggler, drug user that hung out with exotic dancers and outlaw Bikers who helped him collect debts, plus run Marijuana across Texas, and other states. In Nick’s words….”It’s as close to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as you can get in our generation but no Hunter S. Thompson, you’ll just have to figure out the 70, 30 thing.” Definitely worth the read. It’s called “Catching The Katy”, you’ll have to read the book to find out who and what Katy is, plus he said it referenced lots of classic music of the 70’s. Look for it, He said the excerpts he read were very funny, but many, dark and disturbing, “It’s a sort of Forrest Gump meets Scarface.” Milford admitted to have been approached by “some movie types” to make it into a feature. My friend did laugh when he was told that, but he did say, “If he was telling me the truth, and that damn book is made into a movie, it would have to be very entertaining!
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