Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on
KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com
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Cowboy Poet Has a Powerful Message
Jeff Hildebrantdt is a former country music DJ, fireman,
emergency medical technician and TV producer. Currently he is the director of on air promotion for Encore Westerns.
While he's Nadacowboy he is an award winning Western humorist
with a message. In 2008 he received the prestigious Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy & Western
Heritage Museum, in the Best Factual Narrative category for the 100 Years of John Wayne special he
produced for Encore Westerns. Jeff has been writing poetry since the late ‘70s.
Jeff was kind
enough to respond to my questions my e-mail, making this summary a piece of
cake! Thanks, Jeff. I enjoyed our chat and am impressed with his poetry.
Jeff started writing poetry when he was assistant news director
at WLW radio in Cincinnati. "During the
morning drive news, I’d finish with a lighter side story written in rhyme. In
the ‘80s I wrote what I call, Confrontational Christian Poetry and when I
moved here (Denver), I was producing material for the Encore Westerns channel,
so I sort of slid into the cowboy poetry arena.”
He says that subconsciously knowing his poetry will be formed does influence how it’s written. “But I know that I
write in my voice and always perform it in my head over and over before I think
of it as finished.”
His work fills a variety of roles and he chooses to not pigeonhole his
talent. “I use humor to introduce myself to an audience
and put them at ease, then I comment on something I think people should think
and maybe talk about. In one sense, I see myself in the long tradition of ‘60s
folk singers. But, more than anything, I
think of myself as an Evangelist, in the broadest sense of the word. God has
blessed me with the ability to use poetry to make a point that we shouldn’t let
religion get in the way of our faith."
Jeff shared a couple of his poems including Cowboy Up, which he has
performed extensively. Written not long after 9/11 the poem’s message lingers.
Jeff said he hopes his poetry will
cause people to take stock of what they believe and why they believe it. “There’s
a lot more to God’s plan for Salvation than just spending an hour a week in the
Sunday Social Club a lot of churches have become.”
He enjoys being in front
of an audience and performing his work. He is equally pleased when he hears
from someone else they would like to perform something he’s written.
The common themes in his poetry are faith,
patriotism, honor and respect for those who serve others, “… and making fun of
myself.”
What he’s learned
about himself in the course of writing it that money
isn’t everything. “I also learned how
much I enjoy being in front of an audience. I learned not to take myself too
seriously.”
Jeff’s website is rich with
content and worth looking at. He has a number of poems posted and information
about what he’s doing. Check it out.
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