The Cursed Cowboy's unique blend of clove and campfire was requested by a store owner in a spooky gothic magic store in the unlikeliest of places: Pike Place Market in my hometown of Seattle, Washington.
I was visiting home, and I wandered into a dark and mysterious store. The store was heavy with black curtains and dripping with red accents that caught the minimal light and reflected it back like freshly delivered revenge.
In my youth, I was attracted to dark clothes and dark music. Places like this never give me the creeps. I spent too much time in cemeteries at night, smoking clove cigarettes and posing for dramatic photos to be intimidated by the occult. Graves are just carved stones. Bones are just the remnants of sentient creatures who have lost their sentience. Any magic is in the hands of living people, if they choose to summon it. And I never did. I am sensitive, and afraid of undead spirits who have something to prove.
But this one shop clerk and I struck up a conversation, and when he learned of our business, he requested something dark and mysterious.
I imagined the kind of scent that would conjure the ghost of a cowboy... the kind of scent that would breathe the warmth of life into a cold body... the kind of scent that would spray gasoline on a single smoldering ember of a heart, whether for love, or revenge, or both... the kind of scent that could raise the dead.
When I saw Preacher, the AMC TV Series based on the comic book series of the same name, the Saint of Killers seemed like the relentless, determined, heartbroken, soulless captive who might be conjured by The Cursed Cowboy (though we invented Cursed Cowboy before I saw Preacher):
This strange tourist shop, and my random conversation with the insightful and forthright proprietor, was the inspiration for Cursed Cowboy. And Cursed Cowboy has become so popular that I haven't even bothered to reach out to the store owner to open a wholesale relationship. We can't keep it in stock for our own customers, so why open the floodgates on a wholesale account?
But with some other changes in Outlaw, we've been able to more dependably produce Cursed Cowboy, and we're glad to welcome this apparition back into the Outlawtober offering.
Every time we start selling Cursed Cowboy, it sells out so quickly it barely has time to receive a mention in the newsletter or the blog. I rarely post about it because as quickly as it arrives, it is gone.
Soon, Cursed Cowboy will be a permanent member of the Outlaw line-up, available in solid cologne, lotion, body wash, and more.
I am personally delighted that Cursed Cowboy is so beloved. It is one of my favorite scents: both warm yet dangerous, soothing yet bold.
If you haven't tried it, I strongly recommend you cross over into the dark side and embrace this wandering spirit: https://liveoutlaw.com/products/the-cursed-cowboy
For the several folks who have commented on my social media posts urging me to write a book, well, this newsletter is your book. Each Outlaw scent has a long and detailed inspiration, and it is always a delight to share these stories with you.
I am intensely grateful to have the opportunity to bring these scents and the accompanying stories to life. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to do so.
