Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies and Bull Riders

Josh Peter

'If the PBR doesn't get your fire going, your wood is wet'. In 2004 journalist Josh Peter spent ten months trailing the jingling spurs, WWF-style pyrotechnics, colourful costumes and blaring rock music of the Professional Bull Riders tour from Jacksonville, Florida to the final two-stage showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada. The season started like any other: 800 cowboys risking torn muscles and busted bones as they battle for the chance to grab the million-dollar end-of-year prize. At each event success is measured in seconds - the eight most dangerous in sport. Climb on top of your bull and cling on till the buzzer and you register a score. Most riders fail. For these bulls, loaded into their chutes like missiles, are cross-bred monsters, one-ton beasts chosen for their ability to buck, whirl, rear and drop.
Against the backdrop of an ever-changing leader board, Peter weaves the dramatic story of the 29-stop tour with those of the tour's personalities: the top riders and minor-league wannabes, the wives, fans, groupies, breeders, agents and, of course, the monster bulls themselves. FRIED TWINKIES, BUCKLE BUNNIES AND BULL RIDERS is a richly detailed and highly entertaining introduction to the fascinating subculture that surrounds this high-octane and testosterone-fuelled all-American sport.