Sunday, July 8, 2007

Cows That Love KISS

While we were birding our rump roasts off in North Dakota, we took an afternoon excursion into the Coteau region west of Pingree looking for chestnut-collared longspurs. We did not find them (that day, anyway), but we did see some amazing things.

Among the amazing things was a herd of cattle that contained many individual bovines that had face patterns just like the famous rock band of the late 70s and early 80s, KISS.

I was never a huge KISS fan, and I don't really care what the letters in the band's name stand for (kids ingesting Salisbury steak?) but what I DO wonder is this:
The meanest cow in the herd. And DON'T call out "Hey #41!"

Were these cows bred by their human caretakers to give this obvious tribute to Gene Simmons et al? Or did the cows do it themselves?
This one seems to be very yin-yang in its face pattern.

I could almost hear the logic of a large Angus bull...
"Hey if I can just get over with Bossie, we could have a calf that looks just like that dude in KISS with the cat whiskers!"
White face, black eye shadow. And What happens backstage stays backstage.


Kind of a free-form face pattern. This is probably the one with the 7-inch tongue.

The boys in the band. They wanna rock-n-roll all night and party everyday, after they're done putting on their make-up, which takes 11 hours per face.

11 comments:

  1. Thanks a heap Bill. Now I have that song stuck in my head.

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  2. A very interesting analogy. :)

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  3. I'm really sorry Terry Gross' Fresh Air interview with Gene Simmons doesn't seem to be anywhere in cyberspace any more. Oh, it was rich. After truckloads of innuendo and preening, he propositioned her. And when she asked him if he was really propositioning her, he responded that any normal woman wants him. Uh-huh. It was...amazing.
    These are beautiful cattle. I like Mr. Yin/Yang Steer.

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  4. BT3, you are too funny! Thanks for this interesting look at KISS reincarnated.

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  5. Shout it, shout it, shout it out LOUD!
    (You got to have a party..)

    Susan, an unashamed KISS fan since birth

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  6. Perhaps it was a KISS tribute to bovine beauty.

    RR

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  7. Rondeau,

    I'm sure no life form is off limits for Gene Simmons.

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  8. Julie- I also thought of that interview with Gene Simmons and Terry Gross. Too funny. And that show had a TON of feedback. First time I ever really heard Terry Gross sound flustered. I'm sure you checked the archives of NPR?

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  9. The one with the black eye patch is almost a spitting image of Paul Stanley even including the hairy chest. They may wear stupid makeup and sing corny songs, but they put on a hell of a show.

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  10. I think those are "Black Baldies," a cross between black Angus and white-faced Herefords. Good mothers, easy delivery, black udders don't get sunburned, good temperment, compact - a good beef hybrid. Ranchers out west like them.

    Or else, I'm full of bull-stuff.

    ~Kathi

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  11. Sunburned udders must be a real drag. Anne, we checked everywhere, including Fresh Air's archives. Gene's people made them take it down, I guess.

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