Frank,
I completely agree with George. In the fly tieing class I took, the wooly bugger and the Clouser were the first and second flies respectively that were taught. In my simple approach, if you can tie those, you can tie most anything your mind can imagine.
There is an enterprising company that is selling "kits" for specific flies. They provide all the materials and instructions necessary to tie up several of whatever fly you purchase. I haven't tried it, but it looks like a good way to maybe get started. They advertise in most fly fishing mags and if interested I'll find you a reference.
The main thing is just get started and have fun with it. Don't be intimidated by pictures of beautifully professionally tied flies...if I can tie them to catch fish, anyone can.
