Email Author Bob Ruggiero

2004 Stories by Bob Ruggiero

• Lord of the Bling

  published October 28, 2004

  For more than 150 years, Cartier has been the jeweler of choice for royalty, celebrities, the rich and, most recently, gold teeth/gold record... More >>

• Half Smile

  published October 21, 2004

  It was supposed to be the crowning moment for both the Beach Boys and their resident musical genius, Brian Wilson. It was supposed to prove that... More >>

• Village Voices

  published October 14, 2004

  He's best known for his iconic portraits of celebrities such as Pablo Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock, Truman Capote and Miles Davis and for his... More >>

• Fonda Film

  published September 16, 2004

  On film, some of Peter Fonda's characters live as outlaws. But it wasn't a pound of weed that caused the actor-director's mid-'70s run-in... More >>

• Hey, Paula

  published August 26, 2004

  Comedienne Paula Poundstone not only points out the skeletons in her closet, she makes them jump through hoops for the public. While most... More >>

• Moses Guest

  published August 12, 2004

  Moses Guest's last album -- a 2002 self-titled double CD -- was one of the best local music releases in recent years. But the danger for a band in... More >>

• No Kids in the Hall

  published August 12, 2004

  Pity poor Aisha Tyler. No, not because she was forced to play love scenes with David Schwimmer on Friends, nor because she had to... More >>

• O'Doyle Rules

  published July 8, 2004

  It's not apparent until about halfway through this record -- and even then only if you've been following the printed lyrics -- that No Place... More >>

• Lenny Kravitz

  published July 1, 2004

  Though his music is often unfairly dismissed as "retro" (something he actually left behind with 1995's dark Circus), Lenny Kravitz is... More >>

• Mark May

  published June 17, 2004

  Though it's been available at gigs for almost two years, a new distribution effort now puts this doll on actual store shelves (right next to... More >>

• Three-Ring Circus Maximus

  published May 20, 2004

  Ian Varley does not have any children. This is readily apparent by the way the keyboardist for Drop Trio unthinkingly drops the F-bomb in the... More >>

• Rock and Roll Never Forgets

  published May 13, 2004

  This year's Arrowfest, the crown jewel of Houston's live classic rock calendar, has easily the best lineup ever: Styx, Peter Frampton, Kansas,... More >>

• The Paladins, with the Weary Boys and Molly and the Ringwalds

  published May 6, 2004

  Though their raucous live shows regularly attract girls with Bettie Page haircuts and guys with ducktails and custom car-emblazoned jackets, the... More >>

• Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues, with Susan Tedeschi

  published April 29, 2004

  Of all the 1960s folk bluesmen, perhaps none has been as freewheelin' as 62-year-old Taj Mahal. Though rooted in the acoustic side, he's embraced... More >>

• All for One

  published April 29, 2004

  If someone were to ask you, "What are you doing tomorrow?" how cool would it be to answer, "Oh, not much. Just going to hang out with Miles Davis... More >>

• Cyndi Lauper

  published April 22, 2004

  My best friend of more than a quarter-century seems like a normal guy. Married, mortgage, three kids, dogs. He's even an ordained minister, for... More >>

• Michael Burks

  published April 8, 2004

  As Muddy Waters might have put it, Michael Burks is one grown-ass man. A smoldering fire on the often bleak contemporary blues scene, what sets... More >>

• Slaid Cleaves

  published March 25, 2004

  Rest assured that the new breed of Americana-laced Texas singer-songwriter is in no danger of immediate extinction. Bearing names such as Pat,... More >>

• GoGoGo Airheart

  published March 18, 2004

  Though one of GoGoGo Airheart's members once described their style as "pop music for people who don't like pop music," there's little that's... More >>

• Robbers on High Street

  published March 18, 2004

  If it's true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Strokes should feel pretty stoked upon hearing this New York quartet's... More >>

• Yngwie Malmsteen

  published March 4, 2004

  A headline in The Onion some years ago announced that Yngwie Malmsteen had officially changed his middle name to "Fucking." But fans of the... More >>

• Crimes as Big as Texas

  published March 4, 2004

  Texas and crime have a long and storied history together. But even with sensational and nationally publicized cases involving jealous dentists... More >>

• Sugar Bayou

  published February 26, 2004

  On paper, it would seem that the debut release from this Houston-based band would have a lot going for it. The fine amalgamation of singers and... More >>

• Shake It Up

  published February 26, 2004

  Comedian Earthquake has already erupted here several times. "I've always loved Houston, especially when it comes to females," he says. "But... More >>

• Loretta Lynn

  published February 19, 2004

  While an unsettlingly large number of Barbie-fied female country singers today study hard to manufacture grit and twang, Loretta Lynn came about... More >>