Houston Press: How does the "Last of the Full-Grown Men" tone his show down for an acoustic set?
Webb Wilder: It tones itself down pretty naturally with no drums, no amps, no bass, just me, another guy and two flat-top boxes. The trick is to keep it toned up enough. You'd be surprised how rockin' we can get with two acoustic guitars.
HP: What brings you out on an acoustic tour?
WW: I get to do some different songs from the catalog for a change. And I can hear myself sing more easily.
HP: When do you expect to hear from Hollywood regarding your acting career? What do you think has held them up this long on discovering you as a leading man?
WW: Truth be known, I do go to a few auditions here and there, so I suppose one of them could come through. Who knows? I don't think it was in the cards for me to be a leading man, more of an antihero type. I suppose I could aspire to portray some sort of character like I play in real life: the Rodney Dangerfield of roots-rock.
HP: If you were a Hollywood leading man, what film would you want to star in?
WW: Any film I have ever seen has already been made, cast, etc., so that's a bit of a challenging question. Hmmm... Beetlejuice?
HP: What is your favorite Webb Wilder film?
WW: Webb Wilder, Private Eye: The Saucer's Reign.
HP: Most memorable Houston Webb Wilder moment?
WW: Years ago, I was in a band based out of Austin called the Everready. We had a gig in Houston — can't remember where — and the girl I was with accidentally poured about half a glass of wine inside my custom-built acoustic guitar. Later I found out that Hank Williams deliberately poured beer inside his guitars. Thought it made 'em sound better.
HP: Ever been mistaken for Webb Pierce?
WW: Nope. You'd think that Webb Pierce, having been a huge country star, would at least lead people to spelling my name correctly. Wrong. They spell Webb with one "b" more often than you would think. Go figure.
HP: How is your self-proclaimed misogyny issue coming along?
WW: You're one of the few people to ever comment on that. That whole rap was off the top of my head and I'm not sure I even knew what the word meant at the time, but immediately afterwards I feared repercussions. So far, so good. Don't push it.
HP: Has love treated you fairly?
WW: In the words of Mark Lindsay, "I have had my ups and downs and all arounds."
NEWS FEED
Let's see if we can keep this straight, because there's been quite a bit of turnover in local DJ residencies lately. In lieu of the recently folded DanseParc, Mr. Castillo and Shanley help provide that '80s post-punk/New Wave fix with Control, Thursdays at Etro (1424 Westheimer) starting November 12...If that's not enough culture clubbing, the duo anchor Fan Club (formerly Anglophile) the first Saturday of the month at Warehouse Live's Green Room, while Castillo and DJ Paramour present Autonomy: Unrelenting '80s Classics the third Saturday of the month, also at the Green Room...Backing up a decade, Castillo and Dave Wrangler have retooled Camaro into Hit and Run, '70s hard rock and metal beginning November 13 at Leon's Lounge...Longtime scene fixture Tim Murrah shakes Loose, an eclectically themed, no-cover program Wednesdays at House of Blues' Foundation Room...Get looser still when the Urbane Guerilla Sound System mixes soul, reggae and ska every third Friday up front at the Mink...And if it ain't broke, don't fix it: Old standbys still going strong include Noise Thursdays at Escobar (2905 Travis), DJ Bakka's Toxic Noise every first and third Wednesday at Boondocks and DJ's Sun's soular grooves the first Monday of the month at the Flat (1701 Commonwealth).
LOCAL MOTION
Top Sellers
Cactus Music
2110 Portsmouth, 713-526-9272
www.cactusmusictx.com
1. Tody Castillo, Windhorse
2. The Factory Party, After Death There Is Nothing
3. Flaming Lips, Embryonic
4. John Evans, Lollygaggin'
5. Roseanne Cash, The List
6. Bob Dylan, Christmas In the Heart
7. Robert Earl Keen, The Rose Hotel
8. Built to Spill, There Is No Enemy
9. John Arthur Martinez, Purgatory Road
10. Muse, The Resistance
AIRWAVES
Navrang
KTRU (91.7 FM), Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
www.ktru.org
Selections from VarshaV's October 16 playlist
1. Yesudas, "Jan-e-man Jan-e-man"
2. Lalgudi Jayaraman, "Varnam – Valaji"
3. The Sabri Brothers, "Taiba Ke Jane Wale"
4. Nancy Lesh, "Dhrupad In Jhaptal"
5. Begum Akhtar, "Radha Nand Kumar Samjhaye"
6. Lata Mangeshkar and Chitalkar, "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi"
7. Puran Chand Wadali, "Jugnee Kehndiya"
8. Rajeev Taranath, "Raga Mishra Kirwani-Thumri"
9. Gulab Panjab Band, "Mera Rang Mem Ramgnevali"
10. Sonorous Star, "Indian Motorcycles"
(lists compiled by Chris Gray)
