Alan Ball

New Movie To Show Houston's Good (Racist) Side

True Blood Author Charlaine Harris Will Be Signing In Houston

The woman who wrote the comedic vampire books that inspired the HBO series True Blood is author Charlaine Harris. In what will be her only appearance in support of the reissue of her book Living Dead in Dallas, the second Sookie Stackhouse title, she's set to speak at the Central Branch of the Hous ... More >>

Picks

The woman who wrote the comedic vampire books that inspired the HBO series True Blood is author Charlaine Harris. In what will be her only appearance in support of the reissue of her book Living Dead in Dallas, the second Sookie Stackhouse title, she's set to speak at the Central Branch of the Hous ... More >>

Bridesmaid's Bash

Gypsy Theatre gets some light fun out of wedding talk

Gothtopia: Searching for the Perfect Vampire Anthem

Note: Lost in all the inaugural hoopla this week was the fact that Monday was Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday. No better time, then, to debut Rocks Off's new Goth column... Recently, my wife and I made our way down to the Houston Public Library to hear a talk with Charlaine Harris, author of ... More >>

Bold Beauty

The hilarious and heartbreaking demise of a family

True Blood, Episode 8: Lyle Lovett's Prison Song and Redemption on a Dallas Hotel Roof

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Though we're picking up midway through Season 2, from here on out as ... More >>

True Blood, Episode 10: Sister Gertrude, Bride of Christ, Soundtracks a Visit to the Vampire Queen

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Though we're picking up midway through Season 2, from here on out as ... More >>

True Blood, Episode 10: Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "Frenzy" and a Naked Crazy Town In Peril

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Though we're picking up midway through Season 2, from here on out as ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.5: Playing Chicken With the Train, and an AIDS Burger

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of HBO's True Blood, Episode 1.6: Making the Two-Backed Beast to Cat Power

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.6: Cobra Verde Helps Sookie "Play With Fire"

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.7: Getting Crispy With Johnny Cash's "The Fourth Man In the Fire"

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.9: The Joys of Love and the Series' Twilight Moment

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.10: Dr. John Don't Wanna Know About Evil, But We Sure Do

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.10: Cowboy Junkies and a Brief Lesson In Murder Balladry

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.12: Closing Up Shop With a Ditty Called "Ain't No Grave"

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed, Rocks Off is now working our way backw ... More >>

True Blood, Season 3, Episode 1: Beck Is Thicker Than Water

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in ​the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Episode 13.1: Bad Blood Welcome back to Bon Temps, LA, wher ... More >>

True Blood: Beautifully Broken With Shelby Lynne

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 2: "Beautifully Broken" Max Crace via WikipediaS ... More >>

True Blood: Elmore James, Vampire Grudge Sex Hurt Us Too

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 3: "It Hurts Me Too" ​Being able to fo ... More >>

True Blood: Jace Everett's Ominous Theme Song "Bad Things"

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. No New Episode This Week ​Good sex always requires a ref ... More >>

True Blood: Massive Attack At A Strip Club!

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 4: "9 Crimes" ​When Gothtopia was just a ... More >>

True Blood: Even Junkies Got A Right To Sing The Blues

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Season 3, Episode 6: "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" ... More >>

True Blood: "Hitting The Ground" With Gordon Gano & PJ Harvey

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 7: "Hitting the Ground" ​When things ... More >>

True Blood: A Bloody Night On The Sun With Otep

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Ed. Note: The True Blood report was preempted for Rocks Off HPMA sh ... More >>

True Blood: Everything Is Broken, Even The Vamps

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 8: "Everything is Broken" Long live the Vampire ... More >>

True Blood: Patty Griffin, Bon Temps Crew Smell A Rat

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 9: "I Smell a Rat" ​"Who can you trust," ... More >>

True Blood: "Flesh Blood," Eels And Hostages

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 11: "Flesh Blood" ​"We can start again." ... More >>

True Blood: A Sam Merlotte Sad Bastard Mixtape

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​HBO likes to give us a little break the week before the fin ... More >>

True Blood: Season 3 Ends With A Touch Of "Evil"

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Season 3, Episode 12: "Evil" It's weird, y'know? When Ala ... More >>

True Blood: Joan Jett Heralds The Season Of The Witch

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​No one was surprised when True Blood was renewed for a fourt ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates Sookie Stackhouse, Yeti Porn

​Gothtopia was born as a Rocks Off staple when your humble narrator took it upon himself to seek out the ultimate vampire anthem after attending a book signing/Q&A by Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Since then we have spent every season of True Blood exploring the fan ... More >>

True Blood: Nick Cave, Neko Case Open Season 4

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​We're a little more than a month away from the fourth seaso ... More >>

Get Ready: True Blood Report Returns Monday

​Rocks Off is super-excited that we'll once again be bringing you coverage of the music featured in Season 4 of Alan Ball's HBO adaptation of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. The fourth book is our favorite in the series, and as each season sequentially corresponds with the books ( ... More >>

True Blood: Nick Cave & Neko Case Ditch Faeries For Zombies

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Expectation. That's the word of the day, gentle readers, of ... More >>

True Blood: Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot for Dinner

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​The title of this week's column maybe one of the grossest th ... More >>

True Blood: Boxing Gandhis & Other Likely Possibilities

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Each season of True Blood is based on a corresponding novel ... More >>

True Blood: Drunken Vampires & Danko Jones

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Gothtopia first read Dracula at age 8, and Anne Rice's Inter ... More >>

True Blood: Selling Your Soul in a Buyer's Market

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​What is a soul and, more importantly in this rough economic ... More >>

True Blood: Over The Moon For Neko Case

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​It seems so rare that in the world of True Blood we get to f ... More >>

True Blood: A Bit Of Houston, A Bit Of Magical Murder

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Johnny Bush, ladies and gentlemen. Even your resident goth ... More >>

True Blood : Finally, Some Freakin' Siouxsie

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Look, we know that True Blood is a goth show only in the se ... More >>

True Blood: Best. Episode. Ever. Song Ain't Bad, Either.

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​For some reason, Gothtopia has spent the last decade complet ... More >>

True Blood: In Death There Is A Heavy Peace

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Welcome to Bon Temps, population... dropping.​Maybe it's the ... More >>

True Blood: A Couple Of Things We Missed

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series,True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​Listen, Gothtopia makes mistakes... mostly mistakes named Amy ... More >>