There was a generation of kids who grew up idolizing the astronauts. The men of the Mercury missions, the Apollo crews -- the guys who risked everything, put it all on the line to beat the Russians and launch into outer space. John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong -- these guys were national he ... More >>
Robin Kirby Last Concert Cafe, June 18 Singer-songwriter Robin Kirby entered the Houston music scene in 2008 after leaving her band Robin & the Hurricanes behind in Dallas. Since then she's been constantly on the go, offering a stripped-down and honest style that sounds absolutely timeless. Kirby' ... More >>
North Korea Is Aiming Nukes at...Austin?
Never before have I agonized so hard over the picks for best music video of the year because never before have I had the kind of selection that 2012 offered. The art form is alive and well like never before, and we are entering a new renaissance of cinemaudio. Today we reach the videos you simply ca ... More >>
Way Down: Playing Bass with Elvis, Dylan, The Doors & More By Jerry Scheff Backbeat Books, 240 pp., $19.95 Bassist Jerry Scheff had a bird's -eye view of a lot of musical greats in the '60s through the '80s, and in this memoir, the easygoing, affable storyteller tells about his experiences and how ... More >>
We don't do rustic covered bridges here in Texas; we don't do massive Golden Gate spans either. But that doesn't mean the state isn't home to some beautiful pieces of bridge art. You can look for abandoned bridges here. Here, though, are a dozen of Texas' best. 12. Suspension Bridge, Waco T ... More >>
If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was widely syndicated across the state, incl ... More >>
Featuring a proto-beatnik jet pilotWith the possible exceptions of horses and ships, no other non-speaking entity has starred in so many motion pictures as the airplane. And we love airplanes. We love them so much we've probably seen every last airplane movie worth watching, and even more tha ... More >>
Courtesy of Jean Garst(From L to R) Larry Toenjes, Sherry and Joe Wagner aboard their 39-foot sailboat.Larry Toenjes was living a pretty nice life in Clear Lake Shores, Texas with his wife Jean Garst. Then, in April, the 74-year-old retiree decided that he would ditch his comfy existence to s ... More >>
"Hey Robby, don't try to look too not-stoned in our press still. Thanks, buddy."On this day in 1965, The Doors began recording demos together, laying down some songs set to Jim Morrison's freaky poems. Nearly 50 years later, the band is an exalted classic-rock group, firmly implanted in that ... More >>
It was the `70s, manThe Rapture, as has been reported, is coming tomorrow morning. About this there is no doubt, according to some of the most influential and knowledgeable billboards in the nation. Being bright-side-of-life kinda people, we've offered five terrific results to come from the ... More >>
Abe Lincoln: Let's get rrrrready to rrrrumbleIn our continuing series of scholarly meditations on the United States Presidency, we now bring you a list of five presidents who could kick the crap out of Chuck Norris. Of note: only one of the top five served after 1908, although two honorable m ... More >>
Photos: Goldman Environmental PrizeHilton Kelley, winner of "the green Nobel"Ten years ago, by anyone's standard, Hilton Kelley was living the dream. Then just turning 40, he was in sunny California, having escaped his malodorous hometown of Port Arthur via the United States Navy. After his ... More >>
Photograph courtesy US NavyA hunka, hunka burnin' Gulf​Dressed in a black business suit with a fake BP badge on the lapel, Sierra Club spokeswoman Donna Hoffman pretended to be a BP company exec giving a press conference after an oil spill."I want to reassure everyone that the oil spill, outside o ... More >>
All that singing and dancing might help the characters in this musical reach their dreams quicker
For the past three years, director Erich Weiss has been piecing together a documentary on the life of legendary tattooing pioneer Sailor Jerry. Tonight, Rocbar (530 Texas) hosts a special screening of Weiss' film, Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, complete with complementary Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum for tho ... More >>
Sailors sing their way through the city that never sleeps
The U.S. Navy has an equally strange list of famous musician alumni as any other branch: Two musical laughingstocks and a titan of mournful soul were former midshipmen.
We're not saying the Somali pirates are bad at their job, exactly; just that it doesn't take a lot of skill to take over ships when you're the only guys with guns. They showed the extent of their foresight most recently by hijacking some American ships, thus rousing the sniper-y might of the United ... More >>
Two new Hawaiian fast-food joints are bringing down-home Asian fusion to Houston.
Lisa Nowak, the former Houston astronaut whose lovesick, (possibly) adult diaper-enabled 1000-mile drive from Houston to Orlando made international news in 2007, has been ordered by a Florida judge to undergo psychiatric testing.According to an Orlando TV station, Nowak's attorneys might be planning ... More >>
Top Pentagon lawyer Alberto Mora risked his career arguing against Guantánamo abuses. Now he's an Obama man
The candidate's fame is based on his POW status, but he has abandoned his fellow veterans time and time again
Ruthie Foster on love and politics
Annapolis salutes all the classic boxing clichés
A group of unsupervised mental patients running from Katrina made it from New Orleans to Houston. Victor Fruge led the way.
Kenny Boy's fall: a sign of Houston's corporate culture gone wrong
Bring out your dead -- and wait
Ernie Manouse chitchats with visiting stars
From leftist camps and corporate security to semi-panic and port patrols, Houstonians tackle terrorism threats. Sort of.
At Clements, Muslims push church-and-school issues
Wheelchair basketball is for wussies. And park your pity at the door. Welcome to quad rugby, where quadriplegics slam their opponents into the hardwood.
Runaway Soul (Blue Corn Music)
A rights group forms after local airwaves flow with anti-Chinese sentiments
Troubled youngster succumbs on steps of Public Trough
Houston oil companies maintain their profitable ties to Libya, in roundabout ways
He had 78 hits over 50 years and revolutionized country music. Now, Hank Thompson gets a new green light.
Two former HL&P workers took revenge against the Light Company, but say the city settled for "chump change"
Townes Van Zandt hospitalized with lung problems
