U.S. Navy

NASA's New Astronauts: Half Women, None Alive for the Moon Landing

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 >>

Houston's Best Concerts This Week: Robin Kirby, C.J. Chenier, The Suffers, etc.

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 >>

Eyes on Texas

North Korea Is Aiming Nukes at...Austin?

The Top 25 Music Videos of 2012, Nos. 5-1

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 >>

The Bassman Cometh: Jerry Scheff On Working With Elvis, Dylan & The Doors

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 >>

The Bridges of Texas: 12 Beauties

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 >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

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 >>

The 10 Best Warplane Films, According to Real Aviation Buffs (No Top Gun, Thank You)

Featuring a proto-beatnik jet pilot​With 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 >>

Texan Sails Across Atlantic to Mark a U.S. Government "Cover-Up" of the USS Liberty Incident (Update)

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 >>

Las Puertas: 10 Things You May Not Know About The Doors

"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 >>

Get Ready: The Five Best Post-Apocalypse Books Not Written by Stephen King

It was the `70s, man​The 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 >>

Five Presidents Who Could Kick Chuck Norris's Ass

Abe Lincoln: Let's get rrrrready to rrrrumble​In 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 >>

Hilton Kelley: Port Arthur Oil Refinery Activist Wins Huge Green Prize

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 >>

Sierra Club Takes Its Oil-Spill Act To The Offshore Technology Conference

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 >>

In the Heights

All that singing and dancing might help the characters in this musical reach their dreams quicker

Documentary About Tattoo Legend Being Shown Tonight At Rocbar

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 >>

Bayou City Concert Musicals: On the Town

Sailors sing their way through the city that never sleeps

Memorial Day Rockers, Part 2: The Navy

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.

To The Shores Of Tripoli: Five Pirate Movies

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 >>

Island Grinds

Two new Hawaiian fast-food joints are bringing down-home Asian fusion to Houston.

Lisa Nowak Ordered To Undergo Psychiatric Testing

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 >>

Guantánamo's Final Days: Profile in Cojones

Top Pentagon lawyer Alberto Mora risked his career arguing against Guantánamo abuses. Now he's an Obama man

John McCain's Neglected Veterans

The candidate's fame is based on his POW status, but he has abandoned his fellow veterans time and time again

ACL Notebook Dump, Pt. 2: Measuring Time Mars Volta-Style, Led Zeppelin Rumors and More

The USS Houston -- A Sub That Lives Up To Our Name

Sliders, Rollers and Monkey Dicks

Borrowed Stories

Ruthie Foster on love and politics

Letters to the Editor

Rocky Waters

Annapolis salutes all the classic boxing clichés

Against All Odds

A group of unsupervised mental patients running from Katrina made it from New Orleans to Houston. Victor Fruge led the way.

Lay of the Land

Kenny Boy's fall: a sign of Houston's corporate culture gone wrong

St. Patrick's Day Guide 2005

Six Feet Blunder

Bring out your dead -- and wait

Man with the Mike

Ernie Manouse chitchats with visiting stars

All Duct Up

From leftist camps and corporate security to semi-panic and port patrols, Houstonians tackle terrorism threats. Sort of.

Searching for Normal

At Clements, Muslims push church-and-school issues

Roller Derby

Wheelchair basketball is for wussies. And park your pity at the door. Welcome to quad rugby, where quadriplegics slam their opponents into the hardwood.

Ruthie Foster

Runaway Soul (Blue Corn Music)

Racist Radio?

A rights group forms after local airwaves flow with anti-Chinese sentiments

Fatal Illness Claims Renaissance

Troubled youngster succumbs on steps of Public Trough

Back to Her Roots

Capitaine Blood

Trading with the Enemy

Houston oil companies maintain their profitable ties to Libya, in roundabout ways

A Butterfly to Cry For

Honky-Tonk History

He had 78 hits over 50 years and revolutionized country music. Now, Hank Thompson gets a new green light.

Letters

Got Mad, Got Even

Two former HL&P workers took revenge against the Light Company, but say the city settled for "chump change"

Press Picks

Somber News from Nashville

Townes Van Zandt hospitalized with lung problems

Letters