New Longhorn Helmets to Feature Bluebonnets. No Word on Puppy Dogs, Lollipops.
We know these are meant as a tribute to Lady Bird Johnson, but the bluebonnet decals on the Longhorn football helmets are kinda, well, less than manly. At least that’s the verdict among a lot of Longhorn fans in cyberspace. In the words of one commenter on the Austin American-Statesman’s…
Cover Story: Would You Like Some Meat in That Frozen Yogurt?
In researching this week’s story on telemarketing scams, I applied for a business grant from My National Grants. About a week after I turned my story in, I got a call from a guy who called himself Josh – he said that I qualified for a grant! Originally, it was…
Drenched in Blog: Bo Knows Hospitals
Bo Diddley had a heart attack this past weekend, adding to his already long list of recent ailments. He’s in an intensive care unit at the moment, after having a stent installed in his heart. The 78-year-old rock icon, who destroyed audiences with his trademark rectangular guitar, suffered a stroke…
Fighting Tech with Tech: Red-light Camera Detectors Soon Available in Houston
Yo, leadfoot! Listen up, if you’re one of the 111,000 numbskulls who got nailed in the last year by Houston’s increasingly ubiquitous red-light cameras. You can go on paying those $75 tickets, or you can make an investment. Next month, Best Buy and Circuit City are slated to begin stocking…
Last Night: Randy Weeks at the Mucky Duck
Randy Weeks The Mucky Duck August 28, 2007 Better than: Having a wrecker tow your new black Jaguar out of high water, like I saw on the way to the show. Download: Summertime rocker “Transistor Radio,” from Weeks’s latest album Sugarfinger. Torrential floods kept the crowd small Tuesday at Mucky…
So That’s Where It Was Hiding…
This Just In: University of Minnesota astronomers have detected Houston commercial radio… ‘Cause I can’t come up with any better way to describe it than “an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness.” – John Nova Lomax…
Radio Houstoned: Chris Rose and Hurricane Katrina
To listen to our interview with author Chris Rose and a short reading from 1 Dead in Attic, After Katrina click the LISTEN button below. A crime reporter and columnist for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Chris Rose had been covering politics, pop culture and NOLA nightlife. All that changed on…
Looks Like Cecil Cooper Is Gonna Fit Right In
Well, Cecil Cooper managed his first game last night. And to steal a quote from Mr. Pete Townshend: “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Yep, the Astros lost 7-0 last night to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team with the roster lacking the talent of the Astros…
Rotation: The Derailers, Under the Influence of Buck
The Derailers Under the Influence of Buck Austin’s Derailers have never kept their love for the late Buck Owens a secret; in fact, the man himself dug their “Beatles-meets-Bakersfield” sound so much he asked them to be house band at his 70th birthday party. Thus the idea of a tribute…
Miss Pop Rocks: My Day with Britney
I just don’t think this would be a pop culture blog without the required Britney Spears post. So in light of all that’s happened to her recently, here goes. Sure, there were more provocative photos out there we could’ve run, but we wouldn’t do that to our BFF. First, let…
This Just In: Cure Tour Postponed
So now we all really have something to be sad about: just like their forthcoming album, the Cure’s fall U.S. tour – scheduled to stop at Toyota Center October 16 – has been postponed until April and May 2008. If you happen to be headed to the Bay Area, they’re…
Everybody’s Talkin’: U.G.K.’s Underground Kingz
And now we present Everybody’s Talkin’, a new feature in which we hip you to what the nation is saying about Houston’s own. First up, U.G.K.’s Underground Kingz… XXL’s Brendan Frederick bestowed the record four stars out of five. The album “reaffirms the UGK ideals for a new generation. The…
Guess Who’s Bizzack: Rumors Surface of a Scarface Solo Album
The hip-hop site HNNLive is reporting that Scarface will be coming out of solo-artist retirement next year with an album called Undisputed on Def Jam, the same label that released The Fix, his last proper solo record. The record is rumored to be brimming with superstar guests, on both the…
Rotation: DJ Witnes & Squincy Jones, Do Ya Homework
DJ Witnes & Squincy Jones Do Ya Homework Do Ya Homework recently landed this pair of local mixmen some positive press in URB magazine’s June issue, which said this online-only “mixtape” – posted on Witnes and Squincy’s blogs and MySpace pages, among other places – makes for some “good head-scratchers…
This Week in Cafe: Genji Restaurant and Karaoke Bar
Good old Jason Kerr. An ordinary night out for our former Stirred & Shaken drinks columnist includes passing out in the bushes and snoring at the dinner table. You have to love this man! Besides being a fan of fermented beverages, Kerr is into food (in fact, he’s a chef),…
This Week in Cafe: Genji Restaurant and Karaoke Bar
Good old Jason Kerr. An ordinary night out for our former Stirred & Shaken drinks columnist includes passing out in the bushes and snoring at the dinner table. You have to love this man! Besides being a fan of fermented beverages, Kerr is into food (in fact, he’s a chef),…
Sure, Phil Garner and Tim Purpura Are Out, and Cecil Cooper and Tal Smith Are In, But None of That Matters So Long As Drayton McLane Is Still Around…
Drayton McLane fired general manager Tim Purpura and manager Phil Garner yesterday. I’m one of those who feel that this move was long overdue, but I also think that it’s really a bit too late in the season. There are only 31 games left in the season, and the time…
Get Lit: Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones, by Robert Greenfield
It’s become a mythological moment on the rock timeline: the early ‘70s, when the Rolling Stones gathered in a luxurious French chateau to record Exile on Main Street. Heroin was floating around, as were assorted decadent and dangerous hangers-on, as were Gram Parsons, William Burroughs and John Lennon. The worldwide…
$13 at Tony’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
Where: Tony’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 2222 Ella Blvd., 713-862-6516 What $13 gets you: We spent our $13 on the Molé Poblano Dinner ($10.95, a chicken breast smothered in molé sauce, rice, beans, guacamole, tortillas) and the complimentary chips and hot sauce. Unlike the other Tony’s restaurant in town, this…
$13 at Tony’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
Where: Tony’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 2222 Ella Blvd., 713-862-6516 What $13 gets you: We spent our $13 on the Molé Poblano Dinner ($10.95, a chicken breast smothered in molé sauce, rice, beans, guacamole, tortillas) and the complimentary chips and hot sauce. Unlike the other Tony’s restaurant in town, this…
Last Night: Plump, and more, at Laylastock
Plump, Monk Swing Trio, Steven Reed, And What Army?, Not Left Alone, Groove Merchants August 25, 2007 Last Concert Café Better Than: Your best hippie stereotype. Download: Anything from here. Two words: hula hoops. Amidst a lineup of local blues, funk and jam bands at the Last Concert Café, there…
Re: Astros Fire Phil Garner and Tim Purpura
Whiff! With my most sincere apologies to Lennon/McCartney: “I heard the news today, oh boy About the lucky men who made the grade And though the news was rather sad Well I just had to laugh I knew the roles they played Drayton blew some minds out in his office…
This Just In: Astros Fire Phil Garner and Tim Purpura
Nope, that’s not a mock headline. It really happened. Here’s the word. Our inimitable columnist no doubt will have plenty more to say about this later. – Keith Plocek…
Get Lit: The Act You’ve Known for All These Years: A Year in the Life of Sgt. Pepper and Friends, by Clinton Heylin
As every issue of Rolling Stone and Baby Boomer music journo has been reminding us ad nauseam, 1967 was the “Summer of Love,” and it was 40 years ago today that “Rock” was born and validated as legitimate culture. Of course, it’s hard to deny the power of a year…
Drenched In Blog: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
On Friday, we found that Morrissey declined a multimillion dollar proposal for a Smiths reunion tour. $75 million, which is a lot of multis. If someone came up to you and said, “Hey, I’m offering you $75 million to hang out with some people you hated in high school,” what…
Mean Joe Greene Meets Avril Lavigne: Texans-Cowboys from the Press Box
Seven years as a sports journalist is often enough to extinguish the blind, burning and childlike love inside the heart of even the most ardent fanatic. Everyone thinks they’ll be the exception, yet, invariably, we all fall victim to the inherent cynicism of the craft. Oh, sure, you might still…
Last Night: Billy Joe Shaver at the Armadillo Palace
Billy Joe Shaver August 24, 2007 Goode’s Armadillo Palace Click here for a slideshow. Better Than: Screaming and shaking your fist at Goode’s giant armadillo in the middle of the night, for no immediately discernable reason and without an audience to justify that sort of behavior. Download: “Tramp on Your…
Did the Conference-USA Championship Game Really Happen, or Was It Just a Dream?
Remember that great Conference-USA championship game last fall at Robertson Stadium? The one that took place under a clear, chilly sky, before a packed, raucous crowd who rocked the house as the UH Cougars rolled over Southern Miss? Never happened. Not according to The New York Times, which after all…
For a Sucky Team, the Astros Sure Have Retired a Lot of Numbers
It’s like a scene from a bad Kevin Costner movie. It’s the top of the ninth inning. There are two men out. The Good Guys are up by one run. The Closer’s on the mound, facing his demons in the person of the guy who hit a home run in…
Miss Pop Rocks: Ohmygawd…It’s Totally Carolyn Farb
Friday night found The Armadillo Palace on Kirby packed tight with urban cowboys and their womenfolk, all geared up to catch a performance by the legendary Billy Joe Shaver, songwriter for the likes of Willie Nelson and Patty Loveless. Lauren Cohen Billy Joe Shaver and Carolyn Farb. Click here for…
Last Night: Txt Me L8r at the HCP
Last night’s Txt Me L8r event at the Houston Center for Photography brought out voyeurs galore. Mark C. Austin Click here for a slideshow. Photos were projected on a large screen in the middle of the main room, rotating through different artists’ interpretations of commands sent by text message. A…
Whatcha Doin’ This Weekend?
Need some last minute plans? I recommend heading up to Walter’s tonight to see The American Sharks. Check this review to see why. Also, Two Star Symphony will give an encore performance of their scoring of The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari. If you missed it last time, don’t make the…
Running the Numbers
Houstoned Rocks would like to take this brief opportunity to wish lower Westheimer institution Numbers a happy 29th anniversary weekend. See here for a list of bands that have traipsed through the Montrose club – Siouxie & the Banshees through Spoon – while these two posters should give you all…
Morris the Cat, Back in Action
Recognizing “star quality” when they saw it, Nine Lives rescued Morris the Cat in 1968 and put him in their commercials. That was almost 40 years ago. And would you believe it? The orange tabby is visiting Houston this weekend. Nine Lives, indeed. The celebrity cat is using his name…
This Just In: Amy Winehouse Likes to Fight
The Amy Winehouse saga continues to spin out of control. Earlier today, the (London) Telegraph broke a story about Winehouse’s latest escapade, an apparent knock-down drag-out with her boyfriend that left the singer and her beau bloodied and bruised. Winehouse canceled her American tour a few weeks ago. It’s not…
Drenched In Blog: ’80s Night at The Lose Box
I am making the stand, right here and now, that only winning teams that don’t play like an erratic Bad News Bears can have special theme nights at the ballpark. Want to really make me come to the stadium, Drayton McLane? WIN A GAME. Don’t give me a funny hat…
Drenched In Blog: Sealed with Kiss
As we delved into Houston’s murky and innovative musical past, I thought about all the cool concerts that came through here that we young people never got to see. Elvis played at a Polish dancehall soon to become Fitzgerald’s. Divine and the Village People got live and sleazy at Numbers…
Where The Pyramid Meets the Fish Fry
Man, Conroe gets all the good shows. The line-up for the 2007 Conroe Catfish Festival has been announced. Headliners for the October 12-14 fais-do-do include Reckless Kelly, Wayne Toups, Roy Head, Johnny Bush and Roky Erickson. Hold up…Roky Erickson, at a mudcat soiree in Montgomery County? That’s right. The resurrected…
Re: Steven Hotze and William Rea, Sitting in a Tree…
Has your doctor ever tested to see if you’re allergic to jet fuel by pricking you with a small amount of the stuff? That’s what Dallas Dr. William Rea has done, according to a formal complaint released today by the Texas Medical Board. Rea’s the head of the Environmental Health…
You Should’ve Been There: The Fatal Flying Guilloteens, The Dimes and L.A.W.S. at Walter’s on Washington
First of all, let me say that no one could ever replace Mr. Brian McManus – and I’m not just saying that because he used to work here. With that said, last night The Fatal Flying Guilloteens played their first show with new guitarist Erik Bogle, from Bring Back the…
The Compleat Complete
We here at Houstoned Rocks are still held for ransom in Hoogie Boogie Land, so much so that we went back on YouTube to uncover the full story behind Complete, the most terrible band in the history of the universe. You can see it after the jump…..
Beyowza!
Dear Jay-Z, Oh, Jigga-Man, how do you do it? You are a rap icon, business mogul, cultural talisman. So many things to so many of the populace. How do you keep up with such a scorching little number like Ms. Knowles? Must be tiring as Hades, waiting for a team…
Still the Best at Being the Worst: Four Texans Honored in Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Winners of an international literary parody contest were recently announced, and four Texans made the cut out of more than 10,000 applicants. Syler Womack, from podunk Eustace, set about an hour’s drive southeast of Dallas, was named runner-up in the Western category for this submission:…
No Surrender: Bruce Springsteen Hates Radio Almost as Much as You Do
Hey, all you people who complain about rock radio: You’re not alone. The latest to join the never-ending fray: Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen and the E Street band will release a new album, Magic, October 2; a tour is planned. As usually happens, it’s starting to leak onto the Net. “Radio…
What’s Albert Einstein Got to Do with Ashley Judd? More Than You Might Think.
Okay, I bet you guys are all worried about next season. About how the Astros starting rotation, after Roy Oswalt, is pretty sucky looking. Just like this season. But there’s no need to fear. Jason Jennings is here to save the day. No seriously. Richard Justice wrote that. It seems…
The Best at Being the Worst: Alberto Gonzales and Other Texans Top the List of Bad Prosecutors
Texas is known as a place where law and order is no laughing matter. The state boasts aggressive prosecutors who are not afraid to go head to head with the scum of the earth and are famous for not exactly being shy when it comes to seeking the death penalty…
Looks Like Big Daddy Kane Was Right
Think the life of an old-school G from South Park is easy? Think again. After all, if you can’t even sit down and mack down on a plate of tacos con carne at the South Main Ruchi’s without Joey Greco and the Cheaters crew bustin’ in on you, what can…
$13 at La Griglia
Where: La Griglia, 2002 West Gray, 713-526-4700 What $13 gets you: More than you might think. From the outside, La Griglia appears intimidating, what with all those valet-parked Beemers and Benzes. It doesn’t help that the place is widely known as a popular power-lunch institution for upper-crust lawyers, bankers and…
$13 at La Griglia
Where: La Griglia, 2002 West Gray, 713-526-4700 What $13 gets you: More than you might think. From the outside, La Griglia appears intimidating, what with all those valet-parked Beemers and Benzes. It doesn’t help that the place is widely known as a popular power-lunch institution for upper-crust lawyers, bankers and…
So Bad They’re Good? Not Exactly.
Too bad these dudes are from Ft Worth. They might be strong contenders for the Houston 100. Not. This might just be the worst band I have ever heard, including ones that I have tried to sit in with. After the jump, ride off to “Hoogie Boogie Land” with Complete……
Now Hiring. No Age Requirement.
Got a degree in music business, record industry experience, excellent penmanship, a familiarity with Texas Department of Criminal Justice mailing regulations, and the desire to work full-time for peanuts? A certain incarcerated local rapper wants you! — John Nova Lomax…
Slideshow: This Old House, by Aerosol Warfare
The boys of Aerosol Warfare are covering an entire house for DiverseWorks. Click here for the slideshow and be sure to drop back by tomorrow to listen to a Radio Houstoned podcast of the artists describing their work. – Keith Plocek…
Coincidence, or Something from Beyond?
Harrah’s Entertainment (the casino people) and AEG (the Dynamo’s owner) have announced plans to build a 20,000 seat, state-of-the-art arena in Las Vegas with the hopes of attracting an NBA or NHL franchise. The facility would be located just off of the Strip, behind the Bally’s and Paris resorts. It…
Drenched In Blog: Beating Dead Horse
All the recent talk about the “Houston 100” reminded me of dead horse, Michael Haaga’s old thrash band. My first memory of this band is being at McDonald’s when I was eight. A group of crusty metal dudes in dead horse shirts and cutoff blue-jean shorts came in smoking cigarettes,…
Seriously, How Is It Not Phil Garner’s Fault?
A couple of amazing things happened out at MMP last night. The Astros won the game. Woody Williams got the win. Woody Williams pitched a good game. And Jason Lane got sent to the minors. Yes, that’s right. Lane got sent back to Round Rock. It’s kind of shocking. Even…
Broadway, Baby
Three terrific shows not mentioned in the recent theater season preview come from Broadway Across America. In October, Avenue Q, a little musical about trying to make it big in New York City, opens in Houston. Featuring puppets and an irreverent story, the musical with hummable tunes won a whole…
“Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Books and Photographs by Lee Friedlander”
Those who like their photography straight up — that is to say, simple but strong — will find a master in Lee Friedlander. The Museum of Fine Art, Houston’s exhibit “Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Books and Photographs by Lee Friedlander” celebrates the American artist’s 40 years in photography and his…
Cannibal! The Musical
Cannibal! The Musical could only be the student film project of two guys who, after sowing their wild oats, went on to make South Park. Before showing us how to eat with our butts and coining phrases like “Cherokee hair tampons,” Trey Parker and Matt Stone created this 1993 film…
Theatre District Open House
Never been to the Houston Theater District? Then today’s Theater District Open House 2007 is for you. Already a seasoned performing arts fan? The Open House is for you, too. Now in its 14th year, the Open House includes nine of Houston’s professional performing arts companies and four different venues…
Miho Hatori
Miho Hatori has worked the ones and twos with the likes of the Gorillaz, the Beastie Boys and even jazz jammers Medeski, Martin & Wood. The music maker has come pretty far since she started out in Tokyo switching back and forth from fronting her own punk group to creating…
“Through the Eye of a Needle”
Esther Nisenthal Krinitz was only 15 years old when she was ordered to report to the train station in Mniszek, Poland, for “processing” by the Nazis during World War II. What happened to her after that is the subject of “Through the Eye of the Needle: Fabric Art of Esther…
“Cloud Cuckoo Land”
It’s been 25 years since Houston artists Jack Massing and Michael Galbreath became known as the Art Guys. In that time, the duo has managed to pull off some pretty absurd visual/conceptual/performance art stunts — who can forget Absolutly 1,000 Coats of Paint, the three-dimensional Absolut Vodka billboard that received…
Political Storm
It’s been two years since Jose Torres Tama struggled to escape the drowned city of New Orleans in a stolen school bus. The performance artist, who survived to tell the tale, memorializes the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a brand-new production called The Cone of Uncertainty: New Orleans After…
The Best Man
Gore Vidal’s play The Best Man is about two presidential candidates (no, not Hillary and Obama). Secretary of State William Russell (played by Jim Salners) and Senator Joe Cantwell (Justin Doran) are pulling out the stops as they battle for the nomination at their party’s national convention. When Cantwell threatens…
Paco Ahlgren
With all due respect to our collective human intellect, the average person doesn’t exactly get quantum physics. So when you not only get quantum physics but then decide it’s a great idea to seek parallels between the field and those of economics, East Asian religious theory and psychological science, you’re…
The Subject Was Roses
When Frank D. Gilroy’s The Subject Was Roses first appeared on Broadway in 1964, the drama won a Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The heartbreaking story follows a soldier who returns home from WW II only to find that his parents have become strangers…
Alan Haynes
Born in Houston in 1956, blues guitarist Alan Haynes has played with everyone who is anyone in the Texas blues scene: Albert “The Iceman” Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jim Suhler, Freddie King and Johnny Winter are just a few of the big names on the list. While Haynes has certainly…
Kirk Whalum and Brian Simpson
Don’t miss the best chance to hear saxophonist Kirk Whalum and pianist Brian Simpson up close and personal in today’s CD signing and performance. Whalum, who used to call Houston home before he left us for the bright lights of fame, recently released Ultimate Kirk Whalum, which covers some diverse…
Jason Starr
Write what you know. It seems crime novelist Jason Starr has taken this classic bit of advice to heart. A New York native, Starr sets many of his novels in the Big Apple. Starr’s first novel, Cold Caller, drew on his experience as a telemarketer to weave a tale of…
“Laughing Matters”
Breaking down cultural barriers and bringing groups of people together isn’t usually considered the work of mimes. But according to Texas Mime Theatre, a traveling troupe based here in Houston, these silent performers speak the international language of imagination. True to form, TMT has brought the art of mime beyond…
Cat, Mouse, Bird and Boy and Veteran Silas
Leave it to a couple of playwrights to create a company called Wordsmyth Theater. As the newest member of Houston’s live theater scene (the company was just formed in June), the infant troupe is already up and walking! Their first production features two powerful-sounding one-acts. Cat, Mouse, Bird and Boy…
Rudyard’s 29th Anniversary
Last year, Rudyard’s celebrated its 28th year in the Montrose with the sound of Austin metalheads The Sword and $1 Lone Stars. Booking guy/bartender Mike Simms says the Austinites will return this year for Rudyard’s 29th Anniversary, but sadly there will be no dollar beers. “$1.25 Lone Stars this year…
SPIN Party and Exhibition
Okay, here’s your chance to say you were part of an exhibition at the Houston Center for Photography. All you need is a cell phone and a little imagination. The HCP’s 3rd Annual SPIN Party features cell phone imagery projected on giant screens in the HCP galleries. The main room…
Bob Zany
Bob Zany made his first television appearance at the age of 15 on the Gong Show. “They still repeat that,” he says. “I still get residual checks. It’s 53 cents for each appearance, but this was before I was incorporated, so they take taxes out. Four cents actually goes to…
Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence
Said to be one of the most “visually sumptuous and intellectually provocative examples of anime ever made,” Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence sets the standard by which other films in the genre are measured. Set in the future, where bodies and souls are easily exchanged and replaced, Innocence follows…
Carlos Alazraqui
Stand-up comic Carlos Alazraqui is probably best known for his role on Comedy Central’s Reno 911, where he plays Officer James Garcia (“I am not a racist asshole prick, but I do play one on TV”). He also does quite a bit of voice-over work, supplying voices for such toons…
The Seven Samurai
The Seven Samurai isn’t just one of the most influential Japanese films ever made; it’s one of the most influential films period. Plot elements of this 1954 chambara classic, about a group of ronin hired to protect a village from bandits during the Warring States period, continually pop up in…
“More Ways Than One”
The Rice Village boutique premiumgoods isn’t just for sneaker heads. Artist and curator Melinda Mosheim is working closely with the urban-themed store to develop a kind of symbiotic relationship between art and commerce, centered around a raw street aesthetic — we’ll call it “urban lowbrow chic.” “This whole experience is…
The Houston Astros vs. the St. Louis Cardinals
There’s nothing in the world better than a day at the ballpark, eating a hot dog, grabbing a cold drink, snacking on peanuts. There’s the smell of the grass and the sound of a pitched ball smashing against the bat. Nothing in the world is better, except one thing —…
Local Motion
Vinal Edge Records 13171 Veterans Memorial Drive, 281-537-2575 1. Sunn O))), Oracle (LP) 2. Marissa Nadler, Songs III: Bird On the Water 3. Turbonegro, Retox 4. Various Artists, Speed Kills Again 5. Poesie Noire, The Best of Vol. 1 6. Bruce Haack, Electric Lucifer 7. Acid Mothers Temple, Penultimate Galactic…
Resurrecting the Champ
Resurrecting the Champ is a great movie about journalism — maybe the best there ever was — because Resurrecting the Champ is mind-erasingly boring. It’s a solid story about the newspaper business — specifically, about how a well-intentioned writer occasionally makes a mistake totally by accident, a mistake that is…
Divine Vin
Usually, I’m not much for a side of gimmick when I dine. So I was delightfully surprised at how well “The World’s Tiniest Desserts” work at Vin, the latest highbrow addition to the Theater District. Once the dinner plates were cleared, the waiter brought out a menu no larger than…
Mexican-American Culture
Dear Readers, It’s not just questions and racist rants that invade the Mexican’s mailbox — your feedback sneaks under my digital fence, también. Let’s start with Lean Like a K Street Chola, a former gangbanger-turned-lobbyist who wrote in a couple of weeks back wondering how she could explain to quizzical pals…
CUE & CUSHION
I head over to the Cue & Cushion (510 Shepherd, 713-861-7644) to mull over a bomb that someone dropped on me; without going into specifics, I’d say the half-life of this news is about five years. Needless to say, I want to be left alone, and what better place than…
The Sympathetic Spy
The Lives of Others (Sony) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarcks film, easily the best of last year, exists on many levels: as tragedy, dark comedy, and love story — not between a man and a woman, but between two seemingly opposite men bound by the same damnation. On the one hand…
This Charming Man
Billy Joe Shaver last visited New York City in late July. Everybody’s Brother, his latest album for Houston’s Compadre Records — and first-ever all-gospel offering — comes out in September, and before any record with even marginal sales hopes hits U.S. shelves, the artist must perform the obligatory promotional dog…
Tampico Seafood & Cocina Mexicana
You won’t find the mojarra a la plancha ($14.99) on the menu at Tampico Seafood & Cocina Mexicana (2115 Airline, 713-862-8425). But you will find mention of it on the delivery truck that sits outside the restaurant, which proudly proclaims “Home of Red Snapper a la Plancha.” The fish is…
The Nanny Diaries
Shortly after graduating from film school, I took a part-time job as the assistant to a successful movie and television director who told me I’d be handling a mix of personal and professional responsibilities. Not long after, I was put to work maintaining the good humor of the tenants at…
Weary Boys
Like brothers in arms the Gourds and North Carolina’s Avett Brothers, Austin’s Weary Boys have always brought punk-rock attitude to their adrenalized, bastardized strain of bluegrass. Since moving to Central Texas from Northern California in 2000, anchored by a longtime weekly residency at Austin’s Continental Club, they’ve played a jillion…
Mario Strikers Charged
The first worthwhile online-compatible game for the Wii has finally arrived. And in at least one way, Mario Strikers Charged is just like real soccer: Sometimes it scores, and sometimes its just a kick in the balls. The sequel to Super Mario Strikers, Mario Strikers Charged continues the Nintendo tradition…
Sean Kingston, Lil Scrappy, Slim Thug, Paul Wall
As much time as we spend in traffic, Houstonians know good music and beautiful cars are essential to living, loving and driving in the Bayou City. So DUB magazine’s Celebrity Auto Show & Concert at Reliant Center will be a perfect storm of sorts, a steamy Sunday afternoon of sweet-ass…
Teachers’ unions, Harris County politics, scams
Simpsons fans still revel in the late Phil Hartman’s role as faded actor Troy McClure: “Hi, I’m Troy McClure — you may remember me from such TV series as Buck Henderson, Union Buster!” These days, it seems Buck Henderson is working for the Aldine school district. Carmen Mayorga, president of…
The Wiggles
Though their core audiences lie a considerable distance apart on the age spectrum, children’s-music superstars the Wiggles have a lot in common with the Rolling Stones. Both groups sell out concerts all over the world, have spawned multimillion-dollar merchandising empires and made more money than Nicole Kidman in 2005. And…
Real Recognize Real?
An early-morning flight from Houston puts me at downtown Miami’s Hyatt Regency at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 11. Still bleary from the previous night’s activities, no way am I ready for the onslaught of what the hip-hop community calls ”promotions.” As unstable as the current music biz is in general,…
tempOdyssey
Life is a temp job. Just ask Genny (Amy Hopper), the heroine, of sorts, of Dan Dietz’s phantasmagoric, coruscating tempOdyssey, on view for all-too-short a run through Nova Arts Project. “In the office, but not of the office,” she says proudly. She’s a little too peppy, and a little off…
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett’s current tour is sponsored by AARP, about the only time the crooner’s name should ever be invoked anywhere near the word “retired.” Consider his past 12 months: Last August, Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Katie Couric, Harry Belafonte, Donald Trump and Alec Baldwin, among others, gathered in Manhattan…
Ferret Love
You’re a reporter. Your editor wants someone on the staff to do a story about ferrets and the people who love them. Amazingly, there are no takers. So she leans on you, no doubt because she knows damn well that you don’t particularly like pets. Dogs, cats, gerbils, even ferrets…
Frankie Beverly and Maze, Johnny Gill, En Vogue
After the last custom ride at DUB magazine’s car show bounces out of Reliant Arena, Sean Kingston, Lil Scrappy and the rest make way for a little grown-folks music. One of the most successful groups nine out of ten white people have never heard of, Frankie Beverly and Maze have…
Judging Books and Their Covers
A city library in the River Oaks area has been replaced at a cost of $6.2 million. The Looscan branch has grown by two-and-a-half times and its staff will double. Neighborhood groups came together and raised $1 million for additional land for the facility and promised another $1 million for…
Broken Teeth
Although bed-headed, somewhat fey indie-rock and alt-country currently dominate the Austin music scene, underneath is a foundation of pure hard rock and metal. This oft-overlooked fact largely stems from the efforts of stalwarts like leather-lunged Broken Teeth front man Jason McMaster. Since fronting sleaze merchants Dangerous Toys — one of…
Mail Call
A statement, not a threat: In a recent Hair Balls” [August 2], Richard Connelly compared me to fictional mob boss Don Corleone and insinuated that I had made a threat when corresponding with neighbors of Rice University concerning a parking variance Rice is seeking for a new graduate housing facility. Please…
Rough Justice
Last week, a Seattle-based Austin native’s latest album marked the resurrection of one of Houston’s few non-rap record labels to ever truly get off the ground. The album is Ian Moore’s To Be Loved, and the label is Justice Records, active again after half a decade of dormancy as a…
Deep Öyster Dilemma
What’s a classic rock fan worth his or her vintage baseball-style concert T-shirt to do Friday night? Two of history’s heaviest hammers fall scarcely 30 miles apart: Deep Purple at Verizon downtown; Blue Öyster Cult southbound at Scout Bar. Since you can’t be in both places at once — and…
What Else Is New?
Broken English (Magnolia)The Ex (Weinstein)Exorcism: Special Edition (BCI)The Far Side of Jericho (First Look)The Films of Michael Haneke (Kino)House of Games: The Criterion Collection (Criterion)House: Season Three (Universal)JAG: The Fourth Season (Paramount)Man About the House: The Complete First and Second Series (BCI)A New Wave (THINKfilm)Perfect Stranger (Sony)Rob Zombie: 3 Disc…
Art Capsule Reviews
“China Under Construction: Contemporary Art from the People’s Republic” Curated by Beijing-based curator Maya Kóvskaya, this exhibition is intended to explore literal and figurative ideas of “construction.” Wu Gaozhong’s large photographs depict mold coating small ceramic objects. A pagoda, a bridge and an archway are all covered with layers of…
Feature Photo
Ever since the dairy business took a nosedive, Elsie (right) has been trying to drink herself into oblivion. Elmer, her husband (middle), contemplates an intervention while their son (left) looks away in embarrassment. Or maybe it’s just the Chick-Fil‑A billboard cows in between gigs at the Viacom facility at Studemont…
Stage Capsule Reviews
Forever Hold Your Peace The singing Fertle Family is back with a story nothing short of hilarious. As the eve of Gwenda and Uncle Al’s wedding approaches, guests are frantically trying to get to the wedding. Meanwhile, menopausal Justicena, who can’t seem to understand her husband Pete’s love, kicks him…