Major Macro
There’s something slightly out of sync about the mirrored crystal disco ball over Asian Restaurant’s door. It seems inappropriate for a place with such an austerely generic name, and not at all in keeping with the restaurant’s modest claim to have the “best macrobiotic food in town.” But perhaps the…
Grown Up, Staying Up
Upper crust: We Americans must be getting spoiled. Our taste buds have become so used to elaborately seasoned breads and upscale foods that even Domino’s is now offering a flavored, focaccia-style crust. The new Roma herb crust is available with any combination of Domino’s usual toppings. (And no, I report…
Fishing for Insight
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, the marquee talent behind Three Fish, claims he didn’t so much assemble his new trio as imagine it into existence, like some freaky trance-rock apparition induced by the words of 13th-century Persian poet Jelalludin Rumi and too much wine. Apparently bored and fidgety during Pearl…
Soul Men
It has been my experience that, with the possible exception of Sam Cooke’s Soul Stirrers, all bands with the word “soul” in their name suck. Soul Asylum, Soul Rebel, Collective Soul, Soulhat, Soul Survivors (which couldn’t survive the wonder of its sole hit) … any one of them could suck…
It’s a Happening!
Here’s what you’ve already been told about the H.O.R.D.E. festival: it’s the neo-hippie Lollapalooza; it’s something for Deadheads to do this summer now that Jerry’s gone; it’s an acronym for “Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere,” though rumors are that it actually stands for “Hippies on Recreational Drugs Everywhere”; it’s a…
Dumb and Dumber
Anyone looking for a little theatrical substance to carry him through the doldrums of summer isn’t likely to find it in the Alley’s production of The Nerd, Larry Shue’s comedy about a houseguest who won’t leave and the frivolous antics that follow. Like many actor/playwrights, Shue wrote a script that…
Rotation
Beck Odelay DGC Beck Hansen’s 1994 breakthrough lo-fi single “Loser” begged an interesting question: one-hit wonder, or new Dylan? Odelay, Beck’s first major-label release since his Mellow Gold debut, answers the question nicely. The answer is neither. Hits number two and three are already accounted for with “Devil’s Haircut” and…
Sweet Stuff
If there’s one thing Houston’s summer heat is sure to dissolve, it’s any attempt at snobbery. If you’re like me, by early June your radio is reprogrammed from KUHF to the Buzz, and you’ve already started to understand the allure of plastic footgear and the mall. In summer, I crave…
Static
Unmedicated, ready for action… There’s nothing particularly unusual about ’90s rockers whining over their addictions. Having a habit and then kicking it might as well be a mandatory rite of passage into the realm of the “serious artist.” Tablet’s Steven Holt would like to think that he’s met and exceeded…
Clonesome Blues
In Groundhog Day, director Harold Ramis set forth a charmingly provocative proposition: even the most obnoxious and self-absorbed person could transform himself into a decent human being, provided he had enough time to keep working at it until he got it right. Bill Murray played an egomaniacal TV weatherman who…
M(eg) I(n) A(ction)
The “starring Meg Ryan” line suggests that Courage Under Fire is the moppet’s annual Oscar bid (a la Flesh and Bone or When a Man Loves a Woman). But Being a Serious Actress is not what this movie’s all about. It belongs not to Ryan but to Denzel Washington, and…
Troubleshooter for the Millennium
At the end of time, the Book of Revelation says, the rivers and lakes will be bitter and poisoned, the stars and sun and moon will dim, monsters will roam the earth, plagues will wipe out huge populations and the living will wish they were dead. The Whore of Babylon,…
Stadia Watch
So what’s with Drayton McLane? Is he serious about trying to work something out, or is he continually raising the hurdle as an excuse to unload the Astros? Let’s see: Drayton doesn’t think the public should be able to vote on a new baseball stadium, but even if he did,…
Malice in Meyerland
Summer evenings seem to be made for the Meyerland Club. As the shadows lengthen across its thick lawns on a hot afternoon, three mothers and their toddlers cool off on the entry steps of one of the club’s two swimming pools. An adventurous nine-year-old runs screaming off the high board…
The Insider
Diversification Since the FBI investigation of alleged bribes to members of City Council went public in May, critics of the operation have accused the agency of targeting only Hispanic and black councilmembers and lobbyists. But now it appears the G-men have diversified their probe by scrutinizing the mostly Anglo, Republican-oriented…
One’s a Goner
The death toll is mounting: Simos Diner in Weslayan Plaza is long gone to North Shepherd, the Shipley’s on West Gray at Dunlavy is but a fond memory, the venerable Albritton’s on Waugh was shuttered last week and is slated to fall to the wrecking ball later this year. And…
Letters
A Word from Randall Davis To say that the article written by Lisa Bass [“Lofty Aspersions,” June 27] was disconcerting would be a dramatic understatement. I was completely taken by surprise regarding the subject matter, short response time and purported unhappiness of various residents at the Dakota Lofts. Listed below…
Press Picks
thursday july 18 Tin Roof Tango The Lively Arts Festival, a low-cost family entertainment series, continues with performances by this Dallas band. For kids (and the child in all of us, I guess), the highly trained five-member ensemble plays a variety of folk tunes and jazz on regular instruments and…