Let the Eagle Soar
Fred Eaglesmith may be the biggest cult figure in alt-country, but the ironic thing is that at best, he’s ambivalent about it, and at worst, he doesn’t give a damn at all. Eaglesmith’s rabid fans, the Fred Heads, are a motley and highly outspoken global crew who travel far and…
Houston Hold ‘Em
The old man flicks the cards around the table, his wrists deft from years of practice. Ten players sit around him. Soon there will be nine. “Check,” says the player to his left. Betting is tight. Most of the players bail out of this hand, but a few chips make…
White By Whitebread No More
Just over two years ago in this space, we wrote a piece taking South By Southwest to task for two things — the small number of Houston acts on the bill (a mere seven that year) — and the absence of Houston rap on the bill. The former of those…
Chop Sticklers
When Aron Danburg’s mom entertains, she becomes Martha Stewart. She wants a formally set table, a nice centerpiece and a respectable loaf of bread. Her son is more of a slacker; he tends to ignore the old-school niceties and hand guests a beer and some munchies. But when dining at…
Playbill
Split Lip Rayfield, with Beetle On the surface, bluegrass seems to have little in common with punk. After all, the former is traditionally acoustic, not electric, and most lineups don’t even include a drummer. Yet because both styles are built for speed, former rockers Jeff Eaton, Wayne Gottstine, Kirk Rundstrom…
Hang ‘Em High, Mom
When deciding how to punish a person convicted of a crime, judges can study testimony, hear from both sides’ lawyers and put years of legal experience to use. Or they can ask their ten-year-old kid. And if the kid says to slam the guy, then slam the guy. That’s what…
Rotation
Love Songs For Patriots Merge Records I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology Shout! Factory Wicked Twisted Road Sugar Hill This Right Here Is Buck 65 V2
Letters
Test Ride Driver distractions: The only form of transport you missed was a monkey riding a dog [“The Cannonball Run,” by Michael Serazio, February 17]. Regarding the fact that not too many people noticed your experiment, those urban assault vehicles are pretty tricked out. With so many in-vehicle options –…
Sex, Drama and PMS
Two girls stand in silhouette behind a heavy frosted-glass door. They’re standing close — discussing whether their attraction to each other will ever materialize into something concrete. “You don’t want to be with anyone. I understand that,” says one. “Well,” replies the other sheepishly, “that doesn’t mean we can’t fuck.”…
Beginner’s Luck
With most activities, there’s a thick line between amateurs and pros. You might rule your local pickup court, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against an NBA player. Think you’re good at chess? Okay, smarty, why don’t you butt heads with a master and then see how you feel? The…
Shock Treatment
Come this time next year, The Jacket may well occupy the slot in movie discourse that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind does now — that of the film that coulda-shoulda-woulda gotten more Oscar nominations if only it hadn’t come out so early in the year and been forgotten by…
Tips from a Pro
Born in Lebanon, Sam Farha has lived in Houston for the past 20 years and has played poker professionally almost as long. In 2003, he placed second in the main event at the World Series of Poker, taking home $1.3 million. Here he shares a few tips: Don’t let your…
Get Lost
The novel Be Cool, written by Elmore Leonard in 1999 while the ink was still wet on the publisher’s advance, existed only because the beloved writer of seedy thrillers and westerns knew it was guaranteed gold — the sequel to the 1991 hit novel Get Shorty that, in 1995, became…
Creepy Couture
— Steven Devadanam
Lt. Nanny
The Pacifier, starring the human battering ram Vin Diesel as a Navy S.E.A.L. ordered to protect five kids from baddies out to steal their dead dads invention, was written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, two members of the defunct MTV comedy troupe The State. Lennon, however, is best…
This Week’s Day-by-Day Picks
Thursday, March 3 Born and raised in poverty on the island of Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid never dreamed she’d become part of New York’s literary elite. But the girl shipped off to the United States at age 17 to be an au pair (or, as Kincaid puts it, a “servant”) would…
Deep Impact
Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. With Hugh Hefner, Dr. Ruth Westheimer and many others. Rated NC-17.
Stiff Penalties
— Lee Williams , at the
The Best of Us
It may have come after February 14, but Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch served up a romantic valentine for Houston audiences with his newest world premiere, Nosotros. The title, the Spanish word for “us,” aptly sums up the theme of this abstract ensemble piece, whose 11 duets showcase the…
Made in Japan
FRI 3/4 Susan Sontag wasn’t only a critic of American culture — she was also a longtime Japanese film groupie. Now, in tribute to Sontag, who died in December of last year, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will screen a film series she compiled, “Critic’s Choice: Susan Sontag on…
Capsule Reviews
The Bad Seed Meet little Miss Rhoda Penmark (Katerina Pasat), an eight-year-old so neat, clean and tidy, she’s every mother’s dream. She charms with sweetness and composure and has perfect penmanship. But when she isn’t rewarded with her school’s coveted medal, she takes matters into her own dainty — yet…
Hook Up
Ah, nothing quite like grabbing the ol’ tackle box, hoisting your rod over your shoulder and sidling up to the bayou for an afternoon of fishing. And catching six beer cans, one sneaker and a bike helmet. Sounds like you could use some advice. Well, advice — along with a…
“Double” Vision
Attention, white America: Adrian Piper is not going to cut you any slack. In her 1988 video Cornered, Piper presents a brilliant, razor-sharp analysis of racial attitudes and preconceptions in America. She cleanly dissects everyone from the overtly prejudiced to the self-congratulatory liberal — and all points in between. Cornered…
Late, Late Show
SAT 3/5 Soon after DJ Leon arrived in Houston from Taipei, Taiwan, in early 2004, he got his first job stateside at Club Vision. It quickly turned into a weekly gig, but then the place closed and Leon had to find a new residence. Fittingly, the 30-year-old dance DJ’s career…
Capsule Reviews
“Ant Farm 1968-78” Most Houstonians know the art/architectural collective Ant Farm because of its prominent Texas work, the 1974 Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo with its ten vintage Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. But Ant Farm’s oeuvre is far broader and more diverse than that one iconic photogenic work. This…
Sole Sister
FRI 3/4 As Bad Dates opens, Haley Walker knowingly asks the audience, “Do you like my shoes?” It’s an empowering moment for women — who understand the power of sexy shoes — and a tantalizing one for men. The one-woman play follows New Yorker Haley, a fortysomething restaurant manager, single…
Succulent Suckling
Pico’s (5941 Bellaire Boulevard, 713-662-8383) proudly proclaims that it specializes in Mex-Mex food (although the restaurant does serve some Tex-Mex favorites). One dish the restaurant does especially well comes from the Yucatán. The cochinita pibil ($7.45 at lunch; $11.45 at dinner), an ancient Mayan dish whose name is derived from…
The Silver Tower Meets The Shining
The three of us were seated at a table overlooking part of the first floor roof at La Tour d’Argent on Ella. Four or five raccoons were eating table scraps out there under the glare of a spotlight. Since the restaurant looks like a hunting lodge, the wildlife seemed weirdly…
Padding the School Policies?
Editor’s Note, May 2014: On April 22, 2003, the presiding judge in this case ordered that all allegations and claims against defendant Rupa Mathur be dismissed without prejudice after receiving a notice of partial non-suit from Richardson-Eagle Inc. In fact, by August 2004 Judge Grant Dorfman had dismissed all the…
Philly Science
What can you learn about John Legend in 15 minutes? In a short interview with the R&B star, not much. But a lot can be gleaned from the first 15 minutes of Legend’s Get Lifted, currently lodged in the Billboard Top 10 albums chart. In classic soul tradition, Get Lifted…