Polite Conversation Can Be Boring
Today’s lesson: Everyone has an agenda. I learned this the hard way. I discovered that uttering the seemingly innocent phrase “I’m writing for the Houston Press” at an art gathering will immediately draw a small circle of artists desperate for media attention. I just stood there in my homemade “Polite…
Hero with a Thousand Faces
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PC, Xbox 360
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T (for Teen)
Score: 10 (out of 10)
Yeah, on the Catwalk
Heads-up to Project Runway fans. If you’ve watched the weekend marathons, commented on the blog and stalked Chloe Dao, cease, desist and head to the Heinen Theatre for a live display of works by up-and-coming couturiers. At “J’dore Le Catwalk!” students from Houston Community College’s Fashion Design and Merchandising programs…
A Study in Corn
The “pyramid of corn” souffle appetizer ($8.95) at Mark’s (1658 Westheimer, 713-523-3800) showcases the versatility of corn. The soufflé is velvety smooth, and the addition of shallots gives it a wonderful taste. Sprinkled around the base of the pyramid are roasted kernels of heirloom corn, wild mushrooms and small pools…
Saves the Day
When it comes to nerdy punk rockers singing love songs, Chris Conley has always played second fiddle to either bigger lovers (Chris Carrabba) or bigger nerds (Rivers Cuomo). Saves the Day’s front man may not topple either with Sound the Alarm, but the disc finds him returning to top form,…
Embarrassment of Riches
Tennessee Williams Film Collection (Warner Bros.) All that’s missing from this boxed set — six movies, one doc, eight discs — is a jar of sweat; even Williams is here, in a 1973 documentary. Then there’s Brando, Beatty, Newman, Taylor, Burton, Gardner, Leigh, Malden, Huston, Kazan — the last of…
Giving Moore
NYC-based pianist and storyteller Cooper-Moore’s hyperspeedy fingers create dizzying, rapid-fire notes. To watch them is to be reminded of a Tom and Jerry chase scene. The piano virtuoso, who’s been honing his avant-garde jazz for 35 years, comes to Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex today. After taking a break to teach music…
Scott Walker
Best remembered as a former Walker Brother and all-around ’60s easy-listening perv, Scott Walker (n Engels) has long been the most unhinged of artists — and from the sound of things here, that door of his is still nowhere near ready to swing, if one takes my meaning. All in…
Our top DVD picks for the week of May 2
BTK Killer (Lions Gate) Chubby Hubby Workout (On Air Video) Dinosaurs: The Complete First and Second Seasons (Disney) The Family Stone (Fox) Flight 93: The Movie (UAV) Jargo (Picture This!) King of Thieves (Picture This!) Last Holiday (Paramount) Lie with Me (Lance) Life in the Undergrowth (BBC) Misaki Chronicles: Volume…
The Butler Didn’t Do It
In 1967 playwright Joe Orton penned the highly sexual satire What the Butler Saw — shortly before being bludgeoned to death by his lover. Though Orton is gone, his final masterpiece endures. “Orton’s legacy was mocking the absurdity of pigeonholing people, when everyone has some kind of pervert in them,”…
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls come loaded down with an overabundance of shtick, from their self-appointed genre of “Brechtian punk cabaret” to their piano and drums step-up. It’s amazing that they don’t suck. Fortunately, beneath the angst and stage makeup is a genuine songwriter in the form of pianist/siren Amanda Palmer, as…
Houston’s Food Nazis
On a sunny, breezy mid-March afternoon, two young men decide to dine at a Greek restaurant in Montrose. They place their order — gyro plate with a side of fries — and begin reading magazines they’ve picked up from a rack near the restaurant’s side entrance. A tall, bald, mustachioed…
Hey, Is Carlos Coming?
When Nuestra Palabra proposed the first Edward James Olmos Latino Book and Family Festival four years ago, people said there was no audience for it. The organization held it anyway, and today the huge two-day festival has its five theme “villages” dedicated to education, health, children, culture and, of course,…
The Streets
After taking garage and two-step to unexpected creative heights on Original Pirate Material and then dropping a mind-blowing concept album about a slacker everyman’s fame, fortune and fuckups, Mike Skinner was driven to record his own Hotel California. Or so it might seem, on an album that begins with a…
Eccentric Italian
Lunch hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Dinner hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Snapper: $11.95
Spinach salad with grilled salmon: $9.95
Tortellini: $9.95
Cannelloni: $8.95
Spaghetti with meatballs: $8.50
What’s News
Put together with the idea that the featured artwork is exceptionally “current,” Space 125 Gallery’s exhibit “Ripped from the Pages” name-drops the poker phenomenon, Hurricane Katrina, video surveillance and…um…the always timely subject of drinking. Seth Mittag and Peter Precourt’s installation is a poker-chip-eye’s view of a game in progress. Patrons…
James Hand
James Hand seems like a character in Red Foley’s classic “Tennessee Saturday Night,” where “their music is a fiddle and a cracked guitar / they get their kicks from an old fruit jar / they do the boogie to an old square dance / the woods are full of couples…
The Tipsy Clover
Ah, Midtown. Most of us know it as a playground for yuppies and trance DJs. But there’s more to it than the hair-gel-and-stretch-shirt crowd. Several new clubs have sprung up that cater to a wide variety of folks. As one patron tells me, “It’za gonnah be like Houshton’shz verzhun of…
Not Just Black and White
There’s an arguably outdated anthropological concept that breaks human beings down into three races: Caucasoid, Negroid and Mongoloid. But some modern sociologists think that concept is, well, plain racist. Today, the Center for the Healing of Racism launches a three-part video series called “Race – The Power of an Illusion,”…
Sunburned Hand of the Man
After Sunburned Hand of the Man graced the cover of The Wire’s “New Weird America” issue two years ago, the loose collective of Boston-based musicians-cum-hirsute freaks has become one of the shining acts on the experimental, eccentric Eclipse Records roster. Ever since the label released Sunburned’s debut four years ago,…
Holy Ass Kickin’
These days, a lot of Christian acts get heat either for not being Christian enough or for being poseurs. Funny, but that’s never happened to P.O.D. The San Diego rap-metal/rock/alt-metal act delivers more angst and despair than a million self-loathing emo bands. Their infectious grooves and crunching guitars create a…
Outta the Box
Mystery novelist C.J. Box ain’t one of those pale-skinned writers strapped indoors by the dull glow of a computer screen. In addition to hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and skiing, he’s also worked as a ranch hand and land surveyor. So it was easy for the Wyoming native to tap…
James Brown
James Brown is dead. Wait, no he’s not. You know how I know? I was standing right in front of him! Not only does James Brown have his own band — complete with two drummers, two bassists (?), a percussionist, two guitarists, an organist, three female backup singers, two sexy…
A Revolting Show
You gotta wonder: Is industrial pioneer Al Jourgensen part machine? How else could the legendary front man (who ain’t exactly a spring chicken) play and withstand two full-length sets with his groups Revolting Cocks and Ministry night after night? Today, he’ll show you how it’s done when he takes the…
She’s All NYC Now
Young readers may recall the plight of Mimi Schulman, teen heroine of The Rise and Fall of a 10th-Grade Social Climber, who gets shipped from Houston to New York when her parents divorce. Surrounded by snobby, rich floozies at her new private school, she struggles to conceal her — gasp…
Art Brut
Much of the UK outfit Art Brut’s appeal lies in the wide-eyed incredulity of front geezer Eddie Argos — the need he constantly feels to state, then immediately restate, particular observations as if to highlight how incredible or ridiculous some circumstance or other is. This tendency is on full display…
Go “Home” Already
What would you do if you found out your entire identity had been fabricated by the CIA? Would you believe it? It happened to one man, and his story is told in It’s Not My Memory of It. The short documentary, composed of declassified CIA interviews and footage, will screen…
Book ‘Em!
Read much? You’re in luck: The Friends of the Houston Public Library’s 28th annual Bargain Book Sale has more than 90,000 tomes for you to sift through. The event, a fund-raiser for the public libraries in Houston, requires four semi trucks to haul in all its cookbooks, encyclopedias, rare editions…
Still Fighting
Even after a year, the war between uptight Sugar Landers and a slightly risque business shows no signs of waning. Once again Nooky’s Erotic Bakery — without a doubt the finest place in Fort Bend County to purchase a dick-shaped cake — is finding itself in the crosshairs. This time…
Technicolor Yuan
Coming closer even than Zhang Yimou’s House of Flying Daggers to resembling the Chinese cover art for an Iron Butterfly album, Chen Kaige’s The Promise is psychedelia extremis. Hardly a minute of it passes without a concentrated dose of digital frou-frou and lavish cartoon-poetic imagery: floating ocean goddesses, flying swordsmen,…
Lagaan to This One
Bollywood, India’s mecca of cinema, churns out more movies than Paris churns out marriage proposals. And honestly, most of these flicks aren’t more than bad soap operas (with some requisite singing and dancing, of course). But some are not to be missed, and Lagaan is one of them. The film,…
United in Song
Kudos to the United Nations Association International Choir for such a straightforward title for their spring concert. “Out of Africa and Beyond” features dancers, percussionists and singers from Kuumba House Dance Theatre performing songs and dances from African countries such as Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and…
Bam! Pow!
“Party in the seniors’ room!” Andrew Franco and his bunkmates got the phone message just after midnight. They left their Holiday Inn hotel room in San Antonio and shuffled three doors down to join in the festivities. It wasn’t much of a party: just a few of their classmates zoning…
Welcome to Hooters
The most important thing to know about the new movie Hoot, adapted from the children’s book by Carl Hiaasen, is that it’s co-produced by Jimmy Buffett, who also appears in a small role and provides new music for the soundtrack. Middle-aged drunks and boat owners might possibly rejoice at the…
Cuba Cine
While you’re celebrating Mexico this Cinco de Mayo weekend, give some love to Cuba, too. Today the Houston chapter of Pastors for Peace presents the Cuba Film Festival. The showcase features flicks such as Estela Bravo’s critically acclaimed Fidel, as well as Little Red School Bus, a Pastors for Peace…
“Peace” Out
The folks at Voices Breaking Boundaries, Houston’s mecca of social activism and progressive thought through art, have to be pretty impressed with the recent local pro-immigration marches. But they’re hardly content. Today, they present “Words for Peace 4: Voices of a People’s History,” which showcases words of peaceful protest. The…
Letters to the Editor
Cover Controversy Treasonous: To desecrate our flag as you have done on your cover is not only a shameless act, but one that should also be considered treasonous [Bolas de Pelo, by Richard Connelly, April 20]. Obviously you are more concerned with shock value than patriotism. Jim Thomas Spring Adaptation:…
Only in America
In 1817, a Tennessee landowner named John Bell was startled by a bizarre creature, described as a dog with a rabbit’s head, which materialized in a cornfield and vanished when fired upon. That night, an unexplained pounding shook the walls of the Bell home. Over the next four years, these…
Go See Gosey
As documented in Roger Wood’s excellent book Down in Houston, this city has a long and rich blues history. But there won’t be many downhearted folks at the second annual Blues on the Bayou show. At this benefit for the waterfront preservationist group Bayou Buddies, the lineup includes local legends…
Dragon Along
Random shoe? Sure. Beer can? Definitely. Forty-seven-foot boat shaped like a dragon? In the hierarchy of things you’re likely to see floating down Buffalo Bayou, dragon boats place remarkably high today, as more than 30 of them will race at the sixth annual Dragon Boat Festival. Twenty-person teams, consisting of…
Image of the Week
When you go to the fab fund-raiser Bunnies on the Bayou, you’re not shocked to see a pink-shirted, clean-cut guy with what could be a man-purse. And you expect to see a bare-chested leatherman or two. But what’s up with the pig in the back? Something to do with the…
Delicious Debauchery
In The Sign of the Cross, Cecil B. DeMille’s magnificent 1932 epic film about Nero’s persecution of the early Christians, the debauched Empress Poppea, the “wickedest woman on earth,” showed her sybaritic side by taking a bath in asses’ milk. Played by Claudette Colbert, Poppea frolicked nude and gossiped about…
Ton of Tamales
In the just-released Eat This Book, journalist Ryan Nerz says the fastest-growing sport in the country today is…competitive eating. And while these gluttonous games seem to speak to everything that is wasteful about Americans, these “athletes” will tell you (when their mouths aren’t full) that they train just as intensely…
Five for Cinco
Some folks have been getting downright pissy lately when they see a Mexican flag. Those haters can stay home, as today, friendlier Houstonians will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo. And we’ve got the places to party. Begin the day by taking your niños to John and Juan at Miller Outdoor…
Love, War and Leia
“I think I mostly have an insecurity complex about myself, because I’ve been trying anything I can on women along the way,” admits James Blunt, the heartwarming voice behind the ballady smash “You’re Beautiful,” with a chuckle. “I tried a uniform at first, and then tried being a musician. Neither…
Capsule Reviews
Carmen If you were going to be remembered for only one opera in your prolific career, you’d do no worse than Carmen. Composer Georges Bizet died during its premiere run in 1875, thinking his Gypsy girl had shocked his native Parisians, who weren’t accustomed to such brazen hussies on the…
Ready for Some Foosball?
Why play with yourself when you can play with others? The innovative folks at Infernal Bridegroom Productions want to hear your best “YAHTZEE!” To that end, they’ve put together Game Night at the Axiom, an evening of fun, friends and games. Today’s event will include board games, “regulation” four-square and…
One Hot Show
110 in the Shade isn’t just the Houston weather forecast for, oh, the entire month of August. It’s also a musical version of the classic play/movie The Rainmaker. Set during a Texas heat wave in the ´30s, it tells the story of the unlikely romance between old-maid-in-training Lizzie Curry and…
Just Say No Ms
With each passing week, my stack of country-CDs-with-cheesy-songs-about-Mexico-on-them grows ever taller, and another Cinco de Mayo is upon us. What better time than now to examine this strange phenomenon? Back in the ’50s and before, the Mexico of popular American song was a place you went at your peril. The…
Improv Art
There’s a piece in “Perspectives 151: Dan Steinhilber” at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston that looks like the work of a manic clown. The kind of balloons traditionally used by annoying children’s-party entertainers to make hats and animals have been twisted, amassed and woven together into a giant dense rectangle…
Lookin’ for Loeb
In 1994 singer Lisa Loeb rose to stardom off the strength of the No. 1 single “Stay (I Miss You),” which was featured on the Reality Bites soundtrack. Since her debut, the horn-rimmed cutie has released some moderately successful albums, though lately she’s more of a TV persona. Loeb and…
Biddy Biddy Diddy
We all see J. Lo and her trademark backside so often, it’s hard to remember the days when she was a fresh, er, face. But that’s just what she was when her role as the titular Queen of Tejano in Selena launched her to superstardom. The movie, about the rise…
The Abattoir
I’ll admit it: On paper the idea is pretty damn solid. Four guys, inspired by the New York Dolls but too ugly to pull off the whole androgyny thing, decide instead to dress like Japanese Kabuki warriors, spit blood, breathe fire and pen songs about staying up all night and…
Capsule Reviews
“Insistent Objects: David Levinthal’s ‘Blackface'” In the art world, a host of contemporary African-American artists have been appropriating racist imagery for their own devices. You might assume David Levinthal was one of them, considering his show at the Menil, which consists of photographs of blackface figures representing a pantheon of…
Break These Chains!
In the ´80s and ´90s, Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of the synth-pop act Erasure churned out a string of successful hits. (Who could ever forget “Chains of Love” and “Sometimes”?) But on their latest release, the powerhouse dance duo has broken their musical chains and gone acoustic. For Union…
The Nature of Art
The manipulation of nature is a central theme in the artwork of Maria Fernanda Cardoso. In 2000, she brought the Cardoso Flea Circus to town. The video, which was presented at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, featured Cardoso, wearing a silver lamé cape and magnifying glasses, manipulating wire-harnessed fleas through…