Busy Day at Cactus Music
Ra Ra Riot You might as well just park yourself at Cactus Music today for all the music going on. First up, at noon, is a local four-pack of bands playing next Sunday’s Rock the Boat benefit for Hurricane Ike victims at Meridian: Morgue City, Paris Green, Straightfork and Deep…
Your New Eco-Friendly Water Transportation Device
The recent article on water in Houston prompted me to tell you about some choices you have if you’re ready to kick the plastic-bottle habit and help reduce landfill. I bought an entry level distiller at Sears as I don’t really like the taste of Houston water. The distiller does…
John Royal’s NFL Power Rankings
After taking a week off, it’s time for the return of the NFL Power Rankings. This week presented to you by the lovely ladies of the Buffalo Jills – the cheerleaders for the Buffalo Bills. 1. New York Giants (3) (3-0): The Giants sat on the sidelines last week while…
Time’s Up for Pit Bulls Rescued from Hurricane Ike
Whatever you may think about pit bulls – more formally known as purebred American Bull Terriers – you have to cringe at this news. Following Hurricane Ike, several pit bulls were rescued from Galveston Island – even ones that had been chained in place by their owners. One even survived…
Rick Perry’s HPV Vaccine Has A New Market: Immigrants
Texans, mainly sixth grade girls, are familiar with the drug Gardasil. It protects against a sexually transmitted disease, and Governor Rick Perry made the vaccination mandatory last year, alienating some of his anti-choice, stem-cells-send-you-to-hell base. Now immigrants have been thrown in the mix. Gardasil was recently added to the list…
College Football Preview, Zooey Deschanel Edition
It’s Friday again, which means that it’s time for college football. And this week’s guide through the televised world of college football is Zooey Deschanel, who is wide-eyed at the thought of even more upsets like those we saw last week. I’ll do the patriotic thing and start with the…
Always Look on the Bright Side of Ike, Part 3: Free Wood!
So long as a tree did not fall on your house, car, service drop or person, Ike’s effect on the trees on your property was more beneficial than not. Tree trimming costs a lot of money, and all of us got a free servicing from Mother Nature. It’s possible that…
Billy Gibbons Pt. 1: Nashville, Johnny or Merle, Playing Theaters, Ike and the Origins of Eliminator
Houston has a significant birthday to celebrate. ZZ Top’s Eliminator – which, as you can read in the paper next week, is Rocks Off’s choice for the best Texas rock album ever – is 25 years old, and has been duly accored the full Rhino reissue treatment of remastering, bonus…
Assistant Principal Puts The “High” In Sharpstown High
Sharpstown High is mostly known for a scandal awhile back about not counting dropouts, and for being the alma mater of NFL star Joseph Addai. Oh, and for that assistant principal who had a burgeoning grow-pot-at-home hobby with his wife. James Earl Street, 46, and his wife Judith, also 46,…
Magical Realism and Tres Leches
“Legend has it that the recipe for Tres Leches cake was first printed on the back of the can of Nestle’s sweetened condensed milk,” Michael Cordúa, the chef behind the Cordua Restaurants in Houston, once told me. The name tres leches, or three milks, refers to the ingredients used –…
UH Gets A Gentlemen’s C For Its Environmental Efforts
University of Houston got a C this week, and it wasn’t for “Coogs.” The 2009 College Sustainability Report Card gave UH a C-minus. “We actually had a lower rating in the initial draft,” says Dave Irvin, Associate Vice President of Plant Operations. He says the first grade – a D…
This Just In: Kooks Cancelled; Whigs Still On
Maybe next time, mates… Brighton, UK buzz band the Kooks has cancelled its sold-out show tonight at Meridian with Athens’ Replacements-loving the Whigs – who are still scheduled to play – due to Kooks vocalist/guitarist Luke Pritchard’s illness; the band’s 4:30 p.m. Cactus Music in-store is a scratch as well…
Indictments In A&M Assault Case
Earlier this year, we published “Rotten to the Corps”, a story about two members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets who beat up another student, then dodged punishment from the Corps and the university. The students were also charged with a misdemeanor assault charge, which was eventually dismissed by…
Golly, That Was Some Debate
You’re gosh-darn tootin’ that ol’ vice-presidential debate was last night, not on Main Street but (wink) in the heartland of St. Louis. Our sister paper the Riverfront Times is all over the action, with slideshows from before, during and after the momentous event, including lots of shots of Sarah Palin’s…
B L A C K I E Explores the Wilderness of North America
B L A C K I E Wilderness of North America When B L A C K I E showed up on the local indie-rock and underground-rap scenes, Houston was pretty impressed. The MC/producer born Michael Lacour twists the laws of the metronome into abstract beats to back his equally…
Number Of “Missing” Ike Victims May Be Cut In Half
The list of folks who remain missing after Ike still numbers nearly 300 more than a week after Hair Balls reported on it, but the picture may get brighter by the day’s end. That list – the most troubling aspect of which is the scattered entries of missing persons with…
Announcing Our “10 Things to Eat Before You Die” Contest Winners
As you may recall, back before Ike, the Financial Meltdown, and the Vice Presidential Debate, we were having a contest to name 10 Things to Eat Before You Die. We promised to pick some winners and give out some cookbooks. So whether any of the contestants remember the contest or…
Five Spot: Ron Artest Is Not Too Busy to Be a Meh Rapper
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it’s either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Remember this? NBC Sports If you were worried about the myriad injuries that might derail the Rockets’ success this season, don’t…
Notes on the Baseball Playoffs
Evan Longoria did something yesterday that had only been done once before in the history of postseason baseball. He hit a home run in his first two postseason at-bats. His first two ever at-bats in postseason play. And Longoria, the rookie who energized the Tampa Bay Rays when he joined…
Ivy League Frat Punished For Helping Ike Victims
Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, an Ivy League fraternity has been punished for daring to hold a fund-raiser for Ike victims. The Delta Tau chapter at Brown University gave a party September 19 and raised $800 which they gave to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund. Ten fraternity…
Not So Great News from the Health Department
Let’s start off with the good news: Star Pizza (77 Harvard) was inspected on October 2 and found to have no violations (inspectors did, however find some terrific lasagna – oh no, wait, that was us! Yeah, yeah, we know it’s a pizza place. Can we help it if there’s…
Eva Longoria is SOOOO Fat!
Hollywood and the whole country are so full of dipshits. Honestly. Have you heard the buzz about how “fat” Eva Longoria has become? The woman gains ten pounds, still looks totally pretty and normal, and everyone’s getting their panties in a wad wondering if she’s knocked up or just “fat.”…
Ozone Levels Getting Nasty
This doesn’t sound too good. Patricia Tinoco-Perez of Harris County’s Public Health & Environmental Services department says don’t go around doing too much breathing right now: Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) is issuing an “Air Quality Warning/Health Advisory” for the Harris County area. LEVEL RED Ozone has…
dead horse Lives… After a Fashion
Turns out Nightfly’s recent experience at the White Swan in re a possibly reunited dead horse, Houston’s legendary death-metal smartasses whose twisted Texas artwork became as iconic as its brain-splattering songs, was true after all. Minus horseman Michael Haaga – estranged from his former bandmates for some time due to…
You’re Facing The ACLU Now, Needville
Adriel Arocha, the five-year-old boy who went to kindergarten in Needville despite his long hair, made it a week in class before he was put into In-School Suspension because his hair was too long. The ACLU filed a lawsuit today against the school district to stop the punishment. “We regret…
The Safest House In The World
It was one of the iconic pictures of Ike. Taken by the Houston Chronicle’s Smiley Pool (and other photographers with access to a helicopter), the shot of a lone house still standing in Gilchrist on the Bolivar Peninsula was used by media outlets around the world. And wherever it showed…
Tonight: Patti LaBelle at Jones Hall
Labelle, “Lady Marmalade” Hey sister, go sister: If you want to voulez vouz couchez avec Madame “Marmalade” – who recently released Back to Now, her first album with LaBelle soul sisters Nona Hendryx and eventual Rolling Stones backup vocalist Sarah Dash since the mid-’70s – this would be ce soir…
Houston Gets Some Respect….And It’s From A Poet!
The latest issue of Smithsonian magazine features an article that would make any Houston, It’s Worth It campaigner proud. The story, written by award-winning poet Mark Doty, explains how Houston’s lesser qualities add to its overall charm. “I wanted to write about what is it that feels soulful and inevitably…
AG Says Two Motels Gouged Ike Victims
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has brought the hammer down on two motels he says gouged Ike evacuees. The Super 8 Brookshire Motel near Katy and the Hotel Nacogdoches were named as gougers. The Hotel Nacogdoches typically charges $49 for a room, the Ag’s office said; two days before Ike…
Notes on the Baseball Playoffs
Here’s a little suggestion for the Philadelphia Phillies. When your closer is Brad Lidge, and when most of the country still thinks of Lidge as the guy who gave up one of the most memorable home runs in post season history, and when Lidge has melted the last time he…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Darrell Scott’s Modern Hymns
Darrell Scott There are a slew of new albums out with spiritual and political angles, but none approaches the subjects as obliquely or ultimately as effectively as Darrell Scott on his slyly titled Modern Hymns. With a bevy of Nashville’s A-list roots pickers onboard, Scott works his way though a…
Houston Circa 2001, Courtesy Of Google
In honor of its 10th birthday, Google has made available its January 2001 index, the oldest available. Let’s see what the Mighty Google can tell us about the H-Town and world of 2K1. (Many of the links are now dead, but if you click “View old version on the Internet…
“O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” — HISD Won’t Make Up Missed Days
It looks like HISD students will not have to make up the days missed by Ike. The school board unanimously agreed to ask the state to waive all the missed days; the state education commissioner has already announced he’s fine with waiving up to 10 days. That will cover almost…
The John Royal College Football Top 25, Week Five
Week Five of the college football season was full of upsets. That means the Top 25 rankings get shaken up a bit. If you want to see the rankings from the majors, click here. But I think you’re really here to see my rankings. So, let’s get to it. 1…
NASA At 50: Five Bad Astronaut Movies
Part of commemorating 50 years of NASA is acknowledging its role in lionizing the men and women who performed those historic missions. The names of Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Sally Ride are well known, and rightfully so, for their contributions to America’s space program. And then there…
Ten Performers Besides Bruce Springsteen Who Were Considered for the Super Bowl
Nope. Not this year. As you are now probably aware, Bruce Springsteen has been chosen to be the half time performer at the upcoming Super Bowl. I like this decision as I’m a fan of The Boss. But what many of you don’t know is that Bruce wasn’t the first…
The “Flower Man” Needs Ike Help
Cleveland Turner, the famous “Flower Man” who brings a bit of folk-art sunshine to the Third Ward, got hit by Ike and is looking for help. The Orange Show has sent out an SOS and is urging people to show up at Turner’s home Saturday to help get things back…
Book Review: Smart Cookies’ Investment Guide
On the one hand, the timing couldn’t be better for The Smart Cookies’ Guide to Making More Dough: How Five Young Women Got Smart, Formed a Money Group, and Took Control of Their Finances, which came out this week. Don’t we all want to be smart about money, now more…
Cooking With Your Car: Homemade Yogurt
Houston is hot, no denying that, and I love to take advantage of the temperature whenever possible. We use solar energy to dry our laundry (it’s called a clothesline). Alton Brown once told me how he tried using his mailbox to bake biscuits. We used to have an older car…
Yip-Yip
Meet Yip 1 and Yip 2 (a.k.a. Jason Temple and Brian Esser). With their synthesized powers combined, they are Yip-Yip. The experimental Florida duo produces the kind of sounds you would expect if Kraftwerk, Devo and Danny Elfman jammed inside your Nintendo console. The pair sprints through synth-heavy experimental rock…
The Gateless Gate: A Musical Exploration
The Gateless Gate: A Musical Exploration, a program of reflective music, features pianist Rodney Waters, artistic director and founder of the Mukuru “Arts for AIDS” series, and pianist Adam Tendler, the artistic director of the Foundation for Modern Music. Also appearing are soprano Melissa Givens and members of the Houston…
Growing Up with Tamales
Houston author Gwendolyn Zepeda’s new children’s book, Growing Up with Tamales, is the touching story of two sisters, six-year-old Ana and eight-year-old Lidia. It’s time for the family’s annual Christmas tamale-making session, and Ana helps with the dough while Lidia spreads it on the cornhusk leaves. Ana wishes she was…
Almost Famous
Admit it, if you could leave your couch right now and tour with an up-and-coming rock band, you would. No? What about as a teenager? We thought so. Almost Famous is the semiautobiographical tale of writer/producer/director Cameron Crowe’s experience as a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone. The film follows William…
Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water)
Fan of The Grudge? How about The Ring? Don’t mention it too loud, or film geeks will quickly accost you and give due praise to the Japanese, who are responsible for the original (and scarier, by all accounts) versions of these mega-hits. Tonight, Rice Cinema screens another original Japanese fright-night…
Anne Enright and Ann Patchett
When she was short-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2007, Anne Enright was considered a long shot. Her novel The Gathering, in which she wanted to “explore desire and hatred,” was thought to be too dark to be a true contender, and it wasn’t a best-seller. Never mind the…
Third Annual Bicycle Rally and Scavenger Hunt
The Third Annual Heights Bicycle Rally and Scavenger Hunt offers a way to explore a good portion of the Bayou City on two wheels (translation: on a bike – you know, the non-car thing that sits in your garage and doesn’t need gas to run). In the self-paced competition, teams…
The Parallax View
As the presidential campaign reaches its zenith, those who’d like to trade bland stump speeches for some political thrills should check out Alan Pakula’s 1974 film The Parallax View, screening today at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Part of Pakula’s political-thriller trilogy, which also includes All the President’s Men,…
The Prestige
There’s something to be said for secrets; sometimes wanting to know everything can be deadly. It is in The Prestige. The 2006 film by director Christopher Nolan centers on two magicians in turn-of-the-century England, Robert Angier (an increasingly desperate Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (a smoldering Christian Bale). They began…
Mozart in Vienna
The music Mozart composed while residing in Vienna is among his most popular of all time – as mainstream as it gets when it comes to classical. But even the most superior of music purists can’t help but be awestruck all over again at hearing these compositions live, especially when…
Radio Golf
As we’ve learned, elections can be full of drama. So hand it to the Ensemble Theatre for opening its 2008-2009 season with a play about a successful entrepreneur who sets his sights on becoming Philadelphia’s first black mayor in Radio Golf, the final installment in August Wilson’s ten-play cycle about…
Cyrano de Bergerac
The play Cyrano de Bergerac inspired Roxanne, that movie featuring Steve Martin with a really big nose. The original work is a more tragic tale about Cyrano, a gifted soldier with the same, um, schnoz. The only thing bigger than his beak is his love for Roxane (who also happens…
Compañia Flamenco José Porcel
Even if you know very little about Spain’s culture and heritage, you know this: The Spanish are an energetic, soulful people who love passion, energy and beauty. Spain’s centuries-old flamenco music and dance, which incorporates Gypsy, Indian, Arabic and Jewish influences, will be on display as the Society for the…
DiverseWorks Presents an Ugly World — Where You’ll Want to Get Lost
“Parents left me in a motel room at age eight. Put cigarette butts out on my face. Tore my hair out. Left never to return again. I remember lying in that motel bed with the cartoons going and thinking, ‘Mommy will be back soon.’ I’m 37 years old — Mommy…
Patti LaBelle
The last time she came to Houston, Patti LaBelle played to a pitiful crowd that didn’t even fill up half of the Arena Theatre. But the small crowd didn’t deter her: “20 or 20,000, I give the same show,” she told the fans and launched into her act, going from…
KUHF Classic Film Concerts: Nosferatu
What could make a classic silent horror movie more horrifying? A killer soundtrack. The KUHF Classic Film Concert series will hand the baton over to Austin’s Golden Arm Trio for its screening of Nosferatu. The influential 1921 film by German director F.W. Murnau was adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Since…
“Body Worlds 2 & The Brain: Our Three Pound Gem”
Whether you’re fascinated with the inner workings of the human brain or simply enjoy being grossed out by what we look like on the inside, the second round of Dr. Gunther von Hagens’s touring exhibitions is wonder inducing. “Body Worlds 2 & The Brain: Our Three Pound Gem” will feature…
Henry Rollins: Recountdown Tour
Henry Rollins is starting to sound a lot like a preacher…in a good way. Of course, we’re not talking about the former punk rock icon’s sentiments; it’s more his style of delivery. On his latest spoken-word album, Provoked, the former Black Flag front man turned author/actor/activist/spoken-word artist/television show host (The…
“Coming of Age
“Coming of Age,” Kristy Peet’s new show at the gallery inside Hungry’s Cafe & Bistro, deals with the blurry line between American childhood and adulthood. Bar mitzvahs and quinceaneras aside, not too many Americans go through a formal rite of passage after which they’re considered adults. This got 28-year-old photographer…
Bill White, the F-word and “Gatemouth” Brown
As the Houston Chronicle reported, Governor Rick Perry personally called two state workers from Georgia because Houston Mayor Bill White had cursed at them in the frantic days after Ike. The Chron reports: “A witness said White told the women, ‘You need to be getting these (expletive) trucks out of…
New Barnaby’s Location Outside The Loop
Back in 1996, Jeff Gale was tired of being a waiter, so he opened a small restaurant in the Montrose and named it after his favorite childhood pal, an English sheepdog called Barnaby. Then he opened another and another, and now, in his first venture outside the Loop, he has…
Ganging Up
A disgrace: Publishing this article as these people are evacuating their homes ahead of Hurricane Ike is in extremely poor taste [“Problem Child,” by John Nova Lomax, September 11]. As a former resident of Bacliff, I am aware that the area has plenty of problems; however, many kind and caring…
Get Grilled at Culinary Kreations Cafe
When you order the fish poor boy ($8.99) at Culinary Kreations Cafe (4830 Almeda, 713-520-6093), be prepared for a grilling. First, it’s “catfish or tilapia?” Then, it’s “fried or grilled?” And finally, it’s “white or whole wheat?” Try the grilled catfish on whole wheat. They lightly toast the bread, smear…
Rodney Crowell: Sex & Gasoline
Once upon a time, Rodney Crowell was a bona fide hit machine. With “Stars on the Water,” “‘Til I Gain Control Again,” “Ain’t Livin’ Long Like This,” “She’s Crazy for Leaving” and “It’s Such a Small World,” Crowell’s pen couldn’t miss. Townes Van Zandt used to taunt him, but truth…
BOHEME’S RED SANGRIA
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” — Isaiah 9:2. The aftermath of the recent little weather event caused me to get downright biblical, like Samuel L. Jackson biblical, when I saw lights illuminated on my street driving home. Yes, the line crew angels had finally…
The Best of ACL Fest
I’d like to think that as I “mature,” I’m getting savvier about covering outsize musical events like SXSW and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. But the truth is, I’m pretty much making it up as I go along. Should I take the pulse of the crowd? Go behind the…
Ra Ra Riot, Walter Meego
The childlike innocence of Ra Ra Riot’s music and hyperactive stage presence masks a young band familiar with great heartache and turmoil: In June of 2007, drummer John Pike allegedly drowned after a show, but the group — which formed at Syracuse University in 2006 — decided to forge onward…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Heroes Alter Egos,” “Houston Collects: African American Art,” “Joe Mancuso: Still Still Life”
“Heroes Alter Egos” Utilizing images of Nixon, Reagan and both Bushes to represent the dark side of American culture has become an artistic cliché, just like JFK’s visage gets used to symbolize good. Now that Shepard Fairey’s ubiquitous Barack Obama poster has proclaimed open season on the presidential candidate’s face…
News on the March, Elaine Greer, Wild Moccasins, Earnie Banks
According to our Best of Houston® issue last week, News on the March might be this town’s best unsigned band — but that doesn’t exempt them from the weather. Along with every other event in the city, the countrified rockers’ EP release has been given the Ike treatment. Band members…
Tom Tancredo and Coconuts
Dear Mexican, Rep. Chris Cannon of Utah, also known as Mr. Amnesty, one of La Raza’s heroes, was trounced in the Utah primary by a relative unknown who is from the Tom Tancredo school of immigration reform. Cannon’s been bulletproof until the election despite his steadfast cheerleading for amnesty, open…
The Shredder
Throwrag: Californian high-desert roots-rockabilly crew (Joe Ely meets The Clash) doesn’t settle for 2nd Place on new Acetate album; with Roger Miret & the Disasters, Static Thought, Viva Hate and H-town’s Hell City Kings. (Thursday, Walter’s on Washington) Texas National Motorcycle Rally: Calling all hogs for the state’s newest bandanna…
Soldier Suicides
They buried the first brother the day before Thanksgiving. As mourners trickled out of Lubbock’s Resthaven Memorial Park in the gray chill, Andrew Velez stayed behind. He stood among the gravestones and watched his brother’s coffin laid low in the winter ground. Cutting a sharp figure in his Army uniform,…
Lindsey Buckingham: Gift of Screws
In the fastest turnaround of Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist/producer Lindsey Buckingham’s career, Gift of Screws comes two years after his previous solo LP, Under the Skin. For the first couple of tracks, we want to stamp it “return to sender.” “Great Day” boasts guitar ripples we first heard on his disembowelment…
Barnstorming Georgia Trio The Whigs
It’s a strange time for rock and roll. In some ways, one could argue that it’s never been more popular — considering that it feels like everyone is in a band (Rock Band counts, right?), hosts a DJ night, writes for a music publication/blog or owns a “recording studio.” But…
Fred Eaglesmith: Tinderbox
Fred Eaglesmith’s ground-zero-of-the-human-race testament, Tinderbox, proves once again the prickly Canadian farmer is, at least in song, Mr. Blue Collar, someone as in touch with the Average Joe as any songwriter drawing breath. While not directly topical, Tinderbox is very much a document of this moment in time, a journal of…
Bayousphere
In the halcyon days before Ike, Kevin Harrington and his dog Damn Good could kick back in Seabrook and watch the ships come into Clear Lake. They both survived Ike; we’re not so sure about that boat in the background. To view image larger, click here…
Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It
Since no idea is original, it’s all in the way you freak it. Late last year, Boyz II Men released a respectable Motown-remake album with a lousy title that only could’ve been worse if they’d added an exclamation point to it (Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA). But Raphael Saadiq…
Capsule Stage Reviews: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Electile Dysfunction, Madama Butterfly, Rumors, Shylock, the Jew of Venice
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum’s feel-good nostrums about life and how best to live it have become a worldwide phenomenon ever since the publication of his first book of pithy essays, which has now been adapted into a play by Ernest Zulia, with…
Houston Ballet’s Mixed Rep Program is a Delight
Maybe it was just so damn nice to get out after Ike, but Houston Ballet’s rescheduled opening of the Classically Modern mixed rep program last Friday was a sheer delight. The short program of four dances (in an air-conditioned theater, no less!) showcased the talented troupe and some wonderful modern-day…
Two Mediocre Adaptations: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
There are copious ways to link How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Both are based on feather-light books that take a good hour to read, for those who scan slowly; both feature actors on the cult side of stardom who do far better…
Fade to White: Blindness
The most recent example of bleak chic, Fernando Meirelles’s mostly harrowing adaptation of José Saramago’s international bestseller Blindness mixes the high-velocity pace and stylishness of the Brazilian director’s breakout City of God with the Portuguese author’s thinly metaphysical horror thriller. Unflinching at best and treacly at worst, Blindness the film…
Wormwood and Finger Quotes at Absinthe Lounge
Marlon Chen may be the finest finger-quoter who has ever lived. Wait. Let’s back-track a bit. “Finger quotes,” the most inherently complicated of all hand-based conversation aides, refers to using one’s hands to imitate quotation marks around a phrase or word during a spoken exchange. Snaps, claps and gestures all…
Old West: Appaloosa
“‘Course he’s willing to die. You think we do this kinda work ’cause we scared to die?” So speaks Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) about his sidekick Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) as the two stare down a posse of bad guys in Appaloosa, New Mexico, circa 1882. Cole and Hitch, who…
James McMurtry
“You keep talkin’ that shit like I never heard, hush little president, don’t say a word”: James McMurtry has never been accused of being Mr. Happy Guy, but it seems that as the Bush administration has worn on, McMurtry’s poetic surliness has increased. His free download of 2004’s “Can’t Make…
Opposites Attract in Chris & Don
A glint in his eye and a grin on his lips, artist Don Bachardy looks into the camera and explains the dynamic of his three-decade relationship with the late literary icon Christopher Isherwood as if it were a fairy tale. “His role,” says Bachardy, “could be described as that of…
Bill Maher Makes an Adolescent Case against Religion in Religulous
Redolent of Roman decadence and authority gone mad, the title Religulous rolls pleasingly off the tongue. But Bill Maher’s one-man stand-up attack on religious fundamentalism is a dog that has more bark than bite — a skeptical, secular-humanist hounding of the hypocrites, amusingly annotated with sarcastic subtitles and clips from…
For Those About to Rock… Again
This summer, the drummer from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts threw a drumstick at my face. To be fair, that’s what drummers do — even fill-in, faux-Blackhearts from Joan Jett’s new live band (at a county fair near you). After defensively swiping the stick out of the air, inches from…
Pork Ribs Taste Like Candy at Midway BBQ
The little pork rib from Midway BBQ in Old Katy was falling-apart tender. I am guessing the pit boss painted the rack with a sweet barbecue sauce when it was almost done cooking, because there was a brown, caramelized crust on the outside of the meat and a distinct sweetness…
