Curses Again
Hey, wasn’t there supposed to be a World Series in town right about this time? Aren’t we supposed to be watching television reporters shouting over drunken fans in sports bars in a gallant effort to deliver news? What happened to all that Astros gear everybody was buying? Apparently the good…
The Anton Newcombe Massacre
“I’m not for sale. I’m fucking love. I give it away.” So says Anton Newcombe, the raging megalomaniac who heads the Brian Jonestown Massacre, an underground rock band determined to take over the world. First he hurls the words at the audience. Then he informs the crowd that they bought…
Letters
God and the Gays Peaceful coexistence: Man, what a story [“The Reorient Express,” by Craig Malisow, October 14]. Now that I’ve calmed down, I want to share some thoughts. I certainly have compassion for anyone struggling with an unwanted predilection, but the folks who “pray” on these people or offer…
Hail to the Drama Queen
Margo Channing cracked wiser. And her devious protégée cooked up better schemes to steal the limelight. Still, half a century after they lit up the screen, the principals in All About Eve would likely get a charge out of Being Julia. This bittersweet backstage drama skillfully combines — as all…
Lord of the Bling
For more than 150 years, Cartier has been the jeweler of choice for royalty, celebrities, the rich and, most recently, gold teeth/gold record rappers. Now, the French-bred Jacques Cartier’s bling is on display in the exhibit “Cartier design viewed by Ettore Sottsass,” making its sole U.S. showing at the Museum…
Green Achers
Those familiar with the films of David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls) likely have one big question about his latest feature, Undertow: Is there more of a story this time? The answer is…sort of. Green, who favors meditative, meandering portraits, and is often compared to Terrence Malick…
This Week’s Day-by-Day Picks
Thursday, October 28 Hopefully, you’ve come out of your funk over the Astros’ playoff run. It’s time to turn your attention elsewhere — namely, to that little upcoming presidential election. At tonight’s “Electronic Voting” discussion, Congressman Chris Bell of the 25th District, Rice University professor Dan Wallach and Tony J…
Gender Splendor
On paper, Ken Ludwig’s new comedy, Leading Ladies, sounds about as fun as a toothache. The protagonists are two small-time, dead-broke actors who cook up a ludicrous scheme to bilk an old lady out of millions. They go to her little Pennsylvania town dressed up as her long-lost nieces so…
Memoir Noir
When Augusten Burroughs was 12 years old, his not-so-sane mother gave him up and sent him to live with her even-less-sane shrink. At his new home, the teenage Burroughs entertained himself with prescription drugs, an old electroshock machine and sexual dalliances with a man 20 years his elder. He never…
Capsule Reviews
A Chorus Line With this thrilling remounting by Theatre Under the Stars, it’s easy to appreciate anew why A Chorus Line deserves its “classic” status among Broadway musicals. Until Cats clawed its way into the Broadway record books, this 1975 Michael Bennett production held the title for longest-running musical. A…
Tips for Treats
This Halloween weekend, Houston’s chock-full of spots aiming to scare the hell out of you, or at least make you burn some serious calories running from Dracula, demons or, most terrifying, candy-chasing schoolkids. We suggest treating the young ones to festivities early on, then slipping into something a little bit…
Beating Around the Bush
This election is gonna be a brawl. There are a whole lot of people riled up on both sides — and all points in between. Politics is in the air, and people are finding creative ways to express their viewpoints. Political art, conscious or unconscious, can be found all over…
Shooting the Puck
The Houston Aeros and the San Antonio Rampage swirl about on the ice, a mess of red and green, yelling and smashing players into the boards. “Can you see the puck?” asks Raif Smith, who’s manning a camera at this preseason game. “It’s right there!” yells Mike Brown. “Everything’s moving…
Capsule Reviews
Jessica Stockholder There’s something about Jessica Stockholder’s work that makes it instantly recognizable. With bright, broad strokes slathered on large found objects, her work contains elements of both painting and sculpture. She mixes domestic and construction items at will, creating combinations that are visually and intellectually appealing. In her latest…
Ghostly Glamour
Celebrities do a lot of weird and scary stuff, so coming up with a costume idea for this weekend’s Haunted Hollywood Party at The Ruby Room shouldn’t be hard. How about feigning some super-hollow cheekbones for the Lara Flynn Boyle look? Or painting some bruises on your back to emulate…
Playbill
Galactic, with Scratch When most bands lose their lead singer, there’s a mad dash to find a replacement. But for New Orleans-based funk/jazz/jam/trip-hop combo Galactic, it means something else: The All Instrumental Tour. Actually, the departure of vocalist Theryl “The Houseman” deClouet isn’t all that earth-shattering, since Galactic’s music is…
Not The Nutcracker
Though it’s most often associated with The Nutcracker, Houston Ballet is boasting a show that pushes the envelope much further than its traditional, sugary holiday blockbuster. “If Houston Ballet were a movie studio,” says artistic director Stanton Welch, “the Cullen Contemporary Series would be our art-house Sundance festival.” Recognizing that…
The Blog Age
Matt Mullenweg may be underage, but he knows how to get into a bar. Just slip in while it’s still light outside and order some food. That way, by the time the bouncer sets up at the door, he’s already safely at a table, joking with the waitress. Which is…
Odd Timing
In the early 1980s, a slender, London-born chef named Bruce Auden came to downtown Houston to cook at a cutting-edge restaurant called Charley’s 517. Auden went on to fame and fortune in San Antonio, where he helped pioneer Southwestern cuisine. His latest restaurant, Biga on the Banks, is one of…
Fried in the Heights
Barbecue Inn Barbecue Inn
Smooth Landing
Mark Farina hates the same things about house that you hate. “House all sounds the same,” you gripe. In response, the San Francisco Bay Area DJ plays some weird and refreshingly silly down-tempo songs. “House DJs play crap tunes all night just so they can save two or three good…
Mystery Mix
It’s not clear what all’s in it, but it works magic on a chilly, wet afternoon. When asked what fresh herb was sprinkled atop the hot and sour tofu soup ($6.50) at Van Loc (3010 Milam, 713-528-6441), the server had only this to offer: “It’s a fresh herb. We don’t…
We’re Not the World
When Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born on a presumably damp day in Manchester, England, in 1959, no one could have known what a highly polarizing force and icon he’d one day become. Despised in some circles with almost the same degree of passion his devoted fans bestow on him, the…
Rockin’ in the Free World
Oh, yes, Election Night 2004. No doubt many of you will be having parties on this, the most momentous Tuesday since 9/11, and Racket is here to give you the blueprint for a Decision ’04 Mix Tape. And fear not: Unlike other members of the liberal media, I’m taking no…
Outside the Box
The loggers, seeing the human figure which was actually God, crying, decided to get in one last lick before moving on toward the sawmill and then to the beer hall. “Hurry up, and let’s bash that crying queer, there’s some hot bitches waiting and I got to go to church…
Bush Beer
Vote here with beer,” it says in shoe polish on the window of the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium downtown. It’s a promotion being put on by the beer hall in conjunction with Samuel Adams. Buy a pint glass with a caricature of one of the candidates, and that’s your vote…
Toll-Free Hassle
As a freelance reviewer for the Houston Press, Mike Smith listens to a lot of music. Unfortunately for him, much of his listening is done while he’s on hold for the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s customer service phone line. Not only does the music selection get a thumbs-down (it’s…
Messed Around
Ray, director Taylor Hackford’s 15-years-in-the-making biography of Ray Charles, begins as you might hope: with 1959’s “What’d I Say (Part 1)” pulsing on the soundtrack, the organ’s low moans building toward that familiar, funky frenzy. It almost serves as an early climax, a bracing thrill served up before a word…
The Shocking Truth
It wasn’t supposed to end this way: one man dead, almost a dozen shots fired and three officers badly shaken. Tairon Gray was supposed to allow deputies to take him to the county psychiatric center. And if he didn’t, well…they had a Taser. But when Gray pulled a butcher knife,…
Icky, Icky, Icky
Even before the movie begins, as the New Line logo is still coalescing on a dark screen, a man speaks on the soundtrack. He’s talking about reincarnation and about what he would do if his wife, named Anna, were to die and return as a bird insisting it was indeed…