Best of Austin 2002Readers PollArts & EntertainmentBest Annual Fundraiser: Junior League: A Christmas Affair It's hard to find an excuse not to patronize one of the more than 300 vendors who set up shop at the Junior League's annual fundraiser. The event supports a group that looks out for practically every demographic through their work with local charities like SafePlace and the Humane Society, and Junior League's own projects, like Coats for Kids and the Town Lake Park Project. Junior League, 5416 Parkcrest #100, 454-7518 www.juniorleague.org Best Art Gallery: Women & Their Work Rest assured that you will not sprout ovaries, suffocate on estrogen, or suffer any other unfortunate side effects if you happen to set foot in this popular nonprofit gallery. However, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the varied talent that you will find, in which case swooning is guaranteed. Sponsoring events that include film, music, literature, and dance, Women & Their Work has promoted artists (who happen to be female) for the past 24 years. 1710 Lavaca, 477-1064 www.womenandtheirwork.org Best Author/Poet: Kinky Friedman
The 1986 release of Texas native Kinky Friedman's first crime detective novel, Greenwich Killing Time, marked the start of a literary career that now totals 18 books. Not only is he Austin's favorite author, but he is apparently something upon which ex-prez Bill Clinton and current chief Bush Jr. agree. Both just love Friedman's main character, the cowboy-hat-wearin', cigar-chompin' cat named ? Kinky, whose adventures have been translated into 16 languages (including Japanese, whose readers, as per custom, read the novels back to front -- a hell of a way to read a mystery, in our opinion). Look for a book tour this fall for his brand new novel, Meanwhile Back at the Ranch. Kinky Friedman Campaign Headquarters '06, 701 E. Ben White, 326-5465 www.kinkyfriedman.com Best Classical Musician: TIE: Peter Bay; Graham Reynolds With the more classical classical purveyed by conductor Bay and his Austin Symphony Orchestra, and the classical tangents and innovations of Reynolds' Golden Arm Trio (next scoring an entire modern opera about a witch, for Pete's sake …), it's no wonder these fierce talents are fit to be tied. Peter Bay: Austin Symphony Orchestra, 1101 Red River, 476-6064; Graham Reynolds: Golden Arm Trio, 773-4653 www.austinsymphony.org; www.goldenarmtrio.net Best Comedy Club: Esther's Pool Esther's Pool is that snazzy building adorned by Doug Jaques' exquisite "underwater" murals at the corner of Sixth & Red River. The main attraction here, of course, is the legendary Esther's Follies. While taking in a night of ribaldry at Austin's fave club of yucks, here are some important things to remember: 1) Get there early – seats fill up fast at this wacky club. Plus, the pre-show entertainment is not to be missed. 2) The front section is only for the bravest of heart willing to be a part of the show. 3) Go to the bathroom beforehand. Laughter of this magnitude can cause bladder mishaps. After all, they wouldn't swim in your toilet … 525 E. Sixth, 320-0553 www.esthersfollies.com Best Comic/Improv Group: TIE: Esther's Follies, Mr. Sinus Theater
Austin loves her spoofsters. Esther's Follies, with its ripped-from-the-headlines take on Texas life and politics keeps the crowds comin' after 25 years. Relative newcomers, Mr. Sinus Theater, a local live spoof of the spoof Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show, takes cult films and recent releases alike and skewers them from the comfy vantage point of their seats in the front row of the Alamo Drafthouse. Esther's Pool, 525 E. Sixth, 320-0553; Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, www.esthersfollies.com Best Dance Company: Ballet Austin Studio While Ballet Austin offers some great classics -- the year will mark the 40th anniversary of the company's presentation of The Nutcracker – it's also en pointe with the daringly creative. Look forward to next season's full-length, non-narrative work in the debut of Touch, a live music and multimedia extravaganza. 3002 Guadalupe, 476-9051; 501 W. Third, 476-9051 www.balletaustin.org Best Dance Music Club: Texture
Take one huge dance floor, add an array of lights that can be timed to swirl with the beat. Top it all off with resident DJs like Lance Cashion, Merrick Brown, DJ Tats, DJ Mel, and others, and the hottest booking acts in town, and you've got Texture, the entertainment district's most popular place to dance the night away. www.textureaustin.com Best Dancer (Fine Arts): Deborah Hay
A choreographic visionary so committed to her art that every cell of her body vibrates with dance. Given her international renown, so recently celebrated in the reunion tour of Judson School choreographers in which she danced a duet with Mikhail Baryshnikov, and this year's acknowledgment of her long local career by the Austin Critics Table with her induction into the first class of Austin Arts Hall of Fame, it seems only natural that readers should select this gracious, playful movement artist as their 2002 fave. Deborah Hay Dance Company, 1703 Alta Vista, 707-2512 www.deborahhay.com Best Friendly Bar: TIE: The Dog & Duck Pub; Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon Ginny's has the charm of a Texas small-town bar where locals hang to drink, hear the band, and discuss simple matters. The Dog & Duck caters to the pub hounds who like beer, darts, and good company. Each place greets you with a smile, and soon feels as cozy and warm as your favorite old sweatshirt. The Dog & Duck Pub, 406 W. 17th, 479-0598; Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon, 5434 Burnet Rd., 458-1813 www.dogandduckpub.com; www.musicroom.org/ginnys/ Best Gay/Lesbian Hangout: Oilcan Harry's
Before the warehouse district became oh-so-trendy, there was Oilcan Harry's. Our readers know that the tidy lads at Oilcan's have had it goin' on for quite some time. Hey, they've been winning this category for almost as long as we've had a poll. 211 W. Fourth, 320-8823 www.oilcanharrys.com Best Jukebox: Casino el Camino
Another dull Saturday evening? Maybe it's time to head over to Casino el Camino, the place where on any given night, you can find Chuck Berry, the Ramones, Mudhoney, the Propellerheads, Marvin Gaye, Big Mama Thornton, Fugazi, and friends whipping fans into a frenzy. Well okay, fine, it's just a jukebox, but it happens to be your most beloved jukebox in all of Austin. 517 E. Sixth, 469-9330 www.casinoelcamino.net Best Live Music Acoustics: Stubb's From the manic chaos of Snoop Dogg to Lucinda Williams' songs of heartache and desire, there is no better place than Stubb's to hear it. Dishing out cold drinks and hot music (not to mention their legendary barbecue), Stubb's showcases local talent as beautifully as world-class acts in a distinctly Austin venue. 801 Red River, 480-8341 www.stubbsaustin.com Best Live Music Venue: The Backyard The Live Oak Amphitheater has played host to everyone from Willie Nelson to Bonnie Raitt to Counting Crows to Stevie Ray. Nestled at the joint of Highways 71 & 620, the Backyard offers a surreal yet beautiful concert setting to crowds of up to 5,000. Just recently, the venue had a makeover, adding a food court, landscaping, and bars aplenty. 13101 Hwy. 71 W., 263-4146 www.thebackyard.net Best Movie Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse Dinner and a movie. Such a common phrase ... such a common date. Alamo Drafthouse puts the two together and takes the concept more than a few notches higher. Their genius programming (Mr. Sinus, Spike & Mike, Butt-Numb-a-Thon, not to mention first-run mega-hits at the north location) has taken the Alamo from local novelty to local icon in no time. 2700 W. Anderson, 459-7090; 1120 S. Lamar, 707-8262; 320 E. Sixth, 476-1320 www.originalalamo.com Best Museum: Austin Museum of Art If you missed the elephant prancing about Congress, celebrating AMOA's circus-themed exhibit this past summer, you can expect further innovation to excite the senses in a perhaps less pachyderm-smelling way. AMOA continues to educate and entertain with modern and contemporary art at its current locations and now pushes forward with fundraising for the construction of a world-class facility for Fourth & Guadalupe. 823 Congress, 495-9224 www.amoa.org Best Painter/Sculptor: TIE: Ethan Azarian; Julie Speed Though he's made his own bands' fliers over the years, Ethan Azarian's style emerges from an otherwise informal art background. His resulting playful acrylic paintings combine unexpected objects in dynamic relationships, like his free-floating fruit in heavy interiors and vacant-eyed cattle among weightless houses or paintings in his In House Gallery, like Herds of Chairs, which hangs next to Nests of Sharks, which hangs next to Chairs and Sharks. Julie Speed, on the other hand, focuses on hypnotically engaging and sometimes unnerving portraits in watercolor etching. She, too, is the successful product of a self-motivated course into art: coincidence? Only Austin knows ... Ethan Azarian: www.artend.com/ethanazarian.html Best Place to Cruise Chicks/Dudes: Sixth Street Though many voted for "Anywhere but Sixth Street," somebody must be having some sort of success. Now the question is, for you lucky/beautiful/pheromonal elite, what was your strategy? Well, for the rest of us, we can remain assured that we can still cruise Sixth and expect to bump into enthusiastic partiers. between I-35 and Congress Best Place to Meet Friends After Work: Trudy's Whether you prefer the yummy Tex-Mex, the Mexican Martinis (limit two), or the great happy hour specials, Trudy's keeps you running back every time the whistle blows. Laughter and mingling from off-duty workhorses always fills this Austin hot spot. With all the ruckus, people must feel this is the perfect place to unwind, let loose, and discuss office gossip. So hooray, Trudy's, you end the day so right. 409 W. 30th, 477-2935; 8820 Burnet Rd., 454-1474; 901-C Little Texas Ln., 326-9899 www.trudys.com Best Swanky Joint: The Brown Bar Tucked downstairs from the Brown Building lofts, behind smoky glass on the corner of Eighth & Lavaca streets, the Brown Bar has become the lounge of choice for Austin's beautiful people. Maybe it's the lighting, which has that Forties feel of glamour. Or it could just be that the bartenders know how to make a mean drink -- including one of the best Mojitos in town. 201 W. Eighth, 480-8330 www.thebrownbar.com Best Theatre Actor/Actress: TIE: Lana Lesley; Caroline St. Denis
The raw talent, the polished craft, the undeniable stage presence, the occurrence of all three and more in two Austin actresses? Yes, when you're talking about the Rude Mechs' Lesley or Ms. Instant Waterworks St. Denis lighting up stages all across the city. Lana Lesley: Rude Mechanicals, The Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo, 476-7833; Caroline St. Denis: Acclaim Talent, 4100 Manchaca, 416-9222 www.rudemechs.com; www.acclaimtalent.com Best Theatre Company: Rude Mechanicals “Like most actors, we all had a background in Shakespeare,” says Sarah Richardson, one of five artistic directors in Rude Mechanicals. “And it was way back in the dark ages in 1995 when we thought we would end up being a Shakespearean troupe.” Their company’s name is plucked from a quote by Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, regarding people who labor by day and act by night. When Rude Mechanicals began at the Off Center (a space they now run), the actors were exactly that. Now the collective performs exclusively new work, like their original off-Broadway hit adaptation of Greil Marcus' Lipstick Traces, here and on the road, across the U.S. The Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo, 476-7833 www.rudemechs.com Best Theatre Director: Shawn Sides It takes some heavy gray matter and not a little blood, toil, tears, and sweat to wrangle Kirk Lynn's complex scripts onto an audience-thrilling stage with the Rude Mechanicals, and this director's got all of that in spades. Actors, dancers, musicians, set designers, light techs – she brings them together under one Off Center roof, and the pyrotechnics fly. Rude Mechanicals, 2211-A Hidalgo, 476-7833 www.rudemechs.com Best Theatre Space: Paramount Theatre Nowhere else in Austin compares to our precious Paramount. Whether it's a Rosalind Russell redux, a Mel Brooks melee, or live musicals from Austin's finest – not to mention the double cocktail you can order at the bar to sip during your viewing and listening orgy – the theatre experience offered to audiences here in this lovingly restored opera house is unparalleled. 713 Congress, 472-5470 www.paramountsummerfilms.com Best Video/DVD Rental: Vulcan Video So in a film town rolling in reels, what distinguishes one great video/DVD rental center from the others? In most places, you could certainly make a case for selection -- as usually is the case of these "best of" city things: The "artier" and more adventurous places get chosen. But Austin has a number of arty, adventurous rental joints. So what is it that puts Vulcan over the top year after year after year? May we venture to guess? We vote (as we bet our readers did) for Vulcan's staff. Not only are they knowledgeably swimming in that sea of celluloid, but they are darned nice to boot. Chalk another one up for Austin's Best Video/DVD Rental sweethearts. 609 W. 29th, 478-5325; 112 W. Elizabeth, 326-2629; 13729 Hwy 183 North Ste. 620, 512-996-0377 www.vulcanvideo.com |
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