There is a certain honor in
having Paul Ray on the cover. A notable deejay, legendary musician, and
longtime blues scene guru (I shudder to think of Ray’s reaction to that word
but I can think of no better one for his unique role), Ray is the traditional
master of ceremonies for The Austin Chronicle‘s annual Austin
Music Awards. It is especially appropriate, then, to have Ray on the cover as a
representative of KUT-FM for this story on the station and its idiosyncratic
deejays during Bill Giorda’s often-controversial, yet equally brilliant run.
Christopher Gray offers the story of KUT-FM, covering history, controversy, and
current events.
In a town where bitching rather than doing is a lifestyle choice, Ray has
always led by example, his deep love and knowledge of the music and his
dedication to preserving and presenting it in its best forms are legendary.
Whether as a performer, disc jockey, advisor, or critic, Ray’s consistency is
his taste and his integrity.
This is also an appropriate issue to have Ray on the cover because this
weekend Antone’s finishes off celebrating its 21st anniversary, with blow-out
shows on Friday and Saturday nights featuring Earl King, Ian Moore, Snooky
Pryor, Lazy Lester, Willie Smith, Calvin Jones, Hubert Sumlin, Lou Ann Barton,
Derek O’Brien, George Rains and likely a steady parade of special guests. Few
are as central as Ray to the scene defined by that club that has become the
myth that is Antone’s (on the most smoking nights, the myth doesn’t even begin
to approach the truth).
It’s a Sunday afternoon at
Book People as writers read their winning Austin Chronicle Short Story
Contest Stories. Surprisingly, the reading was packed. There were at least
twice as many people as we would have guessed in attendance. I introduced our
Production Manager Nisa Sharma, (who is leaving us as this issue finishes, and
our hearts are broken). Sharma introduced the winners, who then read their
stories. The readings were inspired and the crowd enthusiastic, according to
all reports. We would like to thank our co-sponsors 107.1 KGSR, Book People,
Salado Creek Amber Beer, and Whole Foods. Special thanks to the Chronicle
staff who made this all happen. (Besides Nisa Sharma’s departure,
proofreader Dave Cook and Promotions Director Laura Pruter have also left; we
wish them all well).
The Austin Film Society
sponsors the Quentin Tarantino Filmfest at the Dobie Theatre August 2-11. Over
10 evenings, Tarantino will share some of his favorite films from his
collection and talk about them. Judging from the list I’ve seen, this is not a
history lesson or a presentation of films that influenced Tarantino as much as
it is some films he loves to watch and talk about. There are some truly unique
choices on the list. The series is co-sponored by the Chronicle, SXSW
Film, the Dobie, and the Omni Austin Hotel. For more details see page 56. n
This article appears in July 19 • 1996 and July 19 • 1996 (Cover).