Mad Max
Mad Max 1979, R, 93 min. Directed by George Miller, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne. This strange apocalyptic revenge movie is the exciting original that got the whole series (and Mel Gibson) rolling.
The Palm Beach Story
The Palm Beach Story 1942, NR, 90 min. D: Preston Sturges; with Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea. Sturges on the importance of money, sex, and guns – not necessarily in that order. Colbert plays yet another runaway heroine (a role she trademarked) in a screwball comedy, but with Sturges’ usual subversive spin, she’s running away from…
Postscripts
Why is Congress Avenue Booksellers closing?
The Naked Gym Ape
Stuart Prestidge wades into the exotic jungle of the Corporate Gym and surveys its creatures.
From the Vaults
George Clinton, Austin Music Hall, 1997 Another SXSW must-see, George Clinton has never been anything less than electrifying and often nothing but unpredictable. Talk about your showmen, Clinton wrote the book.
Whole Foods: Facts and Figures
Whole Foods Revenues by Quarter (In Millions of Dollars)Month; Net Income; Profit Margin; Total Revenue Sept. ’99; *5.5; *1.5%; 375.2 June ’99; 12.1; 3.2%; 377.6 March ’99; 11.6; 3.2%; 358.9 Dec. ’98; 13.0; 2.8%; 456.2 Sept. ’98; 11.1; 3.4%; 326.2 * Reflects one-time charges associated with launch of WholePeople.com. Whole Foods Revenues by Year (In…
Off the Bookshelf
The Devil’s Cup Coffee, the Driving Force in History by Stewart Lee Allen Soho Press, 256 pp., $26 This devoted book of pilgrimage — part travelogue, part history lesson — traces coffee’s role through the ages and comes up with a theory: Nearly every event in world history was directly influenced by the bean, and…
From the Vaults
You’ve seen them in the nightclubs and at concerts: press photographers. Like the music writers they often accompany, these equipment-laden men and women spend countless nights standing in dark, smoky rooms and phosphorescent arenas waiting for their shot. When it occurs, they’re not assured its capture; even with the advent of digital cameras, getting one…
From the Vaults
Steel Pulse, Austin Opera House, mid-Eighties With their throbbing rhythms and irresistible chants, Steel Pulse was a perennial favorite with Austin audiences. Check that hair. Whew.
Hitting the Bottleneck
The Texas Department of Transportation tries to fix bottleneck project.
Off the Bookshelf
Half Life by Hal Clement Tor, 256 pp., $23.95 Science fiction writers don’t become legends by accident; they do it through dogged determination, skill, and grand ideas. And Hal Clement (aka Harry C. Stubbs) has all three in his latest book Half Life. Sure, parts of it read like a college biochem lab report, which…
From the Vaults
Joe Ely & Carl Perkins, Club Foot, early Eighties By this time, Joe Ely had already taken the Clash by storm and was considered one of the prime exporters of Texas music culture. No wonder rockabilly king Carl Perkins brought him onstage to perform.
From the Vaults
The Neville Brothers & Wild Tchoupitoulas, Club Foot, 1983 Yet another act to cross over from the Armadillo to Antone’s to Club Foot, no Nevilles show was complete without an appearance from their tribe, the Wild Tchoupitoulas. When they threatened to “stomp some romp,” they did so with rhythmic chants and brilliantly colored costumes.
On the Road Again
Here are the highlights of the I-35 bottleneck plan, as it currently stands. Southbound: 1 Close the entrance ramp at Hancock and 381/2 St. 2 Turn the 26th St. exit into a 32nd St. entrance. 3 Revamp the 26th St. entrance into a Manor Rd. exit. 4 Build an auxiliary lane from 32nd St. to…
Isn’t She Great
Isn’t She Great 2000, R, 95 min. Directed by Andrew Bergman, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing, John Cleese. Great fortunes are often built on the simplest of realizations. For mega-bestselling 1960s novelist Jacqueline Susann, the key insight was that, as fabulous as orgasms are,…
Off the Bookshelf
“I Remain in Darkness” by Annie Ernaux, translated by Tanya Leslie Seven Stories Press, 128 pp., $18.95 In A Woman’s Story (1991), Ernaux wrote a spare and lovely account of her mother’s life and eventual death from Alzheimer’s. In her newest slim volume, Ernaux revisits her mother’s last years in the form of diary entries.…
From the Vaults
Sonic Youth, La Zona Rosa, 1998 Every year, South by Southwest presents at least one must-see showcase — and in ’98, it was Sonic Youth’s packed house at La Zona Rosa. Kim Gordon’s sneer, Thurston Moore in mid-ecstasy, and Snoopy pose a classic shot.
From the Vaults
James Brown, Club Foot, 1982 Although it was primarily known as a punk venue, shows like this one put Club Foot on par with Antone’s. This is how you want to remember James Brown — in all his soulful, glistening glory.
Naked City
thomas “hollywood” henderson pulls out of council race, county democratic clubs offer candidates endorsements, linda curtis is at it again.
Play it to the Bone
Play it to the Bone 2000, R, 126 min. Directed by Ron Shelton, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jack Carter, Richard Masur, Robert Wagner, Lucy Liu, Tom Sizemore, Lolita Davidovich, Antonio Banderas, Woody Harrelson. If any Tom, Dick, or Harry off the street had directed this movie, it would have to be acknowledged…
Off the Bookshelf
Burr, Hamilton and Jefferson A Study in Character by Roger G. Kennedy Oxford University Press, 476 pp., $30 Roger G. Kennedy sets out to “restore Aaron Burr to his place among the pantheon of the Founders,” and apparently borrows Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary” as his method. Kennedy attacks the poor historiography surrounding Burr…
From the Vaults
Iggy Pop, Sixth Street, 1996 The lust for life is never quenched for Iggy Pop. When the fiftysomething rocker played the Sixth & Brazos outdoor stage at SXSW in 1996, he upstaged bands less than half his age.
From the Vaults
Lucinda Williams, Antone’s, 1998 Williams’ gig at Antone’s on a hellish July night is still talked about as one of those “you shoulda been there” nights. She played for nearly three hours and every moment was golden. You shoulda been there.
Naked City
The Colorado River Park plan enters its final stages, but several details, including the relocation of a bike path and a proposed environmental assessment, have to be worked out.
Down to You
Down to You 2000, PG-13, 90 min. Directed by Kris Isacsson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, Zak Orth, Shawn Hatosy, Rosario Dawson, Henry Winkler, Lucie Arnaz. This, then, is the death of the teen comedy. While advance trailers have made Down to You out to be…
Second Helpings: Japanese
Tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were compiled by Chronicle food writer Mick Vann. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here. Shogun 1807 Slaughter Ln., Ste. 225, 292-1580 Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Mon-Sat, 5:30-10pm Shogun is the far-South option for lovers of…
Local Bestsellers
Local bestsellers are based on recent sales at Austin bookstores selected to reflect varied reading interests.
From the Vaults
Willie Dixon, Club Foot, 1983 He was one of the chairmen of the board, Willie Dixon. He defined Chicago blues merely by his presence, and his regal stance is captured here.
From the Vaults
John Prine & Steve Goodman, Paramount Theatre, 1983 Before his death in the mid-Eighties, Steve Goodman (right) had been quite popular in the capital city. Paired at the Paramount with another locally revered singer-songwriter, John Prine, Goodman had Austin songwriters singing his praises.
Naked City
Texas Department of Housing and CommunityAffairs board members have begun questioning TDHCA staff guidelines for administering the agency’s low-income housing tax credits, which critics say are arbitrary and too subjective.
Santitos
Santitos R, 100 min. Directed by Alejandro Springall, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Maya Zapata, Ana Bertha Espin, Juan Duarte, Roberto Cobo, Alberto Estrella, Demián Bichir, Fernando Torre Lapham, Dolores Heredia. “Thank God I didn’t use Easy Off,” exclaims Esperanza (Heredia) during her confession to the parish priest about her vision of St.…
Scavenging for Home
The NATObombing of Belgrade provoked playwright Lisa D’Amour to examine the intention behind her art and reasons for being an artist.
Page Two
Hyde Park Baptist Church expansion update.
From the Vaults
John Kahn & Jerry Garcia, Austin Opera House, 1983 Well before the phrase “Deadhead” entered modern lingo, Garcia had a cult following in Austin. This show at the Opera House shows him in top form.
Dancing About Architecture
Austin versus Islam, Freedom and Justice (Records) for all, and that damn Ray Benson again.
Naked City
Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s drkoop.com, an Austin-based online pharmacy, has established close ties with a “scientific” organization widely viewed as a front for its corporate underwriters.
Articulations
The passing of Austin dancer Tamara Barrington Yaryan and opera star Irra Petina Bussey.
Public Notice
Public Notice dips deep into the well of depression, but looks on the bright side, noting that Austin is full of cool groups like the SIMS Foundation and Project Transitions, not to mention fine, compassionate people who put themselves before others.
From the Vaults
Floyd Tillman, Sixth Street, mid-Eighties Any time Floyd Tillman plays is cause to stop and listen — they don’t make country legends like this anymore.
Live Shots
Rick Treviño, Ruben Ramos, Joe Ely, AztexStubb’s, January 18-19 Big show, small room. Made bigger and/or smaller by a stage extension (for the Plexiglas-enclosed drum riser) and a second sound board in front of the downstairs bar. And hardly a soul there to see it. As a heavenly springtime breeze blew in Wednesday’s cold front,…
Naked City
Political columnist Molly Ivins and Texas House Speaker Pro Tem Tom Uher will host a fundraiser for the newly formed nonprofit Campaigns for People, which promotes reforms to Texas’ campaign system, at Threadgill’s South, 301 W. Riverside., today, Thursday, Jan. 27, from 5-7:30pm. Tickets are $15 single, $25 for two. Call 472-1007 for info, or…
Exhibitionism
Cuba by Alan PogueTexas Center for Documentary Photography, through Feb 14Timeless Exposures: Europe, New York, CubaFlatbed World Headquarters, through February 16 With the contemporary Cuban art show at the Austin Museum of Art last year, the mini-Cuban film series at the Texas Union, the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, and the controversy over Elian Gonzalez…
Day Trips
Oak Thicket Park on Lake Fayette received a complete makeover when no one was looking.
From the Vaults
Big Youth & Earl “Chinna” Smith, Club Foot, 1983 The Caribbean musicians were playing Austin heavily by the early Eighties, always mesmerizing — not to mention smokin’.
Live Shots
Tom Jones MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev., January 15 Anyone going to Las Vegas for a whiff of regal tough-guy ambience will surely be disappointed by the Disney-style mega-resorts now dominating the Strip. One glance at the minions of provincials in sweatpants robotically feeding slot machines is all it takes to lay the crazy…
Road Show
watson goes to washington to talk transportation; city backs off of terrace pud money, no settlement yet with gary bradley, city may step in to stop expansion of hyde park baptist church, council to consider retail space at csc.
Exhibitionism
The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket: Are we going to be tested on this? Auditorium on Waller Creek, through February 5 Running Time: 2 hrs, 10 min “People always grow up to be different people … better people,” the repressive teacher squawks. But nothing in this Different Stages production about a flying junior-high misfit…
After a Fashion
Reflections on Saint Laurent.
From the Vaults
Bunny Wailer, One World Music Fest, 1996 Yet another reason Austin’s tour calendar is so often “an embarrassment of riches,” Bunny Wailer brought his shamanistic rasta magic with him to the underattended yet critically adored One World Music Fest.
Live Shots
El Orbits Bingo Happy HourContinental Club, January 20 “Okay ladies and gentlemen, has anyone seen the bingo clock? It’s missing, and that’s not good.” These first words to the talkative crowd from El Orbits frontman David Beebe explained why the happy hour entertainment was behind schedule. Typically, happy hour ironically connotes dank, sunless drinking holes…
Don’t Believe the Hype
Local Digiterati on the Good, the Bad, and the Internet in Between
Mr. Smarty Pants
Two-for-one holidays in Lithuania
From the Vaults
Son Seals, Antone’s, 1999 Another name to add to the respect-o-meter, Son Seals captivates his longtime fans at Antone’s.
Live Shots
Doctor Madd Vibe, Tall, Dark & LonesomeEmo’s, January 21 With all the over-the-top humor and fervent energy he poured into his former role as vocalist/ saxophonist/stage-jumping madman for seminal punk-ska group Fishbone, Angelo Moore took the stage at Emo’s as spoken-word artist Dr. Madd Vibe. Saxophone in hand and uncounted rhymes lined up between brain…
The Participants
Sue Beckwith is former director of Austin Free-Net. Gene Crick is the president of the Texas ISP Association and director of the Texas Telecommunications Resource Center. Gary Chapman is director of the 21st Century Project at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT, and he writes the internationally syndicated newspaper column on technology and…
Book Reviews
On the Rez by Ian Frazier Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 320 pp., $25 Ian Frazier’s On the Rez fits into a tradition of Americans “going native” that goes back at least to Frank Hamilton Cushing’s account of joining the Zuni in the 1890s, The Mythic World of the Zuni. But, as Frazier focuses on the…
Coach’s Corner
Coach weighs in on UT men’s basketball (still lacks reliable offense), Super Bowk 34 (the Tennessee Titans should take it in an upset), and Bobby Phills’ fatal car crash (tragic, but it was after all his own fault, and at least he didn’t kill any innocent bystanders).
From the Vaults
Neil Young with Booker T & the MGs, Erwin Center, early Nineties Say that again one more time — Neil Young with Booker T & the MGs. Young has always been recognized for venturing into unknown territory, but teaming with the Memphis greats was truly inspired.
Live Shots
The Alvin OpryTri-County Opry House, Alvin, Texas, January 22 Even as its surroundings morphed from marshes and cane fields to the near Austin-sized developments of Clear Lake City and Sugar Land, Alvin — home of flamethrowing Texas legend Nolan Ryan — clings to its small-town morés like meat on a bone. For 10 years, Gene…
Short Cuts
Upcoming events and workshops of interest to the Austin film community.
Book Reviews
Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen Knopf, 352 pp., $25 Oh, the feeling one gets from reading Carl Hiaasen’s Sick Puppy. Somewhere in the pit of the stomach it’s like a reverse roller coaster that creeps inexorably down, down, down and then zooms up, forcing air and spittle out of your slack lips. Then it slowly…
About AIDS
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal against an insurance company’s cap on lifetime benefits for AIDS treatment.
From the Vaults
Rick Danko, Steamboat, late Eighties There was life after The Band for Rick Danko, shown here when he played Steamboat, but the fragile, fluttering-voiced tenor’s recent death seemed to mark the end of an era.
Natural Selection
Responding to market demands and consumer pressure, Whole Foods decides to banish genetically modified ingredients from its store-brand product lines.
Video Reviews
Stephen MacMillan Moser celebrates those glamorous, backstabbing, deliciously bitchy divas: Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife; Joan Crawford in the remake of that film, Harriet Craig; and Bette Davis in The Little Foxes.
Book Reviews
Neurotica: Jewish Writers on Sex edited by Melvin Jules Bukiet Norton, 352 pp., $26.95 Writing about sex is never about the act of sex itself — it’s about the politics and rituals of relationships, the awkwardness of blushing, or, some would argue, the loss and creation of the almighty self. It’s still sex, though, which…
Sated, Somewhat
North by Northwest Restaurant & Brewery 10010 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., 231-8157 Sun-Thu, 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-11pmI’ve never been much of a beer drinker, but since Texas liquor laws were changed in 1993 to allow the operation of brewpubs, I’ve enjoyed the casual ambiance and hearty bistro-style fare in several local operations. North by Northwest…
From the Vaults
Irma Thomas, Sixth Street, 1995 They don’t call her the Queen of New Orleans for nothing. Thomas has been making great music and entertaining audiences for over four decades — and still looks fabulous doing so here at the SXSW outdoor stage.
A GE Glossary
Biotechnology: General term for a wide range of agricultural, industrial, and medical technologies that make use of living organisms (such as microbes, plants, or animals) or parts of living organisms (such as isolated cells or proteins) to create new strains of organisms. Often used interchangeably with “genetic engineering.” Genetic Engineering/Genetic Modification: Process of manipulating living…
TV Eye
Two new specials focus on the Internet — one on its remarkable past, one on its potentially hazardous future; also, Showtime launches the Latino Filmmaker Showcase.
Book Reviews
Pieces of Light: A Novel by Adam Thorpe Carroll & Graf, 488 pp., $25.95 Mask and face; passion and counterfeit; man and god: The mystery of two-in-one is at the heart of ritual, religious sacrifice, and theatre. It is also the heart of the chilling and lyrical novel Pieces of Light. Beautifully layered, dense as…
Food-o-File
Cuisines editor Virginia B. Wood explains why one of Austin’s most successful 24-hour restaurants is going to college.
From the Vaults
B.B. King, Club Foot, 1982 The “King” part is no coincidence. The blues master and his queen Lucille (pictured with daddy) had already been playing Austin for several years when he visited Club Foot for the first time.
Shopping Savvy
In the age of genetically engineered foods, vegetarianism is no longer a simple choice consumers can make to save the world — or even themselves. Although many of the benefits of a meat-free diet still stand, many genetically altered crops contain the DNA of animals, ranging from moths to fish to pigs, while the majority…
Eye of the Beholder
Eye of the Beholder 1999, R, 109 min. Directed by Stephan Elliott, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd, Ann-Marie Brown, Geneviève Bujold, Jason Priestley, K.D. Lang, Patrick Bergin, Kaitlin Brown, Vlasta Vrana. It took me some time after viewing a midmorning press screening of Elliott’s (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen…
Book Reviews
In the Gloaming: Stories by Alice Elliott Dark Simon & Schuster, 288 pp., $23 The title story of Alice Elliott Dark’s second collection In the Gloaming has already received accolades and attention that other writers can only dream of. The story was published first in The New Yorker, subsequently included in Best American Short Stories…
The Sick Jock Guide
Marion Winik has discovered yet another addiction, but this time, she probably won’t quit. The Sick Jock Guide outlines her 10-step plan to late-life fitness.
From the Vaults
Jimmy Cliff, Backyard, early Nineties Even if Jimmy Cliff never has another hit, his cult classic “The Harder They Come” will remain the crossover hit that introduced the sound of the islands into America’s mainstream.
Growth Industry
The new year started grimly for Whole Foods Markets and its CEO, John Mackey. Stock prices, which had plunged to a low of $28.25 a share back in March, were stuck below $45 (from a peak of more than $70 a year before) despite steadily climbing revenues and more than a dozen new store openings…
Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2000
Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2000 2000, NR, 70 min. Directed by Julie Taymor, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Colm Feore, James Frain, Laura Fraser, Harry J. Lennix. Going on 10 years and still as vile as ever, Spike & Mike’s annual fest…
