They’re Getting Warmer…
The most frequent suggestion for improving the quality of Texas wines is for Texas winegrowers to plant grape varietals more suited to their respective climates rather than just growing Chardonnay and Cabernet grapes whose wines are popular in the marketplace. To that end, Block Distributing’s wine expert Woody de Luna recently held a Warm Climate…
Independence Day
Independence Day 1996, PG-13, 145 min. D: Roland Emmerich; with Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum. I thought the tagline for ID4 – “Don’t Make Plans for August” – was pretty catchy until I saw the film and realized that something more along the tongue-in-cheek lines of “An Irwin Allen Production” might have been more…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The Boeing 707 was built in the late 1950s to compete with Britain’s Comet jetliner. Al Capone was afraid of hypodermic needles, even when it came to getting a penicillin injection to cure his syphilis, the disease that eventually led to his mental and physical decline and death. According to Sherlock Holmes, the only person…
Tune in to Tapas
Louie’s 106 106 E. Sixth St., 476-2010 Mon.-Thu. 10:15am-10pm; Fri. 10:15am-11pm;Sat. 5:15pm-11pm; Sun 5:15pm-9:30pm The single best piece of advice I ever received about Spain came from my third cousin Maria, who told me “When in doubt, head for the nearest bar.” The subject at hand was food, and Maria — my stepfather’s second cousin’s…
Knocks at My Door
Knocks at My Door 1994, NR, 105 min. Directed by Alejandro Saderman, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Veronica Oddo, Elba Escobar, Juan Carlos Gene, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Frank Spano. Two Catholic nuns, Sisters Ana and Ursula, find their faith put to the ultimate test when they decide to help a desperate fugitive –…
Coach’s Corner
Notes at 9,120 feet: The air’s pretty thin up here. It got me thinking, how clearly is hard to say…. Tennis: An unmistakable, disturbing feeling, festering since the U.S. Open, is now apparent for all to see. Sadly, very sadly, Monica Seles, whom I remember as the most exciting, powerful force in woman’s tennis only…
Butthole Surfer Watch!
Yes, I’m still keeping my eye on the Butthole Surfers. Hey, when’s the last time an Austin act had the number one Modern Rock track in the country for three weeks running? Besides, I had to check out their San Antonio show this weekend to make sure they were serious about that Austin Music Hall…
Harriet the Spy
Harriet the Spy 1996, PG, 110 min. Directed by Bronwen Hughes, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Vanessa Lee Chester, Gregory Smith, Eartha Kitt. Harriet the Spy is a clever movie that mixes a Sixties pop spy tempo and decidedly retro film speed manipulation with updated cultural and ideological icons…
Day Trips
The Guenther House provides the perfect excuse for a field trip to the Pioneer Flour Mill in San Antonio. The company’s founding millwright’s stone house between the San Antonio River and the giant factory offers an afternoon of history, shopping, and fine dining in a park-like setting. Carl Guenther immigrated from Germany to the United…
June 18, 1996: Aguascalientes in La Realidad, Chiapas
The following excerpted interview — the full text of which can be found on the Chronicle’s web site, / — was originally broadcast on the radio in Chiapas, Mexico. KOOP Radio 91.7 FM will rebroadcast this interview in Spanish on Sunday, July 21 at 4pm, and in English on Tuesday, July 23 at 5pm. Eduardo…
Frisk
Frisk 1996, NR, 83 min. Directed by Todd Verow, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Michael Gunther, Craig Chester, Parker Posey, James Lyons, Alexis Arquette, Raoul O’Connell, Jaie Laplante. This experimental film portrait of sadism, sexual compulsion, and murder based on the 1991 novel by Dennis Cooper has been sparking heated controversy and dividing…
Page Two
It is still light when, stuck in the sludge of another thick, hot, Texas summer evening, I start moving in slow motion, almost wishing I still lived the kind of life where this heat called for slow but serious and steady drinking. When I first moved to Texas — and for many years after –…
Lean, Mean, and Smoking!
Maybe we’ll just run over and backdoor it at 101X,” says Kris McKay, literally moments after she’s laid down the final vocals to her latest recording. McKay on Austin’s alternative rock station? Who would have thought? Yet because three years ago, McKay herself didn’t know whether she’d ever make it into a studio again, who…
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick 1995, NR, 93 min. Directed by Todd Robinson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Granted, this documentary about the life and career of filmmaker William A. Wellman may be tough to sell to anyone apart from film buffs. But, come to think of it, Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick is…
Kris Mckay
Things That Show (Shanachie) Kris McKay is something to behold. She’s shiny. It’s in her voice, songs, and soul. She has a unique, rock-solid confidence that not only transcends the mortal coil, but could obliterate all evidence of its previous existence if it so chose. But it doesn’t. McKay is no small fan of human…
Also Playing
Friday: Derailers, Broken Spoke; Charlie Burton, Flipnotics; Gals Panic, MU330, Liberty Lunch Saturday: Little Jack Melody, Cactus Cafe Sunday: Monte Montgomery, Saxon Pub Monday: Scabs, Steamboat Tuesday: Voodoo Glow Skulls, Youth Brigade, Emo’s Wednesday: Tomas Ramirez, Pearl’s Thursday: Seela, Flipnotics
Stealing Beauty
Stealing Beauty 1996, R, 119 min. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Liv Tyler, Sinead Cusack, Jeremy Irons, Jean Marais, Donal Mccann, D.w. Moffett, Stefania Sandrelli, Rachel Weisz. Bertolucci returns to his native Italian soil for the first time in 15 years, and the result is a gorgeous albeit fairly…
Live Shots
THE PLIMSOULS Liberty Lunch, June 28 From Peter Case’s “It’s great to be here” after almost every song and Clem Burke’s fondness for climbing on his drums to the extended live version of The Hit (“A Million Miles Away”), the Plimsouls sure were well-versed in Seventies and early Eighties arena rock concert clich�s. And this…
Something’s Cooking
It’s a less-than- auspicious night in the recording studio. Seela finds herself at wit’s end in efforts to commit vocal tracks to “The Question of You,” her contribution to a forthcoming CD compilation of Austin musicians as Prince cover artists. Despite cutting and recutting, something isn’t quite right. Frustration looms in the air like fog.…
Courage Under Fire
Courage Under Fire 1996, R, 125 min. Directed by Edward Zwick, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty, Matt Damon, Regina Taylor, Scott Glenn, Seth Gilliam. Courage Under Fire, director Edward Zwick’s (Legends of the Fall, Glory) latest feature (an Austin-based production), begins with a CNN…
Jale
Emo’s Wednesday, July 17 Several years ago, when eager major label scouts were frantically searching for the “next Seattle,” one of the most unlikely scenes they stumbled across was in Halifax, Nova Scotia. And because female bands were another source of hype bordering on the carnivorous, Jale, four gals from Halifax, should’ve been a double…
Searching the Couch Pillows
It’s not too sexy, but it must be done. It’s the $1.2 billion draft policy budget, the city manager’s proposal for the 1996-97 fiscal year, which councilmembers will deliberate, probe, and pound their head against for the next two months, ending with some sort of compromised acceptance in September. Suicide is optional. Every year the…
Phenomenon
Phenomenon 1996, PG, 126 min. Directed by Jon Turtletaub, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall. As popular entertainment goes, Phenomenon is a “no-brainer.” It tells the story of what happens when George Malley (Travolta) — an average Northern Californian guy who fixes cars for a living,…
Black Artisan’s Market
Tribes, the multidisciplinary cooperative and support network for local black artists, is hosting an open-air market for black artists at the Passon House, East 12th & Comal, and is looking for fine artists, artisans, designers, and vendors to exhibit. The grounds of this historic East Austin home can accommodate 15 10′ X 10′ booths for…
Not a Drop to Drink
Schlitterbahn was packed to the gills. The Comal River was filled with overheated visitors in inner tubes. The Spring Fed Pool in Landa Park was jammed. Parking was nearly impossible. Which is to say that it was a typically hot summer day in July. And New Braunfels, being the best place to cool off for…
Getting the Look
Every drama takes place somewhere, somewhen. The playwright may not describe a setting, may make no mention of the season or the day or the country in which the action of the play unfolds, but as long as there is action, the play is grounded in time and space. Which means that when the play…
The Politics of Alliances
I was in the middle of organizing the Nahualli Festival in Austin, when I suddenly received an invitation to travel to Chiapas where I was to conduct a radio interview with the Sup, as people have affectionately nicknamed the Insurgent Subcommander Marcos of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. My departure date came at the…
One Year on Sixth Street Anniversary
Various Artists Artworks ongoing display When you walk into a gallery — or any building, for that matter — you instantly and somewhat unconsciously begin to form a notion of what happens there, who does it, and whether it meshes with your immediate purpose. When I entered Artworks gallery, I did this and nearly walked…
Eat Good, Do Good!
It’s the dry season in Chiapas, Mexico, and the usual stores of the previous year’s maize crop are at an all-time low. Last year’s cycle of planting and harvesting was disrupted by the Mexican military invasion of the Lacandon Jungle, and the ongoing presence of 60,000 federal troops in Southeastern Chiapas severely inhibits the area’s…
“Z” Is for Zine
You’ve all seen the RE/Search series of books, RE/Search series of books, haven’t you? Those guides to various facets of pop culture, often burdened with adjective-heavy titles? Unless you were living in a mall when they came out, you saw the huddled masses demanding that their local video mart begin carrying the full Ed Wood…
June 18, 1996: Aguascalientes in La Realidad, Chiapas
(full-text transcript) Eduardo Vera: June 18, 1996. We are in Aguascalientes in La Realidad, Chiapas. It is an honor to be here with Insurgent Subcommander Marcos of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. We want to thank you very much for the opportunity you have given us to interview you today. Subcomandante Marcos: Well yes,…
Introducing a New Staying Negative Support Group
In the last year, AIDS Services of Austin (ASA) has pioneered in the area of offering support services for HIV-negative gay and bisexual men in and around the AIDS epidemic. The Staying Negative Program of ASA continues to provide support groups for HIV-negative men, supplying a safe place to come together and discuss how they…
Off the Desk:
“Sore losing.” That’s what City Councilmember Daryl Slusher calls the round of depositions recently undertaken by the law partner of Jeff Hart, whom Slusher defeated in last month’s Place One race. Hart’s partner, John Cardwell, put Scott Henson, one of Slusher’s former campaign dirt-diggers, and Scott Royder, a Sierra Club member, through hours of rigorous…
Cold Hearted
The heat index is 106deg. and I don’t want to go outside, so I’ve decided to search for the heart of my house. It’s not the breaker panel. It’s not the water heater. It’s not under the sofa where all the dogs’ hair collects. I finally discover it; it’s the refrigerator. I should’ve known. I…
Tunnel Vision
And now, a flashback: “Many observers feel that, despite the years of dreaming about a new and improved Waller Creek, the lack of obvious sources of money and energy will always retard progress toward that goal. Or at least that the process is only at its beginning. `I’ve been around here for 20 years and…
Sat 13
Sixteen Deluxe and Enduro perform to benefit Austin Poetry Slam Team, Electric Lounge, 7:30pm. 476-FUSE. SUN 14 Esther’s Follies perform to benefit the Advanced Institute for Learning, at Esther’s Pool, 525 E. Sixth, 6:30pm. Cost is $30. 472-3395. Hyde Park Splash to benefit Shipe Park Pool, at Hyde Park Bakery & Cafe, 411 E. 43rd,…
The Prophecy
D: Gregory Widen; with Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, Viggo Mortensen,Amanda Plummer. VHS Home Video Whatever the story might be on writer/director Gregory Widen, the words “Catholic school” must be written all over his transcript. Maybe a failed priest — the fate assigned his no-charisma protagonist (Koteas), a cop by way of…
Cafe Ro
2908 Fruth, 480-9562 Mon-Fri 8am-midnight;Sat & Sun, 9am-midnight Too close to campus and the bustle of the drag for most families to buy, several of the grand old houses just east of Guadalupe around 30th Street have for years languished in stately disrepair. Ripe, in other words, for the establishment of small cafes. Enter Cafe…
Summer Supernovas
By the time Eddie Murphy made Coming to America in 1987, his supernova characteristics were obvious to just about everyone. No stable celestial being this guy. Murphy’s star is of the exploding variety, and it released great energy in films like 48HRS., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop; and then collapsed, black-hole style, in projects…
