Off The Bookshelf
art + design + process + picture plane theory + x, y by Ryan McGinness Soft Skull Press, $30 paper Based in chapters titled Base, Image, Taking, Reduction, Space, Language, Identity, Dominance, Parts, Artifact, and Mirror, flatnessisgod purports to offer “a thorough exploration of the basic practice of seeing and consuming the second dimension.” In…
Second Coming
D: Steven Spielberg; with Richard Dreyfuss, Fran�ois Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Cary Guffey, Lance Henriksen. Before Steven Spielberg became a “serious filmmaker,” he made movies like Close Encounters — artfully enchanting blockbusters which whisked us through worlds of pure imagination. These otherworldly adventures — which include Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and Poltergeist…
The Dirt on Soap: a Brief History
Imagine it: You’re living in the Mediterranean region some couple of thousands of years ago; you’re hanging near a place called, say, Mount Sappo. And there’s been a big sacrifice to the local deities the night before: high priests making with the Hellenic juju, vestal virgins capering hither and yon, animals being roasted in sacred…
Haranguing the Hugos
Children of God by Mary Doria Russell Ballantine, $12.95 paper Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer Tor, $5.99 paper Distraction: A Novel by Bruce Sterling Bantam Spectra, $23.95 hard To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis Bantam, $6.50 paper Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson Tor, $6.99 paper What’s in a name? A rose,…
Pioneer Spirit
Gov. George W. Bush calls them longtime friends and colleagues, pals who are lending his presidential campaign a hand. Critics call them a Who’s Who of corporate and lobby bigwigs, solicitors who are scoring extra points with the Republican frontrunner by coordinating donations. They are Bush’s �berfundraisers, the “Pioneers.” Go ahead, snicker at the name,…
How Do You Get to Arrakis?
The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places by Brian Stableford, illustrated by Jeff White Fireside Books, $19.95 paper Science fiction fans are a weird lot. Unlike other word lovers who are reasonably certain that the author’s characters and situations don’t live independently of the book itself, spec-fic fans develop the worlds in their own minds and…
The Natural
photograph by Shelly Rutledge Sitting across a picnic table from Rob Bernard, guitarist for the Damnations TX and Prescott Curlywolf, conversing over a cold pint on an uncharacteristically cool July evening in Austin, there seemed to be only one subject to address. “I got the blond one so I could have the D. Boon model,”…
Postscripts
Looking ahead to the onslaught of fall titles that are already arriving at the Chronicle, there are many of local and state interest: Isaac’s Storm, by Erik Larson, will be out in September from Crown. It uses the Galveston hurricane of 1900, which left 8,000 people dead, to tell a story of extreme human error.…
Dancing About Architecture
The much-touted “Gloriathon” at Liberty Lunch, wherein Van Morrison’s classic rock tune “Gloria” was played by the Brooders and a few dozen of their friends for a total of 24 hours starting at 9pm Friday, ended in tragedy when hot, exhausted, and rowdy fans began setting fires around the stage and destroying equipment. A Mercedes…
Book Reviews
30: Pieces of a Novel by Stephen Dixon Henry Holt and Company, $30 hard 30: Pieces of a Novel is Stephen Dixon’s latest novel about Gould Bookbinder, the kind of character the publicists call an “everyman.” Bookbinder is like a modern-day Walter Mitty � the mundane triggers reverie, ordinary conversation becomes a quixotic rave that…
Driving and Cranking
photograph by John Anderson Meat Purveyors guitarist Bill Anderson is not expecting an invitation from the Sons of Bill Monroe anytime soon. Quite the opposite. “A bluegrass purist would probably vomit if he saw me playing guitar,” he says. “I don’t see how we could be a totally traditional bluegrass band in this day and…
About AIDS
In an interesting development on the prevention front, an article in the latest issue of the journal Biologicals says that the smooth coating applied to aspirin tablets and other common medicines actually has antimicrobial effects itself. The compound, cellulose acetate phthalate kills HIV, herpes virus, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, and chancroid, both in the test tube…
The Meat Purveyors
More Songs About Buildings and Cows (Bloodshot) “Wacky” isn’t quite the word one should use to describe the Meat Purveyors. They’re not Lucille Ball, Chris Farley, or Ween, though one suspects they might enjoy such comparisons. This Austin quartet has a unique sense of humor that is certainly out there (somewhere), and on their second…
Coach’s Corner
Let’s define the term choking, as in, “Did you see what Norman did yesterday? What a choke job!” The American Heritage Dictionary defines the common choke job in relation to sports thusly: “To fail to perform effectively because of nervous agitation or tension — to have difficulty in breathing, swallowing, or speaking.” You don’t have…
Texas Platters
More Than a Feeling (Shockorama) BOB SCHNEIDER Songs Sung and Played on Guitar at the Same Time (Shockorama) As befits their standing as Austin’s most popular band, the Scabs have become something of a local cottage industry. Last year’s live-in-the-studio debut, Freebird, and this year’s follow-up, More Than a Feeling, have been both big bandstand…
Day Trips
The sights of central Arkansas are uniquely beautiful. photograph by Gerald E. McCleod The name “Scenic Highway 7” isn’t quite enough to get me to drive to Arkansas. But seeing it described as one of the most scenic drives in America was too strong a lure for me to ignore. I swallowed the moniker hook,…
Take the Money and Run
While the Dems are scrambling to catch up, Bush continues his stump across the country. Getting to Iowa, New Hampshire, Maine, and California with a huge entourage is expensive. While a complete figure isn’t broken down in the expense report, it’s clear that the campaign has spent at least $1 million on travel and travel-related…
Page Two
The weekend of the first Woodstock, I had to work late on Friday. By the time we were ready to go, much later that night, friends had already returned, warning us of the endless traffic jams and seas of dirt. A very large, very loose group of us were going in several shifts. None of…
Where Bush Is Banking on Votes
State Primary Allocation thru June 30 California 157,109.08 Texas 86,811.57 Connecticut 46,397.01 Pennsylvania 28,627.10 Florida 25,767.65 D.C. 24,778.31 Iowa 18,307.12 Michigan 15,770.98 New Hampshire 15,016.32 Massachusetts 13,931.98 South Carolina 13,400.03 Illinois 13,218.29 Virginia 10,147.32 Georgia 8,791.04 Arizona 6,355.69 Missouri 3,082.14 Maine 2,734.00 New York 2,550.56 Alaska 1,861.65 Ohio 1,669.21 North Carolina 1,083.51 New Jersey 880.66…
Public Notice
Mmmmmmmmm, Austin, what a babe of a summer you have offered up this year — delicious, dripping with dew and wrapped up with warm summer breezes. It’s been a “Grazing in the Grass” kind of languid kind of “Soulful Strut” kind of sprawl out on the lawn and talk to the moon kind of season.…
Double Vision
So it’s likely that the council will, as one source put it, punt. Adopt the EDAW plan, and save the potentially contentious details for later. One set of details you can expect them to work on tonight is the funding and size of the project; projected overruns in the size of the backstage support area…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The laser rifles used in Lost in Space were later reused by Mr. Freeze in the Batman TV series. At funerals in ancient China, when the lid of the coffin was closed, mourners took a few steps backward so their shadows would not get caught inside. The largest known kidney stone weighed 1.36 kg. According…
Something for Nothing?
Okay, old-timers, let’sget one thing straight right now. The Austin Convention Center is a wonderful place and a great boon to our city. Kirk Watson says so. Even Daryl Slusher says so. We have been wrong all these years. We must repent. Repeat softly to yourselves, “I love my Convention Center.” Do it now. Now.…
Automat
Vespaio 1610 S. Congress, 441-6100 Tue-Sun, 5:30-10:30pm (bar open at 5pm) Vespaio is the latest innovative Italian effort from local chef Alan Lazarus. In its short history, the South Austin eatery has garnered considerable attention for creative and well-balanced Italian dishes. The menu also features a deep selection of grilled entrees, wood-oven pizzas, inventive pasta…
Naked City
The move is hardly a coup d’�tat, but still news of the Planning Commission’s decision to have chairwoman Betty Baker and vice chair Art Navarro swap jobs Tuesday night, was met with surprise and more than a little grumbling yesterday. Baker, elected chairwoman in a split vote last year, was blindsided by the commission’s decision…
The Dreaded Broccoli Cookbook
by Tamar and Barbara Haspel Simon & Schuster, $23 hard A familiar rant about food writing is that it lacks voice, personality, charisma, oomph. It is either academically dry or carries the annoying pomp of a cheerleader. Health food writers, especially, are notoriously downright dull, dull, dull. We imagine them awful dinner companions, perfect proponents…
Scanlines
D: Joseph H. Lewis (1955) with Cornel Wilde, Lee Van Cleef, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, Earl Holliman. Detective Leonard Diamond (Wilde) has an axe to grind with mobster Mr. Brown (Conte) but lacks hard evidence to pin on him. Under pressure to wrap up the investigation, Diamond becomes more determined to nail Brown…
Articulations
You know the saying “It doesn’t rain but it pours”? Well, you can apply it to the Austin arts as easily as anything else. Whenever the local arts scene sees a big change in personnel at one organization, it’s almost never an isolated event. Shortly after the news of that breaks, another area arts organization…
Food-o-File
If you haven’t driven FM2222 in a few years, you’re in for a surprise because it’s no longer just the scenic winding road to the lake. These days, it’s a busy neighborhood thoroughfare serving an ever-growing number of upscale residential developments, shopping centers, and new restaurants. While sitting through five changes of the traffic light…
Short Cuts
The distribution story of the summer is still The Blair Witch Project, which this weekend opens on an additional 1,000 screens across the U.S. and Canada. Amazingly, the low-budget horror movie (which opened on July 16 exclusively on 27 screens, including Austin’s Dobie Theatre) set higher attendance numbers on its second weekend of distribution than…
Esther’s All-Stars
photos by Todd V. Wolfson If Yankee Stadium is “the house that Ruth built,” then Esther’s Pool must be “the funhouse that Shannon and Michael built.” In the same way that tens of thousands of New Yorkers still stream north from Manhattan to watch their beloved Bronx Bombers decades after Ruth’s legendary tenure, so do…
Shoal Creek Saloon
909 N. Lamar, 474-0805 In Louisiana culture, there’s a mostly male social institution and real estate phenomenon commonly known as “The Camp.” Somewhere between a remote house trailer and ice-fishing shack, The Camp sits at least 30 minutes from civilization on some body of water (river, lake, or mostly liquid marsh) and consists of a…
Color Television
Television was busy last week. The death of John F. Kennedy Jr. launched a week of near-nonstop network news coverage, from the news of his missing plane to the memorial service following his burial at sea. The 1999 Emmy Award nominations were announced, with HBO and other cable networks making a better-than-fair showing. And finally,…
Exhibitionism
Sheffield Hillside Theatre, through August 15 Running time: 2 hrs, 45 min “Persons attempting to find a plot will be shot by order of the author, Mark Twain.” This tongue-in-cheek warning in the playbill for this year’s Zilker Theatre Productions summer musical suggests that in place of a strong narrative, audiences should sit back as…
Stuffed to the Gills
6519 N. Lamar, 302-3149 Mon-Fri, 11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm; Sun, noon-9pm For want of a better marker, Korea Garden is directly across North Lamar from the Yellow Rose. Not that I’ve ever frequented the popular strip joint (though I probably wouldn’t turn down a VIP pass if they sent me one), but most Austinites know its location.…
Coming Clean
53rd & Martin Sarah Nitsch, a former body-care buyer for Wheatsville Co-op, makes several different kinds of soap for Natural Magic, the store she runs with her business partner, Cedar Stevens. Sarah arrives at the store — carrying a lunch of breakfast tacos and entering her domain like a brunette whirlwind — minutes after I…
