Austin Artist Steve Brudniak Mechanical Wizardry
by Ken Hunt Steve Brudniak’s sculptures are the sort that, when subjected to description, evoke more words than necessity or accuracy require. Even summing up the dualities is something of a chore: There is the use of laborious craftsmanship on discarded or found objects, the anachronous feeling of antique design fitted with contemporary electromechanics, the…
The Second (or Third) Oldest Profession
by Andy Langer Guy Forsyth doesn’t worry about his next meal. Even if his blues became self-fulfilling, and his girlfriend and dog conspired to throw him out of the house, his band left him, and every Austin club blacklisted him, Forsyth could still take his acoustic guitar to the street, and only an hour or…
Tales From the Hood
Tales From the Hood 1995, R, 98 min. Directed by Rusty Cundieff, Starring Corbin Bernsen, Rosalind Cash, Rusty Cundieff, David Alan Grier, Anthony Griffith, Wings Hauser, Clarence Williams III. A deft, well-directed horror anthology film from the makers of last year’s hilarious Fear of a Black Hat. Cundieff weaves together a quartet of eerie urban…
Happy Days Lounge #2 Conjunto Spotlight
It’s no secret that much of Austin prefers its music rootsy. None of that achy-breaky; give us Don Walser and steel guitar. The same applies to our Tejano tastes. While synthesizer-slick and hip hop-influenced modern Tejano certainly has plenty of fans here, there are many who would rather have an old-style accordion and bajo sexto…
Show Times
Showtimes listed below start Friday, June 2 and cover the week ending Thursday, June 8. *An asterisk (*) before a title means that no passes or special admission discounts (apart from matinee discounts) will be accepted for any screening. *Parentheses indicate weekend showtimes for Saturdays and Sundays only, unless otherwise noted. *Changes may sometimes occur,…
A Chinese Odyssey II: Cinderella
A Chinese Odyssey II: Cinderella 1994, NR, 95 min. Directed by Jeff Lau, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Stephen Chow, Ng Man Tat. More outrageous fantasy and comedy from stylish director Jeff Lau and superstar goofball Stephen Chow, this second installment satisfyingly concludes the epic story line begun in the original, in addition…
Assessing Club Attendance The Dog Days of Club Doldrums
by Chris Gray Pick a club, any club. Look at it, study it, but don’t tell me what it is. Maybe it’s a club you’re familiar with, maybe not – it doesn’t matter. Get a good look at it. Now put it back in the deck. I’m going to shuffle them around, like so. Don’t…
Paying for Water
In 1990, the average monthly residential bill for 7,480 gallons of water in Austin was $17.84, second only to Houston among Texas cities, and almost double the rate of Dallas and San Antonio. But it is difficult to compare water rates between cities, according to city officials, because of complicated factors like differences in construction…
The Secret of Roan Inish
The Secret of Roan Inish 1995. Directed by John Sayles, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally, Richard Sheridan, John Lynch, Gerard Rooney, Susan Lynch, Cillian Byrne. Water moving, in ripples, in waves. It is the first image in this film, and from it we can feel that the…
Dancing About Architecture
Despite the best efforts of interviewees the Butthole Surfers, the Austin entry in the new Rolling Stone’s batch of cool/hot spots around the country (Don McLeese sends you to La Zona Rosa) comes off pretty stale (or maybe I’ve just read it all before in Details). Still, they manage to get another national plug in…
Warming Up to Growth Limits
Global warming could prove to be a major limiting factor to economic and population growth in Texas. From 1950 to 1956 Texas experienced a drought so severe that 94 percent of its counties were declared national disaster areas. Since then the state has nearly doubled in population and has depleted much of its groundwater. Add…
House Plant
Surely there are many folks around here who wish this acreage were empty, and likely many folks in the Sumiken Building (headquarters of the Electric Utility) who wish the plant were truly invisible. Unhappily, its brutal self is quite visible (and audible), squatting lakeside like a rhino at a watering hole, ugly enough to actually…
Sucking It Dry
In California they have a saying: “Water flows uphill to money.” Around the turn of the century, Los Angeles began buying up land in the Owens Valley east of the Sierra Nevada and transporting water 233 miles south by aqueduct. Farms in the Owens Valley dried up, while much of the imported water went to…
On the Bird Beat
They have seen the worst of society: suicides, homicides, traffic accidents. A couple of violent deaths a month for over 20 years. They also have seen the best of nature: the asure-rumped tanager and the resplendent quetzal in Chiapas, and the rufous cheeked hummingbird in the jungles of the Dari�n. Over the past 20 years,…
About AIDS
One of the primary ways of acquiring HIV, the AIDS virus, is through unprotected sexual intercourse (no condom). When a condom (rubber) is not used, partners may exchange any or all of the infectious body fluids – blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. It is important to note, however, that there are different degrees of risk…
Film
THE SECRET OF ROAN INISHD: John Sayles; with Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally, Richard Sheridan, John Lynch, Gerard Rooney, Susan Lynch, Cillian Byrne. Water moving, in ripples, in waves. It is the first image in this film, and from it we can feel that the story we are about to be told is one…
Books, Books, Books
When summer rolls its lazy days this way, it’s difficult to resist the urge to follow its traditional beck and call. So why bother? Relax, get something cool to drink, and find a good book to read. We hope to inspire some of your choices with these reviews, but we hope just as much to…
A Whole New Scene Grain Gourmet
Pop Quiz: 1. The develop- ment of civilization began ____ years ago in the Middle East, when people discovered it was possible to cultivate and harvest ___________. 2. __________ are grown on more than half the arable land on earth. 3. Almost half of the ____________ crop in America is used for brewing beer. 4.…
food-o-file
Beautiful Texas Cooking The latest edition of the award-winning and vastly popular Beautiful Cookbook series has just arrived. Texas, The Beautiful Cookbook (Collins, $45 hard) by San Antonio food writers Patsy Swendson and June Hayes presents the cultural diversity of the Texas table. Many popular Texas chefs contributed recipes to the impressive collection, including Terry…
An Interview With William Gibson Beware of Neural Seepage
William Gibson, as many Chronicle readers will know, is the author of Neuromancer, one of the most influential novels published in the last 20 years and the definitive cyberpunk text. His vision of out-of-control multinational corporations and runaway technology has filtered down to nearly every level of society: cyberspace, a term he coined to describe…
Lagniappe
Nicole Panter probably wouldn’t remember this, but we met at a San Diego tattoo convention in 1991. She was then doing research for a project on Fifties girlie-model Betty Page, she of the short black bangs and stiletto heels. I recognized Panter’s name from the Pee Wee Herman’s Playhouse on HBO and said so; she…
Never Say Sine Die
Edited by Robert Bryce Another Double Filibuster: As Sunday night faded into Monday morning, Sen. Carlos Truan (D-Corpus Christi) had been talking for more than eight hours. Shortly after midnight, House members, their work completed for the evening, invaded the Senate chamber. Truan brought the legislativelocomotive to a standstill and other legislators were none to…
Live Shots
CRYIN’ OUT LOUDS’ FAREWELL SHOW A Warehouse on East Fifth, May 20 “Ay, Tim,” slurred Cryin’ Out Louds guitarist/leader (and soon-to-be-repatriated Seattleite) Tim Hayes as he hung off my shoulder, “we’ve been drinkin’ since 3pm!!” Oh, shit, I thought. It’s gonna be one of those Cryin’ Out Louds gigs. Anyone who laughed at The Other…
Media Clips
According to a quote from American-Statesman publisher Roger Kintzel that appeared in the May 24 edition of his publication, “Rich Oppel brings to this newspaper a depth of experience and excellence that is difficult to find today.” That he does. During the 15-year time span that the soon-to-be editor of our local daily served in…
Piles of Style
When I came home from Fredricksburg last week, I wanted to beat my furniture up. Why? Well, instead of sticking with the brew pub and the curio shops that immediately peg my crap-o-meter to the right, I accidentally wandered into The Homestead, a home furnishings store. While still in a daze from the fabulous array…
Naked City
Edited by Andrea Barnett, with contributions this week by Roseana Auten and Nelson England. CIVILIZATION’S ADVANCE: The recent passage of the property rights bill at the state capitol does not constitute the first time that ranchers and business lobbies have combined in the Texas Legislature to defeat protection of endangered species. In 1873 buffalo hunters…
The Bridges of Madison County
The Bridges of Madison County 1995. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, Annie Corley, Victor Slezak, Jim Haynie. With Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood was grandly given credit for single-handedly reviving the moribund genre of the film Western. Such hyperbole may also come his way for The Bridges…
A Home for Her Dances
A fish can’t swim withoutwater. A glove can’t be fitted with anything but a hand. Chocolate cake isn’t complete without a glass of milk. And Andrea Ariel’s dances aren’t fully realized without an environment. For Ariel, a choreographer and dancer who has been based in Austin for the past seven years, environments and dances go…
Fluke
Fluke 1995, PG, 96 min. Directed by Carlo Carlei, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Matthew Modine, Nancy Travis, Eric Stoltz, Max Pomeranc, Ron Perlman, Comet. Fluke starts off with a bang: a gorgeous series of shots culminating in a spectacular point of view collision that vies with virtual reality in its breathtaking effect.…
Missing Max and Other Escapades
In a chaotic meeting last Thursday, council promised health and prosperity to all city residents, offering a $61 million incentive package to an expanding multi-national corporation, and loaned a $44 million hospital to a Catholic corporation. Councilmember Eric Mitchell lambasted the other city council members with a fiery note charging conspiracy in the hospital deal;…
Page Two
To the Editor: I have read letters in each of the last two issues which represent themselves as responses to Hunter Aldrich’s letters concerning the Chronicle’s practice of publishing tasteless sex ads. Neither of those letters addressed in even the most cursory fashion Ms. Aldrich’s arguments. The writers confined themselves to frat-boy insults about Ms.…
Casper
Casper 1995, PG, 100 min. Directed by Brad Silberling, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle. At its best, which is when it’s exploiting both its eye-popping special effects and delicious production design (the interior of the haunted mansion is truly awe-inspiring), Casper proves itself to be…
1995-96 AISD Budget
Revenue: Local Tax revenue $251,801,000 State contribution $37,523,000 Federal contribution $312,000 Other funds $86,552,525 Total revenue $376,188,525 Other resources: Medicaid benefits* $1,346,000 Workers compensation transfer $2,450,000 Total other resources $3,796,000 Total Revenue $383,482,525 Revenue Changes for 1995-96 Loss of state contribution – $20,001,000 “Savings Account” draw** – $2,714,271 Additional state contribution for increased enrollment +…
Public Notice
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE? Admittedly, the stats were mind-numbing: four decades of military dictatorships, 150,000 deaths, 47,000 disappearances, 440 Mayan villages destroyed, a million Mayan peasants displaced, a quarter million in flight. Bluntly put, Guatemala had been a mess for so long that most North Americans just tuned out. That was before Jennifer Harbury. An attorney and…
Farinelli
Farinelli 1994, R, 111 min. Directed by Gerard Corbiau, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Stéfan Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Jeroen Krabbe, Caroline Cellier, Omero Antonutti, Renaud Du Peloux De Saint Romain. The grand, operatic gestures in Farinelli are apropos, considering its subject matter: It tells the story of Carlo Broschi, an 18th-century castrato…
Balancing Interests
Veterans of Texas summers know that it’s best to get the most important and grueling work done now, before our famous yearly drought sets in. So it’s appropriate that the Austin Independent School District (AISD) is preparing to pass its budget for the 1995-96 school year on June 12, about two and half months earlier…
Live Music Recommended
Antone’s, Thursday 8 The scene might have been from a movie: 3am at a still-packed Antone’s, the house was a-rockin’, and a voice in the crowd yelled “Blow your horn, Maceo!” Maceo Parker, best known as one of James Brown’s Famous Flames, was pumpin’ a snaky jungle rhythm of smoky sax funk that had people…
Johnny Mnemonic
William Gibson wrote this screenplay from his short story about the perils of cyberspace in the 21st century.
