Connect the Dots
James Burke launches a staggering new project called the KnowledgeWeb. Like Six Degrees of Separation, only everything is related.
After a Fashion
Style Avatar Stephen gets his tiara out of whack at Gay Pride. Was it the Flaming Dr Peppers or just fame’s blinding spotlight — trained on the fabulous Miss Kitty of Mega 93.3?
Phases & Stages
Terri HendrixThe Ring (Wilory) Perhaps the hardest-working singer-songwriter in Central Texas, Terri Hendrix is constantly playing locally or heading out on tour or putting out a new album. It’s only been since 1996 that she put out her debut, Two Dollar Shoes, and now the San Marcos dynamo is releasing her fourth full studio effort…
All About BS
Thomas Markovich didn’t like what former President George H.W. Bush had to say at the 1998 Texas Book Festival, so he yelled “Bullshit!” — repeatedly, police say. Three years later, the former UT student may be prosecuted for his expletive, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled last week. Markovich’s comment and subsequent arrest came…
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood 2002, PG-13, 100 min. Directed by Callie Khouri, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd, Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, Angus MacFadyen, James Garner. When Joan Crawford finally slapped that bratty Ann Blyth on the staircase in Mildred Pierce, the relationship between…
In Play
Michael Chamy gets caught in Spidey’s web. On his Playstation2, that is.
To Your Health
I know I should eat more of my food raw, but when I try to eat more raw foods it really upsets my stomach and gives me painful gas. What are my options?
Phases & Stages
KelvinOutsideagain Local fresh faces Kelvin step out swinging on their debut, Outsideagain, jumping on rock riffs like kids on their parents’ bed. “Billboard” begins loud and fast enough to catch the attention, echoing indie rock bands from the northwest corner of the country. There’s the Modest Mousey licks in “Solid,” plus the dramatic flair of…
Green’s Special “Focus’
When Guadalupe Carbajal went to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, the last thing he expected to hear on his way to the golf course one sunny morning was the voice of his state representative hawking vitamin supplements. But sure enough, there was state Rep. Rick Green on Carbajal’s car radio, extolling the wonders…
Wrong Numbers
Wrong Numbers 2002, NR, 75 min. Directed by Alex Holdridge, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Scoot McNairy, Kierstin Cunnington, Matt Pulliam, Matt Bearden. The humble brewski, a simple blend of water, toasted grain, and hops that enthusiasts chug by the half-dozen, assumes grail-like import for bored 19-year-olds James and Russell in Alex Holdridge’s…
The Story of Davy
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum devotes a summer film series to that immortal coonskin cap-wearer, Davy Crockett.
About AIDS
Penny-Wise but Pound-Foolish: Medicaid Denies Resistance Tests Have you heard this one? Joe complains to his doctor about a sore throat so bad that he can’t swallow. The doc confirms that the throat looks sore, then gives the patient some pills to take. “Will they help my throat, doctor?” Joe asks. “Don’t know,” the MD…
Phases & Stages
50 Mission CrushBeginning to Unwind Ostensibly named for battle-weary WWII fighter pilots, 50 Mission Crush’s 1998 self-titled debut and following Come Back EP earned the Austin quartet radio play, with “My Girl” showing up on an installment of KLBJ’s Local Licks Live. Influenced by the Stones and early Van Halen, the dual nature of their…
Knee-Jerk Reactions
APD Chief Knee announces plans to fix the city’s police response time problems and reduce traffic fatalities. But will simply moving cops around work?
Bad Company
Bad Company 2002, PG-13, 116 min. Directed by Joel Schumacher, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock, Gabriel Macht, Kerry Washington, Peter Stormare, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Irma P. Hall, Brooke Smith. Deprived of nuclear thrillers since 9/11 when Hollywood executives unilaterally back-burnered several about-to-be-released movies that revolved around “touchy” subject matter, the…
Short Cuts
Cast & crew calls for two upcoming productions, plus get Dad drunk in Super-8 style.
Coach’s Corner
The abuse heaped on Ken Caminiti for his Sports Illustrated expose on steroid abuse is disgraceful. Actually, he’s done the game a favor by shining a light on the situation.
Phases & Stages
The Tuna HelpersStarring in the Suspicious Fish (Monkey Boy) Following in the footsteps of Austin punk vanguard-bearers like Meatjoy and the Fuckemos, the Tuna Helpers celebrate social deviance in a manner that’s both hilarious and bass-ackwardly intelligent. From a purely musical standpoint, perhaps “punk” is a bit of a misnomer for a quartet so reliant…
Salamander Faces Summer in Court
The Save Our Springs Alliance asks for more information regarding FWS’s opinion on the Barton Springs Watershed.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2002, PG, 95 min. D: Joel Zwick; with Nia Vardalos, John Corbett. How can you not love a film that revolves around a dingy Greek restaurant called “Dancing Zorba’s?” Impossible, I know, but that’s only one tiny delicious flake on the baklava of demented familial cheer that is My Big…
TV Eye
Crooner Chris Isaak plays himself to charming effect on his self-titled Showtime series.
The Name of the Game
Driving just about anywhere in the Hill Country these days, you can hardly help but notice the fences. Not the old barbed wire ones, but the tall ones, often adorned with a ranch sign that includes the word “Exotics.” (I always find myself peering into the brush behind those fences, hoping to catch a glimpse,…
Phases & Stages
Gary PrimichDog House Music (TMG) It ain’t easy being a blues musician, but whoever said the blues were easy? Gary Primich may have been born in Chicago, but that town doesn’t issue blues diplomas simply based on birth. No, Austin’s Primich has earned his credentials with a series of dynamic recordings that feature not just…
It’s Conventional
June is political convention time in Texas, and both major and minor state parties will be meeting in the next couple of weeks to complete party business, including confirming statewide candidates, adopting platforms, workshopping issues, and networking connections, as well as intensive hell-raising and the marketing of gobs of political paraphernalia. The state Republican party…
Second Helpings: A Little Italy, Part One
Erin Mosow investigates Austin’s Italian offerings in this week’s “Second Helpings.”
Video Reviews
NEVER ON SUNDAY (1960)D: Jules Dassin; with Dassin, Melina Mercouri, George Foundas, Titos Vandis, Mitsos Liguisos, Alexis Solomos. When Homer Thrace (Dassin), a frumpy little scholar from Middletown, Conn., arrives by boat in the Greek port city of Piraeus to “find the truth” — and he means the grand, philosophical Truth — there is a…
So You Want to Buy Some Game?
There are a number of options available for purchasing farmed and ranched game — both in local stores and by online/mail order.Broken Arrow RanchPO Box 530, Ingram, TX 78025 800/962-4263www.brokenarrowranch.com The online catalog (with sections targeted to chefs and individual consumers) lists a wide variety of prime cuts of antelope, sika, and axis, as well…
Phases & Stages
Cave Catt SammyLove Me Like Crazy (Rubric) It’s a tough job to fit into the confines of traditional rockabilly. The purists are a choosy lot, and ya gotta have just the right guitars, vintage clothes, cool car, and of course, the all-important buttery pompadour. (God help the bald guy who chooses to play rockabilly.) Cave…
Gay Prude Parade
Inaugural Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce parade scorns Saran-Wrap tops and dildo costumes. Can you imagine?
The 2002 Austin Critics Table Awards
On Monday, June 3, the Austin Critics Table handed out its annual awards for outstanding achievements in the Austin arts in a ceremony at the Capitol City Comedy Club.
So You Want to Cook Some Game?
Here’s a short list of books that can guide you in understanding and preparing game. There are many others, but these are a good start.American Game Cooking: A Contemporary Guide to Preparing Farm-Raised Game Birds and Meatsby John Ash with Sid Goldstein Addison Wesley, 304 pp., $22.50 This popular California chef explains cooking techniques and…
Phases & Stages
Cada Niño/Every ChildBy Tish Hinojosa, illustrated by Lucia Angela Perez Cinco Puntos Press, 56 pp., $18.95 Part songbook, part picture book, part autobiography, Tish Hinojosa’s first book for children, Cada Niño/Every Child, is as warm and wonderful as fresh baked bread slathered with honey butter. Patterned after her 1996 album (also titled Cada Niño), Hinojosa’s…
Voters for Business Candidates
The June 1 run-off for Austin Community College’s Board of Trustees went well for candidates Nan McRaven and John Hernandez, who squeaked past opponents James McGuffee and Paul Sherr. Barely 5,000 people cast ballots, making the election a particularly close one: McRaven led McGuffee with only 51% of the vote, and Hernandez beat out Sherr…
Exhibitionism
Gore Vidal’s script for Romulus, from a play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, is as perceptive as they come, and the Bedlam Faction’s production has more than a few things to recommend it, but the company’s playing style often undercuts rather than enhances the drama.
Food-o-File
Food Editor Virginia B. Wood weighs in with her thoughts about the Schlotzsky’s magnate John Wooley and his brother’s plans for downtown.
Phases & Stages
Billy & Bryn Bright(Blue Corn) From the outset, this self-titled debut is a study in careful, joyful musicianship. Opener “Guillermo” is subtle and understated in both melody and stringwork, but still leaves a lasting imprint. “Vegan in the Woods” is a knockout, and it’s no small feat that Bright holds his own alongside Bad Liver…
Naked City
On Friday, federal Judge James Nowlin dismissed the Hyde Park Baptist Church lawsuit against the city concerning the church’s proposed construction of a parking garage. The lawsuit concerned the designed size of the garage; by rejecting its plans, the church argued, the city had violated a city ordinance as well as the church’s religious freedom…
Exhibitionism
Director Dave Steakley and three outstanding Austin actors make a visit to The Pavilion, Craig Wright’s bittersweet drama about two old flames who meet again at a high school reunion and ponder time’s ability to widen chasms as well as heal wounds, time well spent.
Liquid Assets
As MM Pack discusses in her article, Texas game producers are turning out some beautiful meats that do justice to our local melting pot of cuisine. As happens in so many places in the world, when an indigenous cuisine rumbles forward, the local wines are there to complement and contrast the offering. Here are some…
Phases & Stages
Jasmine Star It came wrapped in a cardboard sleeve with no credits, adorned with a grainy black-and-white photo of a woman with a guitar. Inside, Jasmine Star reveals a whispery Hope Sandoval-like voice, accompanied by bare-bones slide guitar, piano, and most distinctively, the buzzing drone of an Indian classical tanpura. An Internet search reveals a…
Naked City
In a decision handed down May 30, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously ruled that employers can settle workplace disputes by forcing employees to forgo their right to sue for discrimination or other claims. The ruling has fueled labor leaders’ claims that the court’s nine justices are bought and paid for by corporate interests. Meanwhile, business…
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
The postponement of light rail means we should look for other forms of mass transit
Exhibitionism
The Man Who Came to Dinner: Character CountsMcCallum High School Fine Arts Center, through June 9 Running Time: 2 hrs, 15 min He occupies the wheelchair like a throne, a seat of power from which he, by divine right, is able to judge, command, and otherwise lord it over the assorted cretins, dimwits, and nincompoops…
The Truth Is Out There
Patrice Pike emerges from the “jam band thing.”
Phases & Stages
The Pocket SymphoniesLeaving Is Believing Though it doesn’t come equipped with many obvious pop devices, the Pocket Symphonies’ debut slides right along on rough-hewn bedroom charm and still manages at points to sound like something you might’ve heard on a more adventurous Top 40 station back in 1972. The San Marcos quartet alternately strives for…
Naked City
Four months ago, the Dripping Springs City Council solicited an outside legal opinion on a controversial development deal the city inked with Cypress Realty. But the results of that opinion, rendered by Austin lawyer David Brooks, might never be known — that is, if the city has its way. Dripping Springs officials have asked the…
The Hightower Report
Ari Fleischer serves as Fibber-in-Chief; Cadillac puts on its hat and boots; and truth is stranger than fiction in CorporateWorld.
Where They’re Coming From
Connecting the Dots of Texas Writers Month 2002
Patrice Pike Reviewed
Patrice Pike & the Black Box RebellionFencing Under Fire (Zainwayne) Patrice Pike has come of age. Grown into her thick-throated wail and come away with a husky come-hither. Cool, confident. Joan Osborne maybe. And as Pike strolls through the 12 tunes of her solo debut, Fencing Under Fire reveals that Austin’s long-beloved Little Sister has…
Phases & Stages
Kerrville Folk FestivalQuiet Valley Ranch, Kerrville, May 25-26 It’s 6:25am at the Quiet Valley Ranch in Kerrville. The plywood door to the stall next to mine creaks open, and a pair of mud-soaked pink bunny slippers shuffle in. There’s a momentary silence as the little girl decides if she has to go badly enough to…
Capitol Chronicle
Proposed New Air Pollution Rules for Houston Cover a Multitude of Industrial Sins
Men With Guns
Instruments of destruction — from exploding arrows to samurai swords — get top billing in recent DVD releases.
O.Henry Pun-Off Results
Top-ranking contestants in the 25th Annual O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships, which took place on May 4, 2002:PUNNIEST OF SHOW (POS) 1st/2nd place tied with 36 points and a clap-off for the trophy. 1st: Jim Ertner, Boston, MA 2nd: Tiff Wimberly, Fayetteville, AR 3rd place tied with 34 points each and resulted in a shared medal.…
Dancing About Architecture
Everyone’s got new albums coming out
Phases & Stages
The Soft Set Softer than the Soft Boys, yet not as soft as the American Analog Set, the Soft Set should prove an immediate sensation among Austin’s twee-pop set. Their debut opens with a winner in “Meg Tilly,” a Belle & Sebastian-sounding anglophiliac hero-worship love song. All decent bands from these parts have at least…
The Love Bug
The Love Bug 1968, G, 107 min. Directed by Robert Stevenson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Dean Jones, Michelle Lee, David Tomlinson, Buddy Hackett, Andy Granatelli. The “love bug” in question is Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, the adored anthropomorphized German import that spawned three sequels. Here’s the…
Men With Guns
RAMBO SPECIAL EDITION TRILOGY BOXED SET Artisan Entertainment ($59.98) Timing is everything, whether it’s getting the makeshift timer on a clump of C-4 to detonate at just the right moment or — more to the point here — releasing this full-metal-jacketed brace of Sylvester Stallone’s most jingoistic and cartoonish action films in the heat of…
Farewell
Books Editor Clay Smith says farewell in a final column.
Phases & Stages
Kimmie RhodesLove Me Like a Song (Sunbird) While Lubbock’s legendary trio kicks up a giant cloud of press galloping off into the sunset, fellow flatlander Kimmie Rhodes stakes her own claim to the Panhandle’s mythic gift of rootsy songcraft with a glowing prize whose title says it all. Love Me Like a Song, in fact,…
Phases & Stages
Todd SniderNew Connection (Oh Boy) Todd Snider’s last effort, 2000’s Happy to Be Here, was a breakthrough of sorts. It brought the singer-songwriter, who grew up in part in Austin, back to his folk roots, and with the addition of a little soul, it made for a sweet and touching listen. New Connection picks up…
King Frat
King Frat 1979, R, 82 min. Directed by Ken Wiederhorn, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Dan Fitzgerald, Dan Chandler, John DiSanti. This comedy gross-out was released a year after National Lampoon’s Animal House – upping the gratuitous flesh and fart quotient but minus the various talents – mostly Belushi – that made <Animal…
Men With Guns
GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA: A SELF PORTRAIT Criterion Collection ($29.95) In 1971, Idi Amin seized control of Uganda in a military coup. Before long he had paralyzed the country’s economy and declared war on his domestic enemies, eventually killing 350,000 Ugandans. Barbet Schroeder’s unusually nervy and direct documentary shows Amin to be the vain, illiterate…
Page Two
If loving new City Manager Toby Futrell is wrong, we don’t want to be right; longtime Books Editor Clay Smith departs, to the chagrin of almost everyone.
Phases & Stages
Alejandro EscovedoBy the Hand of the Father (TMG) Who doesn’t love family stories? Those intoxicating tales that make children prowl at their elders’ feet to hear how their parents met; stories of dads who drank too hard and the mothers who loved them even harder. Babies born and babies lost. First loves, faded loves, eternal…
Phases & Stages
Roger WallaceThe Lowdown (Lone Star) Very few country artists consistently make albums filled with one good tune after another every time out. Of late, only Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson, and more than occasionally, Vince Gill fill that bill. However, with his third disc, The Lowdown, Roger Wallace throws his cowboy hat into that ring. His…
Ethnographic Videos On Courtesan Musicians in North India
Ethnographic Videos On Courtesan Musicians in North India NR, 59 min. Directed by Amie Maciszweski, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Two documentary videos by Amie Maciszweski ñ “Our Stories, Our Songs: North Indian Women’s Musical Autobiographies” (2000, 44 min.) and “Guriya” (2002, 15 min.) ñ examine the unconventional lives and experiences of…
Men With Guns
RASHOMON Criterion Collection ($39.95) Before Rashomon, did anyone really question narrative credibility in film? What characters said, they meant. What happened onscreen, it had to have happened. That is, until Rashomon, Akira Kursoawa’s 1950 breakout film, a deceptively simple tale of an ill-fated, forested encounter between a man, his wife, and a roving bandit. Their…
Mr. Smarty Pants
Every member of Senegal’s starting World Cup lineup plays pro soccer in French leagues. Only one of France’s starters does.Fresh pineapple, mango, and kiwi fruit contain enzymes that prevent them from being made into gelatin.The offspring of the Thai royal family’s dogs Thongdaeng and Thongtae are: Thongchompoonuj, Thongnopakhun, Thongek, Thongmuan, Thongthat, Thongat, Thongplu, Thongyip, and…
Phases & Stages
The Reel Austin, Vol. 1(AMN) We have truly begun ascending the stairway to heaven. Yes, it’s been a long and winding road, but while it once appeared to be a highway to hell, it’s become clear at last that video won’t be killing the radio star anytime soon. In fact, signs like The Reel Austin,…
She’s One of Us
Mike Clark-Madison Profiles New City Manager Toby Futrell
Undercover Brother
Undercover Brother 2002, PG-13, 88 min. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Gary Anthony Williams, Chi Mcbride, Billy Dee Williams, Neil Patrick Harris, Aunjanue Ellis, David Chappelle, Denise Richards, Chris Kattan, Eddie Griffin. How do you parody a genre that as often as not is so over the top…
Men With Guns
HIGHLANDER: THE IMMORTAL EDITION Anchor Bay ($39.98) Connor McLeod (Christopher Lambert) has been kicking around since 1536 and has seen quite a bit over his years. He’s been shot, stabbed, impaled, machine-gunned, drowned, and horsewhipped, and still just keeps coming back. Eventually he finds himself in 1986 New York; since “there can only be one”…
Day Trips
Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook (Chronicle Books, $18.95) by Robb Walsh is only partially a cookbook. It is also part travel log and part historical documentation. Barbecue ranks right up there with the Alamo and San Jacinto as sacred cows in Texas, but even Walsh admits that we don’t have an exclusive claim to barbecue…
Phases & Stages
Jack IngramElectric (Lucky Dog) As one of the leading lights of the Texas music revolution, Jack Ingram has generated both a buzz and a fan base with his style of rockin’ country. Electric finds him stepping away a bit from the derivative sounds of his past, into a present that’s meatier, much more personal, and…
Visualize Whirled Tank Farms
An update on the continuing controversy over the future of the tank farms
Margarita Happy Hour
Margarita Happy Hour 2001, NR, 98 min. Directed by Ilya Chaiken, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Amanda Vogel, Barbara Sicuranza, Holly Ramos, Macha Ross, Kristin Di Spaltro. Square peg, round hole. That’s what the twentysomethings who drift through Margarita Happy Hour are like. It’s obvious they fit once, into…
