Cover Story
The Top Texas 40
BY MARGARET MOSER WITH GREG BEETS Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas) The best songs about Texas “I’m a ding-dong daddy from Dumas Ya oughta see me do my stuff!” “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas)” got stuck in my head last April. Besides making me crazy, it got me thinking about the phenomenon of…
Smell-O-Vision
Smell-O-Vision NR. Directed by , Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Smell-O-Vision is one of the more unsuccessful Hollywood marketing gimmicks in which odors were piped in to the individual viewers’ seats. Although the only film made using this process was Scent of Mystery in ’96, performance artist David Yonge is reviving the…
Goke: Body Snatcher From Hell
Goke: Body Snatcher From Hell 1968, PG, 84 min. Directed by Hajime Sato, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Teruo Yoshida, Tomomi Sato, Eizo Kitamura, Hideo Ko. The recent discovery of a rare 35 mm print of this Japanese horror/sci-fi film has forced its reassessment as one of the best of its genre ever…
Rock That Uke
Rock That Uke 2002, NR, 80 min. Directed by William Preston Robertson, Sean Anderson, Narrated by Holly Hunter, Voices by , Starring . According to its press notes, this documentary about the ukulele explores the “mystical allure of this four-stringed underdog of the musical world and the recent surge of alternative, post-punk musicians on the…
Boogiepop Phantom: Pt. 1
Boogiepop Phantom: Pt. 1 2000, NR, 90 min. Directed by Tatsuo Sato, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Kaori Shimizu, Yu Asakawa, Kazuo Konta, Jun Fukuyama, Mayumi Asano. Boogiepop Phantom is a 12-part Japanese TV series that will be shown in its entirety at the Alamo over the next four weeks. The focus of…
Act of Aggression
Act of Aggression 1975, R, 101 min. Directed by Gérard Pirès, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Brasseur. Sure it’s a French-Italian revenge giallo, but the real reason to see this movie is for the opportunity to see the one-and-only Catherine Deneuve naked. Deneuve’s co-star is the great Jean-Louis…
The Bride of Exploitation Trailerthon
The Bride of Exploitation Trailerthon NR, 120 min. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . New Zealand film legend Anthony Timpson, originator and impresario of the Incredible Film Festival (formerly known as the Incredibly Stange Film Festival), will present this collection in person. One of the world’s most knowledgeable exploitation buffs,…
Après le Réconciliation
Après le Réconciliation 2000, NR, 74 min. Directed by Anne-Marie Miéville, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Claude Perron, Anne-Marie Miéville, Jacques Spiesser, Jean-Luc Godard, Xavier Marchand. Miéville turns the camera on Godard and herself and two others in this narrative movie about language and communication. Presenting postures rather than psychological drama, Miéville has…
Exhibitionism
Lorella Loftus’ staging of Coriolanus at the Vortex doesn’t succeed in making Shakespeare’s hero truly tragic or noble, but its fierceness of imagination and commitment would do the Roman general proud.
Food-o-File
This Sweet Potato Queen is ready for her tiara, and for Jill Connor Brown’s visit; plus, very good news and very sad news from the Austin food community.
Austin Energy’s Strategic Plan
The details of the utility’s 50-year vision for the future
Capitol Chronicle
The controversy over tuition deregulation is only the tip of the iceberg.
Exhibitionism
Different Stages’ production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband is not just community theatre at its finest; it’s just plain good theatre: entertaining, impressive, astounding, and delightful.
Mini-Review
On a recent Monday, a couple of friends and I were looking for a fun place to go for dinner, drinks, and Monday Night Football. Having previously enjoyed the all-night-happy-hour food and atmosphere at Roaring Fork, I remembered their large plasma TV screen and comfy leather couches, and suggested we watch it there. We sat…
The Chapman File
Terry Keel defends his client, but sworn testimony seems to contradict him.
The Hightower Report
Monsanto goes on the attack; and giving thanks for American progressivism.
News/Print
Authors are not authors in prison; Jessa Crispin should go to prison; Denis Johnson is ACES.
Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas)
Texas, the state that inspires big songs
A Mixed Farewell to ACC’s Fonté
ACC President Richard Fonté steps down and reflects on his administration and its discontents
Demolition Man
Documentarian Jesse Moss on Speedo
Readings
Toni Morrison, like Aeschylus and Eugene O’Neill, has a fondness for tragic houses.
Texas Towns & Places
15 “Rio,” Duran Duran Songwriters: Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor Year Charted: 1983 Highest Billboard Chart Position: No. 2 Who’d a-thunk that in MTV’s infancy, the band to put Texas on the video map would be … Duran Duran? The Birmingham, England, quintet personified New Wave with synth-heavy pop, hip…
It’s a Conspiracy!
The landowner alleges vile collusion between City Hall and Stratus Properties — but not actual citizens.
Short Cuts
Tarantino and Rodriguez make beautiful music together, and Ellen Spiro keeps reaching for the stars.
Readings
Paulin has been publishing good poetry for more than 25 years, but the rest of his background — as a scholar of literature, as an essayist, and as a deeply political writer — serves him well as he journeys across a large physical and mental landscape of rich historical and literary allusion.
Texas in the Title
25 “Texas Flyer,” Freddie King Songwriters: Freddie King, Roy Davies, Bob Tench, Steve Ferrone, DeLisle Harper, Mike Vernon Year Released: 1974 Highest Billboard Chart Position: none This tightly packed amalgam of blues, Southern soul, and funk finds Gilmer, Texas-born guitar great Freddie King traversing the state from Lubbock to Houston and all points in between.…
Busted! Maspero Suspended for the Duration
The Williamson sheriff’s own deputies say he needs to go.
TV Eye
Belinda Acosta says bah-humbug to Law & Order and more.
Page Two
The United Way and the Boy Scouts have both acted admirably in their parting of ways; their decisions call for a sense of moral nuance that is lately all too rare.
The Top Texas 40 Chart
Texas Towns & Places: Top 15 1 “El Paso,” Marty Robbins 2 “San Antonio Rose,” Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 3 “(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone,” Doug Sahm 4 “Dallas,” Joe Ely 5 “La Grange,” ZZ Top 6 “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson 7 “Galveston,”…
Naked City
Headlines and happenings from Austin and beyond
DVD Watch
After Easy Rider, partners Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper rode off into their separate sunsets — Hopper to Peru to film his demented classic, 1970’s The Last Movie, and Fonda back to the familiar family tradition of the American Western for his directorial debut, The Hired Hand.
About AIDS
As its next HIV education program, AIDS Services of Austin is offering another free Lunch With the Doctor on Thursday, Dec. 4. Dr. Bob Wallace will be here from Dallas to talk about current developments in treatment, plus a look at what to expect coming out of the pipeline in the future. It will be…
10 Twisted Texas Songs
Texas songs aren’t all bluebonnets, yellow roses, and floods. Recent contributions to the canon suggest the Lone Star State is especially adept at bringing out the macabre in natives and non-natives alike. 1) Toadies, “Tyler” Tarrant County terrors describe an imminent rape with skin-crawling detail and head-splitting volume. (Rubberneck, 1995)2) Jon Wayne, “Texas Funeral” Feedback-drenched…
Naked City
Once again, only Mayor Will Wynn votes no.
Letters at 3AM
The institution of marriage has been undone by the changes brought about by modern technology and therefore has nothing to fear from the legalization of gay marriages.
The Yellow Rose of Texas: The Elusive Truth
It’s certainly one of the spicier tales in Texas lore: Connecticut native Emily West was a 20-year-old indentured servant on landowner James Morgan’s plantation near present-day Baytown. Legend has Gen. Santa Anna taking a fancy to the striking mulatto when, in April 1836, his army passed through the area looking for supplies. On the morning…
Naked City
Local flavor triumphs — maybe — in the airport concession battle.
The Missing
Ron Howard directs Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett in tough Western drama.
After a Fashion
COMING RIGHT UP Saturday, Dec. 6, noon-8pm, Big Red Sun (1102 E. Cesar Chavez, 480-0688) presents Santa in the Garden, a holiday benefit for Project Transitions. With music, photos with Santa, pony rides, a Mrs. Claus costume contest, and a variety of family fun, BRS always does a great job on its events. For more…
Gene Autry: Back in the Saddle Forever
Gene Autry, the singing cowboy and entrepreneur who recorded more songs about Texas than anyone else, was born Sept. 29, 1907, in the North Texas community of Tioga. As a telegraph operator in Oklahoma, a chance meeting with Will Rogers eventually led him to New York City and a deal with the American Record Corp.…
Naked City
The taxi co-op’s bid for a franchise comes at “the worst possible time.”
The Haunted Mansion
Eddie Murphy heads up this latest Disney amusement ride-turned-movie.
Second Helpings: Meat Markets, Part II
“Second Helpings” offers tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were updated by Erin Mosow. For quick, reliable info about Austin eateries, check here. El Moreliana 3600 S. Congress, 442-8398 Monday-Friday, 6am-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, 5am-10pm This is a small, but remarkably well-stocked market. Although the taqueria…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Ninety percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans.Unlike what many people think, the Canary Islands didn’t get their name from the birds who share their name, but from the dogs that lived on the islands.Elizabeth MacRae, who portrayed Gomer Pyle’s girlfriend Lou Ann Poovey, was also in Francis Ford Coppola’s deadly serious 1974…
Ray Benson’s Favorite Songs About Texas
1) “Miles and Miles of Texas” 2) “I Got Texas in My Soul” 3) “Beautiful Texas” 4) “San Antonio Rose” 5) “Remember the Alamo” 6) “Texas Me and You” 7) “Screw You, We’re from Texas” 8) “Texas Blues” 9) “You’re From Texas” 10) “There’s a Little Bit of Everything in Texas”
Naked City
The GOP moderate will leave the Texas Senate after 15 years.
Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton plays a thieving, degenerate Santa.
The Common Law
One of the trees in my front yard hangs over my neighbor’s driveway. Would I be responsible if one of the branches fell off the tree and caused damage to her car?
Lyrics: ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’
The stars at night are big and bright, Deep in the heart of Texas. The prairie sky is wide and high, Deep in the heart of Texas. The sage in bloom is like perfume, Deep in the heart of Texas. Reminds me of the one I love, Deep in the heart of Texas. The coyotes…
Naked City
The State Board of Education may undo “alternative certification” after all.
Timeline
Time-traveling archeologists can’t make the time pass quickly enough.
Not Just Another Pretty Face
With the Naughty Austin theatre company, there’s more than meets the eye.
To Your Health
I know MRIs are useful in diagnosis, but I’m concerned about the possible side effects. Would a CT scan have fewer side effects?
Lyrics: ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’ (Yankee Version)
The stars at night are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap), Deep in the heart of Texas. The prairie sky is wide and high (clap, clap, clap, clap), Deep in the heart of Texas. The sage in bloom is like perfume (clap, clap, clap, clap), Deep in the heart of Texas. Reminds me of…
Naked City
The university makes a proposal to reintroduce affirmative action to admissions.
‘Pageant’ Reviewed
Naughty Austin’s production of the musical comedy Pageant reflects “real” beauty pageants in a funhouse mirror, with men cross-dressed as contestants, and the result is over-the-top, ridiculous, unbelievably corny, slipshod, and at times, genuinely funny.
Day Trips
Against the odds, Palo Duro Canyon became a major jewel in the state parks system.
Lyrics: ‘El Paso’
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl. Nighttime would find me in Rosa’s cantina, Music would play and Felina would whirl. Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina, Wicked and evil while casting a spell. My love was deep for this Mexican maiden, I…
Naked City
The winner of the district’s union election is a foregone conclusion
A Big Old Jam Thing, Baroque Style
For its post-Thanksgiving concert of Suites and Leftovers, La Follia reheats the best bits of the musical past into a jazzy feast.
Soccer Watch
NCAA Women are down to the quarterfinals this weekend; in the game of the week, Santa Clara avenged their loss in last year’s title game (played here in Austin), ousting Portland in penalty kicks. Next up for the Broncos: prohibitive favorite North Carolina, who’ve dispatched their first three opponents, 8-0, 5-0, and 7-0. Here are…
Texas Titles in Toto
Of the estimated 3,500 songs written about Texas and Texas Places, most of the votes came from one of these two lists below. Texas Towns & Places”Abilene,” Dave Alvin “Abilene,” George Hamilton IV “Abilene,” Waylon Jennings “Across the Alley from the Alamo,” Asleep at the Wheel “Alleys of Austin,” Michael Martin Murphy “Amarillo,” Big House…
Naked City
The Zoning and Platting Commission postpones — into possible oblivion — a clutch of historic cases.
Articulations
Hogg Auditorium is headed for a makeover, Judy Jensen’s Blue Willow is headed to the Smithsonian, and two local artists take the road to recovery.
Looks Aren’t Everything
The retro chic of the South Congress Cafe is but one ingredient at the Trudy’s offshoot
The Chorus
Greg Beets: Contributor, The Austin Chronicle Kent Benjamin: Features editor, Pop Culture Press Michael Bertin: Contributor, The Austin Chronicle Jim Caliguiri: Contributor, The Austin Chronicle Michael Chamy: Associate Music editor, The Austin Chronicle Jody Denberg: Program director, KGSR Matt Dentler: Contributor, The Austin Chronicle Ben Fong-Torres: Author, The Hits Just Keep on Coming: The History…
Naked City
It’s not a pretty picture, says a new Texans for Public Justice report
Exhibitionism
Calaf’s quest for the heart of the icy princess Turandot is the stuff of legend and, in Austin Lyric Opera production of Puccini’s opera, was an opportunity to hear some exquisite music excellently performed.
Thanks to the HCWFF, It’s Party Time!
If you were there for the Hill Country Wine & Food Foundation’s wonderful food and wine tasting at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel last September, you already know what a treat you’re in for when the next edition of one of Austin’s great parties hits town on Tuesday, Dec. 4. They are calling this “Big…
There Goes the Sun
Austin’s clean-energy industry appears poised to take off — but city leaders seem surprisingly unenthusiastic.
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
“A different brand of law enforcement” doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Luv Doc Recommends: All Good Stuff
Thanksgiving again: Time to head back to dysfunction junction for a gut-busting glut of food, folks, and football; time to literally lean over the plate and take one for the team; time to reacquaint yourself with the marginal, milquetoast fare of thankful, yet ultimately starving puritan pilgrims. Start with the yam, aka “sweet potato” –…
