The Producers
“The Producers.” Mel Brooks’ best movie or the Chronicle’s cover story last November? Both. And as with any good story, last year’s section profiling four locals that are piling up producer’s credits (Stephen Bruton, John Croslin, Paul Leary, and David McNair), merely spawned a whole other crop of names; Like Leary’s right-hand man, Stuart Sullivan,…
Food-o-File
by Virginia B. Wood Traveling down Duval Street in Hyde Park, people have been wondering what the hell has been impaled on top of the famous “fork in the road” in front of Hyde Park Bar & Grill. Local sculptor Dale Whistler has created a giant potato in honor of the 80 tons of potatoes…
Keep On Shoppin’
Even as Wheatsville Food Co-op was planning its 20th anniversary celebration last March, the neighborhood grocery store was, in truth, hobbling along. Sales were down 10%, the store was posting its first yearly loss in almost a decade, and longtime members — the lifeline of the co-op — had dropped out of sight. Business was…
Hearth & Soul
The most fulfilling renovation technique doesn’t involve adding anything to a house. Instead, you concentrate on removing things. In more than one instance, simply stripping away the layers heaped on a house over the years has resulted in a major transformation. In one little 50-year-old house we bought from the original owner, we tore out…
Red, White & Greens: The Italian Way With Vegetables
by Faith Willinger Harper Collins, $25, Hardcover Italian restaurants in America have long under emphasized vegetal offerings. Thus, save for those folks lucky enough to have grown up in an Italian-American home, people on this side of the Atlantic remain largely unaware of the extensive variety of Italy’s produce as well as the simple, delicious…
A Crowded Market
If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then the local supermarkets have Wheatsville to thank for their entry into the natural foods business. But it wasn’t until Central Market flung open its doors that we the masses finally figured out what we’ve been searching for all along: Healthy food in aesthetically pleasing surroundings.…
Local Palette
Various Artists Local Studios Ongoing Are you an art lover who can’t make it to the galleries? Would you like to meet some local artists and see where they work? Are you just looking for something a little different to do on Wednesday evenings? Bob Russell can fix you right up with Art Tours, a…
Threadgill’s: The Cookbook
by Eddie Wilson Longstreet Press, $21.95, Paper If your first reflex is to judge a book by its cover, you’ll be missing at least half the fun of Eddie Wilson’s new Threadgill’s: The Cookbook. On the surface, it seems to be an innocent restaurant cookbook — the commercial alternative to having a friend cooking in…
The Spirit of Cooperation
Want to see democracy in action?? Really in action? Well, the recent fallout from the national election ain’t where it’s at. No, the best place to find true, fine democracy in action these days is in the struggle and survival of the world’s cooperatives. And it stands to reason that one of the world’s largest…
Austin Free Poetry Festival
If you could put the Austin International Poetry Festival in a diorama, you might have something like the Austin Free Poetry Festival: smaller and more self-contained than the real thing, but with a number of the characteristics that define the event. The festival, to be held Sunday, November 10 at Book People (6th & Lamar),…
Mad Scientist on Wheels
Brian Beattie appears quite the mad scientist as he scrambles around, behind, and under the mass of electronic equipment and wires that is his recording console. He’s begun to play a rough mix of a recently recorded song, and, wild-haired and wide-eyed, he is twiddling knobs and switching patch cords like some methamphetamine-crazed cross between…
Invasion of the Lit Flix
Now is the winter of our… literary classics on film. Sure, invasions like this happen every autumn as the summer’s no-sweat film amusements melt into oblivion. Yes, it was fun to see those cows fly by in Twister and to watch our stand-ins protect the American way of life from alien takeover in Independence Day.…
Postscripts
by Lee Nichols & Margaret Moser * THU, NOV 7: As part of the 13th Annual Jewish Book Fair, Dr. Meron Benvenisti, author of City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem, will speak about the deep religious feelings that that city evokes in Jews, Christians, and Muslims at 7:30pm at the B’nai B’rith Hillel…
The Guy Is Everywhere
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Lloyd Maines would list Jimmy Day as one of his major influences — just about any great pedal steel guitar player would; the word “legend” may be used much too liberally these days, but Austinite Day is one of the few who truly deserves it. But with Maines,…
Scanlines
D: C.M. Talkington; with Gil Bellows, Renee Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander, Anne Wedgeworth, Peter Fonda, Tammy Le Blanc, Wiley Wiggins. VHS Home Video Waterloo Video, 1016 W. Sixth A recent, homegrown addition to a long line of films in the lovers-on-the-lam genre, Love and a .45 is smaller than most; the simplicity…
Writer/Translator Liliana Valenzuela
Neither Cider Nor Lemonade by Abel Salas I tried chicha for the first time in Peru. It’s made from corn,” says writer and translator Liliana Valenzuela. The chicha in question appears in the title for an afterword essay she’s penned for her Spanish translation of an important short story collection by Sandra Cisneros. “Ni chicha…
Dancing About Architecture
It’s that time of year again. There’s a chill in the air, pretty lights are being strung on trees and houses, and the street urchins are asking for a little extra spare change. The end of the year is fast approaching, and the number of days left to apply for a SXSW showcase is rapidly…
Short Cuts
by Jen Scoville Film programming is an important part of every respectable museum calendar, and our Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) is no exception. Though I wasn’t around for the early days of quixotic outdoor screenings in Laguna Gloria’s amphitheatre — on a big white screen overlooking the water — AMOA’s involvement in the PBS…
Young Men’s Survey
If you are 18-27 years old, a gay or bisexual male, earn up to $30. Stop by at select locations to complete a survey for cash! or for more information about the Young Men’s Survey. Tues, Nov 12 West Mall, UT campus, from 9:30am-2pm. Get paid $10 on the spot! Charlie’s, 1301 Lavaca from 6-11…
From Commune to Congress House
If you’ve sung a tune in an Austin shower, chances are there’s a tape of it in storage at Arlyn. The recording studio’s collection of master reels is part local history lesson, part graveyard. Yet between tapes of Fastball and Willie Nelson stand boxes upon boxes of Carole King recordings from the early Eighties. For…
Beautiful Thing
This is a sweet yet unsentimental coming-of-age film about two teenage boys in a working-class London suburb who fall in love.
Benefits
Preview Dinner w/Kinky Friedman to benefit the Humane Society of Austin/Travis Co., at Citiview Bed & Breakfast, 1406 E. Riverside, 6-9pm. 837-7985, ext. 235. SAT 9 Carnival, Garage & Bake Sale to benefit COTA for Emma (needs a bone-marrow transplant), at American Legion Hall, 2201 Veterans Dr., 9am-3pm. 329-8087. SUN 10 Capital City Men’s Chorus…
Live Shots
BOB DYLAN Austin Music Hall, October 26 & 27 The second set is always better, and how delicious it was to know this the minute Bob Dylan stepped onto the Austin Music Hall stage on the second night of his weekend stand. It was obvious: Gold lam� pants and a white cowboy hat. Anyone who…
The LoveMaster
The LoveMaster 1997, R, 84 min. Directed by Michael Goldberg, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Craig Shoemaker, George Wendt, Harley Jane Kozak, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Farrah Fawcett. When stand-up comedian Craig Shoemaker’s therapist (Wendt) remarks, “Frankly, the LoveMaster frightens me,” I wholeheartedly agree. Not only does this particular part of Shoemaker’s act frighten me,…
Coach’s Corner
Alan Laverty conducts an annual, informal (no entry fee, no prizes) NBA prediction contest. It’s a small contest he runs among a select contingent of pro-basketball fanatic friends. The contest calls for each participant to seed conference numbers one through eight. Easy enough. I’ve never met Alan but last year he invited me to join…
Also Playing
Friday: Cox Family, Cactus Cafe Saturday: Billygoat, Beef Jerky, Flamingo Cantina Sunday: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Sincola, Electric Lounge; Chris Gaffney, Billy Bacon, Under the Sun; Junior Brown, Continental Club Monday: Jake Andrews, Tommy Taylor, Jon Blondell, Stubb’s Tuesday: Deftones, Orange 9mm, Liberty Lunch Wednesday: Tomas Ramirez Trio, Flipnotics Thursday: Git Gone, Flametrick Subs,…
Ransom
Ransom 1996, R, 177 min. Directed by Ron Howard, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Liev Schreiber, Brawley Nolte. Your only son is kidnapped, the abductors demand a $2 million ransom, and you’re filthy rich. So what do you do? If you’re the protagonist…
Day Trips
Royers’ Round Top Cafe is no ordinary small-town cafe. “There are well over 100 places to eat between Austin and Round Top,” Bud Royer, proprietor of the cafe, says. “We have to keep you driving for an hour and a half.” The Royer family keeps you driving by promising mouth-watering temptations that teeter on the…
A Different Question for Every Situation
You know how in every state there’s always one city where the derelicts and musicians and dregs-of-society artist types gather — like Austin is for Texas? That’s what Bloomington is for Indiana. And that’s where I fled to from Perdue as quickly as I could, to go to school.” Stuart Sullivan is recounting the events…
Larger Than Life
Larger Than Life 1996, PG, 93 min. Directed by Howard Franklin, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Bill Murray, Janeane Garofalo, Matthew McConaughey, Pat Hingle, Linda Fiorentino, Keith David, Tai. Better than expected. That may sound like a flaccid endorsement, but my expectations for this movie were so low as to be under sea…
Page Two
The Austin Chronicle has had a long-term relationship with the Wheatsville Co-op. Early on, Wheatsville was one of our most economical sources of feeding the staff (then at about 10-15 people) when the occasion seemed to demand it. Stacks of cold cuts, breads, fruit, cookies, chips… a Wheatsville spread would not only provide a mass…
Gridlock Lifts on Lamar Bridge
illustration by Jason Stout In times of prosperity, the politics of the day can seem misleadingly trivial. Take, for example, the recent tumult over the expansion of the 54-year-old Lamar Bridge, a proposal that has area neighborhood reps up in arms. While the issue has dominated the council’s time and agenda the past two weeks,…
Bad Moon
Bad Moon 1996, R, 81 min. Directed by Eric Red, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare, Mason Gamble, Primo. Dog meets werewolf in this sometimes stylish, sometimes boorish take on the ever-persistent man-into-wolf genre. Red, who rocketed to pseudo-fame after penning the enormously entertaining The Hitcher, later moved on to…
Public Notice
HeArt From the Streets Our holidays brim with excess. In our culture of gluttons, we sure know how to party down. The fact that these celebrations fall at the end of the year, gushing sentiments of “Peace on Earth” and “Goodwill to All” makes reflection all the more loaded and poignant. How far have we…
Election Aftermath
It was nearly 10 o’clock on Tuesday night and Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle had yet to put in an obligatory appearance at Palmer Auditorium. Instead, Earle was hanging out with guys in gimme caps down at the Texas AFL-CIO. It was his victory party — he had just won his re-election bid for…
Dear God
Dear God 1996, PG, 109 min. Directed by Garry Marshall, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Greg Kinnear, Laurie Metcalf, Maria Pitillo, Tim Conway, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jon Seda, Hector Elizondo, Jack Klugman, Coolio. It’s like getting the crap beaten out of you by an over-zealous department store Santa who just whap! wants whap!…
Curriculum I: 10 Movies to Know America By
One difficulty in thinking about America is that, from the beginning, there’s never been anything to measure it by, no precedents, no frame of reference. That is our strength, but it’s also how we’ve managed to hide from ourselves. Russians are Russians no matter what kind of government they have, but America is a “dream,”…
Election Results
It’s official. Texas is now a Republican state. The GOP went 10-0 in statewide races on Tuesday, and none of them were really even close. Republicans took over a 6-3 majority on the Court of Criminal Appeals, to go with their 7-2 edge on the state Supreme Court, 3-0 on the Railroad Commission, and 9-6…
High School High
High School High 1996, PG-13, 86 min. Directed by Hart Bochner, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer, Guillermo Diaz, John Neville, Louise Fletcher. In this new comedy from the producing team of David Zucker, Robert LoCash, and Gil Netter, who are best known for their Naked Gun sequels,…
Articulations
Another longtime friend of Capitol City Playhouse has died. Ken Murphy, a devoted volunteer for that theatre, passed away Friday, November 1, at the age of 46. Murphy worked for the Internal Revenue Service, but he was well known outside that agency for his involvement in Austin’s volunteer community. He contributed to AIDS Services of…
Mister Smarty Pants Knows
The “tee” command in Unix comes from plumbing terminology for a T-shaped pipe splitter. Cartoonist Elzie Segar, creator of Popeye, based the character upon a merchant sailor he knew in Chester, IL. Frank “Rocky” Fiegel was a drinker and fighter of local renown, known for his incredible strength. He died in Chester in 1947. Approximately…
The District of Austin
Austin is the Washington D.C. of Texas. Surrounded by wealthy suburbs who desire to pay for nothing beyond the guard shack and local police force, Austin and Washington are both facing fiscal problems. Even though both cities play host to thousands of politicians, lobbyists and bureaucrats, the power brokers want nothing to do with their…
Set It Off
This action-heist drama about four young African-American women from L.A.’s housing projects is as much a story about friendship as a story about crime.
Shouting in the Evening’s Events
The 1996 Flair Symposium includes two days of talks and panel discussions focusing on the last 40 years of British theatre. The schedule of events is as follows: Friday, November 8 11am Exhibition tour 1pm Welcome: Thomas Staley, Mark Yudof; opening remarks by Fleur Cowles 1:30pm Keynote address: David Hare 2:30pm Actors and Directors panel:…
Everything Personal
Trends in cookbook publishing change drastically from year to year. Every popular cuisine has received an in-depth “lite” or “low-fat” treatment. Fusion cooking, the every-ingredient-in-the-world in one dish mish-mash of flavors had a great run, and to date, most of the regions of Italy have already been explored. This fall’s most interesting upmarket titles are…
Remember the Angle
It is still amazing what is lost in the translation from actual event to media representation, even though the phenomenon is now thoroughly routine and rarely remarked upon. The printed and televised accounts of Bill Clinton’s rally at the Alamo last Saturday, which I attended, did not mention former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros’ earnest…
Caught
Caught 1996, R, 109 min. Directed by Robert M. Young, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Edward James Olmos, Maria Conchita Alonso, Arie Verveen, Steven Schub, Bitty Schram. Caught is a touching little movie whose gifts are best revealed by the experience of watching it than hearing about it. Directed by the legendary former…
Look Back in Wonder
The atlas has London sitting several thousand miles from Austin. But this week, the British capital — or at least its world famous theatre district, the West End — will sit deep in the heart of Texas. That’s when UT’s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRHRC) convenes the 1996 Flair Symposium, Shouting in the Evening:…
What Else Is Cooking?
The following new titles fit well into the category of personal renditions of specific regional cuisines or culinary areas. Give them a look. Four Star Desserts (HarperCollins, $32.50, hardcover) by Emily Luchetti. An excellent follow-up to her Stars Desserts, this book embodies Luchetti’s dessert aesthetic, putting flavor and substance well ahead of architecture. Try the…
Naked City
Multimedia producer David Stansbury has jumped the Human Code ship to head up the editorial end of City Search Austin, a new Web venture in town preparing to launch a cyberspace kiosk, of sorts, on what’s doing in Austin. City Search (http://www.citysearch.com) expects to make its local debut early next year. The company has similar…
