Food-O-File
What would tempt a very well-traveled and successful executive chef to give up a position with one of the nation’s top restaurant companies where he was involved with the hottest new food service concept of the past two years? New Central Market executive chef Adrian Creasey explains his decision to leave Brinker International and the…
Road Shows
illustration by Jason Stout Driving west out of Austin, it used to be easy enough to tell when you had reached unincorporated Travis County — the road narrowed to the two-lane farm-to-market variety, white-tail deer and buzzards became the dominant social groups (though they never voted as a bloc), and, of course, you encountered the…
Devil’s Advocate
Devil’s Advocate 1997, R, 138 min. Directed by Taylor Hackford, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Craig T. Nelson. The Lawyer Joke, taken to its obvious conclusion… and at almost two-and-a-half hours it’s a hell of a running gag. Devil’s Advocate is such a…
Articulations
Sometimes it feels as if public arts funding is like the weather: Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it. Well, here’s a way for you to do something. The City of Austin Cultural Arts Program is again seeking Advisory Panelists to review applications for arts funding by the city. It’s a volunteer…
Dancing about Architecture
So, exactly when did MTV take over Austin? The Austin Stories crew keeps popping up everywhere, then a T-shirt appears in my box bearing the proud legend “Austin Welcomes MTV” (courtesy of Gavin Lance Garcia, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and your tax dollars). Meanwhile, the local TV stations are declaring “perfect weather for the…
Bond Issues
Proposition #1: The issuance of $36,015,000 of road bonds and the levying of the tax in payment thereof. Proposition #2: The issuance of $19,110,000 of park bonds and the levying of the tax in payment thereof. Proposition #3: The issuance of $16,045,000 of criminal justice and jail facility bonds for facilities at the county’s Gardner-Betts…
Different for Girls
Different for Girls 1998, NR, 101 min. Directed by Richard Spence, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Steven Mackintosh, Rupert Graves, Miriam Margolyes, Saskia Reeves, Charlotte Coleman, Neil Dudgeon. Boys will be boys, unless sometimes they are girls. That’s what Paul Prentice (Graves) discovers when a fender-bender reunites him with one of his old…
Exhibitionism
John Henry Faulk Theatre, through October 18 Running Time: 2 hrs In the village, the mothers are crying. Their sons are about to be sent into another battle, to fight for another faceless cause. The drums of war are sounding, and the battle won’t be long in coming. But all of the bloodshed can be…
Fractured Fairytales
Chateau Naroutte Great Expectations Initially, there is everything and nothing to expect. After all, I only got my invitation three weeks before I’m supposed to land in Paris. First, I expect I’ll need to get a passport, quick. Then, I expect about eight days in France, and the chance to write with songwriters with more…
Ride On, Yellow Bikes
photograph by John Anderson To the cynic, it may seem a foolish idea: Spend hours repairing and painting something, leave the fruit of your labor untethered on a city sidewalk, and invite complete strangers to borrow it for a while. Yet since January, that’s exactly what Austin’s Yellow Bike Project (YBP) has been doing. With…
Playing God
Playing God 1997, R, 93 min. Directed by Andy Wilson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring David Duchovny, Timothy Hutton, Angelina Jolie, Michael Massee, Peter Stormare, Andrew Tiernan. In the preposterously scripted yet defiantly engaging Playing God, actor David Duchovny gives us the story of Dr. Eugene Sands, a man suffering from a desperately…
Smart Women, Dangerous Men
The cast of Fur: (l to r) Elaine Williams, Stephanie Swenson, Martin Burke Women pine for him. Still, he slouches in the corner, filling the room with a strange yet pervasive energy that draws females like moths to a flame. While they know they will be destroyed by his fire, women also know that it…
Girls With Guitars
“Too Many Girls” at the ’96 Austin Music Awards (l-r) Kris McKay, Kelly Willis, Abra Moore, Sara Hickman and Kristen DeWitt photograph by John Carrico In the year of Lilith, it’s not at all surprising that so much attention has been paid to women in music, especially those who fall into the category of singer-songwriter.…
We Control the Vertical
57 channels and nothing on. It really feels like that sometimes, even with all the specialty cable channels and block programming available. On weeks like that, it seems easier to poke through the listings and assemble a viewing schedule based purely on selfishness than curse the cathode ray. This Friday night Biography (A&E; 10/17; 7pm)…
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation 1994, R, 86 min. Directed by Kim Henkel, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Renee Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks, Tonie Perenski, Lisa Newmeyer, Joe Stevens, John Harrison, Tyler Cone. Once upon a time (back in 1995), this movie was titled The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre…
Dracula
The Public Domain, through November 8 Running time: 2 hrs, 45 min Some things just go together and gain their power by the pairing. Salt and pepper. Sick and tired. Siskel and Ebert. Sex and death. Sure, you can have one without the other but the result would simply be incomplete, like an overly salted…
John Denver
1943-1997 John Denver, who went to high school in Fort Worth, attended Texas Tech in Lubbock in the Sixties, and went on to sell millions of records worldwide, died Sunday when his twin-seater airplane crashed into Monterey Bay off the California coast. He was 53. Born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. in Roswell, New Mexico, Denver…
Any Way You Slice It
Robert Jacks, Tonie Perenski and Lisa Newmyer photograph by Kenny Braun After three long years of languishing in limbo, the Austin-lensed film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (originally titled The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is finally seeing some sporadic, regional release under the auspices of independent distributor CFP. That would be cause…
Chasing the Dream
Chasing the Dream 1997, NR, 60 min. Directed by Jeff Fraley, Harry Lynch, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Rodeo, the national sport of Texas, has its roots in the cowboy’s daily tasks of cutting, roping, and horse-breaking, but no one is sure how its most popular event, bullriding, came to be. As…
Fur
Planet Theatre, through November 1 Running time: 1 hr, 50 min The cage is roughly seven feet in height, perhaps five or six feet wide along each side. Its bars are textured metal rods, running vertically, with horizontal bars staggered about to provide purchase for climbing the cage’s sides. Its floor is hard. The cage…
Live Shots
Bells of Joy at St. James Episcopal Church, October 12 photograph by John Carrico CHARLATANS U.K., DANDY WARHOLS Liberty Lunch, October 6 There are some shows that catch you off guard with their sheer rock & roll brilliance. You arrive expecting, I dunno, the usual amalgam of distorted guitars and thudding, half-buried drumwork, and you…
Chainsaw Courthouse
Executive producer Robert Kuhn spoke with The Austin Chronicle about the tangled legal history of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Austin Chronicle: What is the status of the many lawsuits that have resulted from Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation? Robert Kuhn: As we speak, there are no suits. What happened was that Chuck…
Breaking Up
Breaking Up 1997, R, 89 min. Directed by Robert Greenwald, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Russell Crowe, Salma Hayek. When you’re in love, when you’re really in love, head over heels deep into that slick red vein, there is nobody else around — just you and her/him. Lovers exist in a protective bubble…
In Person
John Berendt will be reading from and signing his nonfiction bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil on Tuesday, October 20, 7pm, at Borders, and with him will arrive at least two stories. The first constitutes the true, engrossing account of the milieu and events surrounding May 2, 1981, when a moneyed gay…
Also Playing
Friday: Mike Henry’s 30th B-Day, Electric Lounge Saturday: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bass Concert Hall; Pointer Sisters, Paramount Theatre Sunday: Golden Arm Trio, Elephant Room Monday: American Standard, Crabs, Bates Motel Tuesday: Terry Allen, Ana Egge, Cactus Caf� Wednesday: Beto Suave, Sullivan’s Ringside Thursday: Lycia, Attrition, Back Room
Austin Confidential
It’s 8am, and Australian actor Russell Crowe has lost his beloved leather jacket somewhere in Austin. His outbound flight back to Los Angeles is scheduled to leave in a matter of hours, and during the past couple of days, while in town for the Austin premiere of his new film Breaking Up at the Austin…
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer 1997, R, 100 min. D: Jim Gillespie; with Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe. So Scream wasn’t a fluke. Who’da thunk it? That film’s screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, returns with yet another gory teen-trauma tale that both looks and feels ripped (sticky eviscera and all) from that…
Postscripts
The Cultural Center of the Mexican Embassy in Costa Rica is accepting submissions for its Sor Juana In�s de la Cruz Hispanic American poetry prize. The prize amounts to a $3,000 award and a trip to Costa Rica for the awards ceremony. Deadline for submissions is October 24; submit to: Centro Cultural de la Embajada…
Roadkill
The Blazers Continental Club Saturday, October 18 From Buddy to Bruce to Blur, the idea of a hometown has been central to rock & roll. Even in today’s “global” era, where it’s not where you’re from, but where you’re at, every band still has to come from somewhere. This isn’t news to the Blazers, whose…
Scanlines
1968; No credits listed This nudie masquerades as a cautionary quasi-documentary; Alice goes to parties, smokes weed and disrobes with her friends, turning into a “wild and provocative twilight hippie, complete with the Indian beads and moccasins.” Actually, though, they look more like girls from the steno pool pairing up with fellas sporting Bobby Kennedy…
About AIDS
A couple of years ago we saw the first really dramatic condom innovation in decades: the use of polyurethane, a plastic, instead of latex. Polyurethane can be very, very thin but still tough; it is resistant to oil-based lubes; it can be textured to resemble human skin; and it causes fewer allergic reactions than latex.…
Roadshows
OCTOBER FRI 17 Lucinda Williams, Terry Allen, Stubb’s FRI 17 Cheryl Wheeler, Patty Larkin, Cactus Cafe FRI 17 Brave Combo, La Zona Rosa FRI 17 Ray Condo & His Richochets, Continental Club FRI 17 Better than Ezra, Liberty Lunch FRI 17 Sons of Hercules, Hole in the Wall FRI 17 Smash Mouth, The Offspring, Wu-Tang…
Short Cuts
It’s a conspiracy. The Austin Film Society (AFS) wants us to live, breathe, eat, and sleep movies. Now, they want us to sing and dance, too. In addition to all the other screenings the group sponsors, the AFS launches a new series this week, Musicals: A Pure Cinema. The eight-part series will run weekly through…
Hearth & Soul
Money Someone offered me a lot of money to write an article about saving money around the house. I would interview celebrities like Martha Stewart, Heloise, and Bob Vila about how they pinch pennies until they scream, while simultaneously remaining stunningly stylish. Visions of a Big Fat Check obviously clouded my reasoning, otherwise surely I…
Bike Routes in Central Austin
Click on the map below to see a close up of bike routes in that area. 1. Town Lake Hike & Bike trail access: Pedestrian area, children present, watch for loose rocks. There is a boat ramp across from Zilker Park with steep sides. Make sure the ramp is free of pedestrians before you charge…
Stone Soul Booksigning
Oliver Stone at the Paramount photograph by Minh Oliver Stone is one of the most controversial and accomplished American filmmakers. He is the co-writer/writer and director of Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, and Natural Born Killers, among others. His new film, U-Turn (which he directed but did not write), is…
Benefits
FRI 17 Harvest Moon Masquerade to benefit KOOP Radio, 91.7 FM, at First Unitarian Church, 4700 Grover, 6-11pm. 472-1369. TARAL Silent Auction to benefit Texas Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, at Saengerrunde Halle, 1607 San Jacinto, 7-10pm. $25. 462-1661. SAT 18 Rib Ticklin’ Affair Barbecue Rib & Sauce Cook-Off to benefit Austin-Travis Co. MHMR,…
Breaking Away
Carless Tom Eden puts his body on the line daily to commute throughout Austin despite the lack of safe bicycle routes. photograph by John Anderson This is not going to be a fun ride today,” says software engineer Tom Eden, lowering his bicycle down the steps of his South Austin apartment. “It’s kind of like…
Waist Not, Want Not
illustration by Walt Holcombe I look at my belly today with a strange and uneven affection. It is a good belly, I’ll allow: small, nicely rounded, with short soft hairs set about — not too thickly but not too thinly — and a playful nature that only the least perceptive fail to notice. Who would…
Coach’s Corner
A fine thing about children is, after a time they grow up and live in their own house. If you’re already thinking about the day when the angels move away, however, be assured that the race you’re running can only be viewed as the longest of marathons; a slow, never-ending trek, like trying to touch…
What Else Can We Do?
Just as the Live Music Capital of the World is often an enemy of live music, and the leaders of the Silicon Hills have been typically clueless about using technology, Austin’s reputation as an EnviroMecca is routinely undercut by its lax attention to alternative transportation. And, as Austin usually does, it has responded with a…
Under the Big Top
illustration by Jason Stout Well into my fourth month of pregnancy, my midsection bulged in the manner not of a woman with child but of a woman with an overwhelming penchant for beer — a belly round enough to make jeans a thing of the past but not quite at the point of needing a…
Day Trips
photograph by Gerald E. McLeod The Port Aransas Zoo is not your ordinary zoo. The animals aren’t in cages, but they’re not free to roam either. The six animals in the zoo have their feet securely anchored in cement pads, and everyone is welcome to pet them and ride some of them. In this zoo…
Riding on the Wrong Side
By Peter Houston’s own admission, he was breaking the law. Heading home from work at UT, the Ph.D student in organic chemistry was pedaling back to his South Austin neighborhood on January 17 without a helmet — required headgear for Austin bicyclists at the time — as well as without a headlight, and on the…
Whither Rock?
John Cougar Mellencamp — via the auspices of a pre-punk band called the Brains — said it first, and in some ways he said it best. “Money,” he said, “money changes everything.” After Nirvana released Nevermind in the fall of 1991, money did indeed change everything in rock, and it changed it swiftly, and irrevocably.…
Page Two
Proposition #1: The issuance of $36,015,000 of road bonds and the levying of the tax in payment thereof. YES This package provides for repair of substandard roads and bridges throughout the county. While county road bond proposals typically set off our “city-subsidized sprawl” alert, this particular proposed money allocation appears soley to improve specific trouble-spots…
Wasteland
“We didn’t generate one iota of that stuff and they want to dump it on us.” — Sierra Blanca business owner Gloria Addington photograph by Robert Bryce Overgrown weeds and “for sale” signs dominate both sides of the town’s main street. Boarded up gas stations sit alongside abandoned houses with broken windows. The stucco on…
Feast of Eire
Fad� Irish Pub and Restaurant photograph by John Anderson Fad� Irish Pub and Restaurant 214 W. Fourth, 457-0172 Daily, 11:15am-2am Though the only ethnic heritage I can claim with certainty is Irish, I must admit that my knowledge of Emerald Isle cuisine was pretty sketchy beyond corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew. That’s one…
Public Notice
Hipocalypse and Skam Productions, a non profit Eastside youth program, presents a benefit, Basic Skillz, for a Cultural Arts Center for Youth in East Austin on Sat, Oct 18, at two locations: The Art Showcase, featuring Austin’s best graffiti artists, will line the walls of Mexic-Arte, 412 Congress, 6-10pm; the Music Showcase will be held…
illustration by Doug Potter HOW ABOUT A DELL-A-THON?
It’s not easy being Michael Dell. The burden of having $5.5 billion is immense. And now Dell — the richest person in Texas and the 16th richest person in America — according to Forbes magazine’s Oct. 13 issue — is being picked on by the Travis Central Appraisal District. TCAD, which is charged with placing…
Gang Related
Gang Related 1997, R, 111 min. Directed by Jim Kouf, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring James Belushi, Tupac Shakur, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, James Earl Jones, David Paymer, Wendy Crewson, Gary Cole, Kool Moe Dee. It’s true: First impressions are often misleading. Starting with its title, the first 15 minutes or so of…
Mister Smarty Pants Knows
The third most commonly spoken language in Texas is Czech. John Richard Brinkley transplanted over 16,000 goat testicles into impotent men in the 1920s and ’30s. His antics later led to laws concerning false advertising over the airwaves. He ran for governor of Kansas, but lost because his name was misspelled on ballots. The exclamation…
Naked City
Today, Thursday, marks the second anniversary of the history-making Million Man March in Washington, D.C., which two years ago generated the largest-ever gathering of black men in the U.S. A repeat performance takes place today, with several events planned in Austin — all in the name of youth. At 10am, Huston-Tillotson College students are scheduled…
Most Wanted
Most Wanted 1997, R, 99 min. Directed by David Hogan, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jill Hennessy, Jon Voight, Robert Culp, Paul Sorvino. Most Wanted has the feel — and I mean this as a compliment — of having been written by a committee of 12-year-old boys. Writer and star…
