The Shot Heard ‘Round the Dial
by Chris Gray It’s taken a while, but the three favorite words in Austin radio are no longer “Stevie Ray Vaughan.” Now it’s “New Rock Revolution,” and every couple of years or so, Austin gets another one. First, it was K-NACK four years ago, and because radio was only beginning to suffer from acute hair-band…
The Prophecy
The Prophecy 1995, R, 98 min. Directed by Gregory Widen, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Virginia Madsen, Amanda Plummer. A theological film noir with Walken in a shaggy black Beatles mop-top is the best way to describe The Prophecy. When an NYPD detective with the doubtful name of Thomas…
Post Scripts
*SAT, SEPT 9: BookPeople presents Susan Bright, who will read from her new book, House of the Mother, 2pm. Bright is a three-time winner of the Austin Book Award… *SUN, SEPT 10: Hudson Talbott, author of King Arthur and the Round Table, will be at Toad Hall Children’s Bookstore for a booksigning, 1:30-3pm… Singer-songwriter, humorist,…
Sterling Morrison
Sterling Morrison was in the Velvet Underground longer than any other member, yet often remained a musical enigma after the band broke up 25 years ago. He passed away in Poughkeepsie, New York on August 30. He had been fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since last spring, but lived long enough to turn 53 the day before…
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Three drag queens become stranded in a small American town when their car breaks down while traveling cross-country.
Dr. Marvin Kimbrough and Floyd Freeman That Essence Rare
by Ken Hunt The language of essence, poetry is perhaps the most effective way to communicate across all facets of society. In Dr. Marvin Kimbrough and Floyd Freeman, two poets frequently seen reading in tandem, the local poetry community has two voices of the African-American experience rich with personal perspective and the history of the…
Music Recommended
Laguna Gloria, Sunday 10 As the old timers around here like to recall, Chronicle anniversaries used to consist of a few joints passed around the back of Liberty Lunch as the True Believers raged on stage. Now, it’s red wine, kids running rampant all over the grounds of Laguna Gloria, and word-smiths like Jimmy LaFave…
The Bio of John Wesley Hardin The Fortysomething Killer
by Jesse Sublett The Last Gunfighter by Richard Marohn Creative Publishing, $29.95 hard John Wesley Hardin, Texas’ most notorious gunfighter, had star quality. While still a teenager, he earned the respect of noted gunslingers like Bill Longley, Ben Thompson, Jeff Milton, and Wild Bill Hickok. When he was finally captured and brought back to Texas…
Ready to Bond
by Roseana Auten If you live within the Austin Independent School District (AISD), a bond election is in your future. It may come as soon as December, or it may not come until early next year, but AISD trustees will most certainly be coming to the voters soon – asking them to authorize somewhere around…
Local Cookbooks Span the Globe Hometown Haute Cuisine
by Virginia B. Wood Earlier in the summer, I traveled the cookbooks of several talented national and international chefs and authors. More recently, I’ve done some very exciting culinary exploration with three local authors to guide me. I’ve visited rural Jamaica with Robb Walsh and Jay McCarthy; Jalisco, Mexico, with Lucinda Hutson; and came all…
Dollars Down to Earth
by Louisa C. Brinsmade Hasn’t this been a fun year for big dreams? What with plans floated to spend $30 million on a Palmer Auditorium retrofit, up to $100 million for a new city hall, recurring dreams to dump $60 million (apiece) into downtown mall subsidies, millions more for GAATN plans, a tax abatement ordinance…
Not Just Jerking Around
During a recent cooking class at HEB Central Market, chef Jay McCarthy was demonstrating Jamaican jerk cooking techniques and recipes. When questioned about the authenticity of his particular methods, McCarthy remarked, “Well, there’s a lot of jerks out there.” After spending an evening in his class and tasting his cooking, the good news is that…
Council Watch
If the councilmembers were locked into a cell for three straight days, would long-standing divisions yield to a newfound cooperation to escape, or deteriorate into name-calling, fisticuffs and, oh my, even bloodshed? The safe money is on the latter, but for assurity’s sake, the public can get a good indication during this week’s annual budget…
Hot Air
by Robert Faires Is the caller there?” They are four simple words, but for millions of Americans, they are more: they are a lifeline. When they are asked of a caller to a talk radio show, it is like a rope being thrown to a soul foundering in a dark and angry sea. If one…
Naked City
Edited by Louisa C. Brinsmade, with contributions this week by Andrea Barnett, Robert Bryce, and Nelson England. DOGGING DAN: Texas Attorney General Dan Morales didn’t like the cartoon that ran with the story on him in our August 25 issue. And he apparently doesn’t like to see citizens expressing their opinions. Last week, during a…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The United States/Canadian border is the longest unprotected border in the world. According to fung-scua, a type of Chinese spiritualism, people shouldn’t have beamed ceilings in their master bedrooms. Beams could subject them to headaches and the inability to succeed in life. Tchaikovsky considered Brahms a “giftless bastard.” Citizens of Salem, Oregon can obtain a…
County’s Parsimonious Budget Plans Ockham’s Razor
The big news at the Stokes Building is the county’s extensive reorganization, approved in June and set to take effect October 1. Under this plan, the county’s plethora of little departments have been grouped into four program areas: justice and public safety; health, human, and veterans services; transportation and natural resources; and general government and…
Scanlines
FEDERAL HILL D: Michael Corrente: with Nicholas Turturro, Anthony DeSando, Libby Langdon, Michael Raynor, Jason Andrews, Robert Turano Vidmark Entertainment Set in the Federal Hill District of Providence, R.I., this charming little black-and-white, penny-ante gangster movie is a modern day Mean Streets without the edge. A group of Italian-American college-age townies sell drugs and commit…
Film Reviews
TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! JULIE NEWMARD: Beeban Kidron; with Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner, Arliss Howard, Jason London, Chris Penn. To Wong Foo is a fairy tale in every sense of the word. Kidron’s (Used People) latest film outdrags, outdresses, and generally outdoes last year’s Australian hit about…
About AIDS
HIV at Home: Skills for Caregivers Providing home care for someone living with HIV/AIDS can be a rewarding but sometimes stressful experience. AIDS Services of Austin and Christopher House are collaborating to develop a skills workshop for caregivers. This workshop will focus on providing members of a PWA’s support network with practical, how-to information on…
Film: Showtimes
Showtimes listed below start Friday, September 8 and cover the week ending Thursday, September 14. *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,…
Coach’s Corner
by Andy “Coach” Cotton Last week I created a grisly airplane mishap, scattering 49er and Cowboy body parts all over Missouri, just to manufacture an excuse to discuss any other teams as possible NFC champions. Such is the shallowness of the vaunted National Football Conference. No such journalistic trickery is needed to discuss the AFC,…
food-o-file
CARRIBEAN DINING IN MARBLE FALLS Jamin House Cafe Hwy281, Marble Falls, (210) 693-3979 11am – thru dinner, 7 days a week It’s a 45-minute-to-an-hour drive through the Hill Country, but if you’re in the mood for Caribbean, visiting the Jamin House Cafe in Marble Falls is worth it. Run by the creative team behind the…
Hearth and Soul
Old Man River Dear Suzy, I acquired some land in Liberty Hill which fronts the north San Gabriel River and would like to erect a deck at the edge of the river or partially over it. The land itself (where eventually we want to build a cabin) is in the hundred-year flood plain, so I…
Day Trips
Barry’s Coffee Shop in Lampasas stands out in this village of antique shops, essential rural services, and authentic western buildings. In most respects, Lampasas is a typical small Texas town. Established in 1856 on the strength of the cattle and cotton trade south of Waco, the town became the county seat and railroad terminus on…
Bonus Tracks
ROY HARGROVE Family (Verve) Upping his output ante, Dallas hornblower Roy Hargrove is giving the ever-prolific Wynton Marsalis a run for his money these days. Besides Hargrove’s new Parker’s Mood, there’s also his recent Family, 79 minutes of blue-hues ballads featuring his excellent quintet, and guests like the aforementioned Marsalis, Christian McBride, and David “Fathead”…
Lover of the Last Empress
Lover of the Last Empress 1995. Directed by Wong Jing, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Chingmay Yau Suk-Ching, Tony Leung Kar-Fei, Yu Rong-Guang. This intriguing new film from prolific producer/director Wong Jing is a return for Wong and his regular leading lady (on and off screen), Chingmay Yau Suk-ching, to the realm of…
Dancing About Architecture
That’s what the Austin music scene is all about, right? So take a taste of this: This Sunday is The Austin Chronicle’s 14th Anniversary Party at the Austin Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria. Between the magic hours of 2-8pm, there’ll be music from Leeann Atherton, Jimmy LaFave, Kris McKay, Marcia Ball, Butch Hancock, and…
The Day the Sun Turned Cold
The Day the Sun Turned Cold 1994, NR, 99 min. Directed by Yim Ho, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Siqin Gowa, Tuo Zhong Hua, Li Hu, Ma Jing Wu, Wai Zhi. Based upon a true story, the exquisitely titled The Day the Sun Turned Cold is a wonderfully suspenseful drama that also pulses…
Heard It on the X
by Chris Walters “You’re listening to 101-X, Austin’s new rock alternative! I am a flake of dandruff that has fallen into the cleavage of a very beautiful, very old motion picture star. And this would be the Beatles song that I insist on playing.” Guitars churn. John Lennon wails about wanting to die, and one…
Magic in the Water
Magic in the Water 1995, R, 101 min. Directed by Rick Stevenson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mark Harmon, Harley Jane Kozak, Sarah Wayne, Joshua Jackson, Willie Nark-Orn. I once paid five pounds to work my way up numerous lochs to get to the most famous loch of them all. Squinting through the…
Really Left of the Dial
by Lee Nichols T his story shouldn’t re- quire more than four interviews, I thought, and four names were quickly chosen. And then, to my horror, I realized the list had a flaw – they were all white males. Oh, what an embarrassing irony that would have been. KOOP (91.7 FM) went on the radio…
Last of the Dogmen
Last of the Dogmen 1995, PG, 118 min. Directed by Tab Murphy, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey, Kurtwood Smith, Steve Reevis, Dawn Lavand. Beautiful scenery, a somewhat intriguing story, and weak dialogue characterize Last of the Dogmen, the directing debut of screenwriter Tab Murphy (previous credits include his Oscar…
