May 1980
Table of Contents
Features
Three Gentlemen, One Ghost, and a SkyscraperThe intrigue behind the building of Houston’s Texas Commerce Tower was almost as monumental as the 75-story structure itself. The Good LifeYou can still find it in these great small towns. Hot Enough for You?Fire up! Put some spice back in your life with the amazing chile pepper. |
Town Without PityNuevo Laredo’s red-light district abounds with raw sex and broken dreams. The BeatTwo average, middle-class men risk injury and death patrolling the roughest streets in Dallas. Why do they do it? Because they love the job. |
Columns
Behind the LinesDemocracy in America PoliticsThe Star-Crossed Palm of Billy ClaytonThis is the question: is it a crime to be politically inept? FilmSouthern DiscomfortJohn Huston makes the sinners and saviors of Flannery O’Connor’s fiction eerily real in Wise Blood; Little Miss Marker falls short; Nijinsky falls flat. ArtAnimal MagnetismHorses of different colors leapt from the bright, bold palette of German abstractionist Franz Marc. BooksAngle of ReflectionWallace Stegner’s love of the West and respect for its history make his works as distinctive as the region that inspired them. |
TheaterStriking the SetThe Alley mourns the passing of Nina Vance; outlanders rustle a Texas-trained playwright; in Houston, Stages spends a Night on Bare Mountain and Hank Williams appears at the Tower. Classical MusicChief of StaffA Dallas composer is reviving medieval music in a modern context, while two new classical groups attempt a chamber music renaissance. ChurchForeign ServiceIn France you can commune with the angels at Chartres or mingle with the home folks at the American Church in Paris. Stepping OutThe Women Who Came to DinnerBringing the world’s most controversial feminist sculpture to Texas turned out to be no picnic - but a rare feast for connoisseurs of the outrageous. CityviewThe Late Reign of Francois HuybrechtsWhen the San Antonio Symphony fired its brilliant and popular young conductor, it produced a cacophony of artistic and political discord. |
Reporter
ReporterA Dog’s LifeFighting over a black neighborhood in Austin; corralling the irascible Bull of the Brazos; fussing and feuding with the DAR; monkeying around with the San Antonio Zoo. |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdBarrio blues, cable cares, coddied eggs. The Inside StoryRestless, rustless. State SecretsPlaguing the Panhandle; rebuking the Washington Post; slaughtering the Beeferendum; lusting after the Speakership. |
ToutsComin’ in on a wing and a mare. PuzzlePlaying post office. |
