A Slip of the Tongue

In Lyndon Johnson’s mind, Viet Nam was like the Alamo all over again.

by Ronnie Dugger

Texas Primer: The Tumbleweed

It’s only a humble weed, but just try to imagine West Texas without it.

by Anne Dingus

The Very Rich Life Of Enrico Di Portanova

Hugh Roy Cullen found the oil and made one of Houston’s great fortunes; now his grandson is spending his inheritance like there is no tomorrow, and suing for more.

by John Davidson

Drinking

Saint Paul said that a little wine is a fine thing. He must have known something.

by John Graves

BYOB

When liquor by the drink went into effect in 1971, Texas changed forever.

by Anne Dingus

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Next President of Mexico

On the surface, Mexico’s presidential election looks a lot like ours—rallies, placards, speeches—but the outcome there is never in doubt.

by Dick J. Reavis

Mexico In Color

A courageous photographer dares to break the color barrier.

by Geoff Winningham

Sports

We Believe In You, Coach

In hiring football coach Jackie Sherrill, the A&M regents were acting life shrewd businessmen, but that may not be the best way to run a university.

by Dan Balz

Behind the Lines

Dignity and groovy threads.

by Gregory Curtis

Books

The Writer Stumbles

Celebrity is Thomas Thompson’s flawed venture into fiction; The Last Texas Hero deserves a twenty-yard penalty; Peeper is to be read only to find out who the real Tom is.

by John Bloom

Movies

Marriage In The Combat Zone

Shoot the Moon is about domestic warfare with tenderness and humor between the skirmishes; One From the Heart succeeds as art but fails as real life; Willie Nelson is just one of several good reasons to go see Barbarosa.

by James Wolcott

Working

Making Hole

Mudding up, twisting off, and other mysteries in the life of a roughneck.

Chuck Roach

Church

The Soaps Get Religion

Another Life, the Christian Broadcasting Network’s born-again soap, hasn’t discarded the essentials of the genre: sex, crime, and violence.

by William Martin

Classical Music

The Score In Houston

Two young conductors are rousing audiences in Houston and making motions toward becoming the country’s finest maestros.

by W. L. Taitte

Dining Out

Hot Pasta

From their antipastos to their cannoli, three restaurants are leading Texans to the pure, simple pleasures of classical Italian cooking.

by W. L. Taitte

Reporter

Texas Monthly Reporter

Private eyes are peeled for oil thieves; Lightnin’ Hopkin’s death left Houston singin’ the blues; Zenter’s steakhouses hoof it across Texas; folks are MADD as hell about DWI; Places Rated Almanac flunks the rating game.

by Peter Applebome

Roar of the Crowd

Steers charge, Wildcats retreat, scorpions to eat.

State Secrets

Drilling for oil on hallowed ground; nannies invade Dallas; McKnight of the living dead; does the Voting Rights Act really help Mexican Americans?

Edited by Paul Burka