ON THE COVER: Cover Illustration by Dagmar Frinta
September 1983
Table of Contents
Features
The Big ConFrom his early days in Big Spring, Eugene Anderson wasn’t what he seemed; neither was the mysterious element he later claimed turned water into fuel. Pros at ConsEverything is bigger in Texas, including the scams. Texas Primer: CaprockAcross the Panhandle stretches a thin red line that divides doughty plains dwellers from Texas’ lesser changed. Panorama CameraWith their 350-degree camera, photographers recorded Houston in the early 1900’s. Half a century later two young photographers found the camera the same but Houston vastly changed. |
Texas, A Long, Long, Long, Long, Time AgoWhen armadillos weighed three tons and the long horns were on dinosaurs. Johnson & JohnsonIn a glass-and-steel world of Houston skyscrapers, there was nothing like an art deco obelisk or a pink Gothic cathedral until architect Philip Johnson. Passing the BucksFootball recruiting makes the NCAA see red, but SMU sees orange. |
Columns
Behind the LinesThe burning cactus. CrimeLove in the SlammerSometimes women fall in love with men behind bars, but once the bars disappear, the love itself may become the prison. PoliticsSqueaky WheelsIndependent oilmen are still for free enterprise, but these days they also expect a little favoritism from Uncle Sam. MoviesHistory’s NebbishThe tale of schlemiels schlemiel, Zelig is as funny, endearing, and slight as Woody Allen himself. Staying Alive is suicidal. The quick Grey Fox jumps nimbly the pitfalls of making a western. |
Classical MusicA Chamber of MusicJim Cartwright has a classic case of obsession-he owns thousands of records. Under Sung Kwak the Austin Symphony has gone from mediocre to memorable. BooksCatcher of the AwryFrederick Barthelme’s Moon Deluxe is a collection of cockeyed tales about stucco camels, supermarket sec and other modern curiosities. In Short Circuit Michael Mewshaw finds fault with the nasty world of professional tennis. The urban vignettes of Laura Furman’s Watch Time Fly range from skillful to so-so. Popular MusicBlues at His FingertipsBluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan showcases his powerhouse guitar on a nationally released record. Also on new LPs are fellow Texans, from country king George Jones to Austin cutups the Big Boys. |
Reporter
ReporterTexas Monthly ReporterTexas highways show their age; Houston punks show their colors; foster parents show they care; A&M shows its macaws; cattle ranchers show their breeding. |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdToutsThis one’s a real sleeper. |
PuzzleState SecretsIt’s Post time in the race to take over Houston’s morning newspaper, and here are the odds; Doctor Death takes a holiday in Dallas; a bank merger causes frowns at Fulbright & Jaworski; does Jim Mattox have a future? |
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