ON THE COVER: Cover photograph by Brian Smale
November 1985
Table of Contents
Features
The Return of the Urban CowboyFive years ago, Hollywood took some cowboys and cowgirls and portrayed their lives as filled with romance, heartbreak, and country music. Since then, they’ve returned to reality. And their lives have been filled with romance, heartbreak, and country music. The HustlersThe genteel practice of law is dead. Nowadays lawyers fight for clients, raid each other’s firms, and bill, bill, bill. We Wanted a Test Tube BabyThe odds for having a child of our own were slim to none. We took a chance on slim. Preacher’s KidsMy father had to have an answer for everything—adultery, spiritual crises, the pigeons defecating in the church gutter. No wonder I didn’t become a preacher. The miracle is that my sister did. Western Art: Sad Ballad of a Mad Filly in Love With Bad Billy |
Texas Primer: The Petroleum ClubPeople who have watched a certain prime-time soap opera think they know what goes on at the Petroleum Club. They don’t. Queen for a DayHere they are—the Texas homecoming queens. Take a look at the girls the boys liked best. The Art-By-The-Truckload SchoolThey’re cheesy, they’re tasteless. But each black velvet painting is a one-of-a-kind work of art. The Neo Black VelvetistsA new chapter in art history? Five artists dabble in a medium you’ll never see at the Met. |
Columns
ArtHave I Got a Collection for YouWith one bold acquisition the Dallas Museum of Art could double the value of its holdings. But there were a few strings attached. Behind the LinesWinners of Dallas, at ease! FoodEat and RunGraze on the street corners of Texas for fast, tasty, and inexpensive meals. |
MoviesMissing the PointeWhite Nights is too much cold war, not enough Baryshnikov; After Hours is overwrought Scorcese; Mishima is a mishmash. BooksDense as a Clootie DumplingIt had to happen. Novelist James Michener has finally trained his macroscope on Texas, and the result is, well, long. Classical MusicIs It Live Or Is It a CD?Compact discs: coasters? Frisbees? or the best sound you’ll ever hear? |
Reporter
ReporterTexas Monthly ReporterA turf battle over shrimp on the coast; a nominee for the meanest man in Houston; a former Cowboy’s reflections on why athletes go broke. |
Miscellany
Back RoadsThey said it couldn’t be done, but Larry Brumfield built Texas’ largest indoor bass aquarium. Post-Modern TimesNorthPark Mall inaugurated an epoch twenty years ago. It’s still the standard for upscale shopping. DowntownYou have to wonder if guys like San Antonio’s C. A. Stubbs aren’t the future of urban politics. ToutsThe sincerest form of plattery; imaginative new serving pieces for the holiday season. |
Roar of the CrowdPuzzleState SecretsFundamentalists lose ground in textbook war; White maneuvers to keep Hispanic support; round two for Crystal City. |
Web Exclusives
Recipes
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