August 2012
The Culture
August 31, 2012
6 Things You’ll Be Talking About in September
1. “Goodbye to Texas University . . . Hello to the University of Louisiana State?”The trash-talking for Texas A&M’s first-ever Southeastern Conference game got off to an early start in May, when University of Florida head coach Will Muschamp took a shot at Aggieland. “You ever been to College
Web Exclusive
August 31, 2012
How to Successfully Release a Conservative Film
Movie distributors of 2016: Obama's America, which is on track to be one of the five highest-grossing documentaries of all time, focused their initial marketing strategy on a Houston release. Why?
The Culture
August 31, 2012
The Drop Everything List
Bison Celebration Days, Shawn Colvin, Schützenfest, and Bill Callahan . . .
Music
August 31, 2012
Ryan Bingham Strikes Out on His Own
Starting a new label is a dicey proposition, but the country star who co-wrote the Oscar-winning song "The Weary Kind" thinks the time is right.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
The Drop Everything List
Gustavo Arellano, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," Kolache Festival, and the Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza . . .
Style & Design
August 31, 2012
Making Something Out of Nothing
How McAllen turned a vacant Walmart into one of the most architecturally imaginative libraries in the country.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
The Drop Everything List
Aggie Football, Great Recession Orchestra, Marfa Dialogues, and Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body . . .
The Culture
August 31, 2012
The Drop Everything List
Robert Rodriguez, the Fort Worth Symphony's American Festival, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, and the 16th Annual Grape Stomp . . .
Books
August 31, 2012
Andrew Porter’s Novel Has a Houston Problem
The San Antonio writer's novel, In Between Days, doesn't get its Houston setting quite right.
Books
August 31, 2012
A Q&A With Brené Brown
Brené Brown discusses her book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Gotham Books) and her 2010 TED talk on vulnerability.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
And Away They Go
Sending a Texan off into the world—and hoping he’ll return.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
The Kids Are All Right
Meet eight of this year’s valedictorians, the products of schools across Texas, from El Paso’s Silva Health Magnet to Houston’s Westbury High.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
A Life at the Movies
The man behind the booth at the Ganado Theater.
Music
August 31, 2012
Not Fade Away
Can a posthumous release of Waylon Jennings’s last recordings keep his legacy from disappearing?
Business
August 31, 2012
Cell! Cell! Cell!
As cancer hospitals in Dallas try to compete with Houston’s M.D. Anderson, the medical technology arms race is heating up. Is that good news for patients?
Roar of the Crowd
August 31, 2012
Roar of the Crowd
Our July issue on drought and water in Texas was greeted with enthusiasm, though it was qualified by despair. “The package of articles is very informative,” wrote the San Angelo Standard-Times, “but for those of us who watched Texas dry up in the 1950s . . . those memories are
Cover Credit
August 31, 2012
Cover Credit
Composite photograph by Randal Ford. Retouching by Gigantic Squid. Styling by Bonnie Markel.
Behind the Lines
August 31, 2012
Generation Next
Welcome to the new Texas Monthly.
The Texanist
August 31, 2012
The Texanist: Do I Need to Stop Raising My Little Girl Like a Tomboy?
On tomboys, spiciness, and the end of the UT-A&M rivalry.
The Culture
August 31, 2012
Datebook
September’s must-attend concerts, shows, and festivals.
Style & Design
August 31, 2012
Cowhide
From rugs to bags to pillows, a little hair never hurt anyone.
August 31, 2012
Cowhide
From rugs to bags to pillows, a little hair never hurt anyone.
Travel & Outdoors
August 31, 2012
Cowgirl Up!
From horseback riding to grilling my own ribeye, three days in Bandera brought out my inner Dale Evans.
Food & Drink
August 31, 2012
Frito Pie
Cheap, hearty, and eternally beloved.
Politics & Policy
August 31, 2012
Greg Abbott’s War
The state attorney general on Obamacare, secession, and challenges to Texas sovereignty.
Critters
August 31, 2012
The Horny Toad
First of all, they're not really horny.
Education
August 31, 2012
Hullabaloo, Qatar! Qatar!
Now that Texas A&M has opened a campus in the Middle East, can it hold on to its traditions? Can the Middle East?
Screens
August 31, 2012
Quaid in Full
After years of bad choices and bad luck, Dennis Quaid—older, wiser, and emotionally raw—proves his mettle in a new movie and his first TV series.
Business
August 31, 2012
Texas Business Report: Hurricane Isaac Could Set Oil Companies Back $1 Billion
"Damage to fixed, floating and underwater assets” including offshore platforms and pipelines could shut down 95 percent of production in the Gulf.
The Culture
August 30, 2012
Sherman Hemsley Still Unburied in El Paso
The body of The Jeffersons star is caught up in an estate dispute between a longtime friend in Texas and a man who claims to be his brother in Philadelphia.
Business
August 30, 2012
More Jobs Created in California Than Texas
New numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that California added some 142,000 more jobs than Texas in the last twelve months.
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2012
Perry names Williams education chief
This appointment had been rumored for some time, so it was hardly a surprise. Michael Williams has a slim history in the education area, except for serving in the Department of Education during the George H. W. Bush administration and serving on the board of a Catholic school. He faces
Art
August 29, 2012
Houston: James Turrell’s Skyspace
During a recent trip to Houston, I decided to make an early-bird dinner reservation so I could get over to the Rice University campus in time for the evening viewing of James Turrell’s Light Epiphany. Open since June, the site-specific “skyspace” was commissioned to mark the
Eat My Words
August 29, 2012
Erin McKool of Start Talks Reinventing Traditional Drive-Through Restaurants
In late July, Erin McKool opened a drive-through restaurant in Dallas called Start. For years, McKool had planned to open her own restaurant, but was never sure of what concept she wanted to undertake. Two-and-a-half years ago when the idea for Start finally came to fruition, McKool knew she had something spectacular on her hands. Start is
Politics & Policy
August 29, 2012
State loses redistricting case; Abbott plans appeal
The outcome of this case was predestined. For months, the D.C. court warned that Texas’s failure to provide Hispanic opportunity districts when there were huge Hispanic population gains could be construed as evidence of intentional discrimination. There was no way a fair court could ignore the facts in the case:
The Culture
August 28, 2012
Is Lindsay Lohan Destined to Play Anna Nicole Smith?
The casting sheet for Lifetime's Anna Nicole Smith biopic is out, and LiLo seems to be a heavy favorite.
The Wanderer
August 27, 2012
Marathon: Get Outta Town
For many travelers, this far West Texas town is a last-chance pit stop before heading south to brave the wilds of Big Bend National Park. But, this past spring, after driving 407 miles (that’s roughly 7 hours and 143 country songs) from Austin to
August 27, 2012
Three Century-Old Homes for Less Than $200K
Introducing Lone Star Listings, our new recurring feature that highlights beautiful, historic, and interesting properties and homes around the state.
The Wanderer
August 27, 2012
Marfa: Trans-Pecos Gathering of Music + Love
In one of my favorite descriptions of Marfa, writer David McDannald points out that sometimes it’s “a shadow of a town” and sometimes it’s “a desert Mardi Gras.” At the end of this month, West Texas’s buzziest destination will be lit up like Bourbon Street on
Politics & Policy
August 26, 2012
Neil Armstrong, R.I.P.
I was saddened to hear of the death of astronaut Neil Armstrong, at 82. His passing reminds us of a time when people still believed that government could do great things. Nobody believes that any more. The landing on the moon is one of the great accomplishments of this nation,
Politics & Policy
August 24, 2012
The Republican field: a sensible solution
Here’s what I think should happen:(1) If Abbott isn’t going to run against Perry, he should challenge Dewhurst for lieutenant governor. It’s the best job available (other than governor), and Dewhurst is gravely wounded. Abbott would beat him like a drum. If Abbott doesn’t run, Dewhurst still has to contend
Business
August 24, 2012
Samsung Pumps $4B into Austin Plant
The technology giant's investment is “the largest in size to be made by a foreign company in Texas.”
Bum Steers
August 23, 2012
One Bar Owner Finds Out That You Don’t Mess With the Alamo
Christopher Erck, owner of the Worm Tequila and Mezcal bar in San Antonio, applied to trademark the phrase, "I can't remember the Alamo," a joke the custodians of the historic structure found none too funny.
August 23, 2012
Judge Says UN Will Take Over Lubbock if Obama Reelected
Lubbock County Judge Tom Head wants to raise Lubbock County's property taxes by 1.7 cents per $100 in order to pay for more sheriff's deputies to defend the town from the UN troops during potential civil unrest.
The Wanderer
August 22, 2012
Roadside Attraction: Wild Boar Farms
WHAT: Wild Boar Farms, a roadside farm stand worth pulling over for. WHERE: Stonewall, at the northeast corner of Hwy 290 and Luckenbach Road. WHY: For starters, the head farmer’s name is Daniel Bacon. That’s as good a reason as any to patronize this long, wood-paneled structure, which
The Wanderer
August 22, 2012
Wandering Around the Great State of Texas
If you’ve already picked up your copy of Texas Monthly‘s September issue, you’ve noticed that the magazine has undergone a top-to-bottom redesign. In the new Touts section, you’ll find the debut of my Texas travel column, the Wanderer (or, as my colleagues like to call
Eat My Words
August 21, 2012
Pay It Forward Tonight with Daniel Curtis and Austin Chefs
Despite our most valiant efforts, we cannot predict the life events that await us around the corner. Before May of last year, Daniel Curtis – former food and beverage director of The Carillon – had every intention of continuing his work in the evolving Austin culinary scene. But when a diving accident
BBQ Joint Reviews
August 20, 2012
Bob’s Bar-B-Que
This joint is a family affair run by the tight-lipped Bob Allen, his wife, and son. A steel wood-fired pit was hidden by a fence, and they weren’t willing to give us a tour. Bob assured us that “there’s no gas up on this hill.” It’s all hickory
Bum Steers
August 20, 2012
Woman Sues Dallas Cowboys Over Burned Backside
A Cowboys fan who claims she was burned by a hot bench outside Cowboys Stadium has sued the team and Jerry Jones.