Send a message

John Spong

John Spong holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1997, after a brief yet dramatically unfulfilling stint as a civil litigator in Austin, he joined TEXAS MONTHLY as a fact-checker. He became a staff writer in 2002.

Spong was named the 2005 Writer of the Year by the City and Regional Magazine Association. He has twice been a finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters O’Henry Award for Magazine Journalism, which he won in 2006 for his story “The Good Book and the Bad Book” (September, 2006). His story “King’s Ransom” (October, 2003) was collected in Literary Austin (TCU Press, 2007), and his story “Sand Trap” (May 2002) appeared in Rio Grande (University of Texas Press 2004). John Spong has lived in Austin since 1970.

Features

You’re Rick Noriega. Do You Approve This Message?

Since the Republicans took over Texas, every plausible Democratic candidate for high statewide office has been the subject of an obligatory profile in Texas Monthly. Here’s yours—only it’s a bit different. It’s a memo containing loads of free advice—the kind you can afford—on how you can beat John Cornyn. July 2008

BBQ08

Eighteen hungry reviewers. 14,773 miles driven/flown. 341 joints visited. Countless bites of brisket, sausage, chicken, pork, white bread, potato salad, and slaw—and vats of sauce—ingested. There are only fifty slots on our quinquennial list of the best places to eat barbecue in Texas. Only five of those got high honors. And only one (you’ll never guess which one in a million years) is the best of the best. June 2008

Untitled Mike Flynt Project

A veteran Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have come up with a better narrative arc: Seeking redemption, 59-year-old reenrolls at university he was once asked to leave, tries out for football team, makes it, becomes one of oldest-ever players in NCAA history. Or at least that’s how the hero wants it to be told. The full story may not be quite so neat and tidy, but . . . aw, hell, roll cameras anyway! March 2008

The Last Resort

After telecommunications tycoon Steve Smith bought the Big Bend town of Lajitas on a whim for $4.25 million, he spent perhaps $100 million more developing what was going to be a five-star, world-class getaway. The desert, however, had other ideas. December 2007

Number One With a Bullet

Miranda Lambert likes guns, but there’s more to her than that, just as the sultry pouts on her album covers don’t tell the whole story of an East Texas girl who always wanted to be Merle Haggard. October 2007

Carlos Brown Is a Hero (No Matter What He Says)

My best friend from high school is no longer the uncool, baseball-card-collecting goofball he once was. He’s a Navy surgeon and commander, and for two horrific weeks I got to watch him calmly and bravely save lives in wartime—not just Americans’ and not just soldiers’—in one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq. May 2007

Ron White Gets the Last Laugh

Thanks to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, he’s richer than all get-out, and you’re not. December 2006

The Good Book and the Bad Book

When parents at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, in Austin—where the Capital City’s moneyed elite have educated their kids for more than fifty years—rebelled against the teaching of Brokeback Mountain, it was, you might say, a learning experience for everyone involved. September 2006

Thank God It’s Friday

And Saturday. And Sunday. The arrival of fall means weekends spent watching football, up close and on-screen, and yet another opportunity to love the greatest game on earth for all the usual reasons. Forty-nine of them, in fact. September 2006

Light in the Darkness

The title of James Evans’s new series of Big Bend photographs is “The Camera Never Sleeps.” It doesn’t matter, apparently, that the photographer does. August 2006

My Life As an Illegal

You’ve heard enough from the politicians and the activists, the demagogues and the bleeding hearts. Here’s my story. I only wish I could put my name on it. By Immigrant X July 2006

Water, Water Everywhere

From kayaking on Town Lake to mountain biking around Joe Pool Lake, from bass fishing on Lake Fork to horseback riding on the shores of Lake Whitney, here are some of our favorite things to do in, on, and around Texas lakes. June 2006

Would You Buy What This Man Is Selling?

With the military stretched thinner than ever, Staff Sergeant Christopher Schwope’s skill as an Army recruiter is undeniably important. And it’s a thing to behold. March 2006

Embarrassment of Riches

At Westlake, even if your parents wouldn’t spring for Ralph Lauren, you could still work your way into the in crowd. December 2005

Dome Away From Home

Inside the Eighth Wonder of the World—the largest shelter ever organized by the American Red Cross—faith, hope, and charity helped the survivors of Hurricane Katrina begin the process of rebuilding their lives. November 2005

Six Brothers

The tragedy of the Von Erichs—the state’s first family of pro wrestling—is well known not just to fans of the sport but to the many groupies who oohed and aahed at the matinee-idol athletes over the years. Still, you haven’t really heard the story until it’s told by the sole surviving sibling, whose eldest son may be the next one to step into the ring. October 2005

Pug

He asked me if I was going to be white my whole life. I was, of course. But because of our friendship, I’m no longer the clueless upper-middle-class kid I once was. May 2005

L. on Wheels

Eight days in a rental car with Larry L. King, the crotchety West Texan who has written some of the greatest magazine stories of all time, would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Except his biggest fan. January 2005

The Shot Not Heard Round the World

Elmo Henderson’s entire life story can be summed up in a single moment: when he stepped into the ring in San Antonio one night in 1972 and knocked out Muhammad Ali. At least that’s the way he tells it. And tells it. December 2004

Wheels of Fortune

For automakers in the U.S. and overseas, Texas is the very best market for the pickup truck. And for Texans, the pickup truck is the very best vehicle—if only for what it says about who we are. Or who we'd like to be. August 2004

The Rehabilitation of Charlie Wilson

It happened in twelve steps, which is not surprising, given the legendary Lufkin lawmaker’s history with booze, broads, and bad behavior. For now, at least, it's taking. June 2004

Spoon at a Fork

According to Time, the Austin rock-pop trio Spoon "just might be your next favorite band." But Britt Daniel and the boys have been burned by such pronouncements before, so this time they're carefully considering their options—and, as always, putting their music first. April 2004

King's Ransom

At UT's Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, extraordinary cultural treasures are available for your inspection—if you know the magic word. October 2003

The Spirit of '76

How Matthew McConaughey got discovered, why Renée Zellweger's part is so small, why some of the actresses can't eat ketchup to this day, and everything else you didn't know about the making of the classic high school flick Dazed and Confused. October 2003

State Bar

If Texas politics is your thing and you live in Austin, sometimes you want to go where every lobbyist knows your name. And they're always glad you came. July 2003

The Story of O

Never mind that he got kicked out of St. Mark’s and dropped out of UT, or that his line readings seem a little . . . off. Somehow, Owen Wilson is the kind of guy who gets movies made. And he gets $10 million a pop, dude. June 2003

Top Fifty

May 2003

Pit Stops

Where are the best places to eat barbecue in Texas? Six years ago we published a highly subjective—and hotly debated— list of our fifty favorite joints, and now we’ve gone back for seconds. Ten intrepid souls drove more than 21,000 miles in search of 2003’s worthiest ‘cue. Here’s what they came back with: the top 5 and the next 45, plus honorable mentions, great chains, and meat by mail. May 2003

Chasing Shadows

Why is James Evans so good at photographing the mavericks and renegades who make Big Bend one of the most interesting places on earth? Because he is one himself. March 2003

My Short, Unhappy Life as a Rodeo Clown

Once upon a time I thought I wanted to be a bullfighter (and not the kind that wears sequined tights). A legendary cowboy named Leon Coffee—and an animal named Pretty Boy—changed my mind. January 2002

Old-Fashioned Texas

Texas is changing before our eyes, but fried pies, drive-in movie theaters, and other vestiges of earlier days are all around. To find these treasures, we risked life, limb, and cholesterol count-and had a blast from the past. August 2001

History in the Making

Austin's new Bob Bullock museum sports six bas-reliefs that tell the story of Texas. Here's how a sculptor and a team of artisans made them, like the museum's namesake, larger than life. April 2001

Musical Marginalia

The places, people and stories behind Texas music. May 2000

Tomorrow People

Meet the senior class of what might be called Texas Music U. — four up-and-coming acts that should graduate to the big time. May 2000

Television • Stone Cold Steve Austin

Lord of the ring. September 1999

The Best Worst Legislators 1997

From Bush’s good try on property taxes to Bullock’s grand finale, from savvy Sadler to weaselly Wohlgemuth, from Duncan’s beginning to Howard’s end: Our sorting of the session’s standouts—best, worst, and in between. July 1997

Columns | Miscellany

Road Warrior

"There were a lot of wild nights, people taking us in and offering us whatever they had. There were a lot of those 'offerings.'" April 2004

I, the Juror

As a "recovering" attorney with a mixed record at picking juries, I always wondered what made them tick. After receiving a summons this year, I'm still deliberating. April 2002

"Cheap! Cheap!"

To change the way recording contracts are created, the Dixie Chicks are taking their act to the courtroom. January 2002

Dreade Locke

Russell Erxleben and Brian Russell Stearns were first-rate frauds who cheated scores of unsuspecting investors. So how did the prominent law firm of Locke, Liddell, and Sapp get stuck footing a $30 million bill? November 2001

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson

September 2001

Randall "Tex" Cobb

September 2001

The Judge, Judged

Corpus Christi's Manuel Bañales believes that some sex offenders should post warning signs in their yards. He says it's about good law; his critics say it's about good publicity. August 2001

The Supremes

Judging the three Texan candidates for the nation's highest court. June 2001

The Hate Debate

The question about the James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Act isn't whether it will pass. The question is, Is it good law? April 2001

Almost Famous

For brothers Charlie and Bruce Robison, making country music safe for men again is an intriguing proposition—and a risky one because of their wives. November 2000

Mayor May Not

The campaign against the mayor of Wichita Falls. December 2000

A Star Is Sworn

The media lower the boom on Anna Nicole Smith. November 2000

Transcendental Blues

July 2000

Reporter

Rodney Schott

Taxidermist. November 2007

It Ain’t No Picnic

Willie’s picnic goes AWOL. July 2007

Photographing A War

Lucian Read on photographing a war. April 2007

Passing Grades

Grading the quarterbacks. January 2007

The Man In the White Hat

To hear John Poindexter tell it, he’s one of the good guys—a faithful steward of his West Texas land and therefore a worthy bidder for 46,000 acres of Big Bend Ranch State Park. But sometimes having your heart in the right place simply isn’t enough. February 2006

“Friedman’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose”

The Kinky-for-governor circus pulls into Galveston. August 2005

A Sell of a Town

Catching up with characters from our pages—A new owner for Cornudas. July 2005

Strangers on a Train

There was something irresistibly romantic about the gutter punk’s description of stowing away in freight cars. No wonder I wanted to try it—even if, at 38, I probably should have thought to myself, “You’re too old for this.” May 2005

Off the Wall

Call it "Glove Story": Being the president of the international Michael Jackson Fan Club means never having to say you're sorry—even now. February 2004

Dream for Sale

Who wants to own a West Texas town? At least two eBay bidders have offered the asking price—but it could still be yours. December 2003

Oh, the Horror!

Another installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise? October 2002

Hooked

Why have Americans fallen for Longhorns hoof, line, and sinker? June 2002

Sand Trap

John Spong surveys the remaking—or is it the unmaking?—of Lajitas. May 2002

Extra! Extra!

Sizing up Chuck Norris. June 2001

Web extras

My Friend Willie

Writer Larry L. King talks about his new book, In Search of Willie Morris. April 2006

Talk To Me

Associate editor John Spong talks about Hollywood types, drinking beer, and a typical high school scene. October 2003

Spong, Texas Writer

My fifteen minutes of fame. June 2001