Table of Contents

May 2008

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Features

“Willie’s God! Willie’s God! We Love Willie!”

In this extraordinary oral history, Willie Nelson’s friends, kin, and collaborators (Jimmy Carter, Emmylou Harris, Robert Redford, Merle Haggard, and many more big names) tell their favorite stories about him—and pay a special seventy-fifth-birthday tribute to perhaps the most iconic Texan of all.

Plus:

The Music Man

A look back at Willie through the ages.

Faith, Hope, and Chastity

Texas receives more federal funding for abstinence education than any other state. But is teaching kids not to have sex the same as sex education?

Remains of the Day

The Texas State Cemetery, home to the final resting places of the celebrated and the notorious, is a walk through time, revealing all that is great, courageous, tragic, pompous, and absurd about Texas.

Plus:

Here Lies Texas

A video tour of the Texas State Cemetery.

This Land Is His Land

Jerry Patterson’s enemies make him out to be the Grinch who sold Christmas (Mountains, that is). Of course, he couldn’t give a &$%#.

Plus:

Mountain Man

Sam Gwynne and the Texas land commissioner in Big Bend.

Natural Beauties

Dozens of roses—and not just yellow ones—have flourished in Texas for more than a century, planted by immigrants who cherished them as sentimental reminders of home. Here are a few of our favorites.

Columns

Behind the Lines

Almost Blue

What the massive Democratic turnout says about the political landscape in Texas.

Plus:

Behind the Lines: Podcast

Paul Burka reads “Almost Blue.”

Letter From Farmers Branch

No Place Like Home

Bienvenidos a Farmers Branch, the headline-worthy Dallas suburb where the biggest hard-liner on illegal immigration could soon be known as Mr. Mayor.

Letter From Houston

Girl, Interrupted

Houston’s most famous teenage killer is trying to reclaim her life and move on.

Kinky Friedman

The Four Questions

How would Jesus answer them? How will you?

Plus:

Kinky Friedman: Podcast

Kinky Friedman reads “The Four Questions.”

Reporter

The Horse’s Mouth

Starting a Business

Sweet Leaf Tea’s founder on starting a business.

The Cheap Seats

Sportswriter High

Three cheers for Sportswriter High.

The Working Life

Abby McAfee Daigle

Faith Bases

Gruene Hall

Gruene

The Manual

42

How to play 42.

Hollywood, TX

Urbane Cowboy

Julian Schnabel’s metrosexual Texanness.

Go

Take Me to the River

A canoe trip down the Colorado.

Texquisite Corpse

Twin Wells

Chapter Five of “Twin Wells.”

Plus:

Twin Wells Chapter 5: Podcast

The emerald mule read by Will Clarke.

Texas Monthly Talks

Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings defends No Child Left Behind.

Previews+Reviews

Books

The best new books from Texas.

Previews+Reviews

Music

The best new music from Texas.

The Filter

Pat's Pick

Bolla

Bolla, Dallas

The Filter: Dining

New and Noteworthy

Bistro Don Camillo, Houston and August E’s, Fredericksburg

In the Chute

A Dark Visionary

Miscellaneous

Contributors

Don and Molly Glentze, Jeff Wilson, and Michael Hall

Editor’s Letter

Say Hey Willie

Roar of the Crowd

Twist of Faith

Web Extra

Bill Bishop

Recipe

Lemon Napoleon-Almond Crema-Olive Oil

From Bolla, Dallas

Blogs