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April 2012

Music|
April 30, 2012

Like Father, Like Son

Andy Langer talks with Willie Nelson and his youngest son, Lukas, about "The Family," Willie's new album (Heroes), and passing the torch.

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Books|
April 30, 2012

From Blogging to Book Deal

Houston Chronicle blogger Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) found herself at the center of a two-day auction among twelve publishing houses for the rights to her debut memoir, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. How did she rise from unpaid blogger to New York Times bestseller?

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Web Exclusive|
April 30, 2012

A Q&A With Skip Hollandsworth

The executive editor on what it was like to work with Richard Linklater on Bernie, the star-studded film based on an East Texas murder story.

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Editor's Letter|
April 30, 2012

Primal Screen

Here is a partial list of the nice people Skip Hollandsworth has written about since he joined the magazine as a staff writer in 1989: Charles Albright, a serial killer in Dallas who removed his victims’ eyes; Marie Robards, a Fort Worth teenager who killed her father by poisoning

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Street Smarts|
April 30, 2012

Grapevine

1. 
Grapevine Vintage RailroadNestled among the shops and restaurants along Main Street are several landmarks, including an eight-by-ten-foot 1909 calaboose and the 1888 Cotton Belt Depot, which houses the Grapevine Historical Museum. From there you can board Victorian-style passenger cars pulled by a 1953 diesel named Vinny for a ride

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Art|
April 30, 2012

Tejano Monument, Austin

The figures in the Tejano Monument, a 275-ton granite-and-bronze statue unveiled on the Capitol grounds in late March, depict the forging of modern Texas. A Spanish explorer gazes over a new world, his clothing and sword placing him in the early 1500’s, when Alonso Álvarez de Pineda became the first

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Music|
April 30, 2012

Bill Collings, Luthier

Collings makes some of the best acoustic guitars in the world and counts Lyle Lovett, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, and Joni Mitchell among his customers. His company, located outside Austin on U.S. 290, is famed not only for the high quality of its instruments but also for its refusal to

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Prudence Mackintosh|
April 30, 2012

Dear Jane

My mother-in-law knew how to sew, keep an immaculate house, and dress stylishly. In short, she was nothing like the unpolished young woman who married her son. Perhaps that’s why we loved each other so much.

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Sports|
April 30, 2012

Buyer Beware

Dear Jim Crane, new owner of the Houston Astros: Please don’t screw things up as badly as the last guy did.

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Roar of the Crowd|
April 30, 2012

Roar of the Crowd

“I commend Paul Burka for bravely identifying who is ultimately responsible for the sorry state of Texas public school financing: the Texas electorate.”

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Eat My Words|
April 30, 2012

In Review: The Austin Food & Wine Festival

For months, a great deal of hype and anticipation surrounded this weekend’s Austin Food & Wine Festival, and yet even before the festival commenced, extensive criticism began plaguing it. Many critics from around Texas and Austin bemoaned the rather pricey tickets: $850 is a pretty penny to have to pay

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Eat My Words|
April 28, 2012

Cowgirl Cookin’

The Austin Food & Wine Festival has officially commenced, and hoards of cooks, chefs, boozers, and devourers have descended upon the up-and-coming foodie city. This morning was off to a sizzling start with Tim Love‘s 200+

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April 27, 2012

Toilet Paper Fire Burns 53,000 Acres

Thirty-year-old Rodrigo Ulloa-Esquivel of El Paso attempted to "leave no trace" by burning his used toilet paper, but ended up starting a devastating wildfire in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest. 

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Politics & Policy|
April 26, 2012

The Trib Insider predictions

I’m going to poach off the Trib predictions. —Wentworth vs. Jones/Campbell From the beginning I have been certain that Wentworth would win this race. What’s more, I think it’s important that he do so. TLR is getting too big for its britches. The danger for Wentworth is a runoff

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Politics & Policy|
April 25, 2012

Public Policy Polling: Dewhurst 38, Cruz 26

My general rule about polls is to accept that polling organizations, including PPP, are good at what they do and they seldom get it wrong. That said, I think they got it wrong. I don’t think this is a twelve-point race. I haven’t seen anything, in the debates

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Politics & Policy|
April 24, 2012

Straus plays defense

In addition to his own race for reelection to the House, Straus must fend off challenges to his committee chairs. Eleven chairs face primary opponents, including several who head top-tier committees (Appropriations, Ways & Means, and State Affairs). Conventional wisdom holds that Eissler, Pitts, Hamilton, Hopson, and Truitt have tough

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BBQ Joint Reviews|
April 24, 2012

Cooper’s Bar-B-Q & Grill (Junction)

The sign may claim that they’ve been smoking since 1953, but this joint opened in 1999. Current owner Mark Cooper is a grandson of George Cooper, so they’re sort for taking credit for a few decades of Cooper’s operation in Mason. The woodpiles and pits are just as impressive as

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