April 1998 Issue

Willie Nelson outside of Buck Owens’s Crystal Palace, in Bakersfield, California, in 1998.
On the Cover

Willie at 65

The Red Headed Stranger is about to be eligible for Medicare? Ain’t it funny how time slips away.

Features


Forget the Alamo

Sorry, T. R. Fehrenbach: the new Texas historians don’t care about Davy Crockett or other old icons. To them, the real heroes are women, blacks, and yes, Mexican Americans.

Rattled

Nothing riles a Texan like a rattlesnake, whose aggression and toxicity account for endless horror stories. Some of them are even true.

The Contender

He may soon compete for the super featherweight championship of the world, but for now Austin boxer Jesus Chavez is in the fight of his life—with federal immigration officials.

Wowtown!

The billionaire Basses had a vision—and money, of course. Now, thanks to their efforts, Fort Worth has the hottest downtown in Texas.

Full Nelson

Ain’t it funny how time slips away? Before you know it, you’ve made two hundred albums, thirty movies, and had one amazing career. What follows is the Compleat Willie: a discography—including every U.S. album release as well as his early 45 rpm singles (before he signed with RCA in

Columns


Taxi Driver

I was my own boss, set my own hours, and came and went as I pleased. I was a Houston cabbie, and though it was hack work—literally—it paid the bills.

Is Waco Wacko?

After the latest standoff there�by an armed UFO cultist�you might think so. But on the fifth anniversary of the Branch Davidian siege, the Central Texas community is doing just fine, thank you.

Reporter


Greg Germann

My dad teaches theater at Southern University in Baton Rouge now, but we lived in Austin for a while when he worked on his master’s degree at the University of Texas. He directed plays on campus and also wrote children’s plays that were performed there and in Houston. When I

Cheryl Clark

Growing up in Harlingen, Cheryl Clark cooked for family friends, but only for fun. Then, at fifteen, she lied about her age to get a real job in a restaurant, and ever since, like a soufflé with extra egg whites, her star has risen to extraordinary heights. After attending New

CD and Book Reviews

Hot CDsThis month Texas music shines on the silver screen. The soundtrack for The Horse Whisperer (MCA) not only features cuts from Don Walser, George Strait, and Steve Earle but also a Butch Hancock—Joe Ely— Jimmie Dale Gilmore reunion (long removed from Lubbock, they are now called the Hill Country

Snoop Dreams

We all know how great the World Wide Web is for snooping: In a few minutes online you learn Hollywood’s secrets from Harry Knowles’ site or get the latest dirt on the president from Matt Drudge. But did you ever consider that people could be looking over your shoulder when

Primary Cullers

Winners in the March 10 primaries:George W. Bush His archnemesis, former Republican state chairman Tom Pauken, failed to make the runoff for attorney general, while his point man for his strategy to win Hispanic votes, former Secretary of State Tony Garza, won the GOP nomination for railroad commissioner.Big Money The

Web


Ceviche Veracruzana

Ceviche Veracruzana With Salmon, Capers, and Green Olives1 pound salmon filet, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes 1 cup fresh lemon juice salt to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 7 Roma tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cored 15 green

Miscellany


Around the State

For music fans in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Round Rock, and San Antonio, these are the fest of times. Plus: An oilman’s artistic vision is realized in San Antonio; a Dallas photography show honors lensmen from Mexico and Houston; Houston Grand Opera stages Arabella; and many of the nation’s swiftest athletes

Arts and Wozencraft

Except for the time she spent as a police officer in Plano and Tyler—when she couldn’t get past the “emotional shutdown” required by the job—Kim Wozencraft has always been a writer. She kept a journal as a child, as a student at Richland College in Dallas, and later, during a

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