December 2010 Issue

On the Cover

Let’s Have Mex-Tex

Where’s the best place to get a perfect plate of enchiladas? A chile relleno to die for? A salsa you’ll never forget? Come along on our tour of the fifty greatest Mexican restaurants in Texas, from Hugo’s, in Houston, to Tacos Santa Cecilia, in El Paso. This is not your father’s Tex-Mex.

Features


Bush 2.0

Two years after leaving office under a cloud of controversy, with a historically low approval rating, George W. Bush is reentering the spotlight and, with the groundbreaking of his library, launching his post-presidency. The question is, What will he do now?

Feature

Gentling Cheatgrass

What does it take to break a wild mustang? Patience, horse sense, experience, and if you’re Teryn Lee Muench, no more than one hundred days.

The Soul of a Man

For nearly sixty years, a succession of obsessed blues and gospel fans have trekked across Texas, trying to unearth the story of one of the greatest, and most mysterious, musicians of the twentieth century. But the more they find, the less they seem to know.

Columns


Letter From Amarillo

Almost Famous

When Jacob Isom swiped a Quran from an angry evangelist, he figured a few of his friends would enjoy the prank. Two months and one million YouTube views later, his life may never be the same.

Reporter


How to Ride a Bull

The rules for riding a one-ton bucking bull are deceptively simple. A cowboy must stay on the animal for eight seconds. If he’s thrown off before the time elapses or if he touches the bull, himself, or the equipment with his free hand, he’s disqualified. The maximum score is 100

Annie Nelson, Housing Admissions Specialist

Nelson, who grew up in Orange in a family of eleven, worked thirteen years for the Dallas Housing Authority before taking a job in 2006 with the Fort Worth Housing Authority, which currently serves six-thousand-plus families. She determines the eligibility of applicants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, known as

Web


A Q&A With Michael Hall

Michael Hall, who spent months trying to piece together the life of one of the best slide guitarists ever, talks about tracking down leads, writing about musicians, and really listening to the music of Blind Willie Johnson.

Web Exclusive

A Q&A With Katy Vine

Jacob Isom went from being an obscure skateboarder living in Amarillo to being a worldwide celebrity about as fast as you can say “Dude, you have no Quran!” Katy Vine talks about YouTube, entertainment news, and being thrust into the limelight.

Beating a Dead Horse

Nearly 25 years after SMU received the death penalty, the Mustangs are finally on the trail to success. But an ESPN documentary reminds us how far the team had fallen thanks to ego, greed, and the religion of football.

Miscellany


Don’t Mess With Exes

“Take the grips up to the attic.” That was Harry Truman’s response to a reporter who asked him, as he arrived back home in Independence, Missouri, after leaving the White House, what he intended to do first (“grips,” for all you kids out there, used to be a common synonym

Roar of the Crowd

Roar of the Crowd

Innocence FoundIt’s been nearly ten years since I became aware of Anthony Graves [“Innocence Lost,” October 2010]. It seemed as obvious then as it does now that he is another victim of Texas justice. It is incomprehensible that he was ever considered a viable suspect, much less one who

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