Being Texan
June 14, 2022
Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott
The Texas country star put his own spin on the fast-food tagline that’s sure to be stuck in your head for days.
Media
Storytelling and news about Texas’s media industry
Texas Country Reporter
May 11, 2022
Check Out Kilgore’s Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs
From the obscure to the historically significant, the Texas Broadcast Museum tells a uniquely twentieth-century story.
The Stand Up Desk
April 27, 2022
Taco Editor José Ralat Is a James Beard Award Winner
His two nominations are the most recent recognitions for Texas Monthly’s work this award season. See the full list.
The Stand Up Desk
March 28, 2022
Requiem for a Quiet Man
Texas Monthly remembers Jim Darilek, an early art director who helped give the magazine its characteristic look and swagger.
Media
March 14, 2022
A Texas Monthly Editor Stumbles Into the Sordid World of the Massage Parlor King
Greg Curtis’s first story about Sam Corey was supposed to be a colorful human interest piece, but in some ways it was actually the beginning of a heinous murder.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2022
How a 27-Year-Old Texan Became the Face of Russia’s American TV Network as It Imploded
The Russian-funded network may have folded, but Texas native Rachel Blevins is still propagandizing for Putin.
Food & Drink
March 2, 2022
Meet the Famous YouTuber Who Makes Texas Restaurants Go Viral
Dallas food vlogger Mikey Chen, who has four million subscribers, has brought attention to mom-and-pop joints, but some aren’t prepared for the crowds.
Texas History
February 16, 2022
The Story Behind the Story: “The Coming of Redneck Hip,” November 1973
A pair of Texas Monthly writers chronicle an emerging scene that would end up defining a city and changing American music forever.
Being Texan
February 8, 2022
Just How Hard Is It to Draw the Shape of Texas? Pretty Hard, According to the “Ugly Texas” Instagram.
The account pokes fun at the many misshapen depictions of the state, from tattoos and murals to pies and furniture.
America’s Girls
January 25, 2022
The Ten Best Moments From Our Podcast ‘America’s Girls’
Host Sarah Hepola counts down her favorite moments from our series on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
America’s Girls
January 13, 2022
Inside the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Decades-long Fight for Fair Pay
Dana Presley Killmer joined the squad at the peak of its popularity, but the $15 game rate hadn't changed, and wouldn't for many years.
America’s Girls
January 11, 2022
America’s Girls, Episode 7: All-American Sexy Girls
From honey shots to swimsuit calendars, sex has long been part of the cheerleaders’ brand. But is the provocative tease a relic of another era?
America’s Girls
January 4, 2022
America’s Girls, Episode 6: The Perfect Look
It’s not just about being the right weight. It’s about having the right hair, the right skin, the right boobs, the right legs. Only a very particular kind of beautiful woman gets to wear that uniform.
Art
December 31, 2021
Our Favorite Photos of 2021
From Leon Bridges’s home in Fort Worth to a vibrant coral reef near Galveston, this year took our photographers to some truly unforgettable places.
By
Claire Hogan
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America’s Girls
December 31, 2021
The Photo the Dallas Cowboys Never Wanted the Public to See
One former Cowboys cheerleader tells the story behind her epic encounter with Danny White, in a picture that was quashed for 25 years.
America’s Girls
December 28, 2021
America’s Girls, Episode 5: The Rules
Being a Cowboys cheerleader has always meant living by a long list of rules. But do those rules help protect the cheerleaders or control them?
America’s Girls
December 17, 2021
The Cowboys Cheerleader With the Pigtails Shaves Her Head
Tami Barber became a sweetheart of the seventies-era cheerleaders. But she also had—and still has—a rebel streak.
America’s Girls
December 15, 2021
In Search of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Who Posed for Playboy
They were at the center of a scandal that rocked the NFL. More than forty years later, would they finally tell their side?
America’s Girls
December 14, 2021
America’s Girls, Episode 3: Naked Ambition
A group of former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders pose topless in Playboy, and the Cowboys go to court to protect their brand.
The Stand Up Desk
December 13, 2021
Texas Country Reporter Joins Forces With Texas Monthly
A half century after both media outlets launched, Texas Monthly will purchase Phillips Productions, the company that creates and distributes Texas Country Reporter.
By
Dan Goodgame
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America’s Girls
December 8, 2021
Meet the First Woman to Wear the Cowboys Cheerleaders Uniform
Vonciel Baker still holds the record for most years on the squad.
America’s Girls
December 7, 2021
America’s Girls, Episode 2: All That Glitters
The cheerleaders enjoy the glamour of sudden fame, while grappling with low pay and the dangers that celebrity brings.
America’s Girls
December 7, 2021
America’s Girls, Episode 1: The Rise to Fame
The modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders launch in 1972 and rocket to national fame.
America’s Girls
November 30, 2021
Announcing Our New Podcast, ‘America’s Girls’
Inside the wild, glamorous, and complicated saga of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, an institution that changed sports, entertainment, and countless childhoods of boys and girls like me.
Sports
November 18, 2021
The Guy Who Asked Steve Sarkisian That Endless Question Explains Himself
Terry Middleton of ‘Horns Illustrated’ tried to be positive during Monday’s Longhorns press conference. He didn’t know he’d get dragged for it.
By
Dan Solomon
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Food & Drink
October 29, 2021
Meta Asked What Shopping at H-E-B Will Look Like in Virtual Reality. We Answered.
The new Facebook parent company wants the beloved Texas grocer to imagine a way to shop in virtual reality.
By
Dan Solomon
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Sports
October 28, 2021
Meet the Media Upstarts Behind Those “H-Town vs. Everyone” Shirts
How Apollo Media won over Astros fans by embracing hometown pride and telling Houstonians there's no shame in supporting this team.
Arts & Entertainment
October 20, 2021
The ‘Southlake’ Podcast Is a Troubling Look at the Race Debate Tearing Apart a North Texas Suburb
I grew up in Southlake and was mostly blind to the racism all around me. The NBC series changed my perspective.
Best Thing In Texas
September 21, 2021
Demi Adejuyigbe’s Final ‘September’ Video Is a Triumph
The Dallas-raised comedian brings his six-year project to a close (and raises thousands for charity).
By
Dan Solomon
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Arts & Entertainment
August 2, 2021
No Tweets for Old Men: Yet Another Cormac McCarthy Twitter Hoax Is Upon Us
The famously reclusive author and former El Pasoan is still not on social media, despite what the latest viral thread suggests.
By
Dan Solomon
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Music
July 22, 2021
On the ‘Geto Boys Reloaded’ Podcast, It’s the Message, Not the Music
Pioneering Houston rappers Willie D and Scarface reunite for a show that’s all about their community, not about them.
The Stand Up Desk
May 7, 2021
Texas Monthly Celebrates Latest Awards and Nominations
This week the magazine earned five National Magazine Award nominations and won nine City and Regional Magazine Awards.
Art
May 7, 2021
TM Recommends: See Modern Art (and Eat Delicious Food) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Plus: a nine-year-old Texan steals the show in ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ and a podcast revisits the 2003 backlash against the Chicks.
Sports
April 1, 2021
Sports Media Is Blowing the Coverage of Deshaun Watson
From local papers to national NFL media, reporting on the allegations against Watson reads like something from another generation.
By
Dan Solomon
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Music
February 26, 2021
Matthew McConaughey and Beyoncé Did More for Texas Than Ted Cruz
Plus: Taylor Kitsch gets back in the TV game, Travis Scott manages to get people excited about magazines, and Megan Thee Stallion does her best ‘Mean Girls.’
Arts & Entertainment
February 10, 2021
How the Country’s First Latino Homicide Squad Transformed Houston Policing—At Least for a While
A new podcast explores the history of the “Chicano Squad” as part of a Houston police department effort to repair its broken relationship with the Latino community.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Arts & Entertainment
January 12, 2021
On Texas Time: Laci Mosley, Comedian and Host of the Popular ‘Scam Goddess’ Podcast
The podcaster on her affinity for scammers and her Texas roots.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Politics & Policy
November 19, 2020
Matthew McConaughey Said He’d Consider Running for Texas Governor, so We Wrote His Political Platform
Expect marijuana, college football, and compromise to play central roles.
By
Dan Solomon
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and
Emily McCullar
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News & Politics
June 26, 2020
In a New Podcast, Two Journalists Seek Justice for the Missing Women of Juárez
The podcast dives into the mysteries surrounding the decades-long string of murders in the border city.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Arts & Entertainment
June 2, 2020
What Exactly Does the New York Times Think the Alamo Is?
An investigation into the Paper of Record that is, alas, somehow necessary.
By
Dan Solomon
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News & Politics
May 6, 2020
How the Editor of a Small East Texas Newspaper Won a Pulitzer Prize
Palestine writer Jeff Gerritt’s no-holds-barred editorials shined a spotlight on the record number of people dying in Texas jails.
Books
April 3, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: E-books From Your Public Library
Plus, a debut album by Texas duo Broken Revival, the television show ’Kidding,’ and to-go margaritas.
Politics & Policy
April 3, 2020
Struggling Texas News Outlets Try to “Keep the Ship Afloat in the Apocalypse”
Layoffs, furloughs, closures: news organizations across the state face a moment of reckoning.
Arts & Entertainment
April 2, 2020
Shea Serrano and the Art of Guerrilla Giving
The author and journalist has mobilized fans to chip in and help struggling strangers online.
By
Michael Hall
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The National Podcast of Texas
March 24, 2020
Dan Rather Believes in the Good Sense of the American People
On a special edition of The National Podcast of Texas, the legendary news anchor, fully sheltered in place, gives us his takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Art
February 21, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: Taco Night at Zavala’s Barbecue
Plus, artist Shyama Golden, a podcast connecting Texas A&M AgriLife to an underground mango trade, and plenty more.
Business
February 11, 2020
A Group of Texas News Veterans Aim to Revolutionize How Women Are Covered in Media
Emily Ramshaw and Andrea Valdez discuss their vision for the 19th*, a nonprofit venture where politics, policy, and gender will converge.
By
Katy Vine
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The Stand Up Desk
February 7, 2020
Texas Monthly Receives Four National Magazine Award Nominations
This ties the most nominations Texas Monthly has ever received in a single year. The magazine’s four nominations were also the most bestowed upon any publication west of the Potomac.
Politics & Policy
January 24, 2020
Bob Schieffer Remembers Texas Journalist Jim Lehrer (1934-2020)
The longtime PBS news anchor’s influence grew out of his objective and ethical approach to covering the news.
By
Jason Heid
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Arts & Entertainment
January 16, 2020
Let’s Discuss This Iconic Texas Brand Bracket Going Around the Internet
Who put H-E-B and Whataburger in the same division?
By
Dan Solomon
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