David Courtney, Contributor at Texas Monthly – Page 4 of 7

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A Temple native, David Courtney is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He joined Texas Monthly in October 2005 and in July 2007 debuted his wildly popular advice column, the Texanist, regularly the magazine’s most-read feature.

In 2017, the University of Texas Press published The Texanist: Fine Advice on Living in Texas, and in 2019, Fox Entertainment optioned the column with plans to develop a television show based on it. As the Texanist and as himself, Courtney has contributed his talents to such endeavors as the annual Bum Steer Awards, the quinquennial review of the fifty best barbecue joints in Texas, “The 50 Greatest Hamburgers in Texas,” “The 40 Best Small-Town Cafes,” and “Snap Judgment,” a compilation of the ten greatest plays in Texas college football, as well as “The Beachcomber,” for which he walked the entire 65-mile length of Padre Island National Seashore, and “Water, Water Everywhere,” for which he swam buck naked in Lake Travis, outside of Austin.

317 Articles

March 3, 2018

The Texanist: Why Did So Many Important Events Occur in March?

An El Paso man thinks he's got a good candidate for Texas History Month. Is he right? Yes, but . . .

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Texanist Gruene Hall Flip Flops

February 24, 2018

The Texanist: Cargo Shorts and Flip Flops at Gruene Hall? Really?

A New Braunfels man thinks that Texas's oldest dance hall deserves a little more respect.

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February 17, 2018

The Texanist: Contemplating the ‘Texas Exit’

A Wichita Man is Curious About Our Occasional Habit of Jumping a Highway Ditch.

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February 10, 2018

The Texanist: Isn’t the Summer Heat Great? Or is That Just Me?

In the midst of a cold, wet winter, an Abilene woman longs for the dog days of August.

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February 2, 2018

The Texanist: Why Don’t Breakfast Burritos Get Any Love?

A Texas Tech undergrad makes the case for the breakfast taco's not-so-poor relation.

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January 27, 2018

The Texanist: Any Recommendations for a Big Bend Newbie?

A 39-year resident of Houston is gearing up for his first experience of the greatest road trip Texas has to offer.

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January 23, 2018

A Brief History of Texas Innovators

Ours is a land of resourceful, imaginative, inventive, and self-reliant people. It has always been this way.

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Texas Rangers on TV

January 20, 2018

The Texanist: Are the Texas Rangers for Real?

A California transplant wonders if the Texas Rangers exist only on the small screen.

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Drawing of the Texanist spray painting his face while a bullet shoots through his straw hat.

January 13, 2018

The Texanist: What’s With All the Cheap-Looking Black-Painted Cowboy Hats?

A Flatonia man thinks Tim McGraw can afford a better looking cowboy hat

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December 30, 2017

The Texanist: Should I Go Vegetarian for the New Year?

A dedicated carnivore wonders how to handle his wife's request to lead a meat-free existence in 2018.

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December 23, 2017

The Texanist: What’s the Deal With Tamales and Christmas?

A Dallasite wonders how something so tasty, so filling, and so pre-Christian came to be a holiday staple.

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December 21, 2017

Bum Steer Awards 2018 No. 2: Mother Nature

The Mistress of the Elements occupies second place—for being really, really mean to Texas.

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December 9, 2017

The Texanist: Should I Get Rid of That Possum Carcass Myself, or No?

A San Antonio woman smells trouble.

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December 2, 2017

The Texanist: Is Hico Waving Goodbye to the Hidy Sign?

A Dallas man wonders why one good finger doesn't deserve another.

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November 13, 2017

The Texanist: When Will My Yankee In-Laws Stop Complaining About Our Spicy Food?

A Tyler man is feeling a little hot under the collar.

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November 5, 2017

The Texanist: Can Self-Respecting West Texans Use Umbrellas?

A West Texas native wonders if umbrellas are for sissies.

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October 21, 2017

The Texanist: Can I Claim a Professionally Smoked Brisket as My Own?

The Texanist advises a person who wants to pass off professionally cooked briskets as homemade.

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October 18, 2017

The One-Question Interview: Nate Blakeslee

We sat down with our former staffer to talk about his new book, 'American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West'.

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The Texanist on fire ant bites.

October 16, 2017

The Texanist: To Pop or Not to Pop Fire Ant Bites?

How to handle the zit-sized pustule that those evil little @$*!%*#@%&!s leave behind.

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October 7, 2017

The Texanist: Is Menudo Really a Hangover Cure?

Menudo for the crudo.

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September 29, 2017

Fast Food Faceoff: In-N-Out vs. Whataburger

Let's settle this once and for all.

By and Charley Locke

September 23, 2017

The Texanist: Can My Pickup-Driving Girlfriend Respect My Compact Car?

A truck-driving woman meets a Jetta owner at a Ray Wylie Hubbard concert.

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September 16, 2017

The Texanist: What’s a Dove Recipe That My Wife Will Like?

The Texanist generously shares his world-famous dove recipe.

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September 9, 2017

The Texanist: The Meaning of Texas Tough

We lost a lot. But there are some things we’ll never lose. Texas will be okay.

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August 25, 2017

The Texanist: Is Dairy Queen Actually a “Texas Thing”?

It's known as "the Texas stop sign," but can the Illinois chain really claim the Lone Star State?

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August 23, 2017

Football Fan Advice From the Texanist

Being a good football fan means being able to find optimism no matter the circumstance.

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Tucking jeans into boots illustration by Tim Bower.

August 18, 2017

The Texanist: Should I Tuck My Jeans Into My Boots?

Several of my colleagues have pointed out that tucking your jeans into your boots looks ridiculous. I disagree.

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August 5, 2017

The Texanist: Are Bring Your Own Meat Meals Acceptable?

The Texanist addresses contentious BYOMeat gatherings.

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July 28, 2017

The Texanist on Texas’s Flies

A New Yorker thinking about moving to Austin says one thing is holding her back: flies. The Texanist weighs in.

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July 22, 2017

The Texanist on The Old-fashioned Beer Joint

Has the old-fashioned beer joint given way to noisy sports bars?

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July 15, 2017

The Texanist on Whether It’s a Good Idea to Take One of Those Pricey Yeti Cups Tubing

And the proper placement of horseshoes over doorways for the best good luck.

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July 8, 2017

The Texanist Returns to Answer Your Questions

Can you really overdo Tex-Mex? And how to cope with lowdown bleeping tackle crooks.

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The Texanist on the chilton in Lubbock

June 21, 2017

Calling Dr. Chilton

Getting to the bottom of the baffling backstory of Lubbock’s legendary lemony libation—one refreshing sip at a time.

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June 5, 2017

The Return of Jefferson Davis

Over a year after its removal from the University of Texas at Austin's Main Mall, the controversial Jefferson Davis statue has found a new home on campus.

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Arts & Entertainment|

May 24, 2017

Just the Facts

The butt was tender and yielding. Or was it? Confessions of a veteran fact checker.

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The Texanist|

April 19, 2017

The Beach Boys

Me and my skimboarding guru.

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The Daily Post|

April 17, 2017

Jefferson Davis is Back at UT

After being removed from the University of Texas at Austin's Main Mall, the Jefferson Davis statue has found a new home on campus.

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March 22, 2017

Save Muny

The future of Austin’s Lions Municipal Golf Course lies in its historic past.

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February 23, 2017

Happy Texas Week, Y’all!

Come and celebrate It.

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January 25, 2017

Read Before Burning

An ode to the fire pit.

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December 21, 2016

Low Stakes on the High Seas

Gambling on a ride aboard the Aransas Queen.

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November 23, 2016

Cook Like a Texanist

It’s time someone had the courage to ask the most controversial question in the state: To bean or not to bean?

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October 19, 2016

The Spirit of ’76

Forty years ago I built forts on Bird Creek, raced at the roller rink, and watched my dad run for mayor of Temple.

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Texas tailgating

September 21, 2016

Huddle Up

Why tailgating with my family and friends (and a million other fans) is my favorite part of college football.

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August 24, 2016

Endless Summers

Welcome to Camp Honey Creek for girls, where the years tick by but time stands still.

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July 20, 2016

A Man of Letters

Our estimable advice columnist answers this burning question: What’s it like to be the Texanist?

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June 22, 2016

In Memoriam

What Jack Unruh meant to me.

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May 23, 2016

The Texanist: Bidding Farewell to Supper and Complaining about Cold Tortillas

Our estimable advice columnist on saying “I do” to a potbellied pig, bidding farewell to supper, giving your regards to Texas, and complaining about cold tortillas.

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April 20, 2016

The Texanist: Shouldn’t Fancy Restaurant Steaks Be Better Than Ones I Cook in My Own Backyard?

Forget about Batman vs. Superman. Our advice columnist referees spring vs. fall, Strait vs. Wills, Oatmeal vs. Bacon, and restaurant vs. patron.

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March 23, 2016

The Texanist: Should I Get a License to Carry?

Our estimable advice columnist on firearms, weekend getaways, and how to properly eat a tamal.

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