August 1986 Issue
Features

The Madman on the Tower
In a ninety-minute reign of terror, gunshots rang out that still echo in the history of Texas.
Texas Primer: Big Red
Its passionately loyal following may make this drink the last Texan soda pop on the planet.
The Soul of a Huge Machine
The nuts and bolts of a Suburban are more complicated than you might think.
Web
On the Menu: West Lynn Cafe
The West Lynn Cafe is closed. The vegetarian Cosmic Cafe opened at this location in July 2005.

Columns
Waco’s Secrets Revealed
Cradled on the Brazos, this central Texas town yields its pleasures ever so grudgingly.
Texas, In Short
The characters in Prize Stories and South by Southwest often dwell on the past while living out their lives in an anxious present.
The Blood-red Maya
At the heart of this ancient culture were cruelty, self-mutilation, and ghostly visions.
Deep Ellum’s Summer of Love
Dallas’ new late-night club scene is daring and diverse, a showcase for pioneering bands.
Dagwood As D.A.
Legal Eagles is guilty of being humdrum and hokey; Mona Lisa has some fine, gracing touches; Vagabond finds purity within the dirtiest packaging.
Miscellany
The Quidnunc
Desperately seeking the Cadillac Couch; reading Carolyn Farb’s mail; cowboy cologne strikes again.
State Secrets
A cap for San Antonio that wouldn’t look good on Henry Cisneros; long-term pessimism hits the oil market; Texas cities finagle their way around the tax reform.
Shopping
Elliott’s is the Louvre of hardware stores—it’s got flyshooters, fan blades, and three aisles of screws. In other words, it’s heaven.
Post-Modern Times
UT is testing this device that works like a BB gun, only it’s a little more powerful—it’ll be able to shatter a Soviet warhead speeding through space.
Reporter
Texas Monthly Reporter
Life after TECAT in North Forest; Joe Rinelli gives his beauties a shot at the crow; Kerrville residents have a winter’s worth of tall tales.