February 2001 Issue

Bill Passes

How Bill Ratliff became lieutenant governor—and what it means for Texas.

By Patricia Hart

The Talented Mr. Wittliff

Can a savvy Hollywood dealmaker also be as down-home and unassuming as an old shoe? He can if he's Austin's Bill Wittliff, an award-winning screenwriter, an accomplished photographer, a collector with a passion for the past—in short, the nicest Renaissance man you'll ever meet.

By Skip Hollandsworth

Love and War in Cyberspace

Brandon and Denise were not like other people. They were smarter, more introverted. They adored computers, playing games online at three in the morning with people in Finland. When they and other hard-core techies moved to Walden, a Houston apartment complex with the fastest residential Internet connection in the world,

By Katy Vine

The Widow’s Pique

In Lubbock they call her the "Spanish Yoko Ono," and María Elena Holly, Buddy Holly’s widow, has always had a troubled relationship with his conservative hometown. Some folks rave on that it’s her greed that has killed the city’s Buddy Holly Music Festival. But it’s more complicated than that.

By Joe Nick Patoski

Nicholas Gonzalez

Nicholas Gonzalez lands a knockout role.

By Katy Vine

James Hynes

The ivy-covered halls of higher learning are neither hallowed nor hushed in The Lecturer’s Tale, Austinite James Hynes’s wicked satire of high and low professorial ambitions at a fictitiously renowned university in Minnesota. Rather this tale of underachiever Nelson Humboldt—newly cashiered from his lecturer’s position—noisily flays the school’s oddball faculty

By Mike Shea

Restaurant Guide

By Patricia Sharpe, Patricia McConnico, Eileen Schwartz and Jennifer Olsen

Will Sexton

Ever since I first saw them perform together at the ages of six and eight, Will Sexton has operated in the shadow of his older, more famous brother, Charlie. That’s a shame, considering that Will’s music has historically stayed closer to their roots; when Charlie was a sixteen-year-old Hollywood teen

By Joe Nick Patoski

David Searcy

Gardening won’t seem like such an innocent pastime after you read this first novel by Dallasite David Searcy, which gives the term “stalking” a nasty new horticultural slant. An elderly Walter Mitty- esque widower, afret over a gopher invasion that has threatened his pride-and-joy roses, orders some exotic flora guaranteed

By Anne Dingus

Jeb Loy Nichols

Right away, the tone is set. “Come on over to my yard, sit around and let your troubles all disappear,” beckons Jeb Loy Nichols on the lead track of his new CD. His songs never break a sweat, and their comforts are as inviting as an empty hammock on a

By Jeff McCord

Around the State

From ballet to boot-scootin', Houston offers up a great weekend. Plus: Austin and Dallas put artists on display; Galveston gets fat; San Antonio hits an operatic high note; and the San Antonio CineFestival focuses in on the films of Efrain Gutierrez.

By Patricia McConnico, Eileen Schwartz and Katy Vine

Leslie Satcher

This Paris native’s debut album hopes to have it both ways, and it sometimes succeeds. Like most Nashville-based singers, her voice is largely twang-free, suited for pop as much as country, but it’s undeniably intimate. Producer Luke Wooten provides a typically radio-friendly, drum-heavy sound that would also be the Music

By John Morthland

Premium Issue

Teachers without insurance.

By Patricia Hart

Double Trouble

As Double Trouble, bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton have been everything a classic rhythm section should be: tasteful, selfless, and steady. It’s been enough to not only inspire countless Stevie Ray Vaughanabees but also warrant their own album and more than a dozen high-profile admirers to play on

By Andy Langer

An Affair to Remember

The Perfect Sonya.

By Don Graham

Spoon

What doesn’t kill Spoon makes it stronger. After seven years, an indeterminate number of bassists, and as much luck with the record biz as the Democrats had with Florida, the Austin combo hits the high-water mark with this tense, graceful, spike-pop jewel. Spoon already enjoys an in-the-know following, but Girls

By Jason Cohen

The Candidate

Who's the rising star of Midland politics? Oh, brother!

By Anne Dingus

Thomas Haden Church

Thomas Haden Church goes natural.

By Patricia McConnico

King Vidor

What Galveston native filmed the black and white scenes in The Wizard of Oz?

By Anne Dingus

State Fare

Get hooked on the sea bass at Dallas' Bistral.

By Patricia Sharpe

Unnatural Habitat

Noah's Land—an exotic-animal park and petting zoo near Bastrop—is underfinanced, and its staff is overwhelmed. As if that weren't enough, it's also under investigation for possible animal neglect.

By Patricia Sharpe

Drew Carries On

Sixteen years after a car crash ended his football career, former Cowboys star Drew Pearson is a team player again—in the XFL.

By Jordan Mackay

Hot Doug

Critics praise him. Woody Allen loves him. And no one does a better Truman Capote. Meet Midland's Douglas McGrath, a writer-director who's ready to take center stage with his role in a new movie.

By Katy Vine

Spare the A-Rod

Is A-Rod good for baseball?

By Paul Burka

Spinach Salad and Pancetta Vinaigrette

1/4 cup minced pancetta (Italian bacon) 1 shallot, minced 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste 6 cups baby spinachIn a saucepan over medium heat,

By Texas Monthly

Lecturer’s Tale

Copyright © 2001 by James Hynes. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address Picador USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

By Texas Monthly

Texas Tidbits

Charro Days on the border.

By Patricia McConnico

Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake

Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake2 pounds cream cheese 1 1/4 cup sugar 4 large eggs 1/4 cup cream 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup Baileys Irish CreamPreheat oven to 350F.In a standing mixer cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, continuously scraping the bowl well. Add the egg a

By Texas Monthly

Texas History 101

The Great Crush Collision.

By David Greenfield

Outlaw Love

Senior editor Gary Cartwright tells the story behind this month's cover story, "The Whole Shootin' Match."

By Gary Cartwright

Happy Trails

Revisiting Lubbock.

By Scott Dadich

Where’s Walden

Assistant editor Katy Vine reveals what it was like to live for a week at Walden, an apartment complex in Houston that has the fastest residential Internet connection in the world. (See "Love and War in Cyberspace".)

By Katy Vine

Books That Cook

The Best From Helen Corbitt’s Kitchen.

By Patricia McConnico

David Searcy

Chapter OneHere’s a horror story for you. An old fellow, a widower about seventy years old, lives alone in an aging tract house in one of those extended tract house neighborhoods that, given twenty or thirty years to mellow, lose none of their bleakness but gain some comfort from the

By Texas Monthly

The Perfect Sonya

Chapter OneThe bear was huge. Reared up on its hind legs, it loomed over her, beyond feet and inches, a dreamlike presence which did not yield to common measure: dark, still, more like the shadow of something larger than she might ever have imagined than a real bear.Pauline held onto

By Texas Monthly

Crabmeat-Crusted Sea Bass With Wilted Spinach Salad

Sea Bass in Crabmeat Crust1/2 cup shredded crabmeat, cleaned of shell 1/4 cup grated fresh horseradish 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper 2 tablespoons minced yellow bell pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons mayonnaise salt and pepper to taste 6 five- to seven-ounce sea bass filets

By Texas Monthly

Travelocity.com

The Texas stock to buy right now—maybe.

By Alexandra Biesada

Web Gumshoes

The state attorney general's office takes a bite out of cybercrime.

By Gary Chapman

Semi-tough

Navdeep Sooch cashes in on his chips.

By Ellise Pierce

Wilted

Why Austin's Garden.com went to seed.

By S. C. Gwynne

Basketball Diary

This is the ninth and final installment of a series of updates on the Dallas Mavericks season.

By Jordan Mackay