More Stories

Ambient Color

As these photographs show, in Mexico the strange is commonplace, and the commonplace, strange.

Mikey

He left his parents’ house in search of a world where things were black and white, where there were heroes and villains. What he found in the slums of Port Arthur was a world that would tolerate people like him-and take advantage of them.

The Best of Texas

We’ve gone from one end of the state to the other to bring you the best-ever list of Texas Bests.

Touts

Wet and Wonderful

State Secrets

If Lubbock gets a riverwalk, can a river be far behind?; previewing the mayors’ races; can Texas consultants make PAN dulce?; the Chronicle kills a story.

Move Over, Nancy Drew

Now young, adventuresses can do more than just read about excitement. A new computer game for girls requires them to use their wits for survival.

Roar of the Crowd

Texas Monthly Reporter

The Max factor of Dallas; the tacos of Paris; the tales of Urrutia; the Hemingway of Texas; the good word from Houston; the mysteries of the Hueco Tanks.

Puzzle

The Bluebonnet Snapshot

Okay, so photos of cute kids in fields of bluebonnets aren’t great art. That’s not the point at all.

Birth of a Lobby

The computer industry in Texas has a new lobby organized by three lobbyists who were in the right place at the right time—and knew it.

Zombie Heaven

Into the Night leaves you in the dark; The Breakfast Club’s teenagers are out to lunch, Witness is a solemn eyeful.

Lingering Blues

John Hardee and Budd Johnson were two legendary Texas tenors who had their own ways of making peace with the rigors of the jazz life.

Where’s the Lamb?

After extensive taste tests, our reporter concludes that the best lamb is to be found in our own back yard.

Contemporary Classic

The octogenarian whom many believe to be the greatest living composer pays a long-awaited visit to Texas.

Behind the Lines

The road into town

Looking for Trouble

Fred Cuny, sixth-generation Texan and uncompromising disaster-relief consultant, takes his expertise to the ends of the earth.

Bring ’Em Back Alive

In darkest South Texas roam two of the world’s most endangered species—the black rhino and the Great White Hunter.

Touts

Get an earful of this.

State Secrets

Coors and Hispanics make peace; Mexico’s flash in the pan; Gramm’s GOP crusade; Mayor Kathy emerges unscathed.

Roar of the Crowd

Beating around the Bush; remembering an old friend; rethinking high school days.

Texas Monthly Reporter

Can gas become oil? Can a Lubbock institution become an Austin one? Can preservation become exploitation? Can Houston become Austinized? Can Amarillo escape Pottergate?

Puzzle

Slices of life.

Texas Primer: The Trail Ride

It began in 1952 as a nostalgic recreation of the old cattle drive. Now it’s a grand annual party stretching across Texas.

New Music Man

A producing career, a hit video, a record company, successful sound tracks: Austin’s Patrick Keel is having it all.

Liquid Shimmer

In The Purple Rose of Cairo, Woody Allen takes a cold look at movie-fed dreams; the late, great Sam Peckinpah gave us an impassioned view of a violent world.

On Your Way Home, Dear…

Tired and hungry, but not broke? A bevy of gourmet-to-go shops in Texas’ major cities provide a classy alternative to the TV dinner.

The Silver Lining

Age is a matter of mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

My Son, The Violinist

The failed ambitions of the father become the triumphs of the son, or so most fathers would hope.

Behind the Lines

The dupe’s triumph.

Persistent Vigor

The impressive canvases that make up “Fresh Paint” at the Museum of Fine Arts prove that Houston has finally arrived as a significant art-making center.

Home Maker

Many of the best modern homes in the fifties featured natural materials, interior courtyards, and built-in furniture—and architect Harwell Harris was the reason.

Texas Primer: The Oil Depletion Allowance

Assailed by presidents, skewered by senators, decried by the New York Times, the oil depletion allowance has survived it all. It helps to have friends in high places.

Mayor, Council Locked in Bitter Struggle!

Council tells mayor her budget stinks! Mayor tells council to like it or lump it! Both sides twist arms, trade insults! Read all about it!

Leaving the Bottle Behind

Like any disease, alcoholism has specific symptoms. Like many religions, drying-out programs require abstinence, blind faith, and confession.

My Life as a Drunk

It may be hard to believe that you can drink two fifths a day and not only function but function well. But I did it. For a while.

The Big Country

The great Texas ranches and how they got that way.

Reporter

Beauteous burgers in Bells and Springlake; tough times in Tyler; ringside raving in Fort Worth; avid aspirations in Lubbock.

Puzzle

Minding your peas and cues.

Wilds of the Soul

Mrs. Soffel weaves a tale of love and damnation; A Passage to India is a smooth, brocaded expedition; The Cotton Club offers pomp by the bale.

When Picasso Was a Texan

You say you’ve never heard of Picasso’s burnt-orange period? And you call yourself a real Texan?

The Last Roundup

“When the cowboys on the 06 ranch talked about losing a way of life, they often pointed to their neighbor, Clayton Williams, as an example of what they meant. He was a millionaire and an oilman, and he represented everything they hated.”

Strummin’ On the Old Gamba

Using antique and original instruments like the viola da gamba, the Texas Baroque Ensemble is making Garland the place to hear early music in Texas.

When Grandma Talks…

Rich old ladies who hoard their securities set the best example for managing your stocks.

Behind the Lines

A tilt of the axis.

Eavesdropping On History

Max Crawford’s Lords of the Plain is a convincing tale of cavalry and Indians; Thomas McGuane’s Something to Be Desired is an insightful cowtown comedy.

Sterling Surls

With his rough-hewn sculptures that speak to mankind’s most basic needs, James Surls is fast becoming the dean of Texas art.

Touts

Getting ready for February’s red-letter day.

State Secrets

What’s the point at the Dallas Museum of Art? What does $25 oil mean for Houston? Hush, Gib. James Baker’s new job is a labor of love.

Roar of the Crowd

Contemplating marriage; speaking up for Houston; deciphering Texas myths; transplanting Austin’s airport.