Our July issue on drought and water in Texas was greeted with enthusiasm, though it was qualified by despair. “The package of articles is very informative,” wrote the San Angelo Standard-Times, “but for those of us who watched Texas dry up in the 1950s . . . those memories are
“I have to believe God sent Larry Hagman on a special mission to earth to test the limits of just how much fun one guy can have in a lifetime.”
It’s the Year of the Dragon, officially, but you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s the Year of the War on Women, or the War Over Women, or the War Among Women, or the War About Whether There Is a War on Women. The trouble began in January, when
Wyatt McSpadden, Oscar Casares, Michael Berryhill
Eric O'Keefe, Michael O'Brien, KUT, and StateImpact Texas.
“Is there no end to TEXAS MONTHLY's fascination with Ted Nugent?”
“And with that I threw in a big dip of Copenhagen, cracked open a cold Lone Star, and knew I was home.”
Justin Carrasquillo, Sam Martin, and Joe Nick Patoski.
Here is a partial list of the nice people Skip Hollandsworth has written about since he joined the magazine as a staff writer in 1989: Charles Albright, a serial killer in Dallas who removed his victims’ eyes; Marie Robards, a Fort Worth teenager who killed her father by poisoning
“I commend Paul Burka for bravely identifying who is ultimately responsible for the sorry state of Texas public school financing: the Texas electorate.”
Joe Hagan, Mimi Swartz, and Paul Knight.
Two framed letters hang side by side in the main conference room at the offices of TEXAS MONTHLY, both of them written and signed by the magazine’s founder and former publisher, Mike Levy. The first is a note that prefaced the inaugural issue, in February 1973. The second is a
Smoke SignalsThe fantastic and engrossing “Of Meat and Men” left me flashing back to childhood weekends spent at my dad’s place in Waco: Hugh’s Pit BBQ [February 2012]. We’d go with him to Buffalo to get special wood and then kick the sawdust on the floor while consuming insane
Bryan Curtis, Kate Galbraith, and Hugh Syme.
Tears on Our SteersYour portrayal of Governor Perry is totally insulting. Whether you agree or disagree with his politics, he is the governor of our great state and, as such, deserves a measure of respect. Jo Snoddy Cleburne Shame on TEXAS MONTHLY for using a caricature drawn by some green-behind-the-ears
I hate flying. I don’t mean that I’m a legitimate, doctor-approved aerophobe who munches Xanax like candy and lunges for the barf bag at the first sign of turbulence. I just dislike the minor ordeal of air travel—the security lines, the required partial disrobing and unpacking, the “huddled masses”
Photo illustration by Joe Zeff Design. Sky photograph from istockphoto.com.
Mark K. Updegrove, S. C. Gwynne, and Nicki Longoria.
For all the stories that we publish in TEXAS MONTHLY, there are always more that we don’t publish, usually because we run out of space and time. In a state that spans 261,232 square miles and contains 25,145,561 people, it’s a safe bet that the things we could cover
Wyatt McSpadden, John Phillip Santos, and Skip Hollandsworth.
Photograph by Dan Winters. Food styling by Paige Fletcher. Styling by Lauren Smith Ford.
Breakfast OptionsWhile “Up and Eat ’Em” included many excellent places, any list that doesn’t mention Norma’s Cafe and the Mecca, in Dallas; the Elite, in Waco; or Ol’ South Pancakes, in Cowtown, is seriously flawed [December 2011]. Bill Robinette Dallas You missed the best: Kerbey Lane, in Austin, for
End RunIt took a not-surprising fifteen pages (and two paid ads by the Aggies) for Paul Burka to explain how greed trumps tradition [“Farmers Flight!” November 2011]. For a rural teasipper who graduated in 1958 and grew up worshipping Bobby Layne, this situation is almost beyond my comprehension. What
No one wants to give the governor a Bum Steer. No one wants to poke fun at the elected representative of 25 million Texans. In fact, when Rick Perry launched his presidential campaign four and a half months ago, we felt compelled to defend him (a little) from the slings
Illustration by Dale Stephanos.
Dale Stephanos, Lee Hancock, and John Spong.
Powder Puff PieceDespite the uninspired cover plug, I picked up the most recent issue so that I could hopefully learn more about Miranda Lambert’s music, songwriting, and relationship with Texas [“The Girl Who Played With Firearms,” October 2011]. Unfortunately, Skip Hollandsworth’s story disappointed. Several times during the first three
Back in February 1973, in the very first issue of this magazine, founding editor William Broyles wrote, by way of introduction, “If our readers have ever finished the daily paper or the six o’clock news and felt there was more than what they were told, then they know why
Photograph by Randal Ford. Food styling by Paige Erin Fletcher.
Andrea Valdez, Jason Cohen, Sonia Smith, and Todd Hido.
Later this month, one of the great long-standing traditions in college athletics—the annual Thanksgiving game between the University of Texas and Texas A&M—will come to an end. The rivalry between these two schools has lasted so long, and fostered such ferocious passion on both sides, that most people probably
Game OnI’m pretty disappointed that you overlooked Texas State University in your “20 Reasons to Love College Football” [September 2011]. It’s a huge school, with nearly 35,000 students. It is moving up to the WAC in 2012, upgrading stadium seats to 30,000, and has snatched up former TCU, Alabama,
Photograph by Randal Ford. Retouching by Scott Dorman.
Annette Gordon-Reed, Jason Sheeler, and Dagoberto Gilb.
Prudence Mackintosh, Brian Johnson, and Justin Clemons.
Some writers are journeymen, always on the road. Others work and rework the same ground, eventually becoming identified with the places they inhabit. In this second category you often find journalists and novelists who take their inspiration from huge and fascinating cities, urban ecosystems with enough tragedy, comedy, and
Our Heroes Have Always Been CowgirlsWhat fun to find my great-great-aunt Ben in my favorite magazine [“Cowgirl Up,” August 2011]. That string of names listed for her was also a laugh. My grandmother Harbison always said her aunt had changed her name, as she did not like the one
Photograph by LeAnn Mueller. Hair by Terri Apanasewicz for Cloutier Remix. Makeup by Billy B. Styling by Tiffany Gifford.
Photograph by Randal Ford. In-line lettering by Daniel Pelavin. Dimensional type by Joe Zeff Design.
Cecilia Ballí, Jason Cohen, and Tyler Jacobson.
Dem’d If You Do . . .It is great that the Democrats don’t have anybody on the Worst list [“The Best and Worst Legislators 2011,” July 2011]. Or is this really just a case of the liberal media bias covering up for them as usual? Milton PartainSplendoraLegislators like Leo Berman
You’re probably well aware that earlier this summer the television show Friday Night Lights came to an end. The network season finale, in mid-July, triggered a wave of epitaphs from critics and slews of tearful “texasforever”-hashtagged tweets from fans, more reminders of the powerful chord that the scrappy football drama
Photograph by LeAnn Mueller.
Barney Nelson, LeAnn Mueller, Kate Galbraith, and Asher Price.
One of the best—and the hardest—parts of being a magazine editor is deciding what goes on the cover every month. There is nothing else quite like that little rectangle of real estate. Book jackets and album covers are quieter, movie posters are less integral to the product, billboards are more
Great EscapeYour colorful, creative, high-profile cover story is especially valued now, when state parks, like all other aspects of state government, will soon face the reality of operating with fewer resources [“Into the Wild,” June 2011]. However, we do have one concern that amounts to a minor quibble when
There’s an old joke that goes like this: A girl is out milking the family cow one morning when a stranger rolls up and asks if her parents are at home. The girl yells out, “Mama, there’s a man here to see you!” Her mother peers out the door and,
Spoiled SportsI have yet to open my May issue because every time I see that cover, it shocks me. America’s Team?! How can you call any team that has never won a championship “America’s Team”? Please keep in mind that the firing of Wade Phillips was a bigger news story
Courtney Bond, Sarah Bird, and Jan Jarboe Russell.
Composite photograph by Randal Ford. Styling by Lauren Smith Ford. Hair and makeup by Franchiska Bryant. Wardrobe courtesy of Allens Boots, Julian Gold, Neiman Marcus, and Sheplers.
