Ron Paul
But he’s not so popular with obese kids. Paul, who is resolutely and staunchly against the Clinton-sanctioned War on Drugs, isn’t above cheap shots at fat kids. Here he is on Morton Downey, Jr’s television show in 1988, callin’ out the overweight:
Presidential Gaffes: Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich’s grassroots movements (which include his wifeElizabeth Harper, who made a stop at the latest T. Don Hutto prison protest in Tyler) have won the hearts of a small chunk of Americans (about 3% of Democratic voters) and political activists, including Ani DiFranco and Dave Matthews. The bold congressman was the first to birth the…
Presidential Gaffes: Bill Richardson
When you look at the scroll of Democratic presidential nominees, it’s refreshing to notice we’re moving into an anti-WASP era. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) is the first Hispanic to run for president, and I must say bluntly: it’s about fucking time! Diversity aside, this John-Wayne-rip-off ad shows Richardson clicking his spurs and saddling up to…
Presidential Gaffes: John McCain
In 2002, the presidential hopeful hopped on stage to serenade a small catalog of Barbara Streisand tunes in front of an SNL audience to promote a faux cover album (don’t blink or you’ll miss the album cover). This wasn’t just an ill attempt at some political retaliation, but a way to buff up his crippled…
Ron Paul
But he’s not so popular with obese kids. Paul, who is resolutely and staunchly against the Clinton-sanctioned War on Drugs, isn’t above cheap shots at fat kids. Here he is on Morton Downey, Jr’s television show in 1988, callin’ out the overweight:
Presidential Gaffes: Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich’s grassroots movements (which include his wifeElizabeth Harper, who made a stop at the latest T. Don Hutto prison protest in Tyler) have won the hearts of a small chunk of Americans (about 3% of Democratic voters) and political activists, including Ani DiFranco and Dave Matthews. The bold congressman was the first to birth the…
Presidential Gaffes: Bill Richardson
When you look at the scroll of Democratic presidential nominees, it’s refreshing to notice we’re moving into an anti-WASP era. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) is the first Hispanic to run for president, and I must say bluntly: it’s about fucking time! Diversity aside, this John-Wayne-rip-off ad shows Richardson clicking his spurs and saddling up to…
Presidential Gaffes: John McCain
In 2002, the presidential hopeful hopped on stage to serenade a small catalog of Barbara Streisand tunes in front of an SNL audience to promote a faux cover album (don’t blink or you’ll miss the album cover). This wasn’t just an ill attempt at some political retaliation, but a way to buff up his crippled…
Presidential Gaffes: Joe Biden
Ironically, Joe Biden (D-Delware) is, at least on a committee level, well-educated on the subject. A longtime member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, he served as its chair from 2001 to 2003, and advocated military force in the Balkans to combat human rights violations. But it seems that every time Senator Biden opens his…
Presidential Gaffes: Joe Biden
Ironically, Joe Biden (D-Delware) is, at least on a committee level, well-educated on the subject. A longtime member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, he served as its chair from 2001 to 2003, and advocated military force in the Balkans to combat human rights violations. But it seems that every time Senator Biden opens his…
Niki’s world
Niki Lalley, theTokyo-born septuagenarian who opened San Antonio’s first sushi restaurant, Niki’s Tokyo Inn at Hildebrand and Blanco, in 1970, is full of surprises. First of all, the reason they don’t advertise is because they actually don’t want any more customers. Their hands are full as it is. Secondly, Niki doesn’t actually like sushi. Third,…
Texas Dems sweep YearlyKos
The internet is a purely democratic medium, and no power structure has changed more significantly at its hands than the frustratingly undemocratic business of American politics. Today, politics is more than just speeches at the Rotary Club and backyard barbeques — it’s also YouTube videos and daily blogs. America’s political landscape is no longer the…
Sea urchin gonads, please
Homer Simpson once almost bought the farm in a bout with fugu, the notoriously poisonous blowfish that’s banned in the States in fresh form. Even frozen (the process is said to destroy the lethal blood toxins), you’re unlikely to encounter it at a San Antonio sushi bar. Just as well; it’s more desired for its…
The Say-Town Lowdown
This column usually stays pretty close to home, focusing on San Antonio and Bexar county. This week I’d like to take a detour north, for the tale of another city, with the aim of finding a moral for our own community. Cleveland has long been one of the nation’s great urban basket cases. Despite the…
True West
As a teenager growing up in Chicago during the height of the Headbangers Ball era, Jason West made a habit of cranking up Skid Row anthems such as “Slave to the Grind” and “Youth Gone Wild” in his bedroom. Three months ago, West, now a 31-year-old drummer living in San Antonio, showed up at the…
It’s good to be ‘Superbad’
I’ll admit, I had a motive when I assigned myself to Superbad. I figured the only other lady-penned review any of us had a chance of reading was from Dana Stevens at Slate. (Also, I loved Arrested Development, and was eager to see what Michael Cera’s been up to.) Anyway, the point is, like most…
Sound and the Fury
The Dead Pool Society is a group united in its admiration for San Antonio death-metal warhorse Dead Pool. This week, the Society is surely exultant over the release of Idle Hands, Dead Pool’s followup to 2003’s Espiritus Muertos, and only the band’s third CD since it formed nine years ago. If these guys take their…
Good intentions on ice
From the moment a white-fuzzed, big-eyed polar bear cub noses her way out of the snowy landscape of Arctic Tale, you can almost hear the flurry of pens over at Disney and Dreamworks angling for the next animated derivative. Such is the instant allure of the new nature documentary’s scene-stealers. Previews for Arctic Tale boast…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I had a heated discussion in my van pool with a couple of gringos where they made a comment that immigration (both legal and illegal) needs to stop. I replied jokingly, “Then who will take our orders at McDonald’s or work in the fields?” They had the nerve to tell me there are…
All Ears
August 16 marks the 30th anniversary of the day Elvis Presley left not only the building but this mortal coil. With his audio legacy already reissued 12 ways to Sunday, movie studios are now getting into the game, with Elvismania of epic proportions: Warner, MGM, and Paramount have each released new box sets containing their…
Friends you can count on, on one hand
As if he has wandered into some stark Biblical allegory, François Coste (Auteuil) is issued an existential challenge: Within the next 10 days, prove that you have a friend faithful enough to be willing to take a risk for you. “Isn’t there anybody you can call at 3 a.m. in case you have a big…
Clothes-Minded
San Antonio moves a step up in the international fashion game this week with the opening of Custo Barcelona at the Shops at La Cantera. Founded in the early 1980s by brothers Custo and David Dalmau in Barcelona Spain, Custo Barcelona was inspired by the bold graphics and intense colors and patterns of California surf-punk…
Aural Pleasure
They often come off pretentious in interviews, and their music hardly breaks new ground, but these are really extraneous issues. The New York quartet knowns as Interpol has mastered the melancholy post-punk mien of cross-Atlantic cousins such as Joy Division and The Chameleons. Unlike the Editors, whose new album strays too far into fluffy Coldplay-esque…
On the Street
Inspirational Light While taking a break from sweating my ass off and riding around the city interviewing characters for an upcoming article, I took a break at Jupiter Coffee Shop and enjoyed an ice cold mocha frappe (the best Summer drink in the city) and noticed this inspirational light beaming down towards several copies of…
Art, beer flow at San Pedro Springs Gallery
If you’re driving too fast chances are you’ll pass right by it, so keep in mind that Green restaurant should be a reference point if you want to stop by San Pedro Springs Gallery. Located directly across from the vegetarian-friendly eatery, the gallery has been open since March of this year. It’s a quaint, five-bedroom…
Playback
Six months ago, when many of us heard Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” for the first time, the song sounded like a gloriously defiant middle-finger salute to authority figures everywhere. In this case, the authority figures happened to be record-label execs, but, depending on your situation, you could easily substitute parents, teachers, employers, or repressive government leaders:…
Beat it, Twixters
Austin-basedbard Ryan O’Reilly rolls down the interstate thisweek with a message for the lost 20-something in all of us: The current 18-25-year-old demographic has a better-than-average chance of actually breaking the Jones’s mold, skipping the get-ahead mainstream job, the kids, and the mortgage in pursuit of true contentment. Why could a generation described as tech-savvy…
Oz and effect
He’s directed some of the last two decades’ funniest movies, such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob?, and Bowfinger (but at the end of the day he’s not a household name like, oh, Steven Spielberg). He’s also the most recognizable voice behind the Muppets, having lent pipes to Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and countless others…
Artifacts
Adrift in the doldrums between CAM and Fotoseptiembre, Artifacts’ sails filled a little at news that the Mayor is working on developing something called Noche Blanca, a day and night of arts festivities featuring public performance and installations. While one skeptic suggested that naming a San Antonio event White Night is like hosting Kristallnacht in…
Critical Darling
Cross my heart, I’m not going to start every column so morbidly, but if you haven’t already done so, add Merv Griffin to summer’s entertainment death toll. The creator of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune died of cancer on Sunday. He was 82. Yes, the Grim Reaper has me down, too, pets. Dr. Darling suggests…
Location doesn’t spark ‘Points and Tangents’ missing fire
Walking intoCentro Cultural Aztlan’s spiffy newish space in the Deco District I’m reminded of two axioms: “Context is everything” and “Location, location, location.” Is Aztlan, mythic homeland of the Mexica people (a.k.a. Aztecs), an increasingly gentrified plot of real estate? Does “moving up” require “moving out”? It’s not coincidental that Centro’s space sits at the…
Return to Oz
Frank Oz, the very same man behind the pig (and the frog and the …) in all things Muppets, was the jerk behind the counter in The Blues Brothers, returning John Belushi’s belongings to him (not least of which was a used condom) as he left prison. Talk about opposite ends of the MPAA-ratings spectrum.…
Mikal Watts, candidate for John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat
When I was at UT Law School, a professor told us that the A students become judges, I don’t remember what the B students do, and that the C students become trial lawyers and make a bunch of money. But I don’t think you were a C student. `Laughs.` No, I wasn’t a C student,…
Armchair Cinephile
PICK OF THE WEEK: Before he made the brilliantly strange The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor, newspaperman-turned-auteur Fuller tried his hand at Westerns (one featuring Vincent Price) and a more personal war film, The Steel Helmet, that dealt with the Korean War (and attracted government scrutiny). Extreme even for David Lynch, Empire is borderline impenetrable…
Desperately seeking sushi
The best sushi restaurant,given certain minimum standards of cleanliness and competence, is the one you feel most comfortable in. Ideally, you should sit at the bar, the chef should (over time) recognize you, and you should be able to ask “What’s best today?” with a reasonable expectation of getting a straight answer. Goro’s does seem…
White light, white heat, white space
Urban dwellers now take their broadband for granted. Whenever I talk to folks who live near places like Floresville and La Vernia, rural communities not far from SA, I’m reminded to be grateful for my speedy connection. Outside the city limits, one has to go to weird lengths to get a decent signal, including renting…
Playoff aspirations
On the same day that WNBA playoff tickets went on sale for the first time in San Antonio, the Silver Stars thrilled 9,516 festive fans with a tight 63-60 victory over the Houston Comets. The win closed out a six-game home stand for the Stars in which they overcame nagging injuries to their starting backcourt…
Building a better bastard roll
To look at the menus of sushi joints around town, it would appear that purists are an endangered species. Never mind that the California roll is a recent phenomenon in the world of impeccably sliced raw fish — or that it is said to have come about in the Golden State a generation ago as…
Dear Uncle Mat
The man I’m sleeping with does not have the time to fuck me as often as I need. I don’t want to sleep with anyone else though. Chew on that tiger, — The pensive monogamist Dear Pensive Monogamist, I don’t chew. I prefer to put it in my pipe and smoke it. The first question…
The Omniboire climbs Mount Fuji
Unless you’re already a connoisseur, forget what you think you know about sake, never again order the hot stuff served in a ceramic flask, and get ready to spend some serious money. Does this sound familiar? After diligent tasting over the course of several days, the following has become clear: Chilled sakes are a far…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Dear Rob: Have your apprentices been composing your column lately? Or have you outsourced the writing to Vedic fortune-tellers in Calcutta? The horoscopes just don’t sound like you. They’re, I don’t know, goofier or something. Have you been smoking more dope than usual? — Lonely for the Old Rob.” Dear Lonely:…
Evolution
An ocean and more between the two, yet somehow deliciously melded together in the food realm, Mexico and Japan are a winning combination for sushi. It’s not hard to find the Mexican-Asian infusion on sushi menus all across San Antonio. Just visit any one of the four Sushi Zushi restaurants spread out from downtown to…
Banging the drum for Bio-defense
Planted off the coast of Long Island, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center has tangled with the world’s most voracious viruses since it started crafting plagues for Russia’s livestock 50 years ago. While the Nazi scientists and the overtly offensive biological programs they were recruited to pioneer have mostly faded into history, Plum’s agricultural defense…
Budget Sushi
Spice Asian Bistro operates its sushi happy hour from 5-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Though many joke about the supposed risks of cheap sushi, the quality at Spice’s happy hour doesn’t seem to be compromised. Nigiri can be ordered for $2 for 2 pieces and the more-common maki rolls are $1 off their normal price,…
The QueQue
Stop! Hang up that phone! We know what you were thinking, and it’s too late. Queque knows you want to lend a hand to the new private-sector Karl Rove, who leaves his slavish service to W at the end of this month, as much as lil’ Queque does. But the official Bush’s Brain riverfront cabins…
On the Street
Inspirational Light While taking a break from sweating my ass off and riding around the city interviewing characters for an upcoming article, I took a break at Jupiter Coffee Shop and enjoyed an ice cold mocha frappe (the best Summer drink in the city) and noticed this inspirational light beaming down towards several copies of…
Farm Fresh Market Now Available
Listen up foodies! A new farmer’s market is happening Friday mornings over in the Pearl Brewery area. Fresh honey, roasted nuts, and Indian cucumbers are just some of the offerings available from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. We can thank Brian and Elise Montgomery, owners of Texas Farm to Table restaurant, also located on Pearl Parkway, for…
Presidential Gaffes: John Edwards
Though a poll of Current newsroom weirdos indicated otherwise, I believe that I, as a twenty year-old male, can speak for all middle-aged slightly WASP-y women when I say: John Edwards really is, on a fundamentally visual level, pretty. He looks like someone you could bring home to your vaguely peace-loving mother and fiercely pro-mandatory-military-service…
Renewable Energy Update
Congressman Ciro Rodriguez stopped by the office to brag about the brand new 15 percent renewable energy standard passed (HR 3221) in the US House of Reps last Saturday. Previous efforts of a 20% standard failed, never making it out of committee. The mandate was part of the House version of a new energy bill…
Farm Fresh Market Now Available
Listen up foodies! A new farmer’s market is happening Friday mornings over in the Pearl Brewery area. Fresh honey, roasted nuts, and Indian cucumbers are just some of the offerings available from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. We can thank Brian and Elise Montgomery, owners of Texas Farm to Table restaurant, also located on Pearl Parkway, for…
Presidential Gaffes: John Edwards
Though a poll of Current newsroom weirdos indicated otherwise, I believe that I, as a twenty year-old male, can speak for all middle-aged slightly WASP-y women when I say: John Edwards really is, on a fundamentally visual level, pretty. He looks like someone you could bring home to your vaguely peace-loving mother and fiercely pro-mandatory-military-service…
Renewable Energy Update
Congressman Ciro Rodriguez stopped by the office to brag about the brand new 15 percent renewable energy standard passed (HR 3221) in the US House of Reps last Saturday. Previous efforts of a 20% standard failed, never making it out of committee. The mandate was part of the House version of a new energy bill…
