Mail order artists
Above: Jani Leinonen addresses consumerism with nostalgic catalogs bearing his name and the Finnish word for “order” printed about the telephone. The Bower imports two Finns conversant in the global economy San Antonio artists have been brandishing their passports like mad this year. In Paris, there were exhibitions featuring Dario Robleto, Joey Fauerso, Lloyd Walsh,…
When 8-tracks roamed the earth
Thoughts about a technology that only Wile E. Coyote could love They sounded like shit, the cover art was a sham, and heaven forbid you leave them on a hot dashboard in the summertime: 8-track cartridges, aka the Tyrannosaurus Rex of audio (not to be confused with the ’70s band T. Rex, also available on…
Road warrior
A former punk rocker, Antonio Estevan Huerta has transformed into a troubadour. From the Ugly Studs to ‘Mused Here’ If folk rock were a unicorn, Antonio Estevan Huerta would be the rainbow. The youthful rocker is riding the rutted roads of America and beyond with his latest EP, Mused Here. The hardworking Houstonite honed his…
Maturity isn’t a four-letter word
Dennis Quaid: leading man or leading chameleon? As the swashbuckling Sam Houston in The Alamo, a plane crash survivor in Flight of the Phoenix, a deflated ad salesman in Good Company, and Jack “I Told You the World Is Ending” Hall in Day After Tomorrow. Texas’ Dennis Quaid has grown out of his wiseass hunk…
Here in spirit
“Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear, and it shows them pearly white”: Kevin Spacey portrays singer Bobby Darin – without lip synching. Kevin Spacey channels Bobby Darin in ‘Beyond the Sea’ Walden Robert Cassotto, a talented newcomer from the Bronx, became Bobby Darin when, struggling to make a name for himself, he glommed…
Death be proud
What’s with Javier Bardem and suicide? The Spanish actor portrayed Cuban poet and AIDS victim Reínaldo Arénas, who asks his lover to smother him in Before Night Falls. Now, in The Sea Inside, Bardem stars as quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro, who wants to die by euthanasia. ‘The Sea Inside’ explores euthanasia This is a year of…
Wassup hombre?
A new PBS special delves into the way our language divides, unites, and defines us ” … People generally subtract about 50 points from your IQ the minute they hear the accent,” observes political commentator Molly Ivins in the companion book to the new PBS special Do You Speak American? “And I found it took…
Armchair Cinephile
Films from the silent era give your ears a rest Shhhhh … You say you like the holidays, but by the last few days your senses are completely overloaded? Say you could use a sensory-deprivation chamber, or at least some quiet? Have we got the thing for you: rare gems from the cinema’s silent era,…
Recent reviews
The Aviator Dir. Martin Scorsese; writ. John Logan; feat. Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Adam Scott, Kelli Garner, Alec Baldwin, Gwen Stefani (PG-13) The Aviator focuses on the 20 years of Hughes’ life in which he was still a functioning, flamboyant tycoon. It begins in 1927, when Hughes assembles the largest private air force…
Ka-sae-luk
Joe Montanino carves fruits and vegetables in Ka-Sae-Luk, a 700-year old Thai art form. Above a watermelon flower and leaf combination. A young artist digs into the Thai art of fruitcarving According to Thai lore, for the Royal of Festival of 1364, artist Nang Nopamas decorated a floating lantern with a variety of fruits and…
Buried in a backlog
Children’s court inundated with cases Stacks of thick, pink-jacketed folders lie on judge Peter Sakai’s bench in one of Bexar County’s two children’s courts. Each contains the details of a child, or children, who have been abandoned, abused, neglected, or worse, by either one or both parents, or another relative entrusted with their care. The…
A feast of all feasts
From front: Porcini-crusted New Zealand lamb loin with caramelized onion ragout and salt-baked Yukon potato with “works”; butterleaf salad with Spanish marcona almonds, pickled red onion, roasted tomato, and Danish blue cheese dressing; grilled Texas bobwhite quail with roast apple, blue cheese farrotto, and bosc pear salsa. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) It doesn’t get better…
Much ado about menudo
Not the band, but the food Many Mexican Americans venerate Menudo, the most revered and the most feared dish in the Tex-Mex lexicon, not only because they grew up it, but also because it is one recipe that truly belongs to them. America might have embraced tacos and enchiladas (and totally subverted salsas), but menudo…
All You Can Eat
News and notes from the San Antonio food scene Flame still burns at the Candlelight Earlier this month, patrons of the Candlelight Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, 3011 N. St. Mary’s, were mourning the impending closure of one of the city’s comfiest – and gay-friendliest – businesses. New Year’s Eve was to have been the Candlelight’s…
A higher power
Planning commission delays vote on power lines The City Planning Commission had barely finished its noon Christmas luncheon when it convened to withstand an onslaught of power-hungry City Public Service executives last Wednesday. Commissioners heard the pitch, then reluctantly agreed to review a proposal to erect a 29-mile, 365-kilovolt electrical transmission line from Northwest San…
Eyes wide open
Nina, Phanie, and Jenn rehearse at their home. The trio is traveling to London next month to record thier first CD. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) Girls In a Coma to start new year recording with Morrissey guitarist Last week, Girls In a Coma were scheduled to perform at Sin 13’s blowout, the finale before the…
The year in music
Make you wanna go badonkadonkdonk dirty-South crunk The year 2004 witnessed some fresh faces start their 15 minutes. If any two personalities dominated 2004, it was Usher, a young man with abs you could grate cheese on, and Lil Jon, a man whose beats make you wanna badonkadonkdonk and whose rhymes make you feel like…
Deep waters
A view of the H-E-B Tree House at the Witte Museum. The San Antonio River winds across the Witte’s grounds. The Witte Museum builds a Water Resource Center Walking in the front door of the Witte Museum, one wouldn’t know that the San Antonio River runs through its backyard. It’s only once you are out…
Son Seals, R.I.P.
Another blues man reaches the end of the line Son Seals, whom Guitar World described as “a grainy-voiced avenging angel”, died in Chicago on December 20 at age 62. The cause, according to his record label, Alligator, was complications from diabetes. A selected Son Seals discography: The Son Seals Blues Band (1973, Alligator) Midnight Son…
