History, once removed
“Innocence, an Umatilla Girl,” from the Edward Curtis exhibit Visions of a Vanishing Culture: the North American Indian, on view at SAMA. The young girl wears a Western-style plaid dress under her traditional smock. The story of the American Indian told twice by eyewitnesses and once by the heirs When painter and amateur ethnographer George…
Trance syndicate
Paul Oakenfold Polyphonic ring-tone samples, hypnotic beats and winding electronica Peering from various press photos, Paul Oakenfold often appears pensive and subdued. One wonders what’s percolating in the peculiar brain of this ubiquitous British DJ to create such a frenzy of music and buzz. Somehow you know you’ve entered the realm of success when fans…
In the round
News and notes from the San Antonio theater scene Play it again … Roy Thomas dons the wig that made him (locally) famous `see “Bright light,” July 15-21, 2004`. His StarShock Productions is teaming with Actors Theatre of San Antonio to return the anatomically incorrect rock odyssey Hedwig and the Angry Inch to the local…
Sound and the fury
A week on the scene Crush groove As our wounded nation slowly recovers from the Ashlee Simpson SNL debacle, San Antonio can find consolation in the form of local rockers Electric Crush, who will premiere the debut video from their forthcoming album on Friday, October 29 at White Rabbit. The group shot the clip, for…
A media mindmeld
Candidates use images of cartoons, bombs, felons – and themselves – to sway voters to their side. On-line exhibit presents 50 years of presidential campaign ads One of the most enduring and prescient campaign commercials didn’t use a word of dialogue. No, it’s not the infamous “Daisy” ad used by the Johnson campaign to imply…
a stroke from the heart
“Mi Reina” by Chilean artist Liliana Wilson. Wilson’s work will be on view at Joan Grona Gallery through November 27. Chilean artist Liliana Wilson draws hope Like her fellow countryman, poet Pablo Neruda, artist Liliana Wilson began to express herself artistically before she fully understood what she was communicating. “When I was a child they…
Southern sass from a badass mama
Etta May pummels her Wal-Mart-mom way into America’s heart. Award-winning comic Etta May lays it on thick “You know, when I was going to school, culottes were sexy,” Etta May tells me, and I’m tempted to believe her. This is a generously proportioned woman who shows up for her stand-up act wearing polyester pants, floral…
All ears
It’s about time! This could be premature, but there is a fair bit of rejoicing here this week in response to some titles that hit stores next Tuesday: Four DVDs and three CDs of performances in a series called Live From Austin TX, drawn from Austin City Limits. Could this be the beginning of a…
Lost and found
Houston native Jonathan Caouette, who used iMovie to reassemble the pieces of a crazy childhood in Tarnation. Jonathan Caouette exhumed a freak-show childhood and made it into a masterpiece “We’re a happy family, and we’re a wonderful family,” insists Adolph Davis. Viewers of his grandson’s film, the ultimate home movie about a home that could…
That long and not-so-lonesome road
Christopher Walken makes the most of an underwritten role as Josh Lucas’ estranged father in Around the Bend, an uninspired take on the “troubled family reunion” genre. Christopher Walken delivers, in a film with good intentions It takes only a few moments of songwriter David Baerwald’s quaint little score to let you know what you’re…
UPDATE — Voting problems in Bexar County: Punch the red button
Local coalition warns of voting problems Missing mail-in ballots and incorrect voter registration forms are two of the problems that have emerged during early voting in Bexar County. A record number of people æ about 256,531 æ cast their ballots during early voting, which ended October 29. Election Day is November 2. The polls are…
Courtship of the living dead
Nicole Kidman gets some disturbing news when a 10-year-old boy announces that he is the reincarnation of her recently deceased husband in Birth. The director of ‘Sexy Beast’ botches a May-December reincarnation Jonathan Glazer’s debut feature, Sexy Beast, was a surprising first effort from a man who made his break in music videos. The film…
New reviews, small screens, and special screenings
New reviews Red Lights (Feux Rouges) Dir. Cédric Kahn; writ. Kahn, Laurence Barbosa; feat. Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Carole Bouquet, Vincent Deniard (NR) As Red Lights opens, Antoine (Darroussin) emails his wife, reminding her to meet him at the bar and proclaiming the giddy love of a first date as they approach vacation and a short road…
Recent reviews
Friday Night Lights Dir. Peter Berg; writ. Berg, David Aaron Cohen, based on a book by Buzz Bissinger; feat. Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Tim McGraw (PG-13) H. G. Bissinger’s 1990 book, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, portrayed Odessa, Texas as the capital of…
On a wing and a skewer
Dove season in South Texas means male bonding and gourmet barbeque This is a confession of sorts: In my callow youth I was involved with marksmanship competitions for the .22-caliber rifle. Somewhere I have the badges to prove it. Much later in life, I even managed to score a clay pigeon or two with the…
The presidential pulpit
The intersection of church and state: The Living Way Church on North Interstate 35 meets the Bush/Cheney team. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Eroding the barrier between church and state, Bush wins over the religious vote In early 1999, George W. Bush made an appearance on Fort Worth televangelist James Robison’s TV show, Life Today. Robison…
No puckering required
Fuyu Persimmons are an Asian variety that grow well in the United States. They are characterized by their flat tops and bottoms and a warm orange color when ripe. (Photo by Julie Barnett) Persimmons are sweet when ripe, and perfect for fall desserts On a recent frosty morning (the one we’ve had so far this…
Forever young
Michael Pastrano portrays John Kerry during a mock presidential debate at University of Incarnate Word. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) Using music, humor, and theater, political parties vie for the youth vote This story includes additional reporting by Nicole Chavez. “The war in Iraq is going well,” said University of Texas-Austin senior Christopher Bazan, who had…
All You Can Eat
News and notes from the San Antonio food scene Calling all culinary graduates: Graduates of the Tourism, Hospitality, and Culinary Arts programs at St. Philip’s College are looking for former students to form an alumni association. St. Philip’s College has offered culinary arts education since the late 1970s; it is the only culinary arts school…
Voting vigil
CUTLINE (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Local, international observers prepare to monitor election Last week in Travis County, an e-mail circulated reporting that a voter who had cast a straight Democratic ticket reviewed her ballot only to find that it had registered a vote for Bush/Cheney. Luckily, she had not yet pressed the red button to…
Fight songs
Kerry and Bush use music to sway America’s fickle heart During his recent debates with George W. Bush, John Kerry made a habit of referring listeners to his website for policy particulars. But anyone looking for the broad themes of the Kerry campaign need search no further than the two songs which blare from sound…
Hot licks from Henhouse
Rosie Flores Supergroup of chick-pickers ready to turn up the heat at Casbeers The term “supergroup” usually conjures images of over-the-hill rock congloms whose sum is less than its parts. Yes, we mean Asia. But in the case of Henhouse – Rosie Flores, Cindy Cashdollar, Sarah Brown, and Lisa Pankrantz – the word supergroup is…
White Catholic Buckeyes for Bush
In a neck-and-neck presidential race, every swing vote counts Hawaii is in play! That was the news from electoral vote watchdogs earlier this week – news that could be as stale as yesterday’s Krispy Kremes by now, with almost hourly poll updates pushing the red and blue numbers back and forth. Thanks to the likely…
Tom Waits for no one
‘Real Gone’ is right on time On Real Gone, the brilliant, moody and always unpredictable Tom Waits launches into 16 tracks connected by his familiar themes of woe, misery, defeat, forgiveness and redemption. In a departure from the kind of piano-driven pieces most recently found on the hauntingly beautiful Alice, there’s no ivory to tickle…
