Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > October
October 2009
First Edition Literary Gala at the Four Seasons
Each Austin scene ripens in its own time …
Heidie Marquez Smith and Clay Smith
Law and Education in the Ancestral Era. … Business and Sports in the Modern Era. … Music, Movies, Arts and Food early in the Contemporary Era. … Style, Charity, Nightlife and Media in the late Contemporary Era …
Jordan Sinclair and Brian Ferguson (who knew whom to know at the gala)
Almost simultaneously, the digital and literary subsets of the Media scene have emerged from their dormant state during the last 10 years, as chronicled by outgoing American-Statesman books reporter/editor Jeff Salamon …
Leslie Callahan and Deborah Treece (Representing Ancestral Austin!)
Salamon absolutely defined the phenomenon in today’s newspaper. He tied the fresh literary scene — building on mounds of tradition — to the Texas Book Festival, Michener Center for Writers, Ransom Center, Southwestern Writers Collection, Texas Monthly and Texas Writers League …
Janie McGarr and Nancy Halbreich (daughters of former Dallas Mayor Annette Strauss)
All this coalesces as we embark on another book festival over a glorious Halloween weekend …
Dave Hamrick (UT Press) and Tim Staley (Austin Public Library Foundation)
The First Edition Literary Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel brought many local and national celebrities of the word together …
Natalie, Greg and Mari Marchbanks (who took me to my first Texas Book Festival gala ages ago)
Mort Meyerson introduced Bob Schieffer who introduced Richard Russo (“That Old Cape Magic”), Bryan Burroughs (“The Big Rich”) and Jon Scieszka (“The Stinky Cheese Man”), each funnier and more timely than the last …
Lois Chiles (Houston actress and former Bond Girl) and Vance Muse (public face of the Menil Collection)
I sat next to the scion of the Ancestral Austin Callahan clan …
Lois Qualben and Mary Louise McCarty (best glittering hat of the gala)
As well as to Mark Seal (“Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa”), whom, to my chagrin, I didn’t identify right away as a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, or a former contributor to Texas Monthly, among many other publications, who now lives in Aspen, Colo. …
U.S. Rep. Lloyd and Libby Doggett
After we exchanged cards, Seal said he’d read my column. I begged him not to …
Pamela Weiss and Mort Meyerson (big names from other cities)
Mine is not the literary mode. I’m a crook-fingered blogger and columnist whose micro-insights into Austin are best left unexamined beyond the moment of their recording.
Jeanne Klein and Jon Scieszka (leading art collector, profiled in Sunday’s newspaper, and outrageous children’s book writer)
But I do love a literary festival. Especially this one …
Bart and Barbara Knaggs (Capitol Sports and Entertainment, Lance Armstrong’s managers)
Jayne Barrett and Sarah Bird (my neighbor and my role model)
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Planned Parenthood Gala at Renaissance Austin Hotel
The banquet room at the Renaissance Austin Hotel filled unto overflowing …
Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, Rebecca Lightsy and Christy Ozman
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as the marquee speaker was surely one motivation …
Dianne Carr and Janet Gilmore
Another was the organization — Planned Parenthood — behind the gala …
Katie Hallberg, Andy Brown and Asara Strother
Indeed, it seemed that almost every Austin-area politician — Democrats at least — were prominently in attendance, and upbeat in spirits. (One observer dubbed the crowd: “Seriously old-school Austin liberals.”) …
Mark and Nancy Utkov
I missed most of the event, but grabbed a few key participants on the way out (near the cleverly placed coffee-to-go, something other gala planners should consider) …
Niyanta Spelman and Lulu Flores
The only complaint I heard: The live auction lasted way too long. The next night, at the Texas Book Festival gala, the crowd cheered when it was announced there would be no live auction …
Kevin and Austin City Council Member Sheryl Cole with Council Member Chris Riley
Now, such auctions can indeed work, done right, but perhaps organizers could be more judicious about electing to do so. Feels like a grassroots resistance against them.
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Ballet Austin Guild’s Vive le Vin at AT&T Center
The Ballet Austin Guild and the Ballet Austin board of directors are not mutually exclusive …
Brooke Holmes and Darlene Byrne
The old-style guild and the new-style board work hand in hand, and membership overlaps …
Betty Oltorf and Louise Hein
And the two tribes joined for Vive le Vin, one of the guild’s top annual events, at the AT&T Center (I appreciate what the phone company does in support of various local groups, but oh I wish a more euphoniously named organization underwrote the UT executive education and conference complex) …
Cynthia Tays and Marilyn Rose
Several conversations buttressed my opinion that the ballet remains the buzziest large arts troupe in town …
Samantha Segar and Steven Burton
Zach Theatre, with its recently unveiled plans for a third hall, is not far behind. The ballet, however, is already there, with paid-for education center, paid-for Long Center and a well-earned national reputation.
Stephanie Nick and Sandy Bennett
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Chloe & Nuo at Parts & Labour
Two things enticed me to Parts & Labour on Thursday …
Marques Harper and Chloe Dao
On a celebrity level, Houston’s Chloe Dao was showing some of her signature bags, a lure for any “Project Runway” devotee (she won on the second season, recall) …
Adam Vuong and Eddie Libranda
On the personal level, Nuo’s Hank Holland would be there. The VP for marketing at the Austin firm that makes Dao’s travel collection had left me with several social insights at a AU40 happy hour a few weeks ago, and I wanted to see his work …
Amanda George and Brittany Villareal
For its part, Parts & Labour nicely fills out its new, larger location, a former alteration shop on South Congress Avenue. The owners continue to flesh out the intersection of super-casual (printed T-shirts) and kicky designs with vintage inspirations …
Keith Yawn and Katie Johnson
Dao’s bags for Nuo bristle with bold geometrics echoing the early 1970s. I settled instead for one of the men’s laptop satchels in sage canvas trimmed in a fawn-like hue, not of Dao’s design …
Justin Britten and Dan Wilson
A full-time pedestrian must purchase a new satchel once a year. Lance Armstrong sold me on my last one, a black Timbuk2, at Mellow Johnny’s. Hank Holland sold me on this one. It’s just right for my Macbook Air and I’ve already shouldered it all over town.
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Stars in Your Eyes 10th Annivesary
The founders of Stars in Your Eyes could be seen as hardy pioneers of sorts …
Dr. Emily and Steve Schottman
The vision specialists homesteaded a variable stretch of Congress Avenue across from the Paramount Theatre 10 years ago …
Kyle Lagunas and Michael LaFon
This was before the rapid expansion of downtown residences. Many businesses have come and gone in the interim …
Summer Beathe and John Cavanaugh
Stars combined sound medical evaluation with fashionable frames and reliable service. (How I know: I was among the first customers and have purchased all my eyeglasses there.)
Emily Stark and Joyce Esmeria
The Stars staff threw an anniversary party on Thursday, with cake and other refreshments, along with an eyewear fashion show, run by the always stylish Rachel Elsberry. I ran into all sorts of interesting folks, such as Cindy Patrizi, who grew up with my college bud and New York actor, Ginger Grace. (I learned, for instance, that Ginger lived on Broadway in Beaumont.)
Rachel Elsberry and Cindy Patrizi
They’ve got another location in Rosedale now. They still keep downtown Austin in focus.
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Austin’s Michael May wins Third Coast Award
Austin radio producer Michael May’s documentary, “My Way or the FBI Way” digs into the story of Brandon Darby (pictured), the radical activist turned FBI informant.
Darby testified against David McKay and Bradley Crowder, fellow activists protesting the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis last year. Darby said they were prepared to use Molotov cocktails against the police.
Radio stories from Russia, Australia, Canada and elsewhere in the U.S. were selected from a pool of 240 entries for the 2009 Third Coast Awards.
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The Big Wig Horror Show Awards for Austin Ad Fed at Mercury Hall
Place blame on the Oscars …
Judy Schulz (OK Paper) and Laurie Christensen (Xtreme Xhibits)
Awards shows have seeped into our collective DNA. And who are we to resist? …
Katie Laird and Shawn Parsons
Especially when the honors recognize general good citizenship, such as the Big Wig Horror Show Awards, given by the Austin Advertising Federation to their collaborators in the field …
Kristina Truong, Dylan McBurnett and Laci Mosier
To announce the 2009 awards, the Ad Fed threw a party, emceed by morning talk’s JB and Sandy, at Mercury Hall …
Brandon Jansa and Sherry Kong
As you might have guessed, costumes were encouraged.
Danielle Dellinger and Natalie Villanueva
Top honors went to Sherry Matthews, of Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing, winner of the Silver Service Award; and Jocelyn Lai, 2008-9 UT TAGlines Director, crowned Ad Person of the Year. Go here for a full list of awards.
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Random Austin
Random Austin
Intersection of Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive, Oct. 28, 2009
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Your A-List: Best Place for a First Date
What’s required for a first date? A little food and drink? Some entertainment? The chance to find out more about each other?
Campy Peter Pan Putt-Putt — a good test for your date’s sense of humor — came in second with 15 percent. Hula Hut, a gregarious eatery and drinkery on Lady Bird Lake, took third with 12 percent.
Most of the others are cozy, low-lit places with opportunities to satisfy multiple needs. Running from 9 percent down to 3 percent were Hyde Park Bar & Grill, Mozart’s, Enoteca Vespaio, Romeo’s, Vivo, Chez Zee and the Steeping Room.
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Your A-List: Best Tennis Courts
But if I still played, I’d head to one of three spots that nearly tied for Best Tennis Courts in the most recent A-List poll. Caswell Tennis Center in West Campus, South Austin Tennis Center in Galindo and Austin High on Lady Bird Lake rushed the net at 18 to 21 percent.
The World of Tennis and Westwood Country Club — where Andy Roddick is known to practice — rallied for 10 to 11 percent. All the rest — Penick-Allison Tennis Center, Old Settlers Park, UT Intramural Fields, Little Zilker Park and Austin Tennis Academy — lagged much further behind.
And, oh, that’s not even remotely me in the photograph. I wish.
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Your A-List: Best Outdoor Event
Our Austin lifestyle is often defined by the out of doors. Despite our Amazonian summers, we’re out on the streets, in the parks, on the greenbelts, at the lakes all year long.
The holiday Trail of Lights/Zilker Tree — a tradition that might soon change drastically with the introduction of a private contractor — came in second with 21 percent. Longhorn tailgaiting — as important an activity as the actual UT sporting events to participants — served up 12 percent.
Three other customs — Eyore’s Birthday, Old Pecan Street Festival and Republic of Texas biker rally — grouped between 6 and 8 percent. Attracting 3 percent or less were the Zilker Kite Festival, Fourth of July fireworks at Zilker, Gay Pride Festival, Movies in the Park, Zilker Summer Musical and Keep Austin Weird Festival.
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Your A-List: Best Ice Cream
Even if Steve and Amy Simmons were not sweet as cream, and philanthropic to boot, Amy’s would be Austin’s ice cream source. The local emporia are convenient, entertaining and the treats seriously ambrosial.
Four others — Baskin Robbins, Marble Slab, Dairy Queen and Sandy’s — chilled at 4 to 6 percent. The rest — Ben & Jerry’s, Viva Chocolato, Cold Stone, Maggie Moo’s, Austin Scoops, Kaleidoscoops and Carvel — melted below 3 percent.
Hey, I’d take any of them. Ice cream is the one dish I can’t resist summer, winter, spring or fall.
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The last three parties — and cricket tacos
My goal was to attend 25 parties on one of the most packed party weekends of the year, outside of South by Southwest or major holidays.
Some I missed. Some I added. Some I improvised. Still got to 25. See the results below, and check out the Out & About Weekend Rewind Gallery.
The two I added: Stephen Moser’s 52nd Birthday Party at Oilcan Harry’s on West Fourth Street and Grand Opening of the Highball on South Lamar Boulevard.
Then I threw my own unplanned parties at convenient restaurants along the way — La Condesa, Annie’s, Cissi’s, Parkside — that serve light, pungent food to keep me and fellow revelers going.
The highlight: Oaxacan cricket tacos at La Condesa. Oh my. I thought they’d come wrapped in the masa to save me the sight of ‘em, but no. A big bowl of oily, black-brown crickets. Once I got past the visuals, adding salsa and guacamole to each small taco, I predictably found them crunchy, smoky, delicious.
What a week!
Yesterday, I got a peek at a potential online social calendar that could avoid train wrecks like this weekend. Look guys, not everybody can schedule a big event at the same time.
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Grand Opening Party at the Highball
Now this is a feast for all the senses — and a trip in the way-back machine …
Karrie and Tim League
The Highball is the latest virtuoso project from Tim and Karrie League from Alamo Drafthouse, along with designer to the stars, Joel Mozersky of One Eleven Design…
Henri Mazza and Sarah Pitre
You’ve probably read about it — bowling alley, cocktail lounge, music venue, private karaoke hideaway, game parlor — circa 1960 adult playground on South Lamar Boulevard in the same once-discarded shopping center as Alamo South …
My-Cherie Haley and Mary Sledd
This is the kind of creativity and energy and whimsy that defines the new Austin as well as old …
Jason Vines, Carrie McDonald and Amy Averett
Sunday’s grand party was really the third or fourth coming-out party for Highball, since it swung open during FantasticFest …
Robert Fernandez and Christie Coston
Luscious, inventive cocktails; savory nibbles; a room made for table hopping — you can bet that I’m returning often. After all, a city columnist whose inspiration is this whole postwar period …
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 22 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. I’ll probably summarize the rest in the next post. Too much of a good thing, you know.]
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Stephen Moser’s 52nd Birthday Party at Oilcan Harry’s
We consummated another year with Stephen Moser …
The Moser clan
That complicated, guileless, erratic, predictable, generous, greedy, wicked, innocent, witty, senseless, candid, weird, cosmopolitan, local, proud, bellicose, sweet, maddening designer, writer and man about town.
Stephen Moser and Patricia Paredes
Is he our Oscar Wilde? Our Diana Vreeland? Our Perez Hilton? One thing’s for certain: He’s never boring …
John Salazar and Stephen Rice
And that was the case at Oilcan Harry’s for his 52nd birthday party on Sunday, two years after being diagnosed with high-potency prostate cancer, a few months after being arrested for arson, a few days after his name hit The New York Times’ The Haggler column, there he was, resplendent in a fringed jacket and studded with turquoise. It was a smaller party than his last two, but no less weighted …
Jane McCann and Neil Diaz
A recent post on this blog bloodied the water for his haters. They had their say. And some of them might be justified. After all, Stephen’s relationship with his public has always been, well, tangled …
Lauren Smith Ford and Amy Bodle
But I still think Stephen is among the rarest creatures this town has ever produced — someone whom each and every one of us can agree we will never in our lifetimes see again. Tennessee Williams dreamed him. [For those of you counting, this was Party No. 21 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Four more posts to go if I last.]
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Rob Moshein’s 50th Birthday Party
Iggy Pop’s “Lust of Life” is not the first song that comes to mind when you meet Rob Moshein …
Rob Moshein and Nicholas Nicholson
Yet the cthonic urge to saturate your days with sensations is in the Austin Wine Guy’s veins …
Robert and Laurie Marchand
He and his partner, Bob, have stuffed their Hempill Park house with Russian art and artifacts, as well as illustrious friends …
Valerie Phillips and Kathleen Jenkins
And, of course, they didn’t stint on the intensely sensuous food and wine for any party, much less Rob’s 50th birthday on Saturday. It was an honor to share part of it …
Leonard Lantz and Scott Sloan
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 20 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Five more posts to go.]
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Official Opening of Same Sky Productions
Boston was home to David Messier and Andrew Cantave …
David Messier and Andrew Cantave
Austin became home for their Same Sky Productions, a music recording business …
Kristina Lanuza and Brendan Kelley
In just a few months, they’ve established a reputation for polished professionalism …
Asa Kittfield and Christin Menendez
Saturday, they took their smooth moves out onto their office terrace, which overlooks Congress Avenue and downtown …
Kelly Vidovic and Nate Vargo
Everyone I talked to at the party came with an crunchy story, including Brendan Kelley, a Boston high school student whose new Same Sky recording is being compared to ones by Rod Stewart et al. Pretty heady stuff.
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 19 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Six more posts to go.]
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Oktoberfest at the German Texan Heritage Society
Most Austinites are surprised to discover the sequestered home of the German Texan Heritage Society …
Julie Freeland and Mark Perkins
It roosts on a limestone ledge above Mohawk and Club DeVille, a sort of secret garden impounded by long, low 19th-century stone buildings …
Julius Young and Amanda Wagner
The Society does all kinds of important historical and cultural work there, which I discovered decades ago in graduate school …
Natalija and Stean Brunner with their children Saffron, Cinamon and Sage
Yet, as a whole, it is sheltered from public awareness, something its leaders, such as Jean Warneke, are trying to alter …
Christie and Jeremy John
Thus events like Oktoberfest. This was my second trip to the d’ Wiesn at the Society, nothing on the scale of, say, New Braunfels or Fredericksburg. Still, pretzels, sausages, beer, bands, yodeling, costumes all fit into a flawless fall afternoon …
Mark Cano and Jean Warneke
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 18 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Seven more posts to go.]
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Record-setting Weekend Rewind Gallery
Go see which 250 people I chatted with at 25 parties this weekend.
That’s writer/director Ron Howard and astronaut Capt. Jim Levell at right.
Both were incredibly sweet.
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‘Apollo 13’ Red Carpet at the Paramount Theatre
[Sorry these party posts are coming in so late, even if for obvious reasons. Only 8 more of 25 total to go.]
Only at the Austin Film Festival do screenwriters stride the red carpet, facing a battery of cameras and microphones usually reserved for A-List onscreen stars.
Outside the Paramount Theatre on Saturday, for a headliner screening for the Austin Film Festival, press and paparazzi pushed forward to view the likes of Bill Broyles, Al Reinart, Ron Howard and Capt. Jim Lovell, all writers on “Apollo 13” and the book upon which it was based, “Lost Moon.” After the sidewalk gabfest, Howard and crew introduced the movie to a packed house.
Ron Howard, so charming on the red carpet
“Apollo 13” Director and writer Ron Howard: “I haven’t been to that many festivals. I go to a couple of big ones that serve as film markets around the world. This one is really about creativity, about trying to help people find their voice. You sense it. There’s a spirit of cameraderie that’s palpable. And it’s fun. (‘Apollo 13’) has always been a crowd pleaser. We tried to tell a compelling, dramatic story, but also tell what it was really like to go to the moon during the Apollo Era.”
Cyndy Powell and Glen Powell, Jr.
NASA astronaut Capt. Jim Lovell, who lives in Horseshoe Bay: “The movie actually rejuvenated the space program. Just last week, three people came up and said, ‘I saw “Apollo 13” on TV again. I said: ‘You gotta be kidding. They’re still showing it?’ But it’s a classic. Ron did a superb job. Everybody knew the ending when they walked in the theater. But he kept everybody on the edge of their seats until the end of the movie.”
Tom and Jamie Hinson
Ron Howard’s brother, Clint Howard, who played Sy Liebergot in “Apollo 13.”: “It’s the busiest I’ve been at a festival, with all the panels and luncheons. It’s really inspiring. I really really like the fact that they emphasize writing and writers. You’re opening a whole can of worms when you talk about writing. It’s not something you can do in two or three days. It’s great that writers are acknowledged and encouraged.”
Natalie Streit and Nikolai Burgevin
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 17 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Eight more posts to go.]
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Paul Baker, legendary theater figure in Texas, dies at 98
Paul Baker, the founding artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center and a legendary presence on the Texas theater scene, has died of complications of pneumonia. He was 98.
In the 1950s, Baker invented revolutionary arts training known as “integration of abilities,” which won the attention of theater artists around the world.
“Irritating, arrogant, nuts — and a genius,” is how the late stage and film star Charles Laughton described director and teacher Baker.
The same man affected almost every theater hall built in Texas during the late 20th century by insisting that spectators share the theatrical space with the performers.
“In the long history of theater architecture, no single person has contributed more to its development than Paul Baker,” wrote Dallas architect Arthur Rogers.
A minister’s son, Baker was born in Hereford in 1911. His imaginative responses to the West Texas landscape deeply affected his later teaching on creativity.
Baker attended Trinity University when it was still in Waxahachie and then earned his master’s degree in drama at Yale University. In 1934, Baker accepted a teaching position at Baylor, where he met and married Kitty Cardwell, a math teacher and artist who later translated his theories to children’s art and theater. They had three children.
Two years later, Baker made a crucial voyage to England, Germany, Russia and Japan to observe theater. Insights from this trip helped form a new Baylor theater, Studio One, which placed the audience in swivel chairs embraced by six stages. Over the next decades, Baker would contribute to 10 other Texas theater designs that positioned the dramatic action around the halls, rather than on a 19th century-style picture frame stage.
In 1959, Baker co-founded the Dallas Theater Center, which served as the Baylor drama department’s graduate school. With Baker’s input, Frank Lloyd Wright designed the center, the great architect’s last building. Baker was artistic director for 23 years, promoting many performers and playwrights along the way.
By the early 1980s, Baker was tangling with the Dallas theater group’s board of directors. He wanted to retain the educational approach; they preferred an Equity union theater with well-known stars. In 1982, he resigned, and that spelled the end of the Baker era in Texas. His innovative Baylor theater was torn down, his Trinity theater severely altered.
In Austin during the late 1980s, Baker directed Preston Jones’ “The Oldest Living Graduate” at the Paramount Theatre and his own adaptation “Hamlet ESP” at Hyde Park Theatre. Austin philanthropists Ernest and Sarah Butler, for whom the University of Texas School of Music and Ballet Austin’s Eduction Center are named, were students of Baker’s. His “integration of abilities” inspires them to this day.
Baker was awarded the Texas Medal of Arts in 2007 for his contributions to arts education.
Baker is survived by his wife, Kitty, and three children, Robyn, founder of Dallas Children’s Theater; Retta, a former executive with the American-Statesman; and Sallie, who teaches theater and writing in Denver.
A Dallas memorial will be held in early December at the Children’s Theater’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts. Donations to the Children’s Theater or another charity are requested in lieu of flowers.
Photo provided by Dallas Children’s Theater.
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‘Spring Awakening’ matinee at Bass Concert Hall
The subject itself makes audiences uncomfortable, especially in a musical …
Kellie Tseng and Arthur Marroquin
But “Spring Awakening” does not avert its eye from teen sexuality …
Steve Fall and Katherine Ordonez-Fall
I didn’t witness any departures from Bass Concert Hall during the simulated masturbation, coitus or violence, but some in the audience shifted around uncomfortably …
Robert and Patricia Megerle
Still, others laughed and cheered. The touring production was every bit as spirited as the original, though I couldn’t completely banish from my memory Lea Michele’s Broadway performance (this is before she graduated to “Glee”).
Rosalind Faires and Barbara Chisholm
Patrons glided in and out of the expanded, light-drenched lobbies, the most notable element from the recent major renovation. The concert hall seems to have settled on its core functions after 30 years.
Julie Ortman and Pam Ruder
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 16 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. Nine more posts to go.]
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Extravagasm Fantasy Ball at Club Mixx
I don’t know what I expected from the Extravagasm Fantasy Ball …
Joe Rivera and Zezelia Olson
Probably something scary, along erotic lines, as per the invitation, at bare-bones, live-show oriented Club Mixx on East Sixth Street …
Lynn Raridon and Casey Kleam
The ball was more like an indoor version of a street fair with costumes, booths and services …
Droopy and Rebecca
No, not that kind of services, you scamp! Just playful stuff, meant to wander on the dark side, but, in fact, really sweet, plus an ongoing floor show featuring belly, burlesque and aerial dancers …
Arash Saberi and Tyler Groover
All courtesy of Lynn Raridon, who has maintained tastefully erotic Forbidden Fruit off-Sixth Street for 27 of its 28 years. Yeah. It, too, is an Austin institution, folks. Would qualify for one of those City of Austin loans.
Linda Farwell and Carol Kelsey
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 15 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 10 more posts to go.]
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Black & White Ball at the Four Seasons
There’s always one event you wished and wished you could make …
Kristen Hanna and Jade Ausley
But life intervenes. The Black & White Ball for Texas Advocacy Project, which promotes justice for women who are victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, was always one of those parties that just didn’t fit into my calendar …
Damon and Adriana Moore
No, it doesn’t come with the naughty thrill of Truman Capote’s famed cavort by the same name …
Heather Bellino and Julia McCurley
But it’s a handsome, classy event, well-stocked with good-doers looking good …
Zita and Jim Daniel
Friday at the Four Seasons, I arrived and was scooped up by Julia McClurley, a force of nature …
Sherry Matthews and Shannon McCann
The rest was a whirlwind of introductions and chance meetings in a beguiling environment. Gosh how I wish the event wasn’t scheduled up against a phalanx of others so I could stick around. (Didn’t even make the SafePlace or Austin Planetarium fundraisers that night because of the scheduling train wreck.)
David Moreira and Meredith Estes
I mean, SafePlace up against Texas Advocacy Project? What were either planning committee thinking?
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 14 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 11 more posts to go.]
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FuturoFund at Austin City Hall
Hoping to encourage philanthropy, primarily in the Latino community, FuturoFund raised a total of $50,000 from 100 Austinites in its first full year …
Jaime Aguirre and Maria Adame
Then current and, especially, future community leaders gathered at Austin City Hall on Friday for presentations from charities, voting from members and a reception …
Brie Fraco, Hector Torres and Perla Cavasos
Nonprofit groups vied for a $40,000 major grant and a $10,000 minor grant; Workers Defense Project won the former, the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas the latter …
Felipe Perez and Raul Alverez
To witness the birth of a movement! What a honor …
Veronica Chapa-Jones and Elma Adrete
I even left and came back rather than miss the mingling after the big vote.
FuturoFund founders John Michael and Priscilla Cortez
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 13 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 12 more posts to go.]
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Texas Film BBQ at the French Legation
Even if the weather outside were frightful — it was not — the Texas Film BBQ would have been delightful …
Marc Mollere and Dolce Carbajal
All sorts of celebrities — major or minor — and just plain film folks show up. They feast on the saucy meat, sip polite drinks and wander across the Texas/Old World French Legation lawn …
Lori Madrid and Tommy Warren
Also to savor the respite from the Austin Film Festival. No matter how much the badge-holders benefit from the panels, discussions, luncheons, interviews, red carpets and movie premieres, the cherished annual BBQ is a required break …
Nita Lou Bryant and Bryanne Cooke (whose personal story is worth a long entry in itself, someday
I spent the most time with Turk Pipkin, who just returned from the Los Angeles premiere of his doc, “One Piece at a Time.” He shared juicy stories about the event, which I promised not to share here (ask Pipkin, though, he’s a much better storyteller anyway) …
Janet Pierson (SXSW) and Jill Oleson (former art critic for the Statesman)
I’ll repeat the weather report: Out of this world. Or rather, the best that this one produces.
Hannah Gallow with AFF founder Barbara Morgan
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 12 out of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 13 more posts to go.]
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The Big Give at KLRU Studios
In just two years, I Live Here, I Give Here has become an indispensable Austin institution …
Kim Miller Drummond and Karen Frost
As philanthropy reporter Andrea Ball has detailed, Patsy Woods Martin’s charity aggregator has demonstrated how to expand the circle of Austin donors. And its Web site is a crucial resource for the area’s top 300 or so nonprofits …
Andrea Rado and Emily Brown
So, despite the late hour, and six previous parties that Thursday night, I shot up to the University of Texas campus, found a lucky parking spot right in front of the Communications complex, and headed up to the sixth floor of the studio building for the Big Give …
Joshua Alcantar and Kelly Atkinson
Only a few dozen people remained. Volunteers were tidying up the remains of the silent auction. Valet parking dudes were finishing off the feed. But those who stayed at the KLRU “Austin City Limits” studio were transfixed by Austin’s own Elvis tribute band — Ted Roddy and the King Conjure Orchestra …
Will Hardeman and Caroline Collins
They danced and danced and danced, and the big band played as if hundreds were still in the room. Competing events? Who cared?
Brent Standefer and Melanie Burke
Meanwhile, Hospice Austin won a $10,000 charity competition (an increasingly popular way to spread the love). Without a doubt, Live/Give is here to stay.
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 11 of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 14 more posts to go.]
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Movers & Shakers Party at the Phoenix
We had to tip-toe around this one …
Jetté Moment and Allen Beuerhausen
On one hand, a party dedicated to the Fortunate 500, our list of Austin’s most social citizens, makes total sense …
Maliha Tabani and Sarah Malik
On the other hand, the event organized by the ever-fabulous Jetté Momant, Kristin Owen and Jen Shoemaker wasn’t officially endorsed by our publication (timing is the main reason) …
Brianna Bardhi and Courtney Reum (with Veev Spirits)
That didn’t stop nearly 700 people from confirming their reservations to the Movers & Shakers party at the Phoenix on Thursday …
Zion Francis and Nataliya Markova
Many, many, many showed up, including a couple dozen already on the Fortunate 500 list …
Matt Renard and Tuesday Wilson
It was a very mixed crowd, which I like.
Alex Winkelman and Caitlin Ryan
Contrary to some readers’ conclusions, I’m not into exclusive events — exclusively.
Rafe Beesone and Erica Rosenbaum
Bottom line: Flattered that the planners thought of our list.
Larissa Ness and Matt Williamson
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 10 of 25 on this Big October Weekend. 15 more posts to go.]
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Dress by Candlelight at Spazio
Racing from party to party this weekend …
Joy and Jeremy Kling
I wasn’t, by any means, going to miss Dress by Candlelight at Spazio on Thursday …
Keesha Waits and Gloriana Koll
After all, it benefits Candlelight Ranch, the Hill Country retreat that serves children with disabilities …
Melissa Martin and Matt Muir
With Saks help, a fashion show was organized along Spazio’s central artery. Couldn’t stay for the walk itself, but caught up with some of the style and charity stars (including Ranch ED Harriett Kirsh Pozen and the Avatar himself Stephen Moser, who made a grand entrance) …
Jett Butler and Kristina Schlegel
Oh please, please somebody come up with a supervised social calender for next season, so I don’t miss so much!
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 9 of 25 on this Big October Weekend.]
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Lone Stars & Angels at GSD&M
Who can turn down a charity like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital …
Michael Roberts and Amanda Walker
Even though the facility is in Memphis, Tenn., its constituency is global …
Ida Miller and Katie Ulpe
So, though the Lone Stars & Angels fundraiser competed with eight or more pressing, local events, it still made sense to drop by GSD&M …
Sharon Holt and Brad Perdue
First, you navigate by a fine string quartet in the lobby, through one refreshment stop, to linger in the silent auction zone …
Becky Kittleman and Wendy Miller
Then you’re outside in the GSD&M courtyard, under the moonlight (real and by design), where Larry Kille of Sterling Affairs lays a sterling spread, and bands play on the other side of a wedding-style arrangement of tables …
Terri Dailey (Omni Downtown) and Joe Brummer (MicroMain)
Altogether sweet.
[For those of you counting, this was Party No. 8 of 25 on this Big October Weekend.]
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Marathon Kids’ Heroes for Health at Whole Foods Plaza
How proud can you be of your city …
MK founder Kay Morris and Joy Authur
When it supports an efficient, forward-thinking, Austin-based, but national organization like Marathon Kids, which inspires hundreds of thousands of children to run and eat in healthy ways …
Ross Moody (whose family foundation just gave $2.5 million to KLRU for new “Austin City Limits” equipment) and Amy Skudlarczyk
And leaders such as state Sen. Kirk Watson, honoree at the Heroes for Health reception at Whole Foods Plaza, who help make such things happen …
MK board director Shannon Moody and state Sen. Kirk Watson
Leadership continued by former Mayor Will Wynn and state Rep. Mark Strama — also at the event …
Lisa and Jeremy Thiel
And powerful business folks like Susan and Michael Dell, John Mackey and Paul Carrozza, who give Marathon Kids their full financial support …
Heather and Wade Hodges
It all came together on a flawless night at the plaza, which is fast becoming the venue of choice for such health-oriented events.
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Paggi House First Anniversary Party
Once, it was hidden, quiet, old-fashioned and romantic …
Pablo Aguilar, Angela So and Kevin Yang
Now, it’s expansive, lively, new-fashioned and romantic (in a different way) …
Ginger Leigh, Dr. Kris Kreck and Bridget Ramey
At heart, the Paggi House remains one of Austin’s oldest, best-loved traditions housed inside one its most ancient buildings …
Discovery Gerdes and Amanda Wagoner
The new incarnation, however, is just a year old, which is why regulars and newcomers were nipping at the bubbly early Thursday evening, before attacking the appetizers …
Beverly Dale and KT Nelson
Not me. I still had five more parties to attend.
Everett and Elizabeth Keating
I was pleased to meet a tech-savvy radiologist (Dr. Kris Kreck); a pair of San Francisco dance mavens (Beverly Dale and KT Nelson, who will compete in Ballet Austin’s New American Talent next spring) and two readers, transplants from San Francisco (Jan and Ted Freimuth) who kindly praised my writing and did me the ultimate honor of comparing my work to Herb Caen’s (whom Ted met on the street one day, Bloody Mary in hand, waiting for marching band to play for his birthday).
Alas my pictures of this last pair all came out with shuttered eyelids.
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Austin Film Festival Opening Party at Mohawk
They used to call them “Chamber of Commerce Days” …
Claudia Blanchette and Amanda Garcia
When the weather was so unblemished, out-of-towners long to linger. Perhaps to spend money, I suppose …
Michael Torres and Stephanie Hunt
Instead, let’s call them “Open Austin Days,” when we extend our collective hands to participants in an event like the Austin Film Festival …
Leslie Carlisle, Terrence Michael and TS Morgan
That’s what happened at Mohawk on Thursday, as festival badge-holders, from home and abroad, left behind panel discussions and movie premieres to engage each other in free-wheeling conversation for an hour or so …
Laura Kinkaid and Andrew Lee
The food stayed upstairs on the terrace, nearer the azure sky. So did the guests. A curious few filtered down to hear the lively band even to dance. But industry talk and nibbles ruled the roost.
Walter Bell and Denise Pischinger
One vegetarian visitor asked for a recommendation on Congress Avenue near the Paramount Theatre. I scratched my head and pointed him toward Manuel’s, Annies and a few other spots on that main stem.
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Alpha Rev at Antone’s
Music and politics make regular bedfellows in Austin …
Travis County Democratic Party ED Laura Hernandez and Austin Adams
Susan Antone hand-picked some buzzy bands to play for a Jack McDonald fundraiser on Wednesday …
Cathy Ziller and Ashley Ziller
McDonald’s campaign remains in the “exploratory phase” prior to a bid for the U.S. Congress against incumbent Michael McCaul …
Julia Genin and Matt Buford
I don’t generally cover political fundraisers for Out & About, — and I already run into McDonald at countless charity events — but this one at Antone’s on Wednesday featured Alpha Rev …
Jack McDonald and Anne Olson
I know, I know, I’ve lost my head over the Rev, but so did a lot of other people that night. They sound better than ever.
Jeff Rogers and Lana Coy
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District 301 Grand Opening
District 301 is the right club for these economic times …
Nicku Sheladia and Steven Miller
Not quite as funky or ironic as recent nightlife addition Lustre Pearl, Liberty or Frank (profiled in 360 Weekly)…
Jen Shoemaker and Michelle Hughes
But not as plush as the ultra-lounges that opened before the crash …
Mike Sledge and Sounthaly Outhavong
It honors the building’s past (American pub called the District) and its location (301 W. Sixth Street) …
Dagan Martinez-Vargas and Deborah of Respect No Respect men’s and women’s clothing and fightwear
And the dark, simple, well-proportioned design kept the place friendly, lively and comfortable for its grand opening on Wednesday.
Armand Daniels and Nicole Ellison
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Austin Children’s Museum Fall Party at Paggi House
Sometimes, philanthropy must bridge a generation gap …
Geane Berduo, Misty Flanary and Laura Vaughn
The founders of the Austin Children’s Museum, who belong to my age bracket, have persevered …
Cameron Breed, Mike Nellis (ACM’s ED) and Lynn Meredith
But when considerably younger leaders eventually volunteered, the gap was spanned …
Chris Wallin, Suzanne Erickson and Katherine Wallin
Now that the relative youngsters have been activated, fundraising events feel fresh …
Trisha and JB Sandy McIlree
Like the ACM Fall Party at Paggi House on Wednesday. Party and purpose: That land out at Mueller needs a permanent museum on it.
Leon and Yanelyx Thompson
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Food & Film Party at the Driskill Hotel
Food & Film Party: One of the city’s finest chef showcases …
Amy Cadenhead and Carla Click with the Texas Film Commission
The sipping and sampling kicked off the Austin Film Festival on Wednesday …
Irfan Hydari and Karey Scheyd
Yet many of the celebrants don’t really attend the movies. Just this party …
Mark Schkud and Brian Hack
No matter. This year, the mezzanine level of the Driskill Hotel looked slim, sleek …
Rick and Melissa Delaney
Drinks centralized, chef’s tables scattered, guests, ultimately, sated.
Anna and Brian Maxin
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The stars shine for Turk Pipkin
Austin’s Turk Pipkin is no stranger to celebrity. Yet for the past few weeks, the stars twinkled extra-brightly for the comic entertainer and humanitarian.
Wednesday, his second big documentary, “One Peace at a Time,” produced by wife Christy Pipkin, opened in Los Angeles with Dennis and Kimberly Quaid, Peter Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton in attendance. Pipkin reports that the best review came from ex-Austinite Matthew McConaughey, who arrived with girlfriend Camila Alves: “That movie was bad-ass!”
Filmed in 20 countries, “One Peace at a Time” advocates basic rights for every child. Some of the proceeds from the premiere helped raise money to build Mahiga Hope High School in Kenya.
[Later in the evening, Quaid was pulled over by the cops, but we’ll let others detail that.]
AP Photo of Kimberly and Dennis Quaid with Turk Pipkin
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Out & About Austin Celebrity Roundup 10/21/09
Austin celebrities in the news:
Organizers of the Nov. 1 Spaghetti Western fundraiser for the Texas Motion Picture Association at Star Hill Ranch have started leaking the musical acts, which include the Tiny Tin Hearts and Erik Larson & Peacekeeper. Tickets are now on sale, $50 members, $60 general public and include a dinner catered by Ciao Chow. Cold hard guarantee: Local movie celebrities will be out in force, since this raises bucks for the film advocacy group.
Fear and Loathing: The Gonzo Papers, a blog dedicated tot he spirit of gonzo journalism, has released its list of top American estates viewed from Google Earth, including Michael Dell’s in Austin. “Typically you have to do a bit of detective work, picking up a bits of information from different Web sites,” the blogger posts. “Sometimes you’ll find a picture of the property you’re looking for, but, of course, what you see in the picture isn’t likely to be what you see in Google Earth.” Others revealed — and no, we don’t endorse this practice — are large-livers John Travolta, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, Donald Trump and the late Michael Jackson.
The The Durango Herald: devoted quite a few inches to a “celebrity thing,” when part-time Austinite Lance Armstrong, appeared in Durango the world premiere of “Race Across the Sky,” a documentary about the Leadville Trail 100. The screening attracted 500 people, while 100 VIPs attended a subsequent dinner. Armstrong also met with adults and children living with cancer, but not with reporters.
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Your A-List: Best Men’s Clothing Store
A-List readers plainly preferred one particular shop when asked to pick the city’s Best Men’s Clothing Store. Capra & Cavelli — which sells exquisite suits alongside casual apparel — figured in a full 46 percent of the vote.
A nationwide, youth-targeted chain, Urban Outfitters, and a local, hip joint, Service Menswear, battled for second place. The first slipped by the second 12 percent to 11 percent.
Men’s Wearhouse measured up to 8 percent, while Buffalo Exchange brought in 7 percent. Upscale Jos. A. Bank rang up 6 percent.
Hutson, Estilo, Keepers, Blackmail, Slate and Creatures — rounded out the list with 2 percent or less.
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Your A-List: Best Karaoke
Two clubs fought it out for the coveted A-List Best Karaoke crown. Nobody else even came close.
Winning outright was Beerland, the music venue on Red River Street, with 52 percent of the vote for its Rock ‘n’ Roll edition.
Fighting to the end was Common Interest, which specializes in karaoke and sports on Burnet Road. It dialed up a very competitive 42 percent.
Note the drop-off after that. Everyone else plugged in 2 percent or less: DK Sushi, Karaoke Apocalypse, Austin Karaoke, Rain, La Palapa, Baby A’s, Water Tank, Seoul Karaoke Studio and Too Much Music.
No cracks about that last entry.
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Your A-List: Best Place to Go When You’re Broke
This is not a recession-inspired A-List category. We’d ask Austin readers where to go when you’re broke whether the economy soared or soured. There’s an eternal slacker/survivor in all of us.
OK, OK, the library also offers books, recordings and Internet access as well.
For entertainment — and Austinites quickly turn to entertainment — we hang out at Waterloo Records’ in-house concerts (7 percent); Alamo Drafthouse’s Terror Thursdays (7 percent); Blanton Museum of Art’s free Thursdays (7 percent)’ Alamo’s Weird Wednesdays (5 percent); Alamo’s Music Mondays (4 percent), and Austin Museum of Art’s $1 Tuesdays (4 percent).
Three percent or less voted for art gallery openings, BookPeople readings, Ruta Maya yoga and fitness classes, Cheapo’s in-store concerts, the Hideout’s improv jams on Tuesdays and the Continental Gallery.
I guess you can hear the music up there, too.
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Your A-List: Strongest Drinks
Here’s another A-List category destined to make a few readers irritable. (As if they weren’t already.) Others will find the news tasty.
The Side Bar, a hipster hangout on East Seventh Street, came in second with 28 percent, while Six Lounge, the upstairs/downstairs club on Colorado Street, took third with 11 percent.
Longstanding Cedar Door joined the list with 6 percent and burger king Casino El Camino downed 4 percent.
Stirring up 3 percent or less were Rain, Club de Ville, Brown Bar, Stephen F’s Bar and Terrace, Hole in the Wall, Mohawk and Back Alley Social.
I’d add to this fine tour: Longbranch Inn, Annies and Cover 3.
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A columnist, not a critic
Yesterday, I resigned from the Austin Film Critics Association.
Only problem, I’m now a full-time columnist — blogger when online — no longer a critic in the formal sense.
In the past few years, I’ve dropped my memberships in the Dance Critics Association, Music Critics Association of North America and International Art Critics Association.
I’ve retained my connections to the Austin Critics Table and the American Theatre Critics Association for service purposes. I co-founded the Table 20 almost years ago; I served three terms as chairman of ATCA early in this century. So I feel some responsibility to contribute to their legacies.
To be clear, criticism will continue to creep into my columns, just as it did for Liz Smith, Ed Sullivan, Herb Caen and Frank Rich when they wrote as generalists.
And, very occasionally, I’ll take a review assignment from one of our entertainment editors. (As a former editor, my rule is to accept all appropriate assignments without question. I remember being on the other side of that equation.)
My subject is the city. Part of what defines Austin is its music, movies, books, food, design, arts and other creative industries. So you’ll still read my opinions. Just as a columnist, not a critic.
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Austin’s Unbroken Social Scene
No excuses for feeling lonely in Austin this weekend. Here’s where you’ll find me.
Fall Party for Austin Children’s Museum at Paggi House on Riverside Drive
Austin Film Festival Film and Food Party at the Driskill Hotel on Brazos Street
District 301 Grand Opening on West Sixth Street
Alpha Rev at Antone’s on West Fifth Street
Thursday
Paggi House First Anniversary Party at Paggi House on Riverside Drive
Opening Night Party for Austin Film Festival at Mohawk on Red River Street
Look W3LL for the Cure at W3LL on South Lamar Boulevard
Lone Stars & Angels for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at GSD&M
Dress by Candlelight for Candlelight Ranch at Spazio on West Sixth Street
The Big Give for I Live Here, I Give Here at KLRU’s Austin City Limits Studio on Guadalupe Street
Fortunate & Fabulous Party at the Phoenix on Colorado Street
Friday
FuturoFund at Austin City Hall on West Second Street
Film Texas BBQ Supper at the French Legation Museum on San Marcos Street
Wish Upon a Smile for Austin Smiles at Gray Hawn Home
The House Is Rockin’ for SafePlace at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on University Avenue
Austin Planetarium Fundraiser at Richard Garriott’s Britannia Manor
Extravagasm Fantasy Ball VIII presents Erotic Renaissance at Club Mixx on East Sixth Street
Saturday
“Spring Awakening” matinee at Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas campus
Oktoberfest at the German American Heritage Society on East 10th Street
Same Sky First Anniversary at Studio on Congress Avenue
Rob Moshein’s 50th Birthday Party at the Austin Wine Guy’s Home
Bernie Siben Cabaret at Emerald City on East Seventh Street
Austin Film Festival Conference Wrap Party at the Belmont on West Sixth Street
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Austin’s Wes Hayden finally wins one
“It’s hard to swallow,” said Hayden, who blames his bad “Bachelorette” reputation on nefarious editing.
Last week, TVGuide.com reported that Hayden was in talks for his own show, perhaps with NBC. The musician seems to know how to build a career without resorting to weather balloons.
“Dancing with the Stars” won Best Competition Show, while “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” triumphed in the Best Docu-Series category.
Seriously messed up “Jon & Kate Plus 8” was booed throughout the ceremony.
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U2 in Austin?
Over the weekend, sharp-eyed and sharp-eared reader Deann Alford noticed that a U2-marked plane was parked on the tarmac in the charter area of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Noting that the band, which by coincidence shares its name with a famous American spy plane, was headed to Norman, Okla. for an Oct. 18 “360 Tour” concert after its Oct. 14 Houston date, Alford wonders what the heck they were doing here.
Are the artists and crews flying in multiple aircraft, given the tour’s massive UFO-like set? Or did the Edge, Bono and crew sneak in a quick night in Austin?
We throw it out there for the masses … and promise to report anything credible.
Update 10/20/09: The main local guesses are Lance Armstrong (whose LiveStrong Rally is upon us) and Turk Pipkin (whose Nobelity Project has attracted Bono’s attention).
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Rexer-Politte Wedding, Barr Mansion
Theirs has been a romance scored “appassionato.” Performed with an extended caesura.
Saturday, Jennie Leigh Ramona Rexer and Glen Gordon Politte tied the knot at the Barr Mansion while a sapphire dusk hung overhead.
Jennie Rexer and Glen Politte
They reciprocated euphonious vows overseen by humorous Austin writer Spike Gillespie. Toward the end of the outdoor ceremony, they exchanged rings — nearly 30 years after their courtship began.
You see, Rexer and Politte met in their teens. They attended the same competitive, culturally homogeneous high school in suburban Houston.
Using the terminology of the day, they were freaks, not geeks, although behind the punk piercings and black garb were two smart, sweet, slightly awkward kids.
Kelsey Covington, Spike Gillespie and Kirsten Covington
He was stringy, bespectacled; she fleshier, outspoken. They seemed to subsist on confrontational artists like Patti Smith, Siouxsie & the Banshees and other advocates of anarchy.
Their friends adored them, apart and as a couple.
Yet Rexer and Politte, who now live in north-central Houston, exhibited boisterously independent behavior back then, something that neither friends nor family could superintend. So, rather operatically, they split.
Both continued to rock out at night, but their days mellowed. After managing a movie theater, Rexer chased a post-graduate degree in neuropsychology. Politte held down jobs as a dispatcher while he raised two boys with his first wife.
Helen and Tom Politte
For almost 20 years, the two trod separate, sometimes outlandish paths. Then, after Politte’s marriage broke up, Rexer looked him up. The embers had not cooled. For either lover.
The fateful intimacy of youth returned. So, with lives now settled — Politte a grandfather in his mid-forties! — the rebels yielded to convention. They married.
I’ve known Rexer and Politte all those years. I served as a groomsman in Politte’s first wedding, which charitably would be called disaster. (I swear some of the scenes from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” were stolen from that surreal event.)
Mike and Karen Blizzard
I’d seen the once-and-future couple spottily, however, since they reunited. Somehow, their second chance seemed even less concrete than Politte’s first marriage. It computed on a certain emotional level, evaporated on an intellectual one. Flouting expectations, it lasted and lasted.
Thanks to Facebook, we re-orbited just as Rexer and Politte planned their long-delayed rite. They made attendance easy by choosing the Barr Mansion, the elegant Eastlake-style farmhouse at Sprinkle and Springdale roads, on what Rexer described as “a breathtakingly beautiful day to get married.”
Shocking how quickly Austin fades into rural glory less than two miles north of U.S. 290, recalling the cotton country that William Braxton Barr and his wife Matilda Birdwell viewed more than 100 years ago when they raised the mansion. In the Age of Punk, back when Rexer and Politte were first courting, Mark and Melanie McAfee transformed the compound for special events, later adding the fairy-tale Artisan Ballroom, decorated about as far from a punk aesthetic as one could imagine.
Jane and Jason Lewis
During the reception, I cemented a few old ties, secured some new ones. Facebook friend and Texas Parks and Wildlife writer/editor Karen Blizzard turns out to be married to Mike Blizzard a basketball player back at that Houston high school. He’s also an avid reader of my columns on New Austin.
We noshed with Jane and Jason Lewis; Jane told us about the neuropsychological work she shares with Rexer; Jason regaled us with tales of surfing Indonesia. The two were married on fantastic Bali, while Kip and I got hitched under a staircase in an improvised wedding space at Toronto City Hall.
I cry at every wedding. I cried at this one. How could I help it, given the durable Rexer-Politte romance?
Who played the reception? No, not a punk band. The Eggmen, Austin’s Beatles cover act. Four generations of guests danced into the night. Hey, even for a nonconformist couple like Rexer and Politte, Sex Pistols impersonators would have spoiled the vibe.
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Out & About in Zilker and Barton Hills
The return of cool weather means time to explore Austin on foot.
Today, your flâneur wandered the Zilker and Barton Hills neighborhoods, close to our base camp in Bouldin, but in some ways stubbornly alien.
Nora the Explorer (otherwise known as Nora the Willful Chocolate Lab) joined me for the seven-mile jaunt.
The defining topographic feature is a north-south ridge that comes close to splitting Barton Hills from older Zilker. To the east, the land falls gently toward West Bouldin Creek, to the west, north and south, the drop is precipitous down to Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake.
The tidy urban grid in Zilker inscribes evolving commercial density along Lamar, humble cottages and flashes of contemporary infill. Roads in more remote Barton Hills — developed in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s — curve around the terrain. The street names actually fit the physical features, which is unusual for Texas. Elms, for instance, do grow on shallow Elmglen Drive.
Since spring is our fall, flowers — plumbagos, lantanas, fall asters, Mexcian sage and, especially, yellow bells — blazed. Those trees not wrung dry by the drought shimmered. Butterflies, and not just mobs of white snouts, drifted over landscape.
Not many people outside, except in or near the fantastic nearby parks, including playscapes next to horizontal Zilker Elementary and more vertical Barton Hills Elementary.
Not as many aggressive, new home designs as in Bouldin, but also virtually no McMansions. The only one I spotted fit its pie-slice lot comfortably.
It struck me that I knew very few people here. Or not well. Former state Sen. Ray Farabee — profiled in the space last week — and his activist wife Mary Margaret live in Barton Hills; mystic masseur Bruce Christman and his midwife wife Barbara resided in Zilker, but are moving west of the Balcones Fault. The family of late newspaperman John Bustin grew up in one of those perfectly poised mid-century moderns up above Zilker Park.
I’ve roamed the tree-sheltered streets of Zilker with dogs many times before, but more westerly Barton Hills, through nobody’s fault but my own, might as well have been the wilds of Idaho. (In fact, it more resembles suburbs in Colorado, Georgia and, of course, California.) There’s an odd, though nicely landscaped concrete ditch, for instance, bisecting Barton Parkway. Years ago, I encountered one very similar splitting the redundantly named Arroyo Seco north of Koenig Lane.
It was broad Barton Hills Boulevard, however, that stumped me. How had I never walked or driven past this arcing strip of green suburbia slap dab in Central Austin?
Most strange to me were the apartments shelved above the popular greenbelt, some clumpy (like an inwardly-oriented New Orleans-style garden complex), others campy (a set of Hollywood haciendas). Even the prominent placement of striking sculptures out front could not banish the suspicion that some of these complexes were in the wrong place.
In the rest of Zilker and Barton Hills, one finds neat, tiny slip-in apartments, duplexes and condos (proof of ancient condo mania). They tend to fit the character of the neighborhoods, which are long-settled.
Taken as a whole, both hoods are handsome, walkable, relaxed and close to countless amenities, not the least, superior parks. I’m sure I know scads of people living behind those crazy-quilt lawns, but just haven’t been invited inside yet. The folks I do already know in Zilker and Barton Hills are open, kind and, well, typical Austinites.
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Charity Bash at Mana Culture
I can barely contain my admiration for Charity Bash.
Pake Stephens and Jennifer Martison
The youthful gang of fundraisers has made philanthropy the coolest game in town.
Michael Sorrels and M.J. Roberts
They understand that one must give good party — food, drink, entertainment, atmosphere, style — and that can be done without breaking the bank. Or taking away from the charities in the limelight.
Leilah and Michael Cantos-Busch
Friday night, the Bashers made good at Mana Culture, an accessories boutique on South First Street.
Jahvani and Jonathan Sievert
Early on, the event was peppered with puppies, infants and painted servers. Excellent food and music.
Amy Johnson, Natalia Wasko, Lacy Lloyd and Lauren Munselle
Mana owners Jonathan and Jahvani Sievert have lent a worldly Pacific feel to their line, which is also still available on South Congress Avenue as well. We wish our new neighbors the best.
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Bob Wade at the Museum of Popular Culture
Austin artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade is funny, generous and savvy.
Rattlesnake Annie and Bob Wade
He has thrived for decades by making sly Texas images, which include wholesome cowgirls, gigantic lizards and weird reflections of roadside culture.
Sam Shepard and Jim Franklin
Wade is an entertainer, no doubt. And other entertainers of all stripes embrace him.
Janie and Dick DeGuerin
During a follow-up party for Wade’s retrospective (“40 Years of Blood, Sweat and Beers”) at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture on South Lamar Boulevard, we ran into a music promoter (Ihor Gowda), a musical icon (Rattlesnake Annie), an artistic icon (Jim Franklin), an American Studies professor (Jason Mellard), a museum director (Sue Graze), a celebrity defense lawyer (Dick DeGuerin, who declined to comment on the Evi Quaid imbroglio out in Marfa) and a certain playwright/actor (Sam Shepard) whose presence sent shivers through the outdoor party.
Andrea Mellard and Gerry Gilligan
Even the hinky parking situation at the attached Planet K couldn’t dampen spirits on this heavenly night.
Ed and Jessica Morris
As thorough and as appropriately located as this retrospective is, I’d love to see this same work at a roomier venue some day.
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Out & About Celebrity Roundup 10/16/09
Austin celebrities in the news.
TVGuide.com predicts a new project for Austin’s Wes Hayden, notorious for his rivalry with Jake Pavelka on “The Bachelorette” (Pavelka was later named the new “Bachelor”). “I’ve actually got something going on right now that’s on NBC,” Hayden told TVGuide.com. “They want me on just because of the popularity that I had from ABC. … It might be weird to see Jake on ABC and Wes on NBC.” Hayden’s manager Buck Judkins would not confirm if the network in question was NBC. “It’s too early to tell,” he said. NBC did not return calls for comment.
The UK Independent reports: Tommy Lee Jones, who ranches outside San Saba, is in negotiations to direct and co-star in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” based on the Michael Connelly novel of the same name. Frequent Austin visitor Matthew McConaughey is set to play an errant LA lawyer defending a playboy accused of murder in the movie.
Austin homeowner Michael Griffin, a former Longhorn and current Tennessee Titan, is the latest footballer to tweet. Follow him at MikeGriff33 So far he’s tweeted four times, he’s following three people (all players), and has attracted 123 followers.
Meanwhile, another former Longhorn, Kevin Durant, now with the OK Thunder, is receiving laurels for his resourceful tweeting from sports writer Matt Fox of the Daily Cardinal: “Durant posted a response to a recent ESPN.com TrueHoop blog criticizing his contributions to his team. … It allowed Durant to defend himself when he lacked the resources to respond with an entire article or Web site.”
The Daily Texan reported on the Free Hugs Campaign, which gives free hugs to strangers in public places. The Australian-born social movement promoted the Paul Mitchell Beauty School on Wednesday, as students of the National Cosmetology Academy stood outside the University Co-op hugging passersby. Billionaire Austinite John Paul DeJoria backed the campaign: “I think the whole world needs free hugs, and I am here to receive my share,” said DeJoria, CEO of the school.
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La Dolce Vita at Laguna Gloria 2009
How much dulce is too much dulce?
Rep. Donna Howard and AMOA Director Dana Friis-Hansen
La Dolce Vita, the Austin Museum of Art fundraiser at Laguna Gloria, sold out its 20th anniversary of revelry.
Brenda Audino and David Jabour (wine director and owner, respectively, of Twin Liquors)
Food and wine vendors spread all the way from the Clara Driscoll villa, across the sculpted lawns and lanes, to the classrooms on the east end of the campus, where a scotch and cigar bar waited those willing to up their entry ante.
Anita Roberts (Opulence magazine) and Troy Gourrier
Not long after 6 p.m. on a glorious, cool evening, those vendors had all the business they could handle.
Jo Ong and Rudy Dunbar
People queued up to the little tents, six deep, two to four across.
George Willett and Jessica Kramm
Guests were directing other guests to particular treats (such as the bacon-wrapped scallops from III Rivers) or varietals (like a granache-syrah from a French winery whose name I didn’t record).
Felix Rivas and Andrea Osborne (in character)
Actors were dressed as Federico Fellini -era characters and Vespa rentals were the prize for a “Three Coins in a Fountain” contest.
Sarah Parlow, Troy Gras and Erin Travis
Mr. Fabulous played, of course, under moonlight party globes. Some guests dressed up. Others did not, but appropriately so. In short, magic.
Giovanni and Megan DiBartolo
Only one potential fly in the ointment: I heard several patrons complain about the crowding on the main lanes.
Beth Schindler and Veronica Phillips
Here’s a suggestion: Forget the VIP area west of the villa — abandoned early in the evening anyway — and re-open that swath of lakeside loveliness to tents and general revelers.
Michaela and Bob Hachtel (I’m convinced she was named after the sweet character in “Carmen”)
Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing.
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Facebook met Broadway in ‘Spring Awakening’ Part 3
For more Facebook met Broadway in ‘Spring Awakening,’ scroll to posts below, or link here for Part 1 and Part 2.
“Today, with the Internet and TV saturated with sex, there’s a steady stream of basic information,” cast member Andy Mientus says. “In terms of the logistics of sexuality, it’s all completely available. But not the complicated issues like the psychology of sex. Parents must still be responsible for helping with that. I grew up in an open and honest household. No topic was too tender. We had open dialogue. I feel lucky that way.”
Mientus is proud that “Spring Awakening” is attracting traditional theatergoers as well as young people usually considered marginal fans of Broadway shows.
“It’s a serious, artful piece,” he says. “Look at it: Not linear or straightforward, although there’s a narrative one can grab onto, and there’s the nontraditional staging. But it’s also about young people and rock music. So it can appeal to a theater audience and a teenage audience.”
It helps that the latent love of Broadway musicals never really went away, as evidenced by the vast pop followings for “High School Musical” and “Glee.”
“For a long time, during its Golden Age, music on Broadway and music on the radio were the same,” Mientus says. “Pop music moved on. And show tunes became a ‘genre.’ They could have been lost to popular culture altogether, like vaudeville. Now they are getting back together again.”
Thinking back just three years, Mientus recalls his first ecstatic experience with “Spring Awakening,” sitting on the first row, buzzed by the music and the timely material.
“It was the show I had been waiting a long time to see,” he says. “It’s authentic. It’s my story.”
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Facebook met Broadway in ‘Spring Awakening’ Part 2
For Part 1 of Facebook met Broadway in ‘Spring Awakening,’ scroll down, or link here.
(Not to give anything away, but, due to a lack of sex education and adult transparency, the teen characters must process masturbation, abortion, rape, child abuse and suicide on their own. That was one reason Frank Wedekind’s original play was not produced for 15 years, before it was staged by directing legend Max Reinhardt.)
After winning the role, Mientus remained with the touring cast a full “season,” taking multiweek summer break when many such shows go on hiatus. He now returns to the road with some replacement actors, landing at Bass Concert Hall Oct 20-25.
Meanwhile, Mientus, the actor, has attracted a personal following online and, after a year, has become a practiced interview subject. (Google him for more results.)
Though his teen years are well behind him, Mientus recalls the emotional drama.
“I can certainly tap into that age and mind-set,” he says. “The stakes are so high. Getting a grade in an arbitrary class - calculus, say, when you are trying to become an actor - back then it was so life and death.”
Even the arrival of new company members to the touring “Spring Awakening” brings back pained memories from high school.
“It’s the first day of school all over again,” he says. “You thought, ‘Who was in your lunch period and who wasn’t.’ I mean, why couldn’t I just eat lunch by myself? But for a 15-year-old, that’s ‘Hamlet.’ “
Apparently, he’s not the only one affected by the vivid memories of confused teen years. The musical of “Spring Awakening” hit the public consciousness just as the value of abstinence-only sex education was being vigorously discussed, and not just in Texas.
“The show is about what happens when teens don’t have information and support,” Mientus says. “When they are trying to figure it out on their own. In the show, you see that sex is human. People are born with it. They have it all their lives. Ignore it or call it taboo, something that you put away, or silence, that doesn’t work.”
The musical adaptors retained almost all the material from Wedekind’s original play, and yet, to Mientus, it’s as timely as the morning’s headlines.
“It was a problem then; it’s a problem now,” he says. “The play has been trying to say something for more than 100 years: ‘We have these feelings. We are not wrong. We are not sick. We should not be made to feel that way.’ ”
More to come …
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Facebook met Broadway in ‘Spring Awakening’ Part 1
For those who missed other editions of my 360 article on ‘Spring Awakening’.
Andy Mientus might be the American theater’s first Facebook hero.
Looking for more information online, he discovered that the show hadn’t yet attracted a Facebook fan group. This, remember, was way back when the now-ubiquitous social-media site was restricted to college and high-school students, before adults amplified - or ruined - it, depending your perspective.
So, independently, Mientus, who grew up in Pittsburgh, created a group page. In December 2006, its readers multiplied by thousands when “Spring Awakening” moved to Broadway, earned delirious reviews and, eventually, a Tony Award for Best Musical. Discovering his online championing, one of the show’s producers asked Mientus if his fan page could become the musical’s official Facebook presence.
What had been to Mientus a personal crusade was now becoming a pop phenomenon.
“Maybe people were just ready for it,” Mientus thought.
On a parallel track, the producers were already pushing the show to young audiences through viral marketing, encouraging super-fans like Mientus to attend regularly, seated with the performers on stage during the action. Like “Rent,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and other such shows - not coincidentally Mientus’ favorites - “Spring Awakening” established its downtown street credentials before it cranked out the commercial marketing. The hit eventually spun off “The Guilty Ones,” a volunteer fan group that promotes the musical, cross-platform, everywhere it journeys.
“Every show uses the Internet now,” Mientus says. “But ours was one of the first to attack the opportunities on all fronts.”
More to come …
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Your A-List: Best Movie Theater
Well, the four winners tell you something right away.
Three of those belong to the original Alamo theater group founded by Tim and Karrie League. Lake Creek was part of the first franchise wave. A second regional expansion is underway.
We don’t have to tell why all four Austin outlets are loved. Recite the formula: Movies, food, drink, fun and respect. (The final element reflects the founders’ devotion to the cinematic experience. When they say “no talking,” they mean it.)
Tying for fifth place at just over 4 percent were the Bullock Museum’s IMAX and Tinseltown Pflugerville.
Taking 3 percent or less were the Paramount Theatre, Regal Gateway, Regal Arbor, AMC Barton Creek Square, Cinemark Hill Country Galleria, Regal Westgate, Dobie, Galaxy Highland, Cinemark Southpark, City Lights, Cinemark Cedar Park, Cinemark Round Rock, Regal Metropolitan, Regal Lakeline Mall, Chestnut Square, Showpace, Millennium, Tinseltown South and Starplex.
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Your A-List: Best Sushi
Sushi is ubiquitous.
But there’s sushi, and there’s Uchi. Tyson Cole’s innovative restaurant on South Lamar Boulevard does things with sushi that respect traditions, but twist them every which way.
Uchi won 30 percent of the vote in the A-List reader poll Best Sushi.
Placing second with 16 percent was Musashino, which made a huge splash when it opened at Greystone Drive and MoPac a few years ago.
DK Sushi, which boasts of its signature Sushi Cam on South First Street, sliced up third place with 10 percent.
Midori and Kenichi virtually tied at just under 6 percent. Veteran Kyoto rolled up 5 percent, while Umi, Tomo, Korea House, Mikado, Sushi Sake, Maru, Maiko, Kenobi and Imperia did not lag too far behind.
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Your A-List: Best Record Label
Here’s another contest with only two serious contenders.
Xylo was started in 1993 by musician Woode Wood: “My first release ‘Brothers”’ was cassette only and my latest on CD was ‘Be,’ released last year,” Wood says. “I’m half way through recording my latest, ‘Come On Sun’ which will be out by 2010.” Xylo won 40 percent of the vote.
Chicken Ranch Records was a tad easier to track down. Note that they back Knife in the Water, Willie Heath Neal, Beautiful Supermachines and other acts. The label came in a strong second with 30 percent.
Deep Eddy, New West and Texas Music Group/Antone’s exactly tied at just over 7 percent. That’s pretty neat. Taking 2 percent or less were Arc Light, Peek-a-boo, Sweatbox, I Eat Records, Dead Oceans, Australian Cattle God and Dorato.
Based purely on cool names, I’d pick Australian Cattle God. But I know little or nothing about recording, so don’t listen to me.
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Your A-List: Best Liquor Store
In one corner, stands Twin Liquors. Local, neighborly, charitable.
In the other corner, Spec’s. Insurgent, vast, comprehensive.
In the A-List bout for Best Liquor Store, Twin won. Not quite a knock-out, but close, punching up 62 percent of the vote.
Spec’s, the Houston-based upstart, kept its head high with 24 percent.
Taking 3 percent or less were other fine beverage purveyors: Centennial, Whip-In, Grape Vine Market, Reuben’s, Wiggy’s, Favorite Liquor, Warehouse Liquors, Avery Fine Wine & Spirts and the nimbly named Spirits.
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Celebrity dancers announced at By George
“Quite the room tonight.”
Mary Tally and Eloise DeJoria
So judged Sidney Jones at the announcement party for this year’s Dancing with the Stars at By George on North Lamar Boulevard. The Austinite — who also owns a ranch so close to Mandola’s in Driftwood she can practically order from her front porch — pegged the mob of luminaries gathered in the women’s apparel boutique (soon to bring back men’s wear, too!) on Tuesday.
Michelle Chun and Susie Davis
You couldn’t swing a foxtrot partner without hitting somebody of consequence, as party chairwomen Mary Tally and Maria Groten prepped the attendees for the fast-rising gala, slated for Dec. 6 at the Hilton Austin.
Chief Art Acevedo and Maria Groten
The event, by the way, benefits the Center for Child Protection, which has doubled in size in six years and opened a handsome facility on its East Austin campus. Often mistaken for SafePlace, CASA or the Austin Children’s Shelter — all regular partners with the center — it teams with law enforcement to help young victims of abuse, especially in the period just after the crime.
Dan Neil and Alison Garsson
Let’s talk dancers: From the world of entertainment come game designer and cosmonaut Richard Garriott, stage producer Charles Duggan and Zach Theatre director Dave Steakley , former NFL star, current ESPN color commentator Dan Neil and TV host Michelle Valles.
Joane Bentzin and Gigi Bryant
From the law arena come Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo (promising a demonstration dance with faux convicts Tammy Buckman, Katrine Formby, Linda McCaul, Laurée Moffett, Jeanne Parker, Ann Schneider, Robin Segesta and Deanna Serra) as well as Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton and attorney Mitchell Zoll.
Susan Lubin, Charles Duggan and Carla McDonald
From fashion, there’s social superstar Eloise DeJoria and former Miss Texas Holly Mills-Gardner. Community activists, businesswomen and volunteers who’ll dance include Gigi Bryant, Joanie Bentzin, Susan Lubin and Carla McDonald.
Kim Thomsen and Richard Garriott
Also in attendance, but not dancing this year, were the likes of former Mayor Will Wynn, marketer Ben Bentzin , congressional candidate Jack McDonald, super-philanthropists Larry Connelly and James Armstrong, as well as newly appointed Humanities Texas trustee Venus Strawn.
Krista Hester, Shaun Bruno and Holly Mills-Gardner
Indeed, quite the room.
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Leslie stories?
Please send first-hand stories to bwear@statesman.com.
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Reports from the OctoTea Party
It pained me to miss the OctoTea Dance Party at the Long Center on Sunday. But, thanks to two reliable sources, we can all catch a backwards glimpse at the event.
Graydon Parrish: “Steven Moser was decked out in black and turquoise. And he masterminded the purchase of a one-of-a-kind tan leather fringe coat though benefactor and art collector Charlotte Herzele, who also purchased the piano lesson ‘experience auction’ from Anton Nel.”
Mary Morrison: “I personally spoke with 24 couples, all but four of whom were newcomers to the event. Several remarked that they hadn’t heard of the dance until this year and all agreed it provided plenty of features to please everyone. The jazz lounge, with the Kris Kimura Group, turned out to be a great hang-out for all jazz enthusiasts, and the silent auction included loads of items and services with appeal for everyone.
Graydon Parrish: ” Chef Coi Burruss was there with girlfriend in tow. She and Patricia Paredes spent time chatting on the veranda in the aftermath of a fajita dinner. All looked extraordinary.”
Mary Morrison: “Along with several local celebrities, OctoTea was host to Jade Esteban Estrada, popular young actor and stand-up comedian, originally from San Antonio and now from New York City. We first met Jade when he appeared on Heath Riddles’ ‘Outcast’ program a few weeks ago, and we invited him to the dance. In addition to his own one-man shows, Jade has been seen on Comedy Central and ‘30 Rock.’”
Graydon Parrish: “For a while, many thought that the Miró print, ‘La demi-mondaine à sa fenêtre,’ has been stolen. (Organizer) Mark Erwin panicked, but 30 minutes later the mystery was solved. The collector had taken it home, much to the relief of the Octopus Club (the charity group that stages the dance).”
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Finding a fresh name for the First Families
What shall we call them? First families? Pioneer descendants? Generation 6?
Responses flooded in. We heard from relatives of Pflugers, Hornsbys and dozens of other familiar dynasties. We also discovered surnames previously unheralded in local histories or left unrecorded on area maps.
We carefully squirreled away that information for further research in genealogical archives and documentary collections, as well as for future interviews. We tracked the geographical and chronological range, while following up with an array of questions. In short, years of rewarding reporting and writing await us.
Yet almost immediately, the term “First Families” spoiled the fun. Like the “Fortunate 500,” this publication’s annual list of our most social citizens, the name rankled readers. It appeared we were attempting to establish an artificial hierarchy, almost an aristocracy in the manner of Europe, the Deep South and the East Coast.
That doesn’t fly in egalitarian Austin. As with our Out & About list of active Austinities, we are only trying to report and describe a phenomenon, not judge it, or lend anyone a sense of social hegemony.
So your help is once again requested. If our criteria is familial rootedness in Central Texas — not power, wealth or influence — what do you call those from all backgrounds whose ancestors settled here, let’s say prior to the Civil War?
Historians often use 25 years to mark generational shifts. So antebellum families have endured here at least six generations. Others go back even further.
Let the naming begin.
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The Haggler fails Stephen and Margaret Moser
Losing the first case of his column’s short life, The New York Times’ David Segal, otherwise known as “The Haggler,” failed to secure a travel insurance claim for Austin’s Stephen and Margaret Moser, both well-known Austin Chronicle journalists.
The Mosers did cancel, but their claim was denied. Segal, who writes for the Times’ Your Money section, contacted CSA Travel Protection and worked his way through various personnel, including CSA President Les Main, emphasizing that, although Stephen had not seen a doctor for “a gastrointestinal ailment that is a side effect of his illness” prior to the claim, he was clearly seriously sick. The insurance company and legal experts stuck to their guns — no money for the Mosers.
“He made the case very clearly,” Stephen Moser said Monday of Segal’s column. “It’s the best version so far of the events.”
Margaret Moser says they are headed to small-claims court: “I’m not letting go of this!”
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Through the Night & Beyond with Ray Farabee, Part 3
For more of ‘Through the Night & Beyond with Ray Farabee,’ scroll down to previous posts, or go here for Part 1 and Part 2.
“I’m the product of the Depression,” he says. “Also a product of working in a way that teenagers don’t have these days - throwing papers, working in grocery stories, loading box cars.”
If working hard left him with life-long empathy for his fellow humans, his rock-ribbed Baptist background somewhat confounded him, especially as his world view widened.
“Will Rogers, then the most famous man in the world, gave a speech at Baylor University,” he recalls. “The college leaders sat on the front row. Rogers said: ‘Members of the board of trustees are here. I want to compliment them because, the more you educate young people, the fewer Baptists you’re going to get.’”
Although self-identified as a conservative Democrat in the state senate, back when that faction was dominant in Texas government, Farabee believes civil rights and the fight against racial bigotry were among the signal advances of his times.
“I am an optimist,” he once said. “If I ever quit being an optimist, I’ll become a Republican.”
Farabee elaborated on this bit of humor later in life: “Despite my closer proximity to the Grim Reaper and widespread cynicism about government and politics, I remain an optimist - and a Democrat. After all, I made it through the night of Nov. 22, 1932 and beyond. I have had a life of wonderful opportunities, meaningful work, and am blessed with a fine family. Life has been, and is, good.”
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Through the Night & Beyond with Ray Farabee, Part 2
For Part 1 of ‘Through the Night & Beyond with Ray Farabee,’ scroll down to the previous post, or link here.
Farabee not only survived, he thrived. And he’s still making speeches — just last week to a judicial conference in Corpus Christi — supporting causes and traveling the world at age 76.
His book, by the way, is intended for three distinct audiences. The first are his relatives, whose detailed history comprises the first chapters and was written specifically for a family reunion. Additionally, historians of Texas law and law-making will thank Farabee for his analysis of those senate and counsel years.
The rest of his memories are open to the general reader who can marvel at his Tom Sawyer boyhood along the Wichita River; his meteoric rise through student government and the National Student Association; his legal successes (and some missteps) and unexpected election to the Texas Senate; also his endearing romances with Helen and Mary Margaret.
In person at his ranch-style home in Barton Hills, or on the pages of his memoir, Farabee overflows with anecdotes - not political gossip - about Texas political stars Ralph Yarborough, Bill Hobby, Kent Hance, Ben Barnes and Mary Arnold, among others. He reaches back into history to reveal a morphine-addicted great-grandmother who spent the last years of the Civil War trying to spring her son out of a Yankee prison. She became involved with a Yankee colonel, then slipped and fell into the Mississippi River. Her body was never recovered. (Farabee would like to make a movie of that one.)
Although criticized by some friends for avoiding emotions in the memoir, Farabee treats the murder of his brother and the death of his first wife with heartbreaking sensitivity. Later, warm humor attends his courtship of Mary Margaret Farabee. (He almost brought a date to the dinner meant to set him up with his future wife.)
More to come …
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Through the Night & Beyond with Ray Farabee, Part 1
I prepared just one hardball question for former State Senator Ray Farabee.
“Are you really such an Eagle Scout?” I demanded.
“I never made Eagle,” Farabee corrected me. “I only made Star.”
One might expect more ego and bluster from a man who worked his way up from lye-soap poverty and family tragedy in Wichita Falls; won debates, speaking contests and academic scholarships; took local, state and national student leadership roles; built a commercial legal practice in his home town; served multiple terms as senator in Austin; was named repeatedly to Texas Monthly’s “Best Legislators” list; rose to become the University of Texas System’s chief counsel; raised a family, including a future state representative, and married, in sequence, two leading Texas women, the late Helen Farabee, champion of the state’s mental health programs, and Mary Margaret Farabee, currently among Austin’s most admired fundraisers and activists.
Lanky, jug-eared, grinning and, by all accounts, squeaky clean, Farabee comes off like a North Texas version of Abraham Lincoln or Barack Obama. (He’d cringe at these comparisons, but this is my column, not his.) Back in the 1970s, a certain crusading magazine was totally smitten with his good-government, centrist lawgiving.
“Texas Monthly was always extremely kind to me,” Farabee says. “I’m not sure anybody was as good as they said I was. Still, you don’t mind hearing people say nice things. And it’s vastly better than being on the ‘Worst’ list.”
More to come …
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Buju Banton gig at Aces canceled
Austin promoter Sascha Stone Guttfreund has canceled an appearance by controversial raggae artist Buju Banton at Aces Lounge. Banton’s notoriously anti-gay views — including song lyrics from the 1990s about execution of Jamaica’s gay population — had stirred up strong local feelings before the planned Oct. 21 concert. Aces owner Brendan Puthoff sought the advice of gay activists such as Mark Erwin and Bettie Naylor about deflecting the impact of the third-party booking, but Guttfreund avoided the collision through his cancellation.
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Birthday in Houston (food, family, fun)
Family, food and fun kept me in Houston all weekend. Anyone who attended the OctoTea Dance, please send me your best anecdotes for print. Please!
We ate in the traditional Italian sequence: My antipasto: A lively celery and beet salad with pecorino; my primo: gamy boar sausage gnocchi; my secondo: lamb chops with tangy yogurt sauce (very North African to me). For dessert, I ordered the panna cotta with balsamic vinegar; and, with help, we selected a divine red and a white, very reasonable, from the Alto Adige region.
Saturday, we explored Discovery Green, the transformed space in front of the Houston Convention Center. Its scale is truly urban, with a tiny lake, sensitive landscaping and a couple of restaurant/bars. The park was dotted with painted globes that demonstrated (a bit lamely) observations about climate change. Best part: metal-box installations by Austin artist Margo Sawyer.
Staying with Joe, then visiting my family in West Houston, we watched football, planned river tracings, caught up on personal news and tested my sister Valerie’s new Calphalon cookware. Hated missing OtcoTea and Conspirare, by my birthday comes but once a year, and family + friends always come first..
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Pink Party at Parkside
Splash the whole city pink …
Merita Zoga and Shermayne Crawford
Pink clothes, pink drinks, pink lipstick, pink ribbons, even some pink food …
Suzanne Court and Scott Friggle
These were among the 25th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month motifs at Parkside on East Sixth Street…
Cat Caroom and Paula Biehler
Where chef Shawn Cirkiel made sure that this particular charity function had the tastiest treats possible …
Sean Howell and Amy Scofield
Is this foodie temple really on East Sixth Street? We’ll take it.
Michelle Foster, Winter Woods and Theresa Stachowiak
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Celebrate Sarah Bird at the University of Texas
Among Austin authors, Sarah Bird belongs to a rare species …
Lee Kelly and Sarah Bird
She’s serious and comic, public and private …
Linda and Jeff Salamon (mother & son!)
In a city of writers, Bird is among the only consensus heroes …
Heather Bishop and Mike Smith
So when UT celebrated Bird on campus last night, several dozen literati gathered for readings from her works in progress …
Jerry Wagley and Izzy Rose
Also to share refreshments and banter that kept the likes of Stephen Harrigan, Gary Cartwright, Catherine Robb, Lee Kelly, Spike Gillespie, Brenda Bell, Elizabeth Avellan and Jeff Salamon engaged well into the night.
My neighbors, companions to the best-behaved Lab in the world
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Tour de Vin at Whole Foods Plaza
The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas produces so many delicious events during the course of any given year, they tend to pass by in a blur.
Jonathon Storms and Oliver Everette
One cultivated party is the Tour de Vin, staged cleverly on the organically-shaped rooftop plaza at the Whole Foods headquarters.
Bonita and Christopher Brant
The now-familiar food and wine vendors spread their wares over two distinct lobes of the plaza, one rather quiet, the other social, lively.
Joan Harvard and Brandy Bradshaw
A few micro-samples — and supporting conversations — confirmed that the food from local restaurants outpaced the grapes this year.
Nicole Hubik and Eric Pampe
Although outrageously muggy, the weather gods were kind enough to the foundation, holding off the big rains held until much later in the evening.
Bonus: A few minutes chatting with Larry Peel, active all over the Austin community, but not always on the nightly Out & About radar.
Michael Sutton and Geneva Diaz
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Andrew Harper Reception at Pemberton Home
Andrew Harper: Man of mystery.
Eddie Safady and Donna Stockton-Hicks
The pseudonymous Austin-based writer and adviser oversees a travel club and publishes a highly touted newsletter about luxury travel, and, as such, remains scrupulously incognito.
Joanne and Jack Crosby with Mari Marchbanks
Even at his own parties, such as the reception at the home of philanthropist Donna Stockton-Hicks and Steve Hicks (Capstar Partners co-founder and chairman of the Andrew Harper board).
Wendy and Shannon Kratzer
Attending the first-ever such social event for Andrew Harper members at the Hicks’ Italianate spread were theater activist and film-maker Mari Marchbanks and husband Greg, the former cable TV executive who’s not only an investor in Hotel San Jose and Hotel St. Cecilia, but — you guessed it — president of Andrew Harper.
Bill Sharman and Greg Marchbanks
Among those present were banker Eddie Safady, as well as Joanne and Jack Crosby, founder and chairman of the Rust Group, also recently named a distinguished University of Texas alumnus.
Lorelei Calvert and Kim Roy
I met several of the Austin staff members for the Andrew Harper newsletter and Web site. And I might have met Andrew Harper. Who knows? The mask remains intact.
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Randy and Evi Quaid: Crazy time?
Get ready for a flurry of lawsuits. And tabloid frenzy.
“Evi accused him of engaging in criminal activity,” said his attorney, Jason Snell. “He wants to set the record straight. He’s been damaged and embarrassed by this.” Earlier Davis said Evi yelled at him during a “psychotic episode.”
Meanwhile, TMZ.com and the New York Daily News report that the Quaids actually paid the bill at San Ysidro Ranch. The Quaids apparently sent the gossip site a handwritten note and copy of a cashier’s check to the ranch for $5,546.96.
In cursive handwriting, the note reads: “I promise you, we have paid our bill — here’s a copy of the cashier’s check — and this is all for PR.”
It gets better. Or worse, depending on your point of view. At Radar.com, Private Investigator Becky Altringer is saying that Evi is “evil” and a threat to Randy.
“I observed Evi’s mental stability decline and her paranoia grow,” Altringer told Radar. “I believe Evi Quaid has been trying to hide her spending and drug abuse by not paying her debits so that Randy would not notice the money disappearing. … Evi Quaid is a time bomb and the timer is running out. I believe she is a danger to Randy’s life. Evi is not crazy. She is evil and knows exactly what she is doing.”
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Avant Le Weekend Live Chat with Christian Scarborough
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Little Black Dress Design Contest at Blackmail
“And nobody cried …”
Designer Malissa Long and model Shelby Carrothers
That was one measure of success for Gail Chovan, organizer of the second annual Little Black Dress Design Contest at Blackmail.
Chris Krager and filmmaker Amy Grappell
There’s a definite “Project Runway” aspect to the event: Local designers compete through a challenge — here, creating a response to Coco Chanel’s little black dress — then judges deliver public critiques in front of the designers and their models.
Judge and fashion writer Marques Harper and event organizer Gail Chovan
Several innovations helped streamline the event, such as limiting the verbal critiques to the eight finalists after a showing of the 20 competing dresses.
James and Cristana Holmes (owner of Olivia restaurant) and Evan Voyles (Neon Jungle)
Also, the showing was moved to the front of Blackmail, Chovan’s dress shop on South Congress Avenue, for better views from either side of the window.
Jana Boose Miller, Linda Wagner and Laura EliasonN
The distinguished judges — Stephen Moser, Linda Asaf, Marques Harper, Anne Elizabeth Wynn — kept their criticisms polite, learned. Mostly, however, they gushed over those lovely little dresses.
Cheline Jaidar and Stephanie Topoglus Rice
As well they should.
Deborah Carroll (Mamma Jamma Ride) and Nina Seely (Ralph Lauren)
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Out & About Celebrity Roundup 10/07/09
Austin celebrities in the news for Oct. 1, 2009.
Some Texas stereotypes on the show, according to the Associated Press story: “One teen drives a Hummer, another mother fires off some rounds at a gun range and in a state that often brags about doing ‘everything bigger,’ there’s quite a bit of money being spent. The premiere of the eight-episode series also featured the group attending a polo match and one teen’s impending meltdown if she doesn’t get a Range Rover.”
The Houston Press, that city’s alternative weekly, put its hands on a delicious YouTube video of Dennis Quaid in 1978’s “The Seniors.” “It’s awesome in its `70s craptacularness: The hairstyles, of course, but so much more.” Ah, now that’s the charming Dennis I remember from Bellaire High School and the University of Houston, though he was also a pretty serious actor. (Not in this movie.)
Starstruck reporter Chris Littman spent a day on the Austin set of “Friday Night Lights,” and reported it for Sporting News. “If you didn’t know where the show was filming, you’d have no idea what was going on — except for the scattered production trucks throughout this particular neighborhood in Austin. (I was told Landry would kill me if I revealed the location.)” We won’t tell either, Chris, but it’s not that far from the newsroom.
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Your A-List: Best Running Trail
Not sure why we bother to count the votes in this category.
The Lady Bird Lake Trail outdistanced all others with 78 percent of the A-List vote.
Rugged, scenic Barton Creek Greenbelt fell way behind with 7 percent. Mystical Enchanted Rock State Nature Area — which seems to receive votes in A-List contests no matter the category — tied with Lake Georgetown and Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Um, are we talking about the one that’s 400 miles to our northwest?
Closer candidates — Pease Park, Walnut Creek Park, Bastrop State Park, McKinney Falls State Park and McKinney Roughs — lost to that far-out selection with 2 percent or less.
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Your A-List: Best Sandwich Shop
A relative newcomer beats two entrenched old-timers in the A-List contest for Best Sandwich Shop.
Thundercloud and Schlotzsky’s, which trace their Austin roots back decades, slathered up 22 and 7 percent respectively. Rapidly spreading Jimmy John’s took 6 percent.
Making do with 5 percent or less were Delaware Subs, Hog Island, Texadelphia, New World Deli, Texas French Bread and Jersey Mike’s.
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Your A-List: Best Music Venue
Austin claims more than 150 music venues. 150. Yet not all of them are ideal for consuming music. Blame lazy bookers, poor acoustics, chatty customers.
Stubb’s, alternating indoors and outdoors on Red River Street, pounded out 30 percent. Antone’s, originally home of the blues, now incredibly eclectic, fell far behind with 6 percent. Finely tuned the Parish got 5 percent, while critically acclaimed Emo’s drummed up 4 percent, Just ahead of indoor/outdoor La Zona Rosa.
Settling for 3 percent or less were Paramount Theatre, Momo’s, Elephant Room, One World Theatre, Beerland and Tim’s Porch at the Backyard.
Really, there’s not a bad spot on this list.
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Your A-List: Best Gym
Gyms serve many purposes in Austin. Fitness fits into the overall scheme. So does socializing, flirty or friendly. And for some, it’s just another place to go, a chance to get out of the house. Hey, if it leads to good health …
Virtually tying for second place were 24 Hour Fitness (3 Austin locations) and Lifetime Fitness (2 Austin locations), each taking between 16 and 17 percent of the tally. Veteran Gold’s generated 13 percent. UT’s renovated Gregory Gym and the YMCA pulled down close to 8 percent.
Ending up with 6 percent or less were Castle Hill, Hyde Park Gym, the Hills Fitness Center, Body Busienss and Premiere Lady.
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The Great Scotts at 5 Fifty Five
I had always wanted to see the high-rise residence of Elisabeth Challener and Brett Bachman.
Brett Bachman and Elisabeth Challener
The managing director of Zach Theatre and the high-tech exec live at 5 Fifty Five, the lofty homes in Hilton Austin downtown.
Dr. Bill Jones and Anton Nel
Although they don’t perch way up in the penthouses, theirs is a pretty expansive space with major views on three sides.
Ted Siff, Janelle Buchanan, Richard Hartgrove
Their indoor entertainment area is the size of our house, as is their unique patio, located above the health club and peeking down onto the hotel’s swimming pool.
Dave Steakley and Karen Frost
I was there mingling with the Great Scotts, the support group for Zach Theatre. Talk about your Fortunate 500 bonanza, including Joe Long in a bright blue, modern sports jacket.
Dennis Karbach, Mary Tally and Robert Brown
Part of the evening was devoted to “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the theater’s current production.
Lynn Yeldell and Robert Brown
Also to the soon-to-be-revealed renderings for Zach’s new theater campus plans at Riverside Drive and Lamar Boulevard. (Look to Jeanne Claire van Ryzin’s news reports on the subject.)
Just as some other major Austin arts groups are slowing down and turning inward, Zach appears to be opening up socially and financially.
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Hawks in the ‘Hood
For the second year running, a family of hawks has made its home in our Central Austin neighborhood. Their presence tells us something about the human and non-human evolution of our town.
Clearly, the green, fecund, mostly residential character of our city favors species that had abandoned such haunts during my youth. Protection against threats like hunters probably helps. Personally, I find their presence thrilling.
To judge from our neighborhood’s message board, however, not everyone is pleased. Nobody weeps over the loss of a few grackles or rock doves (street pigeons), but area chickens and show pigeons have also been harassed. A similar discussion arose last year when foxes returned to our yards with sly intentions aimed at area poultry and pets.
These human/non-human contacts do not take on the high drama that attend coyotes hunting the hills and canyons of West Austin (although I saw one not two blocks east of downtown). Or the rare report of a mountain lion in the wilds of our preserves. Still, hawks are pretty efficient predators and the discussion will not go away.
They also play into the ongoing tension between those who want to preserve the almost rural character of our near-in neighborhoods and those who negotiate for more urban-style density. Despite what some readers presume, I do not take sides. I like nature close at hand. But I also abhor sprawl, traffic and freeway culture. Which means, I’m open to enlightened, pedestrian-friendly density.
If we are going to stay green, we’re going to attract hawks. I can live with that.
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Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon lands on ‘Worst Bar’ list
The place of pride went to Newport Bar & Laundry in Chicago, Ill.: “The servers are rude as hell, and the prices aren’t that cheap, but you can do laundry there! They actually have washers and dryers! Why didn’t anyone think of that sooner?”
At least Comedy.com admits to its subjectivity: “to some people this list will read as the Worst Bars In America, to others it may read as the Best Dive Bars In America, and yet to others it may read as We Don’t Give A Damn As Long As They Sell Booze.”
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Apres Le Weekend Live Chat with Jeremy Parzen
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Live Chats with Jeremy Parzen & Christian Scarborough
Out & About Live Chats this week
Apres Le Weekend: 3 p.m. today wine expert Jeremy Parzen.
Avant Le Weekend: 3 p.m. Thursday event marketer Christian Scarborough.
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Stuck in the Dallas Muck
While Austin was gliding through the chocolate goo at the Austin City Music Festival, Dallas socialites were mired in the mud caused by the same series of rainy fronts.
Dallas Morning News’ Alan Peppard describes the chaos at the Cattle Baron’s Ball for the American Cancer Society on Saturday. Early on at the “Disaster in the Pasture,” limousines got stuck in the muck. Then they couldn’t get out of the way.
“With 1,000 cars and 20 feet per car, you’re talking about using just under four miles of road with no place to turn them around,” said Keith Burris, chief operating officer of Jack Boles Services, the company in charge of valet parking.
“The sheriff’s office called me about 9 on Saturday night and said there’s 500 to 1,000 cars stuck,” said Al Luna, a volunteer firefighter who owns PAAC Towing in Kaufman County, home of the Star Brand Ranch where the ball was held.
“This is hardly the first Cattle Baron’s Ball to be plagued by bad weather.” Peppard writes. “At the 1981 ball at Southfork Ranch, heavy rains knocked out all power and Johnny Cash had to be coerced to perform an acoustic set. The 1988 ball was moved to the Automobile Building at Fair Park because of rain, and the 1998 ball had to abandon Ross Perot Jr.’s Circle T Ranch for the same reason. In 1991, heavy rains had people hiding under their tables as lightning danced around the metal stage and George Strait declined to leave his tour bus, where he was entertaining Larry Hagman.”
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Out & About Celebrity Roundup 10/05/09
More Austin celebrities in the news.
A reminder of who showed up to the Pearl Jam sessions at the ACL studios: Lance Armstrong (who arrived later than most); Meg Ryan and Laura Dern (acting like, well, Meg Ryan and Laura Dern).
Casting sites — yes, there are such things — report that actor Danny Trejo, who just wrapped “Machete,” will return to star for Robert Rodriguez in “Predators,” playing a Mexican drug cartel enforcer. For whatever reason, the casting watchers believe Rodriguez is saving the role of a kidnapped, then escaped American for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Additionally, Walton Goggins, the star of the FX series “The Shield,” has been tagged for the cast.
The evidence mounts that the next rose-delivering decider on “The Bachelor” will be Jake Pavelka. He’s the one, you’ll remember, who accused Austin’s Wes Hayden of keeping a secret girlfriend here — something he denied — while romancing Jillian Harris.
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#ACL Mud Report 3
I’ve come to the conclusion that Austinites love hordes of other Austinites, no matter the underlying conditions.
Bonnie and Eliza Mead
In just this past week, I looked on as more than 100,000 gathered in Royal Memorial Stadium for a game with UT-El Paso that was, by any stretch of the imagination, a foregone conclusion. Just a lot of people wanting to wear burnt orange together.
Emily and Dave Shaw
A few days later, 65,000 or so — on each of three days — gathered in Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Granted, the first night was unadulterated paradise, but the rain on Saturday and mud on Sunday would daunt even the most fervid music fan.
Mandi Thomas and Chris Petersen
The rest of the year, we attend street festivals, political rallies, multi-various sporting events, enormous clubs. And each weekend night, the whole downtown turns into one big party.
What’s with that? I must ask some experts.
That’s my way of saying that, long before Pearl Jam takes the stage, I’m impressed enough with Austin’s fortitude, but I’m out of ACL for a thorough shower and long rest. Until next year.
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#ACL Mud Report 2
“Austin undaunted.” That judgment from Austin’s Dave Shaw says it all about the continued crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Charlie, Harper and Stephanie Wood had no complaints of all three days. Tough campers.
Despite the membrane of mud that covers everything, Austin marches on to the music.
Eric Mowery, Amber Armstrong and Brett Hansen. “An hour and a half of rain was OK,” says Hansen. “Then that was enough.”
Now it’s just hot. And we know know how to survive that.
Daniel Berkowitz and Amelia J Loving
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#ACL Mud Report
It’s much worse than I imagined.
A fetid, steamy, barnyard pall hangs over the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park. Blame the hay spread to keep down the mud, now mixed into an appalling stew.
Nella Robbi, Rachael Padgett and Tammy Lin
“The rain and mud was a great change of pace from the heat and the dust,” says lawyer Tammy Lin. “People paid good money for this mud.”
Merritt Fields and Jeremy Royce
“It’s a madhouse of music and mud,” says ACL staffer Jeremy Roye, catching his breath behind the scenes.
Joan Pratt and James Barnett
“You go from the best day ever at ACL on Friday …” says Joan Pratt.
“… hey, the rain wasn’t so bad, or the mud,” says James Barnett. “But that smell …”
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#ACL Rain Report 3
People got grumpy. The west parking lot was closed because of mud. Music lovers slid and fell into the muck. The rain returned again and again, finally driving some fest-goers from the field.
Big umbrellas kept Erin Beaudkofer and Adam Scott in big smiles
Still, I was able to find some merry folks who made the best of the mess. The musicians played on and some took the opportunity to feed into the wet masses.
Eric Marley and Caroline Duncan, at their first ACL Fest, were worried about the grass, which they cherished the blissful night before
Ticket holders were still streaming toward the park after dark. Scalpers wanted my wristband bad. Uh, no.
Matt Aderhold, Zane Weave, Chris Combs, Georgia Thomsen and Mark Hill ducked into the Rock Island football tent — full most of the day
Meanwhile, over at the ACL studios, we hear that Laura Dern, Meg Ryan and Lance Armstrong attended the Pearl Jam taping.
My favorite quote of the day came from former Mayor Will Wynn: “My 13-year-old daughter is out there in the pit having a safe Woodstock.”
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#ACL Rain Report 2
Music firing up on all the stages. Sounds especially celebratory now that the rain has stopped. People filtering out of the dry areas — food tents, football-viewing center at the Rock Island, makeshift shelters.
Lynn Brennan and John Semmens
How did festers survive the rain? “We just got wet,” says Vijay Ravula. “I thought we brought the right gear, says Sefaly Ravula. “She didn’t listen to me,” says Vijay.
Sin City Social Club’s Shilah Morrow and Bug Music’s Eddie Gomez
“Garbage bags,” says John Semmens of Califorinia, sojourning with Austin’s Lynn Brennan. “And Tito’s vodka.”
Clayton Harrell and Sarah Caddell
“The music keeps you in the spirit,” says Eddie Gomez of Bug Music, hanging with Sin City Social Club’s Shilah Morrow. “Rain or shine.”
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#ACL Rain Report
Scattered showers have not scattered the crowds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Ponchos on. Raincoats on. Umbrellas up. Bands blaring.
Sweet Leaf CEO Clayton Christopher and Paul Haybood, who runs a juice joint on Barton Springs Road
The mood has slipped from blissful to boggy. No panic. No bad behavior so far. But the hurried gaits will ultimately lead to some pedestrian smash-ups.
In the VIP Grove, children gather in tents like chicks under a hen’s wing. Coffee, probably for the first time, the most precious liquid. Mature pecans providing unexpected shelter for awhile, then laughing festers shoulder up under cafe umbrellas (and here inside Dell Internet Cafe).
Danielle and Diego — A Rock & Recycle romance?
Ran into Maxine Labovsky and Martin Fay from San Francisco, Labovsky recently transferred to Austin. They wore ponchos over their raincoats and kept their umbrellas at the ready.” We came prepared,” said Labovsky. “We even brought toilet paper.”
Maxine Labovsky and Martin Fay
Wasn’t sure what that meant at first. Weather channel says it won’t stop raining until 6 p.m. Dave Shaw learns the difference between water proof and water resistant.
Heard inside the Dell tent: “It’s (expletive) (expletive) out there.”
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#ACL Live at Seaholm After-Party
Epic.
That’s the word for the Live at Seaholm After-Party.
The decommissioned smokestacks lit up like inter-planetary transportation devices.
The concrete ribs of the generating room outlined in blue, recalling urban clubs set up in old industrial sites.
Jason and Claudia Blanchette with Kristin Owen
Hundreds — perhaps thousands — gathered around the stage for the three musical acts, culminating in Broken Social Scene.
Katie Clark and Alan Case (Generationals)
Inside, the VIPs mingled over liquid refreshments.
Jonathan Saad, Roni Gendler and Matt Smith
We spent some time with the Generationals band members. They come from New Orleans, Jesuit-educated and, therefore, pretty worldly yet other-worldly. When we pointed out many musicians had settled here after Hurricane Katrina, one said: “Send them back. We need them.”
PJ Raval, Heidi Bollock and Megan Gilbride
Rare Magazine’s Taylor Perkins, his partner in production, Jason Hicks, and Voodoo Cowboy’s Mark Mueller beamed with pride. (Also expressing pride was Taylor’s father, an oilman down from Houston.)
Sonia Hargrave, Heather Nance and Margaret Potyrala
They should be pleased.
Juanca Lopez, Monica Monroy and Enrique Gonzalez
They built the most buzz-about event outside ACL this week. And, as far as I know, it went off without a hitch. We heard members of Phoenix, Kings of Leon and other ACL bands dropped by, but we were out by the witching hour.
Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer (Generationals)
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#ACL Second Report
The gentle weather made for gentle souls. Feelin’ groovy, the Austin City Limits Music Festival merrymakers treated each other with consummate kindness, even as the Zilker Park fields filled to capacity towards dusk.
Picking up parts of Coheed and Cambria, Phoenix, K’Naan and Raphael Saadiq, we roamed irrationally, luxuriating in the fresh, spongy turf. Others were doing the same. Didn’t seem to matter where you were in the park, music, forbearance and balmy weather banished every care.
Kim Power and Matt Garcia
Who knows if the bliss will hold up Saturday; weather-prognosticators are threatening 90 percent chance of rain. I imagine the good feelings will last through at least the first shower or two.
Melissa Fernandez and Amanda Lea
Side note: The skyline behind the Livestrong Stage has changed so drastically in the past eight years, fewer than five of the currently visible skyscrapers witnessed the inaugural festival.
Luis Otoya and Martha Livermore
We watched a little drama after returning to the VIP Grove. A young man and woman raced across the otherwise torpid scene under sheltering pecans. Two security fellows followed at a fast pace. The female tripped and her companion abandoned her. What in the world was going on? Theft of appetizers?
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#ACL First Report
Snippets from the first hours …
Outside the park: Scalpers and pedicabbers stationed further to the east this year, all the way along Barton Springs Road to South First Street. Full scalp press. More pressure for late tickets? Curious about those clearly dressed for the fest heading away from the park so early in the day (before 2 p.m). Mood ebullient outside the gates. Entry process smoother, happier this year.
Richard and Carissa Roper deployed their sail-like chairs into a protected cove, right in the middle of the field. This is their fourth ACL Fest. “Twenty degrees cooler,” says Richard Roper says. “Are you kidding? It’s fantastic.”
On the field: The breeze lifts every spirit. Shoes optional on the magical mystery turf. Masses shifting easily from one stage to another. Not much act loyalty at this stage. Flags of many nations leading brigades from spot to spot — Spain, Italy, European Union … Texas Tech?
Julie Mata and Allison Hall carefully calibrated their multi-hued ACL look.
The bands: The first act to fit the outdoor bill comfortably is the pop-friendly Dr. Dog on the Dell Stage. Waves of good feeling passing through crowd. Nobody inclined to leave. Communal bonding among fest-govers this year based on mutual pleasure, not shared survival of the elements.
Jennifer Wijangco of Texas Cultural Trust (though she’s moving to another post soon) and lawyer friend Bradley Coburn.
VIP Grove: Even cooler this year. I mean, actually cool, temperature-wise. Treats like bison tartare from Olivia. No lines at the bar tents. Impeccable restrooms. Some local celebrities, including former Mayor Will Wynn and activist-humorist Turk Pipkin. Will continue to report. Hear Phoenix in the distance. It’s a tough gig.
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ACL Pre-Party at Austin City Lofts
Not everybody with a south or west balcony in those downtown residences is upset about promised noise from the Austin City Limits Festival in Zilker Park or the Live at Seaholm After-Party …
Former Mayor Will Wynn and Laura Hodges compare ACL charts
One party last night in the Austin City Lofts was packed with people delighted by their proximity to these revels. By 10 p.m., you’d have thought the guests were about to descend on the street and start their own festival …
Shyana Golden and Andrei Martel
Our hosts were Texas Tribune’s Alisha Ring and her fiancee Jamie Lagarde. Look for a December wedding. They were drowning in happiness …
Greenling.com’s Mason Arnold and Ann Richards School Foundation’s Michelle Krejci
Left my satchel — with my ACL credentials!!! — at their loft. They kindly left it downstairs with the doorman. My good luck with satchels didn’t extend to ponchos, which cannot be had for ready money in Central Austin. I assume scalpers will sell them.
Off to show. Will post for 12 hours each day.
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Nerd Nite at Buffalo Billiards
When Dan Rumney lived in New York City, his girlfriend recommended Nerd Nite …
Dan Rumney and JC Dwyer
For whatever reason, she thought he’d appreciate the lectures and discussions on arcane subjects, set up in bars and other casual venues. Rumney never got around to it …
Cynthia Longoria and Mac Greene
Yet the idea stuck. Relocated to Austin, the Newcastle, U.K. native decided our town would make a natural host for Nerd Nites …
Renato and Crystal Regalado
He contacted the NYC founder of the series, who linked him up with San Antonio’s JC Dwyer. Together, they’ve engineered a half dozen Nerd Nites at Buffalo Billiards’ upstairs room …
Katie Ratkiewicz and Joey Bazan
Thursday, that included an analysis of fictional alternative history in pop culture (“What if the Nazis won World War II?”). About 50 no-so-nerdy-looking folks, predominately youthful, engaged the notions over a United Nations of draft beers …
Sheena Mada and Mark Brinkman
The scene would remind some observers of Austin’s long-running Dionysium debate/lecture/performance sessions. Maybe the two talk-fests should meet for a nerd smack-down.
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Out & About Celebrity Roundup 10/01/09
Austin celebrities in the news for Oct. 1, 2009.
You can pick Elton John’s playlist for the Andy Roddick Foundation gala, Nov. 30 at the Hilton Austin. Go to AndyRoddick.com to find out how. Some of the recipients for the gala are Kids In Distress, A Safe Haven for Newborns, A Glimmer of Hope, Habitat for Humanity, KIPP Austin College Prep, Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center of South Florida, Sun-Sentinel Children’s Fund, Here’s Help, Settlement Home, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Back to Basics Angel Fund, Tiger Fund, Deliver the Dream, and the Elton John Aids Foundation.
Dime Magazine put former University of Texas Basketball star and current Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant on this month’s cover. Durant shared the cover of the NBA news publication with four UT teammates (A.J. Abrams, D.J. Augustin, Damion James and Justin Mason) during the 2006-07 season.
Honestly, we thought they had already broken up: Radar Online reports and Page Six reiterates: Actress Rose McGowan has canceled her engagement to director Robert Rodriguez. McGowan had long ago ditched a two-year-engagement to rocker Marilyn Manson. She starred in Rodriguez’s 2007 film, ‘Grindhouse,’ and has a part “Machete,” recently shot in Austin.
Spotted recently in Austin: Rue McClanahan at Bô Concept Salon on South Congress Avenue; Andy Roddick at Trio with a trio of formal-looking men.
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Controversy on Sixth Street
Brendan Puthoff, owner of Third Base sports bars and Aces Lounge on East Sixth Street, called with a dilemma.
The singer now produces songs with anti-violence lyrics and has donated the proceeds of a 1993 song to AIDS charities. Others are not convinced Banton is reformed. A Web site, Cancel Buju Banton “Rasta Got Hate” Tour, is devoted to protesting his appearances.
Puthoff says he can’t break his contract with the promoter, but he wants to make it clear he doesn’t approve of Banton’s views.
He’s talking to respected Austin gay activists Bettie Naylor and Mark Erwin about an appropriate way to assure the gay community that he finds Banton’s lyrics abhorrent.
“What’s kind of ironic is my sister is a lesbian,” Puthoff says. “I walked her down the aisle at her wedding.”
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Avant Le Weekend Live Chat with Anne Marie Melendez
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Children in Nature Picnic at the Four Seasons
Charities can make a bigger impact through strategic alliances with like-minded charities, governments and associations, large and small.
Nancy Scanlan and John Watson (the original preserver of Westcave)
The Children in Nature Collaborative hitches together the Westcave Preserve, Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, Austin Parks Department, Austin City Planning, Lower Colorado River Authority, LBJ Wildflower Center, Austin Independent School District, Dell Children’s Health Center, St. David’s Health Foundation and the Children and Nature Network.
Lynette Holtz and Jenny McMillan
The organizations pool their resources to push children back into nature, in part to help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with “Nature Deficit Disorder” — obesity, ADD, mal-socialization, etc.
Juan Miro and Rosa Rivera
Westcave Preserve hosted the Children in Nature Picnic at the Four Seasons Hotel on Wednesday.
Rep. Elliott Naishtat with Susan and Bill Stotesbery
The weather gods approved.
Joe Llamas and Sarah Churchill
The event started with drinks in the ballroom lobby and on the terrace. It moved into the ballroom for an awards program and salad. The guests trooped out to the lawn overlooking Lady Bird Lake for a sweet dinner. (By this time, I’d moved on to another social event next door at Trio.)
Mireya Zapata and Rep. Patrick Rose
We’ll add the list of winners later today.
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Random Austin
