The Daily Post Archives – Texas Monthly

Texas Outlaw Country Gets a Major Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame

Dan Solomon — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 17:21:06 +0000

When Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson came to Texas in the seventies, the move signaled their desires to escape the Nashville machine and make music in a freer, looser environment on their own terms. The community and free-spirited Austin atmosphere that waited for them, led by artists like Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver, helped inspire the greatest musical achievements of a whole lot of talented folks, Jennings and Nelson included. (Read John Spong’s 2012 oral history of Austin music in the seventies for the full story.)The outlaws and rebels of the Armadillo World Headquarters played the game very differently than they did out in Nashville, and the two communities have always had a subtle rivalry. That’s exemplified, in part, by Nashville’s Country Music…

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The Best Thing in Texas: Shea Serrano Fans Are Sending a Whole Bunch of Copies of His Basketball Book to Soldiers Deployed Overseas

Dan Solomon — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 21:07:30 +0000

Texas, like all places, is the site of both triumphs and tragedies. Every week in the Best Thing in Texas, we look for something that reminds us why we love our state so much. WHO: Houston–based, San Antonio–raised writer Shea Serrano and Fort Bliss–based army publicist Dan Balda.WHAT: The two paired up to send copies of Serrano’s Basketball and Other Things to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.WHY IT’S SO GREAT: Serrano’s profile has skyrocketed over the past few years. Five years ago, he was contributing to the now-defunct Houston Press. Today, he’s a bestselling author, staff writer at Bill Simmons’s The Ringer, and beloved Twitter personality with television projects in the works with both Questlove and the Roots and The Office and Parks & Recreation creator Mike Schur. It’s easy to root for…

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The Trailer for Hulu’s ‘The Looming Tower’ Brings Lawrence Wright’s Book to Terrifying Life

Dan Solomon — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 19:36:26 +0000

The Looming Tower, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Austin-based journalist Lawrence Wright, tells the incredible story of al-Qaeda’s rise in the 1990s, leading up to the attacks of 9/11. It’s stunning, vividly reported work, dramatizing Osama bin-Laden’s rise and the struggles within the American counter-terrorism and intelligence communities that ultimately helped create the circumstances for the tragedy. The anecdotes captured are bold and dramatic—in one scene, FBI agent Ali Soufan is taken aside on September 12, 2001 and shown the names and photos of men the government had known for more than a year were in the country, a day too late—and the characters, both American and in al-Qaeda, are compelling.That’s what executive producers Dan Futterman and Alex Gibney and director Craig Zisk (a Dallas…

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American Airlines Will Award Passengers Miles for Enduring the Inconveniences Of Air Travel

Dan Solomon — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 13:35:44 +0000

There was a time when air travel was a stylish event. Pilots were cast as debonair heroes, and passengers boarded planes dressed like they were going out on the town. In the decades since, flying has become less of a luxury and more of a mission to shove as many human bodies as possible into a metal tube before sending it sailing through the sky.Arilines are expensive to operate, so if removing a couple of inches of legroom means cramming an extra row of seats on the plane, customers will have to scrunch a bit more. Those inconveniences related to cost-cutting have become pretty standard—as have issues around aging equipment like broken seats or defective in-flight entertainment). But the past year of turbulent airline-related PR nightmares has…

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Cole Beasley is the Latest in a Tradition of Dallas Cowboys Musical Acts

Dan Solomon — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 13:30:52 +0000

When the great book of pro athletes-turned-successful-musicians is finally written, it will be—well, it’ll be slim. At best, when a player picks up a mike, it tends to be a vanity project highlighting a not-embarrassing degree of competency, buoyed by guest musicians who help paper over the athlete’s shortcomings as an artist (a formula Shaquille O’Neal basically created on Shaq Fu: Da Return). At worst, you get, well…The old saw goes that every musician wishes they were an athlete, and every athlete wants to be a musician—and few teams have produced as many wannabe artists as the Dallas Cowboys. The latest to enter the musical arena? Cole Beasley, the diminutive slot receiver who emerged as a fan favorite in the 2016 season after building impressive chemistry…

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Introducing Texas Monthly Audio Books

Tim Taliaferro — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 21:41:01 +0000

Grab your phone, put on your headphones, and get ready to experience Texas Monthly in a whole new way. Starting today, some of the most memorable and widely read stories in our history are getting a new life—in audio.In a first-of-its-kind partnership between publishing house Penguin Random House and Texas Monthly, seminal works from the magazine’s canon are available in audiobook form. The effort is our latest to extend the magic of Texas Monthly storytelling beyond print and meet audiences where they are.The stories, each of which is read by a native Texan voice actor and lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, are broken into four collections, listed below, along with links to listen to available samples:True Crime from Texas MonthlyThe Cheerleader Murder Plot…

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Why There Are So Many More Animals on Planes Over the Holidays

Doyin Oyeniyi — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 17:23:17 +0000

Judging by the holiday rush, pets on planes are no longer an anomaly. Although fur-friendly skies can be a relief to people who would have otherwise had to leave pets behind, not everyone is excited about the shift. Aside from being a source of consternation to those who prefer their flights free of fur, barking, and bulky pet carriers, a specific type of traveling companion—emotional support animals (ESA)—could be potentially harmful for those who have long relied on service animals.A Texas company is at the heart of this crush of ESA pets on planes, part of a spate of businesses offering ESA letters to allow pets to fly with their owners. CertaPet, headquartered in League City, believes it is offering a valuable service: issuing letters…

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The Dallas Mavericks Now Play in China as the “Lone Ranger Heroes”

Dan Solomon — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 15:59:58 +0000

The word “maverick” has powerful enough cultural connotations that the wholly Texan word—which originates with Samuel Maverick, an eighteenth century rancher who refused to brand his cattle—reverberates throughout the country. A popular 1950s television show of the same name led to a 1990s film adaptation about a free-wheeling gambler in the Old West. John McCain claimed the term for himself to signify his independent-minded approach to politics in the run-up to his 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns.And then, of course, there are the Dallas Mavericks.Though “maverick” has been popularized throughout American culture, the concept that it represents is fairly abstract if a culture doesn’t have that word in its lexicon. Merriam-Webster defines “maverick” as “an independent individual who does not go along with a group…

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What The Betting Odds on Amazon HQ2 Really Tell Us

Dan Solomon — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:08:52 +0000

The host city of Amazon HQ2—the online retail giant’s second headquarters—remains one of the biggest business stories in the world. The eventual location of the $5 billion facility, which is expected to add 50,000 jobs to the yet-undetermined city, has been the source of rampant speculation. Most of the 238 bids Amazon received are extremely generous, bordering on the embarrassing. Calgary, Alberta jokingly offered to change its name to “Calmazon” or “Amagary.” Newark, New Jersey offered $7 billion in tax incentives. San Antonio offered, uh, nothing, which was actually a pretty boss move—and neighboring cities Dallas and Frisco each threw their hat in the ring.Every city in Texas that submitted a bid for HQ2—Frisco, Dallas, Houston, Austin, El Paso, and Milam County (in a joint…

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Meanwhile, in Lufkin… December 2017 Edition

Sonia Smith — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 23:33:57 +0000

We’re not sure if more strange things necessarily happen in Lufkin than in other small towns, but the police blotter at the Lufkin Daily News has always been one of our favorites in the state. Here are some of the highlights from December. December 29, 2017 Someone reportedly stole lottery tickets worth $7 from an unlocked vehicle.December 28, 2017 Men reportedly stole laundry detergent from Dollar General.December 26, 2017 A counterfeit $50 bill was reportedly used to purchase tacos.December 24, 2017 A customer allegedly refused to return equipment to a rental company.December 23, 2017 Someone reportedly stole baby Jesus from the Nativity scene in front of Angelina County Courthouse. Sheriff Greg Sanches said a new baby Jesus was purchased and placed in the scene.December 20,…

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Sea Turtles Are Getting Hypothermia, and Texans Are Saving Them

Dan Solomon — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 23:11:48 +0000

Not only have the past few days been cold for the people, pets, zoo, and ranch animals out there, but they’ve been bad for the wildlife, too. Specifically, the sea turtles that live on the Gulf Coast have been suffering from hypothermia, which creates a dangerous situation for our big, be-shelled pals: Cold-stunned turtles float near the surface, which puts them at risk of being eaten by predators, or even of getting hit by boats.In December, the Texas State Aquarium took in more than 100 of the turtles to rehabilitate them—and now, emergency crews from a variety of different organizations are out on the water, rescuing cold-stunned creatures whose lives are in jeopardy. As the Corpus-Christi Caller reports: Donna Shaver with the National Park Service said that…

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How to Deal With Below-Freezing Temperatures in Texas

Dan Solomon — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 19:16:04 +0000

How are you doing, Texas? Did you put on an extra sweater today? Has that guy who wears shorts year-round finally put on long pants? Are you worried about what your heating bill will look like next month? We get it—it’s cold outside.It’s rare that shiver-worthy weather reaches all corners of the state at once, but Texans all over are feeling the chills. It’s 24 degrees in Dallas, 28 degrees in Austin, and 32 in San Antonio. Sub-freezing temperatures in the bright light of day are unusual in any of those cities, let alone all at once.It’s even colder in the Panhandle: in Amarillo, they’ve got a whopping 12 degrees to play with, while out in Abilene, it’s still pretty miserable at 21 degrees.Even parts…

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The Ten Best Texas Albums of 2017

Texas Monthly — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:37:40 +0000

For our October cover story, Texas Monthly spent the better part of 2017 trying to pin down Texas music—not what it has been, but what it is right now. And what did we discover? That we don’t know Texas music, and you don’t know Texas music. No one does. The sheer magnitude makes it impossible for anyone to be the absolute authority on the subject.That maybe wasn’t the decisive answer we envisioned—but man, did we find some great stuff along the way. These ten albums offer only a slice of the current climate, but they can confirm what we suspected all along: that Texas music is at the forefront of almost any genre you can name.St. Vincent Masseduction (Loma Vista)Not to condone judging things by their…

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Ten Memorable 2017 Moments for Texas—and Texans—in Film

Dan Solomon — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 15:00:48 +0000

Texas isn’t the center of the film world, but we punch above our weight for a state that offers little financial support for the industry, especially compared to neighbors like Louisiana and New Mexico. In 2017, Texas filmmakers and actors turned up in unexpected places, and the state itself was used as a setting for fascinating stories. With production once more expanding in Texas (AMC’s The Son and Fear The Walking Dead both shot in Austin, which tends to have a ripple effect for other film and television productions looking for crew), we took the opportunity to recall the state’s ties to ten of the more interesting films of 2017.LoganThe R-rated X-Men adventure was a road movie that put the nail in the coffin of Hugh Jackman’s eighteen-year career…

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Catch Up on the Best Texas Monthly Longform from 2017

Texas Monthly — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 15:00:10 +0000

In a year that included both devastating losses from Hurricane Harvey and a thrilling World Series win, the Lone Star state has experienced plenty to write about in 2017. And from exoneration to Whole Foods to one scientist’s fight against the anti-vaccination movement, Texas Monthly writers have written enough longform to carry you through the rest of the year. So settle in and start reading—we’ll be bringing you more tales of Texas in 2018.Debrow, photographed at the William G. McConnell Unit, a maximum-security prison in Beeville, on July 22, 2016.Photograph by Matt RainwatersThe Prisoner, by Skip HollandsworthLate one night in 1991, a twelve-year-old boy pulled out a gun and killed a cab driver on the East Side of San Antonio. Twenty-five years later, Edwin Debrow remains…

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See Texas Monthly’s Favorite Photos from 2017

Texas Monthly — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 15:00:16 +0000

Eduardo “Lalo” Cavazos, owner of Lalo’s Sportsman Club in Laredo, Texas. | Where Everybody Knows Your Name Photograph by Jeff Wilson Marie’s Cherokee in Arlington, Texas. | Where Everybody Knows Your Name Photograph by Trevor Paulhus Deer crossing the Blanco downstream from Halifax Ranch in December 2016. | Let the River Run Photograph by Kenny Braun Edwin Debrow, photographed at the William G. McConnell Unit, a maximum-security prison in Beeville, on July 22, 2016. | The Prisoner Photograph by Matt Rainwaters Dan Patrick in his office at the Texas State Capitol on December 20, 2016. | The Power Behind the Throne Photograph by Jason Madara Aaron Watson, photographed on his property near Buffalo Gap on January 18, 2017. | The Underdog’s On Top Wyatt McSpadden…

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Listen to the Best Texas Holiday Music

Texas Monthly — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 15:55:28 +0000

No offense to Mariah Carey or Bing Crosby or Brenda Lee, but by this point in the season their Christmas classics have been pretty well covered. Even for the cheeriest among us, the magic of these songs has worn thin by the time December 25 rolls around, and another turn of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is nothing more than seasonal background noise.But the editorial staff of Texas Monthly combatted that Grinchiness by putting our heads together for a different kind of Christmas playlist—a very Texan one.We faced some tough calls when we were putting this together. Do we include Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Paper” or Willie Nelson’s? Is Barbara Lynn’s version of “Merry Christmas Baby” better than Charles Brown’s? Those questions, we decided, weren’t for…

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Merry and Bright in Houston’s River Oaks

Hunter Klaus and Stephen Paulsen — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 15:35:48 +0000

Every December for the last decade, thousands of people come to see the elaborate Christmas displays that illuminate Houston’s posh River Oaks neighborhood. But getting the elegant houses ready for the masses is more than an afternoon with a ladder and extension cords—these installations are big business.Cost estimates from installers range from $5,000 on the low end to $100,000 for a truly wild setup that you might find on a country estate or commercial building. At least one business in the Houston area—We Light the Holidays—runs a full-service decoration service, planning displays with customers and storing extra lights during the offseason. But primarily it’s businesses like lawn care, pest control, and air-conditioning companies that get in on the lucrative light installations just for the season.Steve Trauber’s…

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The Best Books of 2017, According to Texas Authors

Doyin Oyeniyi — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 15:00:49 +0000

Texas has nurtured many a great literary talent. With writers like Jan Reid, Melissa Del Bosque, and Attica Locke, there’s no shortage of Texans writing. And who better to ask for a book recommendation than an author you admire? This year, we asked some of our favorite Texas authors to recommend their favorite book from 2017. In their selections, some looked to Texas authors on their bookshelves, while others recommended reading beyond our state’s borders. As you reflect on 2017 and peruse the list, remember: it’s never too late (or early) to get started on that New Year’s resolution to read more literature.You Don’t Have to Say You Love Meby Sherman Alexie“This memoir is brilliantly messy and untamed — full of stories, chants, spells, songs,…

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Why Austinites Should Stop Decorating Cedar Trees for the Holidays

Emily McCullar — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 15:00:37 +0000

Before we begin, let me say that I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Grinch. I am the sort of Who from Whoville that presses play on her Christmas playlist the moment she wakes up from her Thanksgiving-afternoon nap. On a recent workday morning I visited not one, but two Christmas tree vendors in order to purchase a tabletop Fraser fir for my office, knowing that a proximity to lights, tinsel, and holiday smells would provide an invaluable boost to my morale and productivity. And yet, in addition to hoarding Reese’s Bells and singing along passionately to Kenny Loggins’s “Celebrate Me Home,” one of my most consistent holiday traditions is yelling at other people’s Christmas decorations, specifically those that adorn cedar trees…

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The Best Thing in Texas: Erykah Badu Kills It on ‘The Tonight Show’

Dan Solomon — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 23:42:39 +0000

Texas, like all places, is the site of both triumphs and tragedies. Every week in the Best Thing in Texas, we look for something that reminds us why we love our state so much. WHO: Erykah Badu and the RootsWHAT: A performance of a medley of Badu’s “On & On” and Fela Kuti’s “Sorrow, Tears, and Blood” on The Tonight ShowWHY IT’S SO GREAT: Badu is one of pop’s most singular talents: a true-blue musical weirdo who’s got artistry with a capital A (evident in her Tonight Show hairstyle alone). That’s true almost anywhere you see her, whether she’s showing up in Texas to DJ at a club as her alter ego, Lo Down Loretta Brown, headlining a theater tour, or popping up on Fallon with…

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Travis Scott Finally Dropped His Album With Quavo From Migos

Dan Solomon — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 21:33:44 +0000

Back in April, Travis Scott and Quavo from Migos teased a collaborative project the two were exploring. As the year went on, there were hints on Twitter, but none of the details that make a project seem real—a release date, a track list, a title, anything other than one of the artists saying things like “soon” when asked. With the second Migos album due in January, the window for the project, called Huncho Jack, was shrinking. But this week, the duo pulled a surprise-drop, revealing the album’s art on Wednesday and releasing it to the internet on Thursday night. My Man Ralph Steadman thank u. I️ Love u man thanks for being part of this ride. Ps. Them studio nights let’s not mention those lol A…

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How the Westin Austin Downtown Created a Lifesize Gingerbread House

Charley Locke — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:26:21 +0000

Plenty of restaurants celebrate the holidays with a gingerbread house centerpiece. But this year, Stella San Jac, the restaurant at the Westin Austin Downtown, decided to think bigger. A lot bigger, actually—twelve feet by ten feet, with a roomy fifteen-foot ceiling, to be exact.“We were in a marketing meeting, just brainstorming about Christmas, and we thought, why don’t we make the gingerbread house life-sized?” says Christopher Costs, the Westin’s assistant general manager, who helped orchestrate the project. “The engineering department said, we can do this.” It took four hundred bricks of gingerbread, twenty gallons of icing, and a week of construction, but the team had the edible house they’d dreamed of. After some quick interior decorating—red-and-white wrapping paper for the walls, a table that seats eight—the…

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Journalist Found Not Guilty for Participating in Trump Protest: Your Texas Roundup

Leif Reigstad — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 14:32:00 +0000

QUOTE OF THE DAY“It’s a homecoming. It’s finality. It’s recognition.”—Kui Red Eagle to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, after the 1,100-year-old remains of an unidentified Native American woman were re-buried during a ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth. The woman’s bones were discovered in March 2016 by construction workers who were digging a trench downtown.BIG NEWS WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Police and demonstrators clash in downtown Washington D.C. following the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Washington and the entire world have watched the transfer of the United States presidency from Barack Obama to Donald Trump, the 45th president. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Free at Last A freelance photojournalist from Texas who was arrested at the protests against…

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Central Texans, Beware of Cedar Fever This Year

Dan Solomon — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:27:19 +0000

Cedar fever: It’s the scourge of Central Texas, a tiny beast that hides out in your nostrils and makes the mild winter weather threaten to devour your sense of peace on earth and good will toward your fellow man. You sneeze, your eyes itch, and your throat closes up as you sniffle through all of January and maybe February too. People who moved to Austin and the surrounding areas from elsewhere, lured to the Lone Star State by plentiful barbecue, rivers of queso, and a reasonably low cost-of-living, may find the sudden onset of a vicious cedar allergy to be nature’s cruel trick on Texas transplants.It doesn’t always strike everyone, of course, but this winter’s edition of cedar season looks to be a brutal one.…

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