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It's 1/2 Wikipedia, 1/2 Whole Earth Catalog and 1/2 Reader's Digest. Our mission is to disprove Chomsky's statement: "Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of American media."
We can do it together! We can use this new technology to create a better community.
--Do your part, comment on something if it piques your interest.
--Write an article and submit it on a subject you love.
[Submit your press releases (formatted in a plain text file, please) for non-commercial events to andrewsuber@hotmail.com.]
MARFA – Wildlife management will be the topic of a free seminar to be conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service from 8 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. Sept. 1 in Marfa’s Paisano Hotel Ballroom.
“Wildlife plays a big part in the economics and culture of far West Texas,” said Jesse Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent in Presidio County. “It’s something we put great value in and strive to preserve. This seminar is meant to help our area’s landowners do that by providing them with the latest information available on pronghorn antelope and mule deer, two of our most important game animals.” Click for more…
The Texas Film Commission has declared Alpine a film-friendly city. What does that mean?
“Besides the Texas cities that support full-time film commissions, other Texas communities can now show the world that they’re film-friendly and ready for production. Through the Film Friendly Texas certification program, Texas communities learn about the production process and how to effectively work with filming requests. Certified communities have attended a day-long training workshop; passed a film policy approved by the Texas Film Commission; and sent location photos for inclusion in TexScout, the Texas Film Commission’s on-line location database. We’re proud of these cities for taking this initiative, and we encourage you to see what they have to offer.”
Check it out at the official TFC site.
Here’s their partial Alpine Filmography: COWBOY U; AMERICA BROWN; TEXAS: THE BIG PICTURE; GRAND CHAMPION; DIRT; HORIZON STAR; STREETS OF LAREDO; DEAD MAN’S WALK; THE GOOD OLD BOYS; STRONG ROOM ZURICH; SYLVESTER; MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS; TEXAS RANCH HOUSE
Don’t worry… Marfa is one too: Marfa Filmography: THERE WILL BE BLOOD; NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN; COWBOY U; AMERICA BROWN; GRAND CHAMPION; DIRT; THE STARS FELL ON HENRIETTA; FLESH AND BONE; SYLVESTER; EINSTEIN’S UNIVERSE; HIGH LONESOME; GIANT
I know there will be some Californians who will deny either town film-friendly status. After all, you can’t get sushi at all or a cafe breve after 9pm in Alpine or Marfa.
[Submit your press releases (formatted in a plain text file, please) for non-commercial events to andrewsuber@hotmail.com. I also want to sincerely thank the organizers and sponsors of this interesting experiment in West Texas Folk Music.]
Border Blasters, Padre's Marfa. Flikr user Seven Twenty Five
The Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) invites the Southwestern music community to “¡SWRFITA!” – a special one-day event on August 7 in Marfa, Texas.
Each October, around 200 artists, venue representatives, agents, managers, and others from the music business congregate in Austin at the annual Southwest Regional Folk Alliance. Similarly, each February, around 2,000 people from all over the world meet in Memphis for Folk Alliance International. This one-day event will attempt to bring that experience to everyone in Far West Texas & Southern New Mexico who either doesn’t know about or can’t afford the cost of the larger events. Read More on this Folk Music Festival
[Amanda Mayo is our Contributing Editor Marfa. Click here to visit her blog.
It is with heavy heart that I say that Amanda is leaving us for grad school. Thank you so much for your contributions to the community, both here and at KRTS. You'll be much missed, Amanda.]
Austin to Marfa transplant Brooke Carter opened up her shop, Little Liberty, July 22nd in Marfa Texas. Trunk show, featuring Chia, a self taught Austin Designer and tunes spinning by DJ Bigface AKA Javier Arrendondo were part of the grand opening. Chia’s fashions consist of hats, skirts, and furry headpieces made out of vintage fabrics.
The rest of the shop is filled with vintage clothing finds (men and women), jewelry, a locally curated record collection, vintage housewares, and all sorts of things worth browsing. Brooke Carter is a vintage aficionado coming from the biz of retail and fashion in New York and Austin, I particularly like stopping in to see what she’s wearing and what new things pop up in Little Liberty everyday.
Little Liberty is located on Abbott and Hwy 90 in Marfa.
[Submit your press releases (formatted in a plain text file, please) for non-commercial events to andrewsuber@hotmail.com. I also want to sincerely thank Chinati for supporting the arts in our corner of the world.]
Chinati is pleased to invite the community to an viewing and reception for Artist in Residence Ellen Altfest on Thursday, August 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Chinati Foundation.
Altfest will show a painting called “The Leg,” created on site at Chinati and featuring a local model, Dan Keane.
Ellen Altfest is a New York-based painter who makes small-scale still lifes and portraits. She works directly from a model, whether animate or inanimate, and builds up a painting slowly, over a period of months, using small brushes and oil paint. This time-honored method of working, however, does not result in paintings that look traditional. For one thing, there is the seeming ordinariness of the artist’s subject matter—notably her truncated, unlovely, erratically hirsute men. More information on Ellen Altfest after the Jump
[Mark Glover is Contributing Editor Alpine. Click here to visit Trans-Pecos Science Moment for more of his thoughts on the Big Bend.]
Marfa – Texas Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bill White sent one of his top envoys to west Texas last week. Dressed in blue jeans, but far from a laid-back campaigner, Rice University junior Elena White gestured with her hands to get the point across as she sat on the sofa at the Paisano Hotel last Friday.
“I’m more of an idealist then my father, but he gets things done,” she said.
That’s the message the White campaign is sending out and with an 18 billion dollar budget short fall this fiscal year, getting things done with less may be a crucial element for the future of Texas.
“I’m concerned about the future as many young people are and that’s why I’m out here,” she said.
Her father, the Harvard educated 56 year old former Caspian Sea oil exploration entrepreneur, who served as Deputy Secretary of Energy under Bill Clinton and was a 3 term mayor of Houston, is hoping to convince not only Texas democrats but moderate Republicans that his conservative fiscal policies will be the right path for an oil rich state that suddenly finds itself in the hole. Read More on Elena White
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
Shows this weekend:
Thursday, May 13th
Ted Arbogast at Starlight Theatre in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
Friday, May 14th
Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]
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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!
La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
Shows this weekend:
Friday, April 30th
Groupo Exito on Murphy St. in Alpine, 9:00 PM
Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]
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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!
La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown
[Each Thursday you can enjoy Big Bend events, dining, video, news and photos from the editorial staff, contributors and readers. To contribute, e-mail your photos, events, thoughts, opinions to the Editor at andrewsuber@hotmail.com, andrew suber [at] hotmail [dot] com.]
Big Bend Video
“Opal Moon” performed by Evelyn Roper. Kudos to Bob Kinford. He has posted all of the Crossroads Gathering video here at YouTube. I wish that more West Texas events would make my job easier by doing this exact same thing!
–See “Hunter Gatherers” in Terlingua this weekend. See below for showtimes.
–South Rim Hula Hooping. For those in the know, Hula Hooping is the preferred method for South Brewster County to raise money, have fun and commune with the dance gods.
Big Bend Photographs
La Junta thrift and fashion took a creative approach to recycling on Earth Day. These outfits are recycled from discarded objects (except, of course, for Lucia and Erin Aguayo’s). Johanna is a light and a credit to our community (she’s also a proud underwriter of West Texas Weekly). Thank you for your support and positivity!
–”Photograph of Ruperta Chavarria in a pretty dress made by Petra Nunez. She was 19 years old and getting ready to go to a dance in 1928. This photo was included in a research paper by Stella Nunez for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.”
Big Bend Events
Front Street Books Reception: A closing reception for photographer Ruth Janyn will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 Friday, April 30 at 121 E. Holland, Alpine, Texas. It will be the last chance to see Jaynyn’s color photographs of the Big Bend; refreshments will be served. For more info, call (432) 837-3360.
“Hunter Gatherers”: Last Minute Low Budget Productions presents “Hunter Gatherers” by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb at 8pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through May 1 at the Theater behind the Terlingua Store on Highway 170 in Terlingua, Texas.
Inauguration Ceremony for Ricardo Maestas: Inauguration ceremonies for Dr. Ricardo Maestas, 11th president of Sul Ross State University, will be held at 10 am Friday, April 30, in the Pete Gallego Center, Alpine, Texas.
‘Heat’ Exhibit Reception: The Big Bend Arts Council’s Gallery on the Square will have its “Borderland Heat” reception and show from 5-7 pm Saturday, May 1. The show will remain on display through July. In addition, works by the two newest members are on display. Dwight Gover will have his flintknapping available and Ann Eckly will display her painting in thread. The gallery is at 5th St. and Sul Ross Avenue in Alpine, Texas. For more information about Gallery on the Square, call Diane Baylor at (432) 364-2609.
Whoops and Hollers
Marfa Roller Derby
I have proudly become a sponsor of Marfa Roller Derby. Practices are at Sunday at 2 pm at the slab at Vincainzo Park, Marfa, Texas.
My good friend Mercer Black is looking for other sponsors. I am coming in at the ‘Angel’ level; I think that my modest donation will provide skates and safety equipment to ‘the Romi’. Kudos to everyone involved. And, please, if you are a local business that wants to contribute to a worthy, grassroots sort of hip thing: BECOME A SPONSOR!
–Another local project that I am super-supportive of is Theater of the Big Bend. If you are person who likes to sing and dance and is at loose ends for something fun to do this summer. GO TO THE OPEN CASTING CALL. Parts are available to all ages of men and women. It is always a ton of fun and shows the rest of the world how much talent we have out here in the Big Bend. Open call auditions take place Saturday, May 1st at 2 pm and Monday May 3rd at 5 pm Room 105 FAB, SRSU, Alpine, Texas. For more info, check out their facebook page.
–I received the following letter from Lonn Taylor:
Dear Andrew,
I enjoyed your interview on KRTS yesterday and have taken to heart
your comment that not many Fort Davis people subscribed to West Texas
Weekly. I just subscribed, and I am looking forward to reading your
comments and occasionally responding to them.
For starters, I suggest you ask the Wineaux to drop by Nel’s Coffee
Shop in Fort Davis for breakfast or lunch any day of the week. The
owners, Jerry and Nelda Miles, are the hardest-working people in town.
They keep their cafe open 7 days a week from 6:30 in the morning until
3 in the afternoon, and they have provided Fort Davis with a place
where residents can not only get delicious meals but drink coffee and
solve the world’s problems. This is especially welcome since the
absentee owner of the Drug Store decided that running a restaurant was
too much work and not only closed it but boarded the building up.
Nel’s has become the town’s hottest spot.
Fort Davis may not have the buzz that Marfa does but I like it because
nothing has happened here since the army left, and that was in 1891. I
can drive to Marfa for excitement (and good dining), but for serenity
I’ll take Fort Davis any day.
Lonn Taylor
Fort Davis, Texas
Where the duck chews tobacco and the goose drinks wine
I want to thank Lonn for subscribing and taking the time to write this e-mail… I have a feeling that the Classical Wineaux may make a visit to Ft. Davis. Read Lonn’s thoughts in the Ft. Davis and Marfa newspapers or listen to his dulcet tones on KRTS, 93.5.
Also, I am hearing from lots of folks from Ft. Davis. Look for more future coverage from Steve Chaney.
–Speaking of Fort Davis, Karl Rove (or as Novak dubs him, the Prince of Darkness) will be visiting Fort Davis.
I applaud the Republican party for their ideals: smaller government, fiscal responsibility and strong foreign policy. However, under Karl Rove’s example, they have too often relied upon attacking homosexuals and abortion in order to get short-term gains.
For the vast majority of Democrats, these are relatively minor issues compared to creating jobs, ensuring health care for middle class Americans and balancing the budget. Gay civil rights and abortion availability are wedge issues even within the Democratic Party.
Karl Rove and his disciples are in part responsible for the divisiveness and rancor in the Washington today. He revealed the identity of Valerie Plame (an undercover government agent). Treason?
–Last week was 4/20. My jeers go to Julie Vega who coerced her Sul Ross students with extra credit to picket the Purple Zone (the Big Bend’s only source of adult toys, adult DVDs and tobacco accessories, or, as I like to call it, my one stop shopping choice). There were ten picketers on their side who picketed about an hour.
On the other side (supporting the harmless things that go on between consenting adults) were 50 protesters. You get my cheers for supporting freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of contract.
It’s easy to demonize and pick on a small business owner who is selling accessories to lifestyle choices you don’t agree with. The hard thing is to do something that really matters. Kilos and kilos of hard drugs move through our area due to organized crime– why doesn’t Ms. Vega go undercover in a Mexican drug cartel if she cares so strongly about this subject?
My support and enthusiasm goes out to the Purple Zone. If people really have a problem with pornography they should attack the national companies that provide pay-per-view pornography to each home in America instead of a local businessperson who pays local taxes and provides local services.
–In regard to 4/20 (a national day to partake of cannabis) I received the following message from a member of the Terlingua Liberation Front:
Today is 4/20. Reflect on the holy medicinal herb that has been demonized and slandered by the same crazy baldheads that sell you liquor, sugar, tobacco and synthetic pharmaceuticals… “A true Rasta man dinnae drink the rum. A true Rasta man dinnae gamble. Opie apa opie a ya. Jah jah sent me ‘ere to catch vampire.”
–Big thank-yous to all participants so far in the 2nd Annual Big Bend Photography Contest : Justin Vogt, Elena Goodrun, Paula Curry, Daryl Hoelzer, and Voni Glaves. Hurry up and get your entries in! We only have until May 2nd.
Big Bend Web Resources
–I want to give a big heartfelt thank you to Jay Valles. We have inspired one another in providing a voice to local folks. His website, La Voz, provides hard-hitting political news concerning our area. He examines political issues that some of the local newspapers are a little squeamish about investigating. I highly recommend this site to all my readers. Check out this archive of his original content.
The Altar of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Marfa, Texas, 1920
–Are you interested in the best and funkiest site for Texas Roadhouse music? Try Texas Roadhouse Live. “Texas Roadhouse Live, a Texas-based live concert music television program showcases the finest regional and national talent as they pass through the Lone Star State. Shot entirely on location, Texas Roadhouse Live takes the viewer directly into the Roadhouses, cafes, bars and dives that have made the Texas music scene the notorious experience it is. So grab a beer and relax as we take you up close and personal with some of today’s finest bands and some of yesterdays legends.”
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
Shows this weekend:
Thursday, April 22nd
Ted Arbogast at Starlight Theatre in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
Friday, April 23rd
Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]
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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!
La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown
[Each Thursday you can enjoy Big Bend events, dining, video, news and photos from the editorial staff, contributors and readers.]
Big Bend Video
Texas Monthly takes a look at some of the amenities at the Terlingua Ghosttown, Terlingua, Texas.
–Nathan (tumbler and acrobat) on finding Terlingua.
Big Bend Photographs
Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine
Thank you to reader Daniel Chamberlain. See more of his local photography at Into the Green.
Big Bend Events
Tea Party Rally Today– 4-6 pm at the Railroad Park in Alpine, Texas, corner of Holland Avenue and 7th Street. Protest against overly high taxes.
–Celebration benefit for Doyle Tucker: Sat April 17th, 6:30 pm at the Alpine Country Club. Music by Bake Turner. Silent Auction. Pork loin dinner – donations welcome, no charge at the door. For more information or to make financial or silent item donation, contact Mike Nelson at 432.238.2661.
–Alpine Chamber Mixer: The Alpine Chamber of Commerce mixer will be from 6-8 pm Thursday April 15th at the Holland Hotel. Expect music from the Doodling Hogwallops, food and fun.
Big Bend Gem and Mineral Show this weekend: The annual Gem and Mineral Show takes place this weekend at Kokernot Lodge in Alpine from 9 am to 6 pm Sunday. Admission is free.
–Alpine Dark-Sky Star Party: Sierra la Rana and the Big Bend Astronomical Society (Alpine-Big Bend Texas) will host the Alpine Dark-Sky Star Party on April 17th, . The Dark-Star Party will be in recognition of Earth Day Week and participate in the Global Astronomy Month’s “Thirty Nights of StarPeace,” a worldwide-scale event that will join together astronomy groups in neighboring countries, one patch of Earth at a the time, on successive nights during the month of April 2010.
The Dark-Star Party is open to the public free of charge and the organizers will provide coffee and hot chocolate. There are 8 telescope pads available located at the Sierra la Rana Astronomy Village. Please feel free to bring a telescope and/or binoculars to share with event attendees.
Dave Oesper will moderate the star party starting off with viewings of Mercury and Venus from 8:30 – 8:45 p.m. and then a twilight presentation will immediately following the viewings begin at 8:45 p.m. and lasting until 9:15 p.m. approximately 30 minutes. The presentation will be an inspirational talk both on both what is viewable in the night sky and the joys of observational astronomy in general from Sierra la Rana and the Big Bend region in general.
Big Bend Dining Notes
Talgar’s– Talgar’s has been open for about a year and I am puzzled why it is often empty. The food here is fresh, well-prepared and plentiful. Today I had four jumbo flautas impeccably plated on a bed of red cabbage with copious amounts of fresh avocado, sour cream and cilantro. The flautas were hand-rolled and large; the chicken flavorful and moist without being greasy.
Before I’ve had the fish tacos and a chuleta, a mexican hamburger. I will admit my bias; I personally think that Talgar is a great person and great cook (particularly her Christmas tamales). However, this is one of the few places in Alpine that is really trying some different– a fresh, vibrant approach to cooking from Mexico and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. If you haven’t tried it and you live locally– please, trust me and go in for an al fresco dinner on the beautiful patio.
The wine list is modest, but carefully selected to augment the latin flavors.
102 West Murphy Street Alpine, TX, Lunch ~ T-Sa 11:30-2:00, Dinner ~ Th-Sa 5:30-9:00 Ph# 432.837.5101 (it may be prudent to call ahead) Approximately $10-15 per plate.
These bands came through Alpine and Marfa. Do any locals have comments? Three Chinese bands touring America– exciting!
–Do you FourSquare? This is a new online game that uses the GPS feature of cellphones to introduce you to new places. I’m addicted! Check out foursquare here.Here’s my profile. I’m the mayor of four places! Harry’s Tinaja, La Trattoria, Bread and Breakfast and the Murphy Street Raspa Company. How about some free snacks for your hungry mayor?
This video comes from Apparent Motive, from Terlingua, Texas:
This video is revolutionary. It depicts a Terlingua Liberation Front free human being giving his response to the 2010 Census. This is a true patriot, hiding his face so he can’t be isolated and shot before more people follow his example and decide they are mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore!
–John Wells demonstrates a StepperSpinner. Be sure to attend the Green Scene in Terlingua on Saturday and see his oven demonstration.
–This isn’t a Big Bend video per se, but its making the rounds in local social media. Enjoy!
–RIP JACK ROSE. OPIUM MUSIC. THE SOUL OF THE WEST. YOU WILL BE MISSED JACK.
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Big Bend Events
Davis Mountains Theraputic Riding Center Beginning April 6th the DMTRC will be offering programs to people with disabilities using horse riding as a means of therapy. Research shows that theraputic riding improves the physical, cognitive, social and emotional functioning of people living with physical and developmental disabilities. For people living with disabilities ranging from cerebal palsy to autism, riding a horse has been shown to improve balance and joint mobility, increase muscle strength, overcome fear and anxiety, and enhance the person’s ability to set and achieve goals. For more information about how to get involved (whether as a volunteer or a patient) contact Margret O’Donnel at info [at] dmtrc [dot] org or call Fonda Ghirardi at (432) 426-2363.
2010 Texas Poet Laureate Karla Morton at SRSU On April 8 from 2:15 to 3:15 Karla Morton will be providing a poetry reading hosted by SRSU. It will take place in the Morelock Academic Building in room 302. Morton, described as “one of the most adventurous voices”, uses a mix of American poetry, prose and story-telling with a distinctly western flair. Morton is also the first Woman named Texas State Poet Laureate in more than 15 years.
Train Writers Retreat Features Japanese Haiku Hike April 9 – 11 will be the date of the 19th annual event hosted by the Texas Mountin Trail Writers of the Big Bend area and will feature a special Haiku walk in which Donna Greene, the president of the Texas Mountain Trail Writers, will be working with hikers/writers on the Haiku Writing art. Participants will be given handpainted booklets with a Far Eastern theme, also rustic lodging is available at the camp or in town at the motel/hotel of your choice. For more information, visit the website: www.texasMountainTrailWriters.org.
Terlingua Green Scene getting Ramped Up On April 10 in Terlingua Ghost Town, there will be live demonstrations begining at 11 AM on how to cook with a solar oven, build with paper-crete, knit with recycled materials, and much more. All day there will be art, music, food and drinks. This is a family-friendly event with activities for the whole family. Starlight Theatre will be hosting a story-telling event in the evening. For more information, visit www.TerlinguaGreenScene.com.
Big Bend Photos
Thank you to reader Darlene LeFevre for submitting this beautiful picture of the River Road between Lajitas and Presidio, Texas.
–Thank you to reader Mr. Gringo for this snapshot of the immortal Jackie Pepper and Susannah– his beautiful back-up singer.
Come to Our Census Dept.
I received the following opinion from reader George Covington:
One tragic incident comes to mind and, of course, it happened in Terlingua. Now, to begin with, I’m not certain why the Census people would bother to even go to Terlingua, because as we all know and has been stated in this column before. The area is inhabited by ancient hippies, parole violators and Satan worshippers; none of whom are capable enough to fill out forms, even if they can write. The incident involved a census taker who had never met a javelina. As my regular readers know, a javelina is like a skinny pig with teeth, tusks and a really nasty attitude toward those who would interrupt its carefree lifestyle. The intrepid Census taker discovered quickly that this is one animal that you do not want to mess with and in a fit of panic, a call is made to Terlingua’s Medical Emergency Team. When the MEs showed up they shot the javelina, which was a pet. Those who are uninitiated in to the wily ways of the west might ask, “Why was such an action taken against an unarmed pet?” A better question might be, “why do medical emergency folks in Terlingua carry guns?”
Read more of George’s opinion at the Alpine Avalanche (and thanks to Mike and Cindy for giving me some encouragement and advice regarding a personal issue).
Whoops and Hollers Dept.
Yr Humble Editor
Mark your calendars. My nasal tones will be heard on April 19th on KRTS’s Talk at Ten (a great show I listen to constantly). I’ll be talking about local news, blogging and new media. Thanks to all the staff there– and congrats for meeting their $70,000 pledge drive goal.
–Daniel Chamberlain, Marfa Resident, has an excellent article on the Green Scene that appeared in Arthur Magazine. ” Plus, no matter how much of a bohemian air the place may have, it’s still Texas, and while the true-to-life cowboys and good ol’ boys have a streak of tolerance and hedonism that is unique to this wild region of the Lone Star state, their presence is enough to ensure that the thick-skinned hippies and outsiders that find their way here are decidedly outlaw in spirit, if not vocation.”
Daniel, can I get you to submit some of your excellent prose and photography to WTW?
–Billy Joe Shaver on trial for assault: “Willie Nelson and Robert Duvall showed their deep friendship for Billy Joe Shaver, who us accused of aggravated assault for shooting Billy Coker in the face March 31, 2007 in Lorena, by sitting through about three hours of deadly dull proceedings Thursday in Waco.”
–Dallas Observer comments on Brooklyn folkies Yeasayer; Yeasayer? Or Mehsayer? Marfa Ballroom is bringing them out and it promises to be a great show. I, for one, am really excited. Can I get a couple of press passes, Ballroom?
–Kudos to City of Presidio for mention in National Geographic: “The hoped-for remedy is a battery, a Texas-size battery, which could eventually end up playing an important role in wider use of green power generation such as solar and wind. The U.S. $25 million system, which is now charging and is set to be dedicated April 8, will be the largest use of this energy storage technology in the United States.” Click here for the full article.
–Hey, Texas. Let’s get together and do a little better. According to impartial third parties Texas has worst record of prison sex abuse. Texas has 5 of the 10 U.S. facilities with the highest sexual assault rates. This isn’t just sexual abuse at the hands of other prisoners… it’s also at the hands of guards.
A society is judged by how its most marginalized members are treated. By this standard, we are a society in peril.
Sometimes a Great Quot-ion Dept.
Whoso would be a man must also be a non-conformist. –Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series
I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine. -Bertrand Russell
Nowhere else in history has there ever been a flag that stands for the right to burn itself. This is the fractal of our flag. It stands for the right to destroy itself. -Ken Kesey
Nuttier than a Fruitcake Dept.
Recent Last Patriot post “The Terlingua Ranch is F@#$ed” has ruffled some feathers on the Ranch. There’s a Yahoo group that people swap information on. I want to thank Ronald Mahan for defending me in the following post:
I do not know if that story from the West Texas Weekly is true or not – but it is my opinion that the publisher – Andrew Suber is definitely not a “fruitcake”!
He is a lifetime Brewster County resident who has been educated as a lawyer – and most probably knows just how much of this scandal he can report without being sued. His father – Craig Suber – was sued by an earlier POATRI board – for putting up gates to limit public access across his Terlingua Ranch property – and that case is in mediation! Andrew Suber has ample reasons to illuminate any improprieties that Directors Demetri and Jordan may have committed and gotten caught doing!
Some of the Terlingua Ranch property owners are naive enough to believe that POATRI does not hide most of the unpleasant facts of life from the property owners. I recently heard the rumor that the new ranch manager the POATRI board hired – had a criminal record. My checks with the Texas Rangers disclosed the new manager did have a criminal record and the man had been convicted of a felony – cattle rustling!
My proof from the Texas Rangers was given to Director Demetri – but she never released that information to the property owners! Last year’s POATRI board had the new Ranch Manager resign and nothing was disclosed about their serious error of judgement – in failing to protect the property owner interests.
Who would want to send their POATRI fees to a convicted felon? Our new POATRI board has pledged a lot’s more transparency and openesss!
Thank you Ronald! I think I might have a notarized certificate that says that I am not a fruitcake (but at that point I will be certified.)
SISSY NOBBY DEPT.
–One last tiny shout-out, “Aziz Ansari is F@#$ing Awesome. And his brother Aniz isn’t too bad either. Big up to all at the double T posse at tallarico.com. “
[Kudos to the Chinati Foundation and Marfa Book Co. for generously arranging cultural events such as this one.]
March 17th, at 8:00PM, Chinati and the Marfa Book Co. invite you to a free screening of Me and Orson Welles, Richard Linklater’s 2009 film about the young Orson Welles. Linklater will be on hand to introduce the movie.
Me and Orson Welles is a fictionalized account (the screenplay is by Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo, from Robert Kaplow’s novel) of Welles’ landmark 1937 staging of Julius Caesar in New York. Welles (played here by the British actor Christian McKay) is twenty-two at this point and coming off the success of his all-black production of Macbeth. (The radio version of War of the Worlds and Citizen Kane are still to come.) A young would-be actor (Zac Efron) joins Welles’ new Mercury Theatre group and is taken under the wing of the great man—a swaggering enfant terrible and theatrical dynamo who everyone in the company (and the theater world at large) regards with a mixture of awe, dread, and loathing. Click for more…
[The Classical Wineaux is Contributing Editor Nightlife for West Texas Weekly. He drinks whiskey at a undisclosed RV Park somewhere in West Texas. His comments are opinions and fictions, and do not reflect the opinions of West Texas Weekly, its staff or its editor.]
Don't bogart that s@#$, Classical Wineaux
Hola! I am the Classical Wineaux. Let me hoist a glass to the following friends (Shorty, Red, Lonnie Glasscock, Avery) with an old Irish toast:
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.
Happy St. Patricks Day. The Classical Wineaux celebrates St. Patricks Day by getting s@#$housed on whiskey. I generally watch TBS in my RV while I’m drunk. I sure have been seeing a lot of Randy Quaid on TBS late at night. I think his career is undergoing a revival.
But I don’t care. I’m the Classical Wineaux and am not scared of anybody. I’M GLAD YOU LEFT TOWN RANDY QUAID! I’M CALLING YOU OUT!
Put your damn clothes back on, woman!
These are the five top reasons that I am glad that he left Marfa, Texas for good. I like his brother Dennis a lot, but I think that Randy is white trash. I’m white trash, too, but at least I am smart enough to stay away from crazy women. When your wife asks you to pose nude with a gun on your vacation, you tell her, “I”m watching “Everybody Loves Raymond” you dumb b!@#$. I don’t have time to take no pictures.”
So, here are my 5 reasons that I am glad Randy Quaid left town.
1. Evi was f@#$ing crazy. She had crazy eyes. She was always out in the parking lot doing crazy s@#$. Someone should have put her in the booby hatch. It did my Aunt Rita a world of good going to the booby hatch for a couple of months. You get to paint pictures and eat hamburger steak and dance with the nurses on Christmas or your birthday. Hell, there ain’t no shame in being incarcerated for as long as you need to get back on your feet. Click for more…
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
Matt’s Pick This Week goes to A Few Too Many!
Shows this weekend:
Thursday, March 11th
Kevin Dean at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
Ted Arbogast at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, Texas, 8:00, PM
Friday, March 12th
Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]
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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!
La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown
[This feature is brought to you by the Classic Wineaux, West Texas Weekly's Contributing Editor Nightlife.]
We are Brothers in Brew
The Classic Wineaux would like to buy a drink for the following people:
Dr. Doug aka Dr. Black aka Dr. Blackman aka Doug Blackman
Vicki Harris
Boyd Elder
Charlie Bell
Beth Garcia
Hola! I am the Classic Wineaux, the Gonzo journalist who has the stones to bring you the lowdown on Big Bend watering holes, beer joints and dives.
Who is the Classic Wineaux? He is a middle-aged aspiring writer who smokes filter-tipped cigarettes, drinks bourbon and loves a 99 cent well drink. I live in an RV, clean my rifle and listen to Country and Western eight-tracks. Don’t f!@# with me!
The bar scene in the Big Bend is lame this time of year. Sorry, folks. My advice is to hit the French Quarter (the folks who don’t have enough money to leave NOLA after Mardi Gras are the real deal) or Austin’s pubs. If you’re not drawing a fat-ass disability check like I do, you may not have the resources to rent a weekly hotel room and do so. You might be stuck out here in this s#$%hole swilling Natural Light.
However, this article ain’t about where to go, it’s about where ain’t to go. What are the biggest s@#tholes where knife fights, ugly women and watery drinks abound?
And don’t get me wrong, I love dives. Here’s the secret to running a dive, though: get a lady of the white trash persuasion with tattoos, double Ds and a case of clinical psychosis behind the bar serving drinks. Let her slutty girlfriends run up huge tabs and sleep with the patrons. I’ll walk ten miles of corduroy road to drink at that bar! Second tip, have a jukebox with some Tom Petty and Bob Seeger on it. Third tip, let the spirits and friendship flow freely until someone shoots someone out there in the parking lot.
Here are the Classic Wineaux’s five worst bars in the Big Bend
1. The Pressboxx, Alpine, Texas
This is a dive. But it’s not a good dive. No liquor, just beer. No girls. Dingy, depressing and dirty. The only event is bi-weekly karaoke. Two pool tables and a jukebox full of pirated CDs are the only entertainment.
The Pressboxx is next to a s!@#$y hotel. It looks like the kind of place where truckers get handjobs.
[Mark Glover is Contributing Editor Alpine. Click here to visit Trans-Pecos Science Moment for more of his thoughts on the Big Bend.]
Marfa – Lineaus Hooper Lorette stands on the wood floor of his old adobe home on the south side of Marfa and nods to an acrylic collage he commissioned — a trio of civil rights workers gunned down in Philadelphia, Mississippi in 1964. He names them one by one as tears roll down his cheeks.
Barrel-chested, bespectacled with a thick white mustache, Lorette is running for public office again. The former 1982 Citizen’s Party candidate for Texas US Senate is on the ballot for Presidio County Judge on the March primary democratic ticket.
“My family has a tradition of social advocacy – and I got struck with the lightning bolt,” Lorette said. He sits down at his desk and his three dogs, Anna Louise Strong, Primo Levi and Kim Philby slink to his side.
The son of an oil field worker and a radical mother whose father was an avowed communist, Lorette’s family moved when he was a young boy from Oklahoma to Odessa. Soon he was part of the anti-Viet Nam war movement at UT Austin, planning protests at night while he earned a degree in accounting by day.
“I’m a communist with a little ‘c’. You can’t expect to be a successful communist in a country that holds private property in the esteem we do,” Lorette said. “It’s the only country in the world where the land owner owns the minerals below the surface.”
He rattles off statistics, stats an accountant would know.
“Ag exemptions for property taxes were once only for those who made their living on the land. Now any rich person can own thousands of acres and pay nearly nothing to the county for schools, roads and services. Click for more…
[Big Bend Live Music is a feature brought to you by Matt Hodges, Contributing Editor Music. If you have a gig you'd like to share with the world, email him at matt.hodges@live.com]
Matt’s Random Video This Week is:
“With A Spirit” by Sound System 009. I know, this is the stupid song everyone puts on their “People Falling Down Funny” or “Best Party Pics” photo and video compilations on You-Tube. It’s 9 minutes long (or longer in the original version) fairly repetitive trance/techno; However, I find this song to be full of variations through each section. There are comprehensive lyrics, several verses in fact, with a refrain/chorus and layer upon layer of ambient instrumentation. I can’t get enough of it. I somehow feel like this song is a link to the future of music. I know, I may be way off base and consider it possible that no souls share my opinion of said work, but there are deeper psyche triggers, I find, in the soothing melodic tones that strike me as rather nostalgic – of what I’m not sure, but nostalgic nonetheless. I hope you enjoy. If not, let me know. Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your opinion!
Shows this up-coming weekend:
Thursday, February 11th
Kevin Dean at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
Friday, February 12th
Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
Ron Thielman’s High Society Orchestra at Paisano Ballroom, 8:00 PM.
Sunday, February 14th
The Dry Creek Diggers at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
Monday, February 15th
Lonesome Cowboy at the Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
Tuesday, February 16th
Big Mountain Boogaloo at Harry’s Tinaja in Apline, 8:00 PM.
Doug Scharnberg at the Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]
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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:
Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!
La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown
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