michael favia

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group.

Dan's
BY KATASTROPHIK

AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker / flickrIn response to their team's less-than-mediocre performance in 2007’s home opener against Arkansas State, Longhorn coaches continually stressed the importance of finishing off opponents throughout training camp this season. And to that end, the team left little to chance in this year’s opener, steamrolling Florida Atlantic and their overly loquacious head coach, 52-10, last Saturday.

More of the same is to be expected this week when the Longhorns face the Miners of UT El Paso, who are coming off of a 42-17 loss to Buffalo in which they gave up 484 total yards on defense and committed three turnovers.

But despite the presumed lack of drama, the game will give fans and coaches the opportunity to gauge the progress of the 18 players who appeared in their first NCAA game in Week 1 for the Horns, particularly those in the defensive secondary.

Starting safeties Earl Thomas and Blake Gideon showed significant improvement after halftime, but gave fans cause for concern with a number of miscues in the first half that resulted in big gains for Florida Atlantic. Afterward Mack Brown chose to focus on the more impressive of the two halves, saying “It was probably the biggest and fastest learning curve I've ever seen with young guys” when asked about the performance of his freshman safeties. “Hopefully they will play better this week”, he added.

And considering UTEP’s lack of offensive prowess compared to Florida Atlantic, expectations should be raised across the entire secondary.

Offensively, a conservative game plan is expected from coordinator Greg Davis, who is likely waiting for the Big 12 schedule to begin before revealing the full extent of his playbook. Rather, the present concern is developing chemistry between Colt McCoy and his young receiving corps, who were impressive last week, as well as continuing to refine John Chiles’ role in the offense.

NOTES:

• Perhaps a pot of coffee may be more appropriate than your usual case of pre-game Lone Star, as kickoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m., meaning the game could stretch into the wee hours of Sunday morning. It will be broadcast on ESPN2.
• The team will be without starting defensive tackle Lamarr Houston due to suspension. Houston was arrested on DWI charges hours after the conclusion of last week’s game.

Gunnar/FlickrThere was an interesting editorial in yesterday's Washington Post, which was reprinted in the Statesman. Basically, the price of oil has fallen dramatically in the last few weeks and gas prices are coming down as a result. This is good new for the stock market and Hummer drivers, but it threatens to wipe out recent decreases in domestic consumption of gasoline (U.S. motorists to drove 12.2 billion fewer miles in June compared with a year earlier). The bottom line of the editorial is that higher gas prices result in lower consumption, so any national energy policy seriously aimed at reducing consumption should include an increased gas tax that would maintain the incentives to conserve gasoline.

Driving is cheap, easy and efficient for the person driving the car, but it imposes a lot of costs on everyone else. Traffic congestion is a $78 billion annual drain on the U.S. economy. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans aged 4 to 34. Construction and maintenance of roads and highways costs hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Energy imports are a major component of the U.S. trade deficit. Many of those energy imports come from countries that most Americans would rather not be financially supporting.

If the purpose of the increased gas tax would be to reduce these costs, not to raise revenue, then it should be offset by an energy tax credit (and should be much larger than the increase proposed by the Washington Post). If we assume that a person drives 10,000 miles per year in a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (hardly aspirational numbers), that makes 500 gallons of gas per year. This person would come out even if they got a $1,000 tax credit and the gas tax went up by $2 per gallon. People who drove more fuel efficient cars or drove less, or both, would come out ahead.

• Dead body found in Lady Bird lake.
• Hays County Sheriff's Office deputy injured in accident dies.
• Dell looks to sell factories worldwide.
• Gov. Sarah Palin has Austin ties.
• Heart lash out at McCain campaign’s use of “Barracuda.”
• Obama enlists Clinton to help counter Palin.
• Pop star's murder sheds light on hidden world.

aGLIFF: Pansy Division--Life in a Gay Rock Band
Friday September 5
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street)
5:30pm, Badges are still available, some tickets may be avail. at the door
[info] In 1991 while the mainstream was discovering grunge music, a new revolution was already brewing. In the heart of San Francisco, Jon Ginoli and Chris Freeman were realizing that just because they were gay didn’t mean they had to like dance music. Frustrated with the lack of musical options in which to celebrate their lifestyle, they decided to create their own—gay music that wasn’t music for a gay bar. Pansy Division was born.

These two visionaries led a new musical movement—what came to be known as “queercore.” Their bold sound and proudly explicit lyrics sent them to the cultural front lines, where they pushed the envelope and gathered their own following. Caught between resistance from the straight crowd (who didn’t seem to think they were hetero enough) and resistance from the gay crowd (who thought their music was too hetero), they moved forward anyway, eventually getting record deals, playing Madison Square Garden with Green Day, and making it on to MTV. And through it all, Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band is there.

With archival footage, new interviews, and plenty of good old-fashioned pop/punk/rock music, this film is an in-depth look into the strength it took for these guys to make their music and to speak out for what they believed in. At a brisk 83 minutes, it never drags. Mike Carmone’s direction is on point; it’s well edited and has clever graphics to spice up the slightly more cumbersome details. Whether revealing the wildly humorous lyrics with subtitles, detailing the Spinal Tap-like parade of drummers, or telling how the band got Kirk Hammett (of Metallica) to play a solo for one track, you’ll definitely be entertained. Watching bassist Chris Freeman spray crowds with silly string or stealing a kiss from a straight fan, it’s hard not to get caught up in Pansy Division’s chaotic joy.

Andreanna/Flickr

• Motorcyclist killed in early morning hit-and-run on 183 at Burnet Rd.
• UT cancer research lab fined by the USDA for the escape and death of a chimpanzee.
• APD searching for woman involved in 6th Street bathroom knife attack in July.
• About 100 Texas school districts (AISD among them) seeking tax hikes in November.
• The state has dropped half of the FLDS custody cases.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife increasing the acreage of Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
• Dell introduces their mini-notebook PC, the Inspiron Mini 9.

aGLIFF: Room of Death
Thursday, September 4
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street)
10:35pm, Badges still avail., Individual tickets may be avail. at the door
[info]In addition to the other great films playing tonight at aGLIFF (we also heartily recommend Austinite P.J. Raval's sex change doc Trinidad), the folks at Fantastic Fest will co-present a screening of the French thriller Room of Death (Le Chambre des morts).

Equal parts Shallow Grave and Silence of the Lambs, the film follows a rookie cop named Lucie as she tracks a demented kidnapper whose latest victim has precious few days to live. Things get complicated when a pair of down-on-their-luck friends accidentally kill a man on his way to deliver a ransom to the kidnapper, and they decide to hide the body and keep the money for themselves (predictably, the kidnapper doesn't like this at all).

With enough suspense to keep things interesting, and a surprisingly restrained amount of gore for a movie called "Room of Death", Director Alfred Lot has crafted a dark but entertaining first feature--and one of the few suspense thrillers that we know of to feature a gay villain (the most notable being the aforementioned Silence of the Lambs).

Still from the film The Paramount Presents: Lawrence of Arabia
Sept. 5-7
Paramount Theater (713 Congress Avenue)
7:15pm Fri & Sat, Sun 1;45 & 7:15; tickets $8
[info] | [tickets] Whenever someone says they’ve never seen Lawrence of Arabia, someone has to go, “What?!?! That’s so wrong!” It’s like some sort of rule. And if someone says they’ve never seen it on the big screen, everyone has to suck in their breath really hard like they just saw two cars almost collide: “Oh, man, you gotta see it on the big screen. You haven’t seen it if you haven’t seen it on the big screen!” (We suspect that many of the people that say that haven’t seen it on the big screen either. It’s just the rules.)

Well, guess what. You’ll never have to hear that again as of this weekend. Your friends at the Paramount are showing a restored print of this 70mm classic, voted the seventh best film of all time by the American Film Institute (you know they know film, cause check their name!). This epic saga about a young British soldier caught in tough political times in the desert sands of WWI Arabia stars acting legends Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Shariff, and Anthony Quinn. But there’s plenty more going for this film than just its all-star cast. The cinematography (remember that 70mm print we mentioned earlier?) and the musical score garnered Oscars, as did director David Lean’s (Dr. Zhivago ) directing. It’s a virtual
smorgasbord of delights for the eyes and ears, as well as the mind.

There are evening showings on Friday and Saturday, and two on Sunday, so there’s no excuse not to check this one off your “Must See Someday” list. Come on—a classic flick shown on the big screen, just the way it was meant to be seen. You’ll never be the butt of your pretentious film buff friends’ jokes again. Until they ask if you’ve seen the AFI’s tenth best film, Singin’ in the Rain, to which we recommend rolling your eyes and going “Musicals? Come on!” Then just run.

Westbank Community Library

Supporters of Westbank Community Library gathered this past weekend to break ground on the new library to be named in honor of our current First Lady. When complete, "Laura's Library" will offer stunning views of the surrounding hill country, a fancy courtyard with stone seating carved to resemble books, and, most appropriately, a drive-up book window. More photos are available at the official website.

After the jump, we've reposted a quick clip showing a virtual "fly-through" of the proposed development.

Image from official movie website Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Thursday, September 4
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)
Free! with RSVP, 9 PM
[info] | [tickets]Tonight, at the Alamo South Lamar, there's a free screening of a documentary about a Heavy Metal band in Iraq. Heavy Metal in Baghdad follows the boys in "Acrassicauda" through the heady days of post-Saddam, pre-insurgency life, when they thought that after years of repression, they might finally be able to Live the Rawk, and then chronicles the downturn of their dreams as their country falls to pieces. (Think the dancers in "Footloose" were oppressed? Think again!)

It sounds like directors Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi (two of the folks behind Vice Magazine) have avoided the typical "Behind the Music" trajectory of music docs, and shown that sometimes larger problems of society can affect bands just as much as drug use or petty jealousies. (Though maybe there's some drug use in here as well - can't promise there won't be.)

Editor’s note: The views expressed in I Am So Popular are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of anyone else in the IST network.

Like Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin, I, too, am a hunter and a fisherwoman. In fact, I like to combine the two by shooting fish in a barrel. Which is why, though I know I’m way late to the over-saturated sport known as hurl-shit-at-the-unvetted-candidate-chosen-for-her-good-looks-lack-of-penis-and-radical-conservatism, I just can’t resist.

Let’s examine the obvious, shameless marketing first. Apparently, to illustrate her point that no woman should ever be allowed to have an abortion (except in very extreme cases, which I will get back to in a minute) Palin came up with an elaborate plot not only to have five children, but to make sure one of them has Down Syndrome, just so she could point to her holier-than-the-rest-of-us self. Even Pappy and Babs Bush didn’t stoop so low as to play the Retard Card, despite the fact they, too, have a mentally disabled son.

Then, to make her anti-choice stance clearer still, she forced her teenage daughter to get knocked up so she could show the world that The Lord Doesn’t Give Us More Than We Can Handle. I’m sure, too, that any moment now little Bristol is going to be compared to the Virgin Mary who, fans of mythology might recall, also found herself impregnated by One To Whom She Was Not Married.

Speaking of which, this reminds me of an anecdote from my own life, one involving my darling bastard son, Henry. Yes, people, that’s right: I, Spike the Sinner, never married the kid’s father. So when I call him a bastard, know that I mean that from a legal standpoint. (For his part, I know there are times he justifiably refers to his own bastard self as Son of a Bitch.)

So my first book, All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy, detailed my life raising the kid while floundering through one shit-fuck-hell relationship after another. When the book was published, I appeared on a TV show on which I was pitted against an arch-conservative dickhead who was peddling the notion that children must live in a home with both biological parents, lest the be fucked up for all of eternity and then some.

Not long into the ridiculous program, I asked this guy a few questions.

“You’re a Christian, right?”

Right.

“And you say children must have their birth father in the home?”

Correct again.

“But wait, the man you worship, he wasn’t raised by his father—he lived with his stepfather, Joe! Man, that Jesus must’ve been a total fuck up as a result!”

The guy, losing track of the fact we were partaking in a cheesy, highly staged “debate,” went apoplectic on me. Which is something I love about the Right. Not only are they so Wrong, they totally lack any shred of a sense of humor about life, so immersed are they in their humorless ideology.

Spike G looking hot!Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Sarah Palin. Who happens to be a month younger than me. Which means that, wow, I hadn’t thought of this before now but I could be the next VP!! Well, except for all that fucking around, the abortion which I still hold was one of the smartest decisions and best days of my life, and a couple of bitter ex-step-kids who would be the first to call the New York Times and report that I told them to fuck themselves. (Of which I’m not proud but, okay, it happened). Oh yeah, and that bastard son of mine…
Sarah P looking hot!Still, despite these facts, I realize that Sarah and I overlap enough that there’s a chance some people could mistake us since, as of this writing, we’ve never been spotted in a room together at the same time. Thus I am here to point out some of this overlap and to clarify our differences. To wit:

*Sarah Palin wears her hair in an up-do, unable to let go of that archetypal fifties-mom thing. Spike Gillespie wears her hair in a messy, over-sized crew cut of sorts, which, like Palin’s coiffure, defies gravity, because she is unable to let go of that archetypal punk rock thing.

*Sarah Palin shoots wolves from planes. Spike Gillespie wolfs plain shoots piled on top of her Vietnamese pho.

*Sarah Palin loves to kill moose. As the largest of nine siblings (who often wanted to kill her), Spike Gillespie’s childhood nickname was Moose.

*Sarah Palin is going to lose as Vice President. Spike Gillespie lost her bid for Student Council Vice President in fifth grade (for which she was handed the consolation prize of Safety Patrol Captain the very same year she managed to walk in front of, and be hit by, a moving vehicle.)

*Sarah Palin is a former beauty queen. Spike Gillespie was Miss Bicentennial in the 1976 Bicentennial Parade in Westville, NJ. (Full disclosure: this was not a beauty pageant, per se, but Spike’s mom happened to be the only one who knew how to sew those cloth, shower-cap style hats favored by Betsy Ross et al.)

Sarah P with a favorite phallic object!
Spike G - personal collection*Sarah Palin loves phallic objects that pack a punch. (See photo). Spike Gillespie loves phallic objects you can eat for lunch. (See other photo.)

*Sarah Palin worships a Jew born in the Holy Land who was eventually hung on a cross. Spike Gillespie’s young, hot boyfriend, Warren, is a Jew who was born in the Holy Land, is well hung and rarely cross.

*Sarah Palin believes in educating teenagers about sex, as in, It is Dirty and Evil if you're not married, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy is a Total Sin unless you're my beautiful daughter in which case it is a Gift from God! Spike Gillespie believes in educating teenagers about sex which is why she likes to put condoms on bananas at the dinner table and remind her son that, while grandparenthood isn’t something she’s opposed to, she sure hopes he’ll at least wait to grant her this honor until she’s done that around-the-world-trip she’s planning for 2010-2012.

*Sarah Palin is opposed to abortion in all cases except for when the life of the mother-to-be is proved to be totally at risk. Spike Gillespie is in favor of abortion for whatever reasons, but most especially if the mother-to-be is, courtesy of pregnancy, going to look like a total fucking cow at prom.

Which, come to think of it, might be something the former beauty queen would concur is a risk too great to take. Ah, common ground. I knew if I worked it hard enough I could get us there.

Spike Gillespie can’t find her damn Safety Patrol Captain badge anywhere. Have you seen it? She blogs regularly for LaunchPad Coworking and at www.spikeg.com. She is also head mistress for the Dick Monologues. You can email her at spike@spikeg.com to reserve seats for the October 8th show.

Yesterday, Austin media outlets covered the sad closing of downtown fixture Las Manitas. A reader recommended we check out KXAN's story on the closing of the restaurant; towards the end of the on-location story, as the reporter reads from the sign in the door about the soul of Austin being lost, another woman joins in the fun. It's at about the 2:37 mark. [KXAN video]

Image from Temporary Residence profile Emo’s 16th Anniversary with Eluvium, Balmorhea, Bexar Bexar
Thursday, September 4
Emos (603 Red River St)
doors 8 p.m., show 10 p.m.
[info]Portland, OR's Matthew Cooper, a.k.a. Eluvium, has been orchestrating bits of guitar, piano, and electronics into massively elegant ambient compositions for a few years now. (Despite his relatively brief time on the scene, he's already amassed enough work for his label to have a 7xLP box set in the works for later this year.) Cooper has also recently released an album called Miniatures under his own name, which may or may not work its way into Eluvium's set at Emo's tonight. While Cooper doesn't seem quite like the kind of artist that would endear himself to performing in downtown rock dives, let alone headlining an anniversary show for a punk-centric club like Emo's, stranger things have happened. Come to think of it, this could be a match made in heaven. With local experimentalists Balmorhea and Bexar Bexar opening.

Eluvium.net
Balmorhea MySpace
Bexar Bexar MySpace

concert poster from The Mohawk Shearwater, Wye Oak, Hospital Ships
Thursday, September 4
The Mohawk (912 Red River)
$8, doors at 8 p.m.
[info] | [tickets]Shearwater sure has built themselves a little sea swell of fanhood and critical approval these past few months, and it's no surprise. Since frontman Jonathan Meiburg—the man with the super-big voice—made the executive decision that his days in established local faves Okkervil River had to end, the added focus on Shearwater has allowed the band to release a widely-praised LP, Rook, not to mention tour the country like bandits. By making music that is not even remotely afraid of the dramatic, Meiburg, along with Kimberly Burke, Kevin Schneider, Jordan Gieger and the Austin ever-present personality Thor Harris, has drawn fawning comparisons to eighties pillars of profundity Talk Talk, and have made sure that they are a band to be reckoned with, not only on album but with their big-sound live shows.

Warming up the stage for Shearwater will be a pair of underrated but enjoyable traveling acts, Wye Oak and Hospital Ships. Wye Oak, a Baltimore band named after Maryland's state tree, is Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack creating the noise of far more than two people. Particularly important to the construction of their sound is that Stack somehow manages to hold down the entire rhythm section himself, playing the drums with his feet and right hand, and the bass line with his left. Their debut LP, If Children, has been received well, and their electrified folk leanings are a fine way to really get the evening rolling.

Kansas-based Hospital Ships, a side project of Minus Story member Jordan Geiger, is super new to the scene, and their approach—a clattering and fun mix of grimy rock and sunny art music—is still developing. That said, their potential is undeniable, and the early returns on their upcoming LP Oh, Ramona, which includes the delightful "Bitter Radio Single," are promising. Altogether, it looks to be an excellent night of music, from beginning to end.

We have a very special giveaway lined up for this show. Matador Records has been kind enough to offer two contest winners passes to the show as well as a print of the show's poster (designed by Farley Bookout, featured here), and a collection of Shearwater vinyl releases, signed by the band. Winners will receive vinyl copies of Palo Santo, Rooks and the special "Rooks" 7". Follow the jump for a chance to win this very special prize!

Shearwater [MySpace] [Official]
Wye Oak [MySpace] [Official]
Hospital Ships [MySpace]

Name: Email:

Want a second chance for tickets? KUT's Texas Music Matters is giving away two pairs as well!

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group.

Untitled
BY BRIANB

Nash Cook

Wu Tang's GZA performed his classic Liquid Swords last night at Emo's to a frenzied, thankful crowd. Austinist contributing photographer Nash Cook was there to capture the evening.

• Alaska being "right next to Russia" apparently qualifies as foreign policy experience according to McCain.
• Jesse Jackson hospitalized.
• Unemployment claims up once again. So much for our "strong economy."
• That kitten has claws.
• Tell us again that global warming doesn't exist.
• LA City Council offers up to $500,000 to catch serial killer.
• Detroit Mayor pleads guilty in "Textgate" and resigns.

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

"Tales Of Mere Existence" By Levni Yilmaz B.O.G.

Buy a Comic/DVD set from Lev!
http://www.ingredientx.com/buy/main.htm

For more comics, animations and correspondence, kindly visit
http://www.talesofmereexistence.com

If you gravitate towards isolated, obsessive nerd habits like I do, also consider a visit to:
http://www.myspace.com/tales_of_mere_existence

Kris Cohen/Flickr

• Historic building in Elgin catches fire this afternoon.
• Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that this UT football season will bring about $142 million to our town.
• City of Austin holding public meetings on urban rail plan.
• Even after all those lay-offs, METV plans to stay on-air.
• Apartment owners suing Farmers Branch (again!) over their new ban on the rental of housing to illegal immigrants.
• Multiple retired judges and prosecutors from around the state and country ask Gov. Perry to stop the upcoming execution of Charles Dean Hood.
• Texans for Public Justice want Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's wealth investigated.

The Edge Of Heaven
Wednesday, September 3
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street)
7:30pm, Individual tickets MAY be available at the door
[info]Typical European excellence defines this beautiful story of six characters in Turkey and Germany. As usual, the Euros have a strong eye and ear for reality and a penchant for politics. This one convincingly crosses international borders, as we follow the philosophy professor, Nejat and his dad, Ali, who's just asked a prostitute to live with him; a young Turkish revolutionary (the prostitute's daughter), and a German mother and daughter.

The film plays with the micro and macro duality so common now in European film. The small events are what make the plot turn, influencing its tone and politics, not the other way around. Coincidence and chance play strongly in there as well. As for the politics, the film's got a few: Turkey and the European Union, Turkish traditions and religions. The sort of stuff all of us should know more about, but it never distracts from the drama.

Overwhelmingly though, we come away with a few things: the stunning beauty of Turkey (and Europe as a whole), and an appreciation for great drama. Don't miss this one.