Books
October 16, 2023
I Think a Crime Bookstore Is the Best in Texas, So Stab Me
Houston’s Murder by the Book serves up bloodshed with a smile.
17 Articles
Books
January 23, 2023
Jones, Manson, and Now Koresh: Writer Jeff Guinn Has Completed His Unholy Trinity
On the occasion of his third cult examination, Guinn shares what he’s learned about the charisma of evil.
Film & TV
June 17, 2022
A Dare (and a Tweet) Started Texas’s Next Great Director on His Hollywood Journey
Filmmaker and Dallas native Cooper Raiff is only 25, but his second film, ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth,’ should establish him as Texas’s next great director.
Music
May 31, 2022
DJ Screw, in the Mesmerizing Words of Those Who Knew Him
Lance Scott Walker's ‘DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution’ is a worthwhile biography and oral history, even for those who already know the story of Screw's short, impactful life.
Film & TV
May 19, 2022
Sissy Spacek Is Among the Stars in Amazon’s ‘Night Sky’
The 72-year-old Oscar winner and East Texas native takes her small-town ethos to the small screen—and across galaxies.
Books
March 15, 2022
‘The Great Nowitzki’ Does Justice to Dirk’s Greatness
German writer Thomas Pletzinger has written a definitive biography of the seven-footer who brought a title to Dallas and a new era to the NBA.
Music
March 9, 2022
Texas Soul Has Gained a Thrilling New Album and Lost a Young Talent
Bastards of Soul front man Chadwick Murray died last September. His bandmates now reckon with the release of his final album.
Music
February 28, 2022
The Strange Case of the Chicks’ Missing Texas Tour Dates
For the first time in four years, the Chicks are back on the road—but one big state (and a bigger part of the band's history) is notably absent from the list of stops.
Film & TV
January 5, 2022
‘Yellowstone’ Is the Country’s Biggest TV Sensation. Why Are Critics Shrugging?
The Yellowstone prequel series ‘1883’ was a smash hit—and just the beginning for Taylor Sheridan’s western empire. Only viewers seem to care.
Film & TV
December 8, 2021
Skip ‘The Freak Brothers,’ and Read the Original Comics by Its Texan Creator Instead
The new show has a strong premise that’s derailed by cheap laughs. But cartoonist Gilbert Shelton’s counterculture strips are still great.
Books
November 15, 2021
Five Gripping New Texas Thrillers to Keep You Up at Night
You won't be able to put these down.
Film & TV
October 6, 2021
Fifty Years On, ‘The Last Picture Show’ Is an Indelible Texas Movie
There may be no more powerful film about growing up with nowhere to go.
Books
August 26, 2021
An Incendiary History of Civil Rights in Dallas Gets a Timely Reissue
First published in 1987, ‘The Accommodation’ still resonates today.
Music
July 28, 2021
Dusty Hill Was ZZ Top’s Center of Gravity
This is how the Texas band ends.
Books
May 6, 2021
The Texas Rangers Tried (and Failed) to Capture Pancho Villa. The Conflict Still Shapes the Texas-Mexico Border Today.
Jeff Guinn’s ‘War on the Border’ punctures the myth of the Rangers as frontier heroes.
Film & TV
March 26, 2021
‘Boyhood’ Star Ellar Coltrane Is Leaving Texas—But Staying Far From Hollywood
The actor stars as a gun-toting Smiths fan in ‘Shoplifters of the World.’
Books
October 22, 2019
W.K. Stratton’s Lifelong Obsession With ‘The Wild Bunch’
The Austin author traces the history of the movie that changed his life.