Hayes Carll

I first heard Hayes Carll while driving down the road in Dallas not long after "Flowers and Liquor" was released about ten or so years ago. I was immediately drawn to his music and started attending his shows whenever he came to town. Back when I first heard him, I figured that if Hayes Carll did not receive greater acclaim it was because there is no cosmic justice in the state of Texas. While pretty boys in fancy britches were singing pop with a twang in huge venues, Hayes Carll was sharing thoughtful, articulate songs in venues of a significantly smaller scale. Thankfully, Hayes Carll now has the attention he deserves, and he has a strong, loyal following. Here's a link to Hayes Carll playing "Beaumont."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzQyw3YNWIc 

Cheerleaders for Chess

The University of Texas at Dallas' chess program is so good that the team even has cheerleaders. Good is probably an understatement for UTD considering that they have had teams that were ranked the best in the Western Hemisphere. The picture below is from yesterday's match against the University of Belgrade, which was played via Skype.

Hurray! Blue Bell has returned!

Blue Bell returned to North Texas shelves today, an answer to the prayers of much of the citizenry. I am sure that I am not the only one who has stood in the frozen food section of the grocery store wondering if buying a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia during Blue Bell's absence was tantamount to betrayal of our iconic Texas brand. Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass, to whose family Fort Worth owes much of its current success, saved our beloved ice cream from (as one newsman put it) a meltdown. Hurray for Sid Bass! You Scream! I scream! We all deserve the T-shirt.

A Fine Day for Pedernales River Chili

We have reached the prime chili con carne time of year in Texas, and Lady Bird Johnson's Pedernales River Chili recipe is perhaps the most famous chili recipe in existence. When LBJ was in the White House, Lady Bird received so many requests for the recipe that she had it printed on card stock for distribution.

Here is a link to a scanned copy of one of Lady Bird Johnson's Pedernales River Chili recipe cards.

http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/FAQs/Recipes/chili.asp

Gothabilly on Halloween

Ghoultown is a gothabilly band from Dallas, and their website bio describes them as "an uncharted crossroads between Johnny Cash and Rob Zombie." Who could resist a little cowboy graveyard rock on Halloween night?

Here is a link to one of their videos. I especially like the horses in skeleton costumes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssCAdUgkr5A 

Floydada: Pumpkin Capital USA

Floydada, Texas, which is up around the Panhandle, is known as "Pumpkin Capital USA." There's a good chance that the fat orange squashes that many of us have carved into jack o' lanterns come from Floydada. James McMurtry actually wrote a song about the town, although it is called "Levelland." Floydada wouldn't fit the meter. Below is a link to an article about Pumpkin Capital USA as well as a link to James McMurtry's "Levelland" video.

Floydada: Pumpkin Capital USA:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/31/us-halloween-texas-idUSKCN0SP0I320151031 

"Levelland" by James McMurtry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-D824LHti4 

Cormac McCarthy, The Road, and an El Paso Hotel

A few years ago, Cormac McCarthy, who could be described as a reclusive genius, granted an interview to Oprah Winfrey. McCarthy's take on language and the subconscious is fascinating, and the anecdotes from his hardscrabble life can be quite funny. In the interview, he discusses the birthplace of The Road, which was a hotel room in El Paso. When he describes the book's origin, he talks about imagining fire on the mountains beyond his hotel window. I can not help but wonder if his apocalyptic vision was somehow connected, subconsciously or otherwise, to the words written on a mountain across the border in Ciudad Juarez, "LA BIBLIA ES LA VERDAD. LEELA," or "The Bible is the truth. Read it." I imagine that this question has already been posed by a member of the Cormac McCarthy Society, but it's new ground for me. Here is a link to a segment of the interview.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RmgK0ds2d4