Furniture in the Raw

Naked bodies and furniture go together about as well as teen-agers and sex. Which is to say the juxtaposition of subjects in Hidden Secrets is perfectly natural and still a tad disturbing. Joy Christiansen, a Texas Woman’s University grad student and photographer, presents work that is simple, direct and mysterious…

Modern Magic

Alvin Ailey was 27 when he and a troupe of modern dancers performed for the first time in New York City, a far cry from Ailey’s hometown of Rogers, Texas. About 45 years later, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has become one of the most reputed companies in American…

Radner Reincarnate

“Having cancer gave me membership into an elite club to which I would rather not belong,” Gilda Radner said after being diagnosed. Cancer is a bonding experience, whether one has it, knows someone with it or has lost someone to it. A 16-year breast cancer survivor, Kathy LaTour has put…

A Big Hunk O’ Love

You have never seen such a sight. And we stand firmly behind that statement. But we wouldn’t want to be standing anywhere behind eXtreme Elvis. The King has left San Francisco with The Extra Action Marching Band and is touring select cities–cities that apparently really need exposure to a 300-pound…

20 Years Young

These chicks dig rock and roll. These chicks also play rock and roll. But, beyond that, these chicks have rocked little folks to sleep and rolled the occasional stroller. That’s because these chicks are Frump, Dallas’ own all-mom garage band. Now imagine asking your mother to turn down that amp…

Flying Circus

Tony Hawk, since turning pro at 14, has made it seem possible to turn a passion into a career. Hawk is an icon, an innovator, an animated action star, a living legend adding another achievement to his résumé: a stunt circus. Employing other professional athletes such as Bucky Lasek (a…

Nickel and Dime It

So, you wanna go to a movie? Every time I hear that question I have to do a mental balancing of the bank account, decide if I should risk smuggling in snacks and dig for the student ID. Generally, the basic movie outing hits the $15 or $20 mark, and…

On Your Mark, Get Set, Bark

You gotta wonder what a pep talk for a dog must sound like to a fly on the wall. “You got it, Rufus, you’re number one! You are the bone, be the bone, go after the bone. Get out there and tell those mutts what for!” Say “dog competition” and…

Metal and Stone

“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” This is why artist Terry Stone abandoned life as an advertising art director and began to direct her own experiences into three-dimensional sculpture. When one finds his or her voice as an artist, it shouldn’t be avoided, and we’re glad Stone…

Forbidden’s Fruits

The shop situated in Exposition Park feels like what Tom Waits’ voice sounds like. It’s edgy; it’s at times macabre, and it’s got a great sense of humorous realism. And like the voice that became increasingly iconic over the years, Forbidden Media has evolved into its own landmark destination. Fairly…

Take a Gamble for Charity

I may safely claim to be the least qualified person to attend The Blazin’ Hot Poker Run for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas. I rode on the back of a motorcycle once, and I held on so tight that I bruised the ribs of the driver. I drove…

What Is It About the Osborns?

How incredible it is to feel like you’re really there. Away from the consumers, the McDonald’s, the lattes…face to face with enormous stone constructions and things as delicate as blades of grass, as gritty as roof shingles. What’s more amazing is that this art is breathtaking on its own, not…

A Step Forward for Dances Past

Clearly, I should have thought ahead. On a recent swing dance night, I mustered the nerve to sever myself from the wallflowers and ask for a dance, and I truly held my own during a middle-of-the-road version of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.” Confident, I remained on the dance floor…

Tour the Factory

The relationship between pop culture and Andy Warhol had an element that any couple would envy. The two actively inspired one another. In effect, they created icons that are each in their own way unmistakably American. Most have seen a Warhol in a book or on television (whether Campbell’s soup…