Image from Arthur Miller Collection, Harry Ransom Center Rehearsing the American Dream: Arthur Miller’s TheatreSeptember 4 - December 30Harry Ransom Center (21st & Guadaloupe)free, hours vary[info]Sometimes we think we could spend a lifetime sorting through the treasure trove of historical documents and materials in the Harry Ransom Center. From the Gutenberg Bible to the Watergate papers, from the first-ever photograph to love poems written by Ernest Hemingway from the trenches of World War I, the... more ›

When we first heard about literary movie night, we naturally assumed that the film would be Hellraiser. We mean, how many other book-turned-films have so thoroughly and entertainingly explored sadomasochism and moral confusion? Not many, we think. more ›

Looking for something interesting to do this weekend? It's Friday, after all, and there has to be something unconventional you can participate in, or at least bear witness to. Yeah, there's a few shows you could attend, or perhaps you could just say "screw it" and while the hours away at a bar. Deep down, though, you want to stretch out and do something different. As part of the Fuse Box Festival, local performance... more ›

"I've had a hell of a good time. I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Such was the off-the-cuff nonchalance and quirky charm that epitomized the inimitable Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away yesterday at the age of 84. With a dazzling career that spanned over half a century, Vonnegut was, to us, the quintessential American man of letters: novelist, essayist, playwright, and, despite having borne witness to the brutalities of World War II, a staunch humanist. Vonnegut crafted lucid, oftentimes absurd narratives that unmasked the horrors of war, satirically railed against the greed and hypocrisy inherent in human nature, and generally took the piss out of the bizarre structures and notions built into what we consider "modern" societies. "Human beings will be happier," said the writer in an interview with Playboy in 1973, "Not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie, but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That’s my utopia." Equally as memorable as the messages in his novels were the characters that Vonnegut conjured up. Some of our favorites were Dr Paul Proteus of Player Piano, a rabble-rousing engineer fed up with life in a fully-automated society, and the curmudgeonly old Rabo Karabekian of Bluebeard, a retired artist who'd rather everyone just leave him be. We can only imagine Vonnegut carefully crafting these fascinating and (mostly) likable protagonists, then gleefully plunging them into preposterous or terrifying dystopias and forcing them to fend for themselves. Vonnegut suffered a fall a few weeks ago in his Manhattan apartment, causing extensive damage to his brain. Even then, said his manager, Donald Farber, "He was in good spirits. Every time he spoke with me no matter what the circumstances in the world, he had a funny angle on it even if it wasn't a funny thing." And so it goes.
More:
Kurt Vonnegut dead at 84 (Washington Post)
Works by Vonnegut (Book List)
Vonnegut's Official Website
Interviews with McSweeney's more ›

Tonight, the Austin Film Festival presents Military Intelligence and You!, a cleverly comical World War II parody starring Patrick Muldoon and Elizabeth Bennett. The film combines actual historic footage with new black and white narrative bits to tell the story of a military analyst’s desperate attempt to locate a hidden Nazi fighter base. Mackenzie Astin, John Rixey Moore and Eric Jungmann round out the cast. AFF Presents: Military Intelligence and You! Thursday, April 5th Alamo... more ›

Lord knows we've been wearing a do-rag in honor of Prince's superbowl performance since early February; his technophallic guitartistry reignited our girlhood crush. And as "the artist" teetered on the brink of electrocution-by-instrument in Dolphin Stadium that torrential evening, we thought, "Will anything EVER bring us as much delight as Purple Rain?" Answer: yes, the new major exhibit at the Blanton Museum, The Geometry of Hope, which opens today. The phrase “geometry of hope”... more ›

This year's football season may be over for the Longhorns, but their home field is about to get a much anticipated facelift. Beginning this Friday, construction crews will demolish the north end zone, the oldest part of The Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, in order to make way for ... you guessed it, more seating. more ›

This past June, American portrait photographer Arnold Newman passed away in his birthplace of New York City at the age of 88. Four months later, his acclaimed portrait photographs have found a permanent home, where they will share a room with the first-ever photograph and The Gutenberg Bible, at The University of Texas' Harry Ransom Humantities Research Center. more ›

Photo by Jaume d'Urgell On this day 61 years ago, the world’s first wartime use of an atomic bomb occurred. The bomb, code named Little Boy, was dropped from an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, on the city of Hiroshima, Japan at 8:15 a.m. The death count on that day topped 140,000 and leveled the city. Three days later the city of Nagasaki suffered a similar fate with more than 74,000 victims. These... more ›

Okay, so the headline isn't entirely true, but forget about World War III for a second and listen to some really good news: yesterday Rollingstone.com broke the story, and today pitchfork reported to people under 35 that legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has been added to Modest Mouse's permanent lineup. Our minds are reeling with the possibiities: imagine the man who wrote the riffs to The Headmaster Ritual and This Charming Man working for... more ›

Well this could be the last time. This could be the last time. May be the last time. I dont know. [07.22 in Music] Last chance to see A Scanner Darkly with composer Graham Reynolds [07.22 in Movies] Celebrating Slackerdom...Again: This Week's New Movie Releases! [07.21 in Movies] World War III, IV, or V? [07.21 in News] Austin Duo Brave Sharks and Sea Monsters for Vets [07.21 in Fitness+Outdoors] Lock Up the Children and... more ›

F R I D A Y [ 2 7 ] [music] Explosions in the Sky, Octopus Project and A Hawk and a Hacksaw at Emo's (Sold Out!) [music] Brandi Carlile at Cactus Cafe (9pm) [music] Zilla featuring Michael Travis (String Cheese Incident) at Stubb's [music] Shake Your Ass Record Release Party with Chili Cold Blood, This Damn Town, Possessed By Paul James, Black Joe Lewis & Cool Breeze at Beerland [music] Chant, Exit, and... more ›

It almost sounds like the premise for an episode of Alias: enroute from New Mexico to Kilgore, two vials of radioactive material went missing, and they've no idea where they went! It seems the bottles were shipped by Albuquerque, NM firm Pro Technics, who packed them in a "green, World War II-era metal ammunition box." The Texas Department of State Health Services suspects they may be in Austin. Pro Technics is offering a $1000... more ›

For a while after all of our friends moved to the North Loop area, we cursed them. Their relocation meant more money spent on gas, longer commutes for reality t.v.-watching, and packing on the pounds from all those Parlor pizzas and Ararat hummus. We changed our tune when we drove down 53rd St. one day and spotted our new favorite store, Slinky Whistle Bait. The boutique (whose name apparently comes from a World War... more ›

Back in May, Alamo Drafthouse and DJ Nick Nack teamed up to bring us a screening of Fritz Lang's magnificent Metropolis, set to a live turntable score by the vinyl maestro. This Saturday, they're bringing it back with back-to-back showings of the black and white sci-fi masterpiece at the Downtown Drafthouse, at 7pm and 9pm. The screening we attended last time sold out, so we had to settle for seats at the very front;... more ›

Rejoice, Austinites! One of our most esteemed local entertainment staples has returned after ... a period of time when they were gone. Those wild ‘n crazy guys of the Sinus Show are bringing back their lawsuit-worthy antics (apparently it’s all legal now) this Friday. Join them as they skewer the 1984 relic Red Dawn, starring mega hunks Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. According to IMDb, this movie is about a group of Midwestern high school students who organize themselves into a guerilla force to fight off invading Soviet armies at the outbreak of World War III. more ›

In 1927, Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang premiered his latest masterpiece to a modest reception in Berlin: Metropolis it was titled, so-named for the futuristic citystate where its story takes place. The black-and-white silent film describes a society split into two vastly disparate castes: the privileged Thinkers, who dwell in the lofty upper levels of the skyscrapered urban cityscape, and the oppressed Workers, who wallow in an underground dystopic squalor.Borne of the waning German Expressionism... more ›

The University of Texas at Austin's Harry Ransom Center just announced that they've acquired Norman Mailer's papers. Based on the New York Times article, it seems that Mailer is a bizarre mix of profligacy (25,000 letters, nine kids) and discipline (all carbon-copied, saved on disk, or sent to college). Mailer's 20,000 pounds of paper will have illustrious company at the Ransom Center, which is home to the world's first photograph, a Gutenberg bible, and all... more ›