AltWeeklies Wire
How Alamo mythology got the upper hand on its historynew

The Battle of the Flowers began in 1891 when a small retinue of horse-drawn carriages and bicycles rambled to the Alamo. In imitation of European festivals of the time, San Antonio society ladies — members of the city's largely Anglo economic elite — threw flowers at each other in mock fight to honor the defenders of the Alamo and to commemorate the surprise victory at San Jacinto by Sam Houston's rebel forces over Santa Anna's army on April 21, 1836.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-20-2012 |
History
Tags: alamo, battle of the flowers
Urban myth: Phil Collins thinks he is a reincarnation of one of the Alamo defendersnew

Not true, writes Collins in the introduction to his new book The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-20-2012 |
History
Urban Myth: Ozzy Osbourne Pissed on the Alamonew

On January 19, 1982, a month after he stole headlines by biting the head off a bat during a concert, British heavy metal rock star Ozzy Osbourne gained even more notoriety when he was arrested in San Antonio for urinating on the memorial cenotaph in Alamo Plaza.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-18-2012 |
History
Composer Tobias Picker tapped to write a lead role for new SA opera companynew

When the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters announced their newly elected members on March 12, it was a good day for Schott Music, the venerable international music publishing company headquartered in Mainz, Germany, since 1770.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-05-2012 |
Performance
The Tobin equation: How performance centers elevate the artsnew

Raising money for arts organizations has always been difficult. Competition is steep.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-05-2012 |
Commentary
Poet Laureate approaches while Grona closesnew

On Tuesday, April 3, Mayor Julián Castro will formally announce nationally recognized poet and author Carmen Tafolla as the first City of San Antonio Poet Laureate.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-02-2012 |
Performance
What design elements at Karnes facility tell us about the state of immigrant detentionnew

No guard towers, no barbed wire, no road with armed checkpoints. The new Karnes County Civil Detention Center doesn't look much like a prison from the outside.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
04-02-2012 |
Immigration
Suárez mines the unbearable hardness of forgetting in 'I'll Remember for You'new

Once upon a time old people retired to their dotage aided by dozens of grandchildren and smiling nieces. Forgetfulness amongst the ancients was a granted, but no worries — their personal anecdotes were spoken often in earlier years and absorbed by younger generations.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
03-18-2012 |
Theater
Picasso's 'Guernica' tapestry riots amid works of political consciencenew

As tourists walked by oblivious to the 25-foot-long woven mural on the wall, I could hardly believe my eyes. Hanging in the San Antonio Museum of Art's Robert and Helen Kleberg Gallery next to a painting of the stoning of Saint Stephen by José Orozco is the 1955 tapestry version of Pablo Picasso's Guernica...
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
03-18-2012 |
Art
Sex and Desolation: inside 'Seven Minutes'new

The appeal of art openings isn't just in looking at the art (which is often difficult to see, hidden behind other viewers), but in the opportunity to look at people looking at art.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
03-09-2012 |
Art
Tags: seven minutes
Librotraficantes: Caravan to protest Arizona's dismantling of Mexican-American studiesnew
On Monday, March 12, the busses and cars of the Librotraficante Caravan will roll into San Antonio from Houston, making the first stop on their road trip.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
03-09-2012 |
Education
Luminaria's fifth brings ghetto-blasted animal cries, light sculpture, and poetrynew

Who would have thought a contemporary art festival could bring in the crowds?
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
03-08-2012 |
Art
Tags: luminaria, light sculpture
A treasure trove of lesser-known African-American artistsnew

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black athlete to play on a major league team.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
02-26-2012 |
Art
'Six Degrees of Separation': Sometimes the stranger is closer than bloodnew

Inspired in part by a real-life incident in which a young black man charmed his way into the homes of wealthy white New Yorkers by pretending to be the son of a famous actor, John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation explores the strangeness of the people we are related to, and the mysterious recognition that can spark between strangers.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
02-16-2012 |
Theater
Book Review: 'Bouncing Off Guardrails'new

"Who the hell is waking me up by ringing my fucking doorbell at 2:30 am? It must be Sunshine, but why doesn't she just use her key? Wait a minute, she's laying next to me.
San Antonio Current |
Scott Andrews |
02-15-2012 |
Nonfiction