Street TALK

Kay Can Spell Potato

Dallas attorney and state treasurer KAY BAILEY Hutchison is known for her tact, but she’s well-prepared for any verbal slip-ups in her run for Lloyd Bentsen’s senate seat. Her campaign press secretary is David Beckwith, former vice president dan Quayle’s press secretary. Beckwith had the chore of mopping up some of his ex-boss’ famous gaffes, including Dan’s misspelling of potato.

Strike While the Aria’s Hot

Some Dallas Opera orchestra members are talking about the possibility of a strike-and so far have raised around $1,400 for a strike fund. The orchestra’s contract was up in February, when the opera season ended, so a strike-which players hope to avoid-could not take place until the next season starts in October. At issue is the usual thing-money. The Dallas Opera Orchestra Players’ Association, now in its fourth year, points out that Dallas Symphony Orchestra members, who used to provide the music for the opera, received nearly twice the salary for the same jobs. Meanwhile the DO orchestra is searching for a new conductor, a job that’s been vacant since Nicola rescigno quit in 1990. Word has it that American Bruce Ferden, former conductor of Aachen, Germany’s opera and symphony, is a top contender. Ferden, who directed two Dallas Opera productions this season, made his Metropolitan Opera debut with the première of Philip Glass’ Voyage.

Slap This On Your Backside

After all the rude bumper stickers polluting Dallas streets, here’s a kinder, gentler one spotted on a Honda on Centrai Expressway: “Tolerance Trainee. I’m Pro-Choice On Everything.”

Man in His Underwear

Ex-KEGL DJ Kidd KREADDICK is now happily cracking wise in his job at KISS-FM, after a bidding war between KLIF, KISS and stations in Philadelphia and

Washington, D.C. But the outlook wasn’t always so sunny. After the Eagle dropped him last year. El Kidd initially got a flurry of offers-and then everything stopped. He went through a six-month slump when he wondered if he would ever work in radio again. “I thought I might be sitting in my underwear in my Naugahyde lounger playing Nintendo for the rest of my life.”



Bullets are a Girl’s Best Friend

Texas native Susan Howard, formerly of “Dallas,” is now back on TV as one of the major speakers for the National Rifle Association. Ubiquitous hair-handler Paul NEINAST, who’s been doing her do for years, says he gave Susan more of a business look for this gig, so that “every businesswoman will feel it’s OK to protect herself.”



Electronic Dreams

Tube hounds know that NBC’s comedy series “A Different World” is about campus life at a black college. So how come a recent episode, “Happy Birthday to Moi.” was written by a white guy. and a 1988 SMU grad at that? Perry dance acknowledges it would have been presumptuous of him to write about the black experience so “I pitched universal stories.” Says the 26-year-old Dallas native, who is an assistant to producers at Carsey-Werner in Los Angeles, ’This is my first sale.” He dreams of making a sale to “Roseanne” and directing and producing his own series.



Moscow on the Trinity

Contestants who come to Fort Worth for the Van Cliburn competition (the next one is in May) usually like to stick around. That certainly was the case with 1989 gold medalist ALEXI SULTANOV, who now has homes in both Moscow and Cowtown. When not trekking the globe on concert tours, the 23-year-old Sultanov likes to unwind at Six Flags, especially on the Cliffhanger ride. “There are rides in Gorky Park in Moscow,” he says. “But they are not as good as the ones here.” Meanwhile, his long commute means he’s racked up about 100,000 frequent flier miles.



Fly Guy

Another long-distance commuter, Dallas/Chicago DJ TOM JOYNER, says the real reason he’s getting out of the bi-cities biz is so he can devote full-time to pursuing GLADYS KNIGHT, on whom he has a heavy-duty crush. Joyner’s wife, Dora, knows all about this infatuation. “It was part of our pre-nuptial agreement,” jokes Tom. “She knew she had the job till Gladys wanted it.” Joyner has not actually seen the singer since he appeared in her video last year.



But Will It Fly in Toledo?

The Jeffs are at it again. That’s JEFF SWANKY and JEFF YARBROUGH, owners of Deep Ellum hangouts The An Bar. Blind Lemon, Club Clearview and the Prophet Bar. Now they’re expanding their act to an unspecified locale in the North Dallas/Addison area. Their new venture will. like their downtown digs, feature several clubs under one roof. This time it will be an Art Bar. a Blind Lemon and a new place, Your Mother’s Hip, a “funky, eclectic, kitschy coffeehouse hangout,” according to Yarbrough. If the new project is successful, the pair hope to take their concept nationwide.