{ ENTERTAINMENT }
Ready to Rock
You don’t have to wade too deep into a conversation with Mike Schoder to understand his world view, particularly when he says that the security guards for his latest venture will wear shirts that read “Serenity” and “Be Kind.” Yes, Schoder’s that sort of guy.
Which is exactly why he was so excited to reopen the venerable Granada Theater on August 18. The art-deco landmark is now a venue for live music. That makes sense for Schoder, who began selling CDs out of his car in 1992 and went on to found CD World. To spruce up the Granada, he brought in a top-flight consultant to update the sound system. He also teamed up with executive chef Billy Galyean (of Beau Nash fame) to cater to his guests. “The kitchen is ‘wow,’” Schoder says, “and we’re putting together a menu that’s carryable in the rock ’n’ roll environment.” The emphasis will be food that’s simple, such as the Flaming Lips Taco or the Spicy Santana Pizza.
As for the music, Schoder has already booked acts that are as impressive as they are diverse: the Gourds, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Wilco, to name just a few. And though at press time he was still trying to decide whether the banner above the stage should read “Love Yourself” or something else, Schoder has no doubts about his new project. “The Granada is just a reverent location,” he says. “I was lucky to come along at the right time.” —Brian D. Sweany
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{ TECH TALK }
BY THE NUMBERS 75 percent of Dallas respondents say other people are less courteous when using wireless phones today than they were five years ago. 98 percent think they are very or somewhat courteous. 35 percent refuse to turn off their ringers in a restaurant. 25 percent have been told they’re talking too loudly when using a wireless phone. 78 percent say they’ve overheard a phone conversation in a public restroom. |
Cell Phone Etiquette 101
Hold the phone! Dallas needs to learn some manners.
by Adam McGill
Sprint PCS Wireless recently completed an online survey in major metropolitan areas about cell phone etiquette. Dallas was one of them, and guess what? We’re rude. We talked to Sprint spokesperson Roxie Ramirez—who, according to her, is a courteous cell phone user—about the survey. Then we asked a few questions of our own.
D: Is it okay to use that “Can you hear me now” joke, even if you’re not a Verizon customer?
Ramirez: You know, it’s been overused. It’s staid.
D: If you’re in a heated conversation and you’re trying to make a point, you can slam a regular phone down, but with a cell phone, is there any way to indicate anger when you’re hanging up?
Ramirez: [laughs] I suppose you could always shout and call them several expletives.
D: Well, I won’t call you an expletive. I’ll just hang up courteously.
Ramirez: Great. Let me know if you need anything else.
D: I will.
Ramirez: Dammit.
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{ STYLE }
Makeover Madness
José Eber sets up shop in a unique salon that’s dedicated to a whole new you.
by Kori Kaufman
When José Eber wanted to energize his career by opening a new salon, he didn’t pack up his fabulous hats and head to New York or LA. Instead, he chose Plano. His chic new digs, off Chapel Hill Boulevard and the Tollway, feature hair specialists imported from France and Italy. If your locks require the star treatment, you can even schedule a consultation and cut with the man himself—for $195 and up.
But Eber isn’t the only thing that will have women scrambling to make an appointment. His salon is part of the Willow Bend Wellness Center, a luxurious one-stop shop for lavish makeovers that its creators say is unlike any place in the country. Need a face-lift? No problem. Botox? Check. Lip enhancement? Scar removal? That, too. In fact, in-house dentist Wayne Ku can whiten your teeth or apply veneers after you get a body wrap or massage in the Hanna Isul spa. And if you think you deserve celebrity secrecy—or your friends believe you get your plump pucker from your father’s side of the family—the office has a private entrance.
The visionary behind this mega-makeover project is facial plastic surgeon Dr. Samuel Lam. The thirtysomething is smart (degrees from Princeton, Baylor, and Columbia), creative (he painted all of the art in the building), and nimble (he can go from scrubs to designer suits in five seconds flat). “The demographics of Plano will support an elite boutique center,” he says with all the confidence of an M.B.A. “There’s a lack of a center of this kind in Dallas, and we are filling that need.” The care provided at the Wellness Center is indeed high-end, and so are its clients. And to unwind from a long, hard day of red-carpet treatment and medical miracles, patients can zip across the street for some retail therapy at the Shops at Willow Bend.
As for the future, Lam hopes to bring in an organic cafeteria, a staff nutritionist, and even luxurious suites for overnight visits. And now that José’s back, don’t expect him just to style hair. This fall, he will launch a new beauty product line that bears his name and includes hair, body care, and makeup. How very Plano.
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Location, Location, Location?
The tiny shack at 6855 Greenville Avenue just can’t make up its mind. That address has sunk more businesses in the past seven years than the Bermuda Triangle—scooter stores, taco stands, hamburger joints, even palm readers (who should have known better). It is, in short, the most fickle location in Dallas. Which would make George Rubio and Laura Garza, the current tenants, the bravest business partners in town. As a co-owner of Summer Snow—the place sells snow cones now—Rubio knew what he was getting into when he signed his name to the lease of death this summer. Years ago, DART nabbed the adjacent land and obliterated parking, drive-thru, and walk-up traffic, but Rubio isn’t discouraged. “I know I have a great product,” he says, “and I think we’re going to be here for a while.” But what happens if Summer Snow doesn’t make it past the winter chill? I’m crossing my fingers for hookah. —Jenny Cheng
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{ CULTURE }
Tattoo You
A local legend gets a long-overdue work of art.
by Spencer Michlin
Jim Murray finally got his tattoo. Having chickened out in 1948, Murray now sports the tiny anchor he coveted when he was a young sailor. For the 75-year-old photographer and documentarian, who has survived a stroke and is now battling bladder cancer, it’s his way to “rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
A patron saint of Dallas’ creative community, Murray arrived in Dallas in 1950, graduated from SMU in 1954, and soon took a job as a cameraman for WBAP. He was at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, and his photographs of that day’s events have been reprinted throughout the world. One such picture, which is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, captures Lee Harvey Oswald looking up through a bouquet of cowboy hats worn by Dallas cops. Murray clambered onto a file cabinet to get the shot.
In 1966, Murray joined Dallas photographer Shel Hershorn in Hershorn/ Murray Studios on Oak Lawn. That studio, like Murray’s later solo ateliers in the old Baker Hotel and in the warehouse he converted in the West End, became a magnet for talented young people. He always looked like a sailor to me, as he tackled the physical aspects of his trade. He’d wedge his wiry body around, above, under, or through anything that stood between him and the perfect shot. He’s frail now and nearly blind and walks with the aid of a cane. But once you tugboat him to his seat at his favorite table, those blue eyes sparkle through thick glasses, and his brilliant mind and lightning wit take over, swabbing away the years like that kid sailor who finally got his tattoo.
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{ MEDIA }
The Glossy Wars
Magazines are duking it out for Dallas readers, but who’s the real champ?
by Joseph Guinto
This month, another fancy, glossy magazine will launch in Dallas. Modern Luxury Dallas is the brainchild of Chicago-based Modern Luxury Inc., which also publishes fancy, glossy magazines in Newport Beach (Riviera), Los Angeles (Angeleno), and Chicago (CS). Modern Luxury’s CEO, Michael Kong, says, “Dallas is one of the best high-style markets in the country, has a sophisticated and affluent population, and in our opinion is very underserved in the area of luxury lifestyle publishing.” Don’t tell that to PaperCity, Brilliant, Southern Vanity, and, for that matter, D Magazine, all of whom are fighting for readers living luxurious lifestyles. Here, we compare the competitors.
BRILLIANT | MODERN LUXURY | SOUTHERN VANITY | PAPERCITY | D | |
Typical Cover | Older bejeweled woman on a blah background. Sublimely bland cover line containing any or all of the following words: “ | Elegant photo of gaunt model and/or gaunt A-list celebrity. Understand cover lines such as “Summer Style” and/or “Luke Wilson.” | B-list celebrity with tangential connection to | Poster-size, brightly colored photo of model. Incomprehensible cover lines such as “We’ll Not Be Feeling Our Gilded Cages.” | A smokin’ babe on a white background. Cover line touting the “Best of Everything in the |
What’s in Fashion | “Excess is best, and the lingering minimalism of the 1990s is now officially over.” Also, turquoise! | Bones. Models can never be too skinny. | SassyBax. “Not a bra, not a camisole, SassyBax effectively eliminates the back-roll between your pits and your patootie.” That’s right, patootie. | The dandy look for men. “According to the French existentialist Baudelaire, the dandy lives (and eventually dies) in front of a mirror.” Then again, Baudelaire died from venereal disease. | A smokin’ Chanel-clad babe cruising |
What Others Say | Mike Levy, legendary publisher of Texas Monthly, said on the occasion of Brilliant’s debut, “Although we wish them well, we are not optimistic about their future.” So, good luck with that. | Levy said this about Kong’s Modern Luxury empire: “These [pictures] all look like advanced editions of someone’s high school annual. How many times do you want to look at boring?” Depends on whether you’re married. | Southern Vanity recently admonished itself this way: “We would like to apologize for … an article from another magazine that managed to get in our magazine by mistake [!].” Res ipsa loquitur. | According to Kong, “The [format] is visually interesting but provides no issue life or readership. You flip through it and then it’s in the trash.” On the upside, a whole year’s worth of Papercity takes up very little space in a landfill. | Lance Avery Morgan. Co-publisher of Brilliant, has said this, which we assume refers to D: “We’re not going to uncover the bad stuff. We’re going to tell bad things about bad people.” |
What They’ve Written |
