Showing results by author "Texas Monthly" in All Categories

Erik Maund had it all. A wife and kids, a mansion by the Austin Country Club golf course, and an executive position with his family’s car dealership. But in March 2020, a message from a stranger put everything at risk. Someone knew Erik had an affair with an escort, and wanted money to keep quiet. Erik didn’t pay the money, though. He didn’t go to the cops, either. Instead, he paid Charlie Sheen’s former bodyguard and a couple of special ops-trained security contractors to confront the blackmailer. Things didn’t go according to plan.In “The Problem with Erik,” host Katy Vine and ...

In a rugged corner of West Texas, billionaire wildcatters and roughnecks are fueling an oil boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics. This modern-day gold rush has sent both big oil companies and scrappy start-ups scrambling to secure a piece of the action. Texas Monthly’s Christian Wallace follows characters along every rung of the oil field ladder, from the executive cutting billion-dollar deals to the itinerant pipeline worker risking life and limb, and from the traveling exotic dancer following the trail of money to those who worry that our planet is on ...

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was actually a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker ...

Go inside the most expensive, most talked-about political race of 2018: the U.S. Senate contest between Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz. For a generation, Texas has been America’s ultimate red state. No Democrat has won statewide office here since 1994. Will this be the race where everything changes? Or will Beto-mania turn out to be just another fantasy? For the next month, Texas Monthly, chronicler of life in contemporary Texas since 1974, and Pineapple Street Media, creator of Missing Richard Simmons, will be traveling around the state of Texas, reporting in real time. We...

In “One by Willie,” Texas Monthly’s John Spong hosts intimate conversations with a range of prominent guests about the Willie Nelson songs that mean the most to them. But this series isn’t just about the songs. It’s about what music really means to us—the ways it can change us, take care of us, and connect us all. Songs featured in the episodes can be found on Apple Music. Listen here.

There’s something different about Texas. But how do you define it without resorting to cliches about cowboys and oilmen? At Texas Monthly, we think the answer is through stories — stories like the ones we’ve been telling for almost 50 years. On State of Mind, you’ll hear those stories from our talented writers and from a wide array of other Texans. Join us each week for a new story about life in the Lone Star State, from the Texas Monthly team behind “Boomtown,” “One by Willie,” and “Tom Brown’s Body.”

Big hats, big trucks, big oil fortunes — Texas clichés all. And while those elements do flourish throughout Texas, they alone hardly define the place. The Lone Star State is and has always been a great melting pot, home to sprawling cities, trailblazing innovators, and treasured traditions from all over, many of which become ingrained in popular culture and intertwined with the American ideal.

With a population of twenty-nine million, Texas has birthed some of America’s most innovative, culture-altering politicians, entertainers, athletes, and activists of the last five decades. In Lone Stars Rising, the editors of Texas Monthly select fifty of the most trailblazing Texans who have shaped the Lone Star State and America today.

Amegy Bank recognizes that a bank is only as strong as the community it serves. All across Texas, communities are created by outstanding individuals--each of these individuals has a story to tell. Join Amegy Bank and Texas Monthly Studio in "Creating Community," a podcast about Texas innovators, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and the stories behind businesses they built.

To celebrate Perini Ranch Steakhouse’s 40th anniversary, owners Lisa and Tom Perini invited friends, historians, ranchers and chefs to share their reflections on what makes this steakhouse so iconic. This collection of stories shows off history, hospitality, and hominy (green chile hominy that is) that have made Perini Ranch Steakhouse a Texas institution. Learn how a little steakhouse off the beaten path became synonymous with “Real Texas Food!” The tale of a cowboy cook and the best little steakhouse in Texas will capture the hearts and taste buds of fans around the globe. Produced in ...