Opinion & Commentary

It’s been a ride. For nearly four years, I’ve enjoyed writing the Local Music ‘Mericans column, getting to know some of my neighbors who are in love with music at least as much as I am. As a tribute to this column known as Local Music ‘Mericans, I’ve been asked…

Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. 3:20 p.m.: Today I am chaperoning our school’s Valentine’s Day dance. A line of about 100 kids…

Whether you love the Winter Olympics (“Guns plus skiing equals yes!!”) or hate them (“Stupid Winter Olympics need more gymnastics less ice dancing!”), everyone knows all Olympics are better with beer. Or whiskey. Or and whiskey. Welcome to the 2014 Sochi Olympics Drinking Game, the only way to enjoy the…

Just when you thought I would never talk about the Kennedy assassination and the Sixth Floor Museum again, I’m baaack. But, look, I’m only baaack because Robert Groden is baaack, this time with a state district court lawsuit against the city for malicious prosecution. Groden is the nationally known New…

We’ve been talking here off and on about land owners near the new UNT-Dallas campus in southern Dallas who want a sewer. They think City Hall is deliberately holding back on a system they were promised years ago. And, yeah, I always feel I need to stop and stipulate that…

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

Here’s an afterthought on the galactic response to WFAA sportscaster Dale Hansen’s anti-homophobia commentary last week about football player Michael Sam. It puts him in a weird position, old-white-guy-wise. My own comments on it at the time were typical — making a big deal out the fact that Hansen is…

If you’re a parent, it’s essential that you learn how to brag about your child as soon as possible. After all, parents are competitive about their children as soon as the kids pop out. (Sometimes, even before the kid’s born. “My pregnancy was super easy. I loved being pregnant! My…

There he was again yesterday commenting on my thing here about the convention center hotel, Wylie H., the city’s smartest, best informed and most mysterious commenter, and all I could think of was how badly I want to see him exposed. Wait. Why would I want to see Wylie H…

In the romantic-comedy of your life, you’d look to the camera during your DVD commentary interview and say, “It’s a story about finding love in unexpected places.” And then you’d say something like, “Really, the third character is the city. It’s about the places we run into each other.” But…

When the Omni Dallas Hotel opened next to the convention center in downtown Dallas in 2011, the story was that it would dig the convention center out of its financial hole. That was a big part of the pitch in 2008 when then-Mayor Tom Leppert was selling voters on bonds…

Flickr/Javier Lopez ZavalaEditor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. Earlier this week, I went to the funeral of a person that I cared about…

Dear Mexican: I know an 18-year-old getting deported from the USA. He has been here since he was 5 years old. His entire family is here and undocumented. He grew up in juvenile halls and did a felony as soon as he turned 18. Will he be deported for sure?…

Last Tuesday evening The Dallas Morning News sponsored a conference in the Arts District called “Come Together,” which was so much more than just a great name for a gentleman’s club. Billed as a celebrity panel to talk about “economic development, education and opportunity,” it was really about culluh. Yeah,…

He’s known as “DJ Deluxe” at weddings and parties, and “DJ Mr. Rid” at local music gigs and at his rather cool all-vinyl Monday residency at the Double Wide. He’s known as Mark Ridlen when he co-hosts a radio show with Reid Robinson on FM 89.3 KNON called Sonic Assembly…

Press PhotoBuckcherry, who really should be on this list six times. Especially that second guy from the left, with the sociopatch on his face.In the most head-shaking article unleashed on the Internet in recent memory, it was revealed that rapper/necrophiliac/federal agent impersonator DMX has been in talks to fight George…

OK, I guess I need to come out on this. I have kind of a crush on WFAA Channel 8 sports-casting dean Dale Hansen. No, not that kind. I don’t really do those anymore anyway. No, I’m stuck on Hansen because I think he’s a role model for us old…

White Rock Lake, just for grins, is 1,015 acres. Based on what I heard yesterday, the Trinity River lakes we voted for in downtown in 1998, when finally built, will be one lake, 20 acres, 10 feet deep. Shit. Oh, and the money for it is mostly gone. Even to…

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…