Opinion & Commentary

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 17 2014: Last week I wrote an item for our news blog about Highland Park Presbyterian and how they were ditching out of the national Presbyterian Church so they wouldn’t have to have gay clergy. As happens, I learn lots more about topics after my items appear. First…

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. History: Katy Perry was born in 1984, except back then people called her “Katy Hudson” because that’s…

What a letdown. They allowed me to vote. Yesterday when I walked into the firehouse and plunked down my driver’s license and voter registration card, I already had my mental dukes up, waiting for them to mess with me. I was hoping for a fight. In fact that’s why I…

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…

Oh, wow. Maybe I’m an expert on bullying. Or supposed to be. I just got the royalty statement for a book I wrote 15 years ago called Bully. My check for the six-month period is double what it was the previous period. It went up from a quarter pittance to…

Toward the end of last week I reported that some kind of Democrats — I wasn’t sure which — have been whispering in Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings’ ear about running for John Cornyn’s Senate seat in 2014. Rawlings admitted he had spoken with them but discounted the whole deal, saying,…

Every once in a while, you see a music fan in Deep Ellum who is having so much fun going to see bands that they inadvertently end up on the professional side of things. Nicole Ryann is one of those, and is now a tech-in-training. And she’s good. She has…

The Democrats are talking to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings about running for the U.S. Senate in 2014 when John Cornyn’s current term expires. Some Democrats. Some kind of Democrat-type persons. And now you pretty much know what I know. The mayor reluctantly conceded to me yesterday that he has been…

UPDATE, 11:45 A.M.: Manuel G. Berrelez, one of Miguel Solis’ lawyers, just called to tell me that Kristi Lara has withdrawn her lawsuit. The original post follows: Yesterday afternoon we told you the big lawsuit over residency requirements for a Dallas school board candidate got kicked up to a higher…

Dear Mexican: My hometown of El Paso is getting a new AAA baseball team. The owning group just announced the name: the El Paso Chihuahuas. Reasons given? The origins of the dog and the city’s location in the Chihuahua desert, and that it was family-friendly. Many in this city are…

The real issue the teachers unions have with Dallas school Superintendent Mike Miles is not Mike Miles. It’s merit pay. They don’t like it. Angela Davis, Region 4D president of the Texas State Teachers Association (NEA) in Dallas, told me: “TSTA strongly opposes merit pay for teachers.” Rena Honea, head…

A lawsuit against the Dallas school district and a candidate for election to the school board brought by his election opponent Kristi Lara was stopped by court order this afternoon until after the November 5 election, according to a lawyer for Lara’s opponent. Jeronimo Valdez, lawyer for DISD District 8…

Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball who recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. I went running the other morning. I used to run all the time. I was in shape,…

Right away let me say: No one is more troubled than I am by my own knee-jerkism concerning Dallas superintendent of schools Mike Miles. How the hell did I ever find myself in the role of predictably apoplectic apologist for a public official? Please, somebody free me from my own…

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…

Editor: This year, we’re celebrating the 25th Dallas Observer Music Awards. Our coverage will include recollections from last quarter century of North Texas music. Here, our nightlife columnist remembers the Deep Ellum venue that won nearly every DOMA it was nominated for. Nostalgia is not my favorite color, but looking…

David Carr had a good piece in The New York Times Monday about the diminishing value of sexual outing as a moneymaker for the media business. It’s about a recent Gawker story outing Fox News breaking news director Shepard Smith as gay. Apparently no one gave a shit. I think…

He’s performed with some bands like Ghoultown, Bit Rot and The Gorehounds, but he’s mostly flying the ship behind the scenes right now, and we’re lucky to have him in town. He’s one of those guys that even when the party gets extra wacko, he’s professional and focused enough to…