Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Concert of the decade

If you recognize the men in these photos, you may be asking yourself, "Yes, but which decade?" That's right, ladies and gentlemen — Boyz II Men, the harmonizing quartet from Philly that broke onto the scene with "CooleyHighHarmony" in 1991, was the headliner on the State Fair of Texas stage this weekend.

Since I grew up on classics like "End of the Road" and "Water Runs Dry," I called dibs on the state fair pass for today's concert as soon as I glimpsed  this year's entertainment line-up. For two girlfriends (who share my passion for Slim and the gang) and I, it was worth every second of the relentless Texas sun.

Though the group is only three-fourths strong now (bass singer Michael McCary had to bow out in 2003 with back problems due to scoliosis), it was a solid performance. Boyz II Men doesn't sell albums and draw crowds like they used to, but the people in the audience wholeheartedly sung along with every word of their hits, and seemed to enjoy the group's newer music, too. Their next project, coming out Nov. 13, is called "Motown: A Journey through Hitsville, USA," a compilation of old Motown favorites rerecorded by Boyz II Men.

I could go on, but I'm guessing that a vast majority of our blog audience could care less about an R&B group whose golden years were the early- to mid-'90s. If you're jonesing for more details (and want to see a couple video clips), read my friend Joanna's blog post about the best concert ever.

Garland Road - the next Highland Park Village?

Interesting story in today's Morning News about the potential development of Garland Road just east of White Rock Lake, particularly the area between Gaston Avenue and the White Rock Lake spillway. The first salvo apparently will be a bridge for cyclists and pedestrians straddling Garland Road where the semi-chomping railroad trestle once lived; former councilman Gary Griffith predicts in the News story that we'll see some significant private development at the Gaston/Garland intersection within 12 months.

There are really two "Garland Roads", in my opinion. The area from the Spillway south can be developed pretty quickly and relatively painlessly, I think, because other than the YMCA, there's not a whole lot around there that anyone is dying to save. But move north from the area around Walton's Garden Center north, and anyone who thinks the Garland Road transition will be simple had better buckle up for a bumpy ride. We've seen a small bit of the dichotomy between the pro-development and the anti-development residents along Garland Road here at Back Talk during the past few months; while some people are all for bulldozing the strip and building forth, others don't want to touch anything there and aren't going to suffer silently if anyone else tries to.

It's going to be a little messy, I suspect, but it's the kind of conversation that the surrounding residents and landowners need to start having — with each other and the entire community, and not just among a few people who want to draw up a plan for everyone else — to determine what the Garland Road Corridor ultimately will become.

How does "Dallas Pawn White Rock Lake Park" grab you?

Is it possible that White Rock Lake Park could soon be re-named "Advocate Park" if those of us who work here scrape together a few million and turn the money over to the city? That sure seems to be the latest plan Mayor Tom Leppert is pushing on the Park Department, according to a story in the Morning News. There are 336 parks in the city's system, and so far, only one of them — Downtown's Belo Garden, formerly Griffin Garden prior to a $6.5 million donation from the Morning News parent — carries a corporate name, so I guess we know where the Morning News stands on this issue.

The city has a pretty comprehensive written plan concerning naming rights; there's even an "Enron clause" to prevent a "disgraced" corporation from lingering any longer than necessary in the city's psyche. But neighborhood resident Willis Winters, assistant director of the park department, is on record saying he believes corporate names are for arenas rather than public parks. But his boss, Paul Dyer, says he's open-minded, and why not? If Leppert is all over this, I imagine that Dyer can read the tea leaves on his future employment if he doesn't go along with the idea. Personally, I would have to look at each deal to make a decision, but color me "skeptical" that the city is capable of wringing what it needs out of a corporation prior to hanging the corporation's shingle at every park entrance.

Anyway, nothing is in stone yet, but for those of you who followed the verified response charge led by Leppert a few weeks ago and the pied-piper-like response he conjured from much of the council, I guess it's time to start putting our cash in a pillowcase to see what the Advocate might be able to buy ... I'm thinking the naming rights to the bank of port-o-lets frequently located at Winfrey Point might be within our budget.

McCutcheon concert tickets for Saturday - anyone need 2 for free?

Saturday's John McCutcheon concert benefiting For the Love of the Lake is one I hate to miss; McCutcheon is a great singer/songwriter. But I have two tickets for tomorrow night's concert, and I just can't make it. If you would like to go, compliments of Back Talk and the Advocate, send me an email at rwamre@mac.com, and I'll get back with you about how to pick up the tickets. Not only is McCutcheon performing at 7:30 p.m., but you'll have a chance to stroll the gardens of the Arboretum prior to the concert, as well as take in "A Little Taste of Dallas" from neighborhood restaurants and caterers from 6-7:15 p.m., including dessert, coffee and/or soda/beer/wine. First come, first served...

A Trinity puppet, or between a rock and a hard place?

Here's a long, but interesting item from Dallasblog concerning what appears to be a rather cozy relationship between the pro-tollroad people and some city of Dallas people. Channel 11 did a piece on some of the same information last night, too. Sam Merten has done a good job of sifting through a lot of paperwork and asking some questions that need to be asked.

I will say that Rebecca Dugger, the city's Trinity project director, was helpful and appeared to be honest with us while we were researching our Trinity package. Dugger is a big Texas Rangers fan, and she for years has been in a group of season-ticket buyers with me, so I know her a little bit from that; I've always liked and respected her, and I don't completely buy the "puppet of Trinity Commons" implications implied by Dallasblog's piece. She's in a tough spot as a city employee tasked with leading the Trinity issue but surrounded by politicos who unanimously believe the tollroad is the only way to go and who I'm sure use her as a gopher/resource pretty frequently. There were a few times we had to press a question a bit to make sure we received an answer that we could use, as opposed to a general answer that didn't address the question, but without fail, Dugger gave us what we asked for promptly, didn't dodge anything and answered questions in an honest manner that didn't always help the pro-tollroad case.

Springsteen on the radio?

Bruce Springsteen was on NBC's Today Show this morning to plug his new record, which seemed surprising. Springsteen should be way too cool to play the Today Show, let alone be fawned over by Matt Lauer.

So why would Springsteen appear on the program? It seems unnecessary, even with the new release. He is, after all, The Boss. Yet, when I did a quick check of Dallas-area radio stations, I discovered that hardly any -- if any -- are playing his album. There is plenty of Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, but no Springsteen. (And yes, I know who both those are.)

Am I the only one who is surprised by this? Is Springsteen deemed too old to appear on album-oriented and Top 40 radio? Is this just a Dallas thing? Do programmers assume that their audiences aren't interested? Or is this just another indication of how far radio has fallen?

Life Of Bees author to speak

It's one of my mom's favorite books. Author Sue Monk Kidd will be presenting her new book, "Firstlight", at the Highland Park UMC "Cornerstone Speaker's Initiative" at 7 p.m. Monday in Wesley Hall. More information here or or call 214-523-2270.

Vote in our Trinity referendum poll

We've just added a bunch of Trinity stuff to the magazine web site, including a poll (you'll have to scroll down a bit on the page), the cover story for the October magazine, and just about everything else anyone needs to know, pro and con, about the referendum. Our goal was to offer a complete package, and to be as fair as possible. That is, after all, what we do here.

Be sure to let us know what you think, either by commenting here or on the Trinity River Primer link to the right.

Whole Foods update

Several recent visitors to Back Talk have wondered if -- and when -- Whole Foods will break ground at the old Minyard's. When I checked last month, the chain was still expecting to open its store in the spring.

Well, this is just in from Whole Foods spokesman Scott Simons: "We will have something to share quite soon! Hopefully, in the next two or three business days."

We'll keep you posted.

Pro-toll road mailing: The sky is falling even more

Expect to see the first pro-toll road mailing in the next couple of days. Michael Davis at Dallas Progress reports that we'll be seeing threats of a tax increase, doomsday talk of a nightmare for Dallas families, and an attack on Angela Hunt in the mailing.

It also has that really cute picture of the Belo Parkway, the one without any cars on it. The pro-toll road people may not be original, but they are consistent.