Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas

393 Pages·2010·3.5 MB·English

by  Alison Macor

CHAINSAWS,
slackers,
AND
SPY
KIDS
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Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS AUSTIN
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C H A I N S AW S ,
s l a c k e r s ,
AND
SPY
KIDS
ALISON MACOR

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The publication of this book was supported in part
by the University of Texas Press Advisory Council.
Copyright © 2010 by Alison Macor
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2010
Requests for permission to reproduce material
from this work should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements

of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Macor, Alison, 1966–
Chainsaws, slackers, and spy kids : thirty years of
fi lmmaking in Austin, Texas / Alison Macor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-292-70605-7 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-292-
72243-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Motion picture industry—Texas—Austin—History. I. Title.
PN1993.5.U78M33 2009
791.4309764’31—dc22 2009024364
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FOR PAUL
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Contents
Acknowledgments | ix
Introduction | 1
The Hippies and the Cowboys All Looked Alike
1 A Living Nightmare | 17
Tobe Hooper and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2 Eagle Pennell and the Rise of Regional Filmmaking | 48
3 Made in Austin | 64
The Austin Chronicle and Red Headed Stranger
4 Slacker | 87
The Least Auteur Film Ever Made
5 The Mariachi Kid | 115
Robert Rodriguez and El Mariachi
6 The Reluctant Quarterback | 150
Richard Linklater and Dazed and Confused
7 Winning the Battle, Losing the War | 188
The Newton Boys
8 The Company Man | 221
Tim McCanlies and Dancer, Texas Pop. 81
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CONTENTS
9 Offi ce Space | 249
The Making of a Cult Classic
10 Rebel With or Without a Crew | 273
Robert Rodriguez and Spy Kids
Conclusion | 304
Outside the System, Inside the System
Notes | 315
Selected Bibliography | 345
Index | 347
VIII
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Acknowledgments
T
his book simply wouldn’t exist without the generosity of others. I
asked for a lot—interviews, phone numbers, photographs, more
interviews—and received so much. I suspect that more than a few
people made calls or sent e-mails on my behalf, and for that, I will always
be grateful.
My greatest thanks go to the more than 150 individuals who agreed to be
interviewed (in a few cases, multiple times) for this book. They shared their
thoughts, opinions, memories, and, most important, their time. Not all of
the interviews made it into the fi nal manuscript, but I found every person’s
contribution to be helpful as I researched and wrote this history.
I want to thank all of the staff at the University of Texas Press, including
Victoria Davis for cheerfully and effi ciently shepherding the editing of the
manuscript and Jim Burr for his editorial work, insights, and assistance. I
am also indebted to the anonymous reviewer who read the fi rst draft and
provided invaluable suggestions about content and structure, and to Joe
O’Connell, who read a later draft and gave very helpful feedback. I would
especially like to thank Dave Hamrick, whose enthusiasm for this project
brought it to the attention of the Press in the fi rst place. Thanks also to Evan
Smith, who made the introduction.
Special thanks to Steve Wilson and the staff of the Harry Ransom Center’s
Reading and Viewing Room; Connie Todd, Katie Salzmann, and the staff of
the Southwestern Writers Collection at Texas State University–San Marcos;
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