Brian is founding member of The Barbed Wire team. A longtime Texas journalist, he has written for the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald, Texas Monthly, and more. He was also a writer and producer at Rooster Teeth.
Arts & Entertainment
For a few years now, the Austin comedy scene has been dominated by a new ecosystem led by Joe Rogan and Tony Hinchcliffe. The city is now nationally known as a haven for their style of “say whatever shitty thing you want, it doesn’t even need a punchline” comedy.
Ken Paxton
UPDATE, Apr. 9, 9:42 a.m.: Ken Paxton officially announced he's running against John Cornyn. PREVIOUS STORY: Hey Texas, if Republican-on-Republican fighting is your thing, you’re in for a real treat. Because just when you thought 2024 had the most expensive, nastiest political brawls
Arts & Entertainment
Years ago, Martha Kelly told one of the most unsettling jokes I’ve ever heard. It involved her cat dying — and Kelly sobbing while holding her body. Still, the punchline was very funny (she was secretly happy because, when alive, the cat never let Kelly hold her). "There is
Perspectives
Ah, school vouchers. They’re like a coupon for 30% off, but only if the discount is covered by swiping your neighbor’s wallet. Texas is back at it again, folks. Last month, our state senate passed Senate Bill 2, which proposes giving families $10,000 in public funds per
Outdoors
It started, as all great midlife crises do, with an impulse purchase on the internet. While some men my age are out buying motorcycles or taking up CrossFit, I went in a different direction: I bought a bird feeder with a camera. A state-of-the-art, live-streaming marvel
Culture
Brick Savage is not a monster. But in a wrestling ring, they play one to perfection. And if there’s one thing Brick Savage does better than playing the monster, it’s breaking the rules that try to contain them. The first thing you notice about 36-year-old Savage
Food
Folks, it's official: Kentucky Fried Chicken is Kentucky Fried no more. The finger-lickin’ giant just announced it's packing up its 11 herbs and spices and heading to Texas, leaving behind a heartbroken Kentucky and one very confused Colonel Sanders (who, if he were alive, would
Perspectives
When it comes to questionable financial choices, gambling is somewhere between hoarding Beanie Babies (as an investment) and buying a timeshare from a guy in a parking lot. Despite evidence that gambling is essentially an elaborate way to set your money on fire, the industry remains steadfast in its mission
News
Here’s another sad reminder of the current political climate: Texas Southern University, an institution with a history of advancing education and equity, has made a baffling decision. The historically black university has appointed Shawn Thierry as Executive Director for Policy and Counsel, despite her well-documented record of supporting
Culture
The finish line is in sight. My lungs are on fire, my legs feel like cement, and I’m pretty sure my soul is trying to leave my body. My best friend is running (slowly) alongside me, a partner in this shambling torment. We’re about to finish a 10K,
Health
Guess we’ve gotta learn this lesson for the millionth time: Vaccines stop really bad stuff. Case in point: A measles outbreak in rural West Texas — where vaccine exemptions are sky-high — is spreading fast. It started in late January with two hospitalized kids in Gaines County, CNN reported. By
Culture
Texas bladesmith Johnathan Sibley was just minding his business at The Blade Bar in Edom — a tiny town between Tyler and Dallas — when a couple waltzed in with a request: Could he swap a Hitler Youth knife emblem onto another knife? Sibley’s response? A firm “No Nazi bullshit,” as