"Son" set to rise in Austin with Sam Neill

 Look for a 10-part AMC TV adaptation of Philipp Meyer's novel The Son to set up shop in Austin for a summer shoot. 

The acclaimed novel has been described as a "multi-generational saga of power, blood, land, and oil that follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family, from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the to the oil booms of the 20th century." University of Texas prof Don Graham regularly includes the novel in the his well-known Life and Literature of Texas course along side the works of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy.

Sam Neil plays Eli, the family patriarch who was kidnapped and raised by Comanches, an experience that colors his world view.

Also in the cast are  Henry Garrett (Poldark), Zahn McClarnon (Fargo), Paola Nunez (Reina de corazones), and Sydney Lucas (Fun Home). The show was written by Meyer, Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy. It's expected to air in 2017.

Now if someone would finally adapt Billy Lee Brammer's The Gay Place (which is also on Graham's syllabus) for TV or film we'd be set with major Texas novels being brought to the big (or little) screen. Oh, I could also go for a faithful adaptation of Dan Jenkins' Semi-Tough minus the silly new age twaddle added to the Burt Reynolds version. Pretty please?

Biily Lee Brammer and a Lost Gonzo

I get the cool honor of teaching Honors courses with a Texas focus at Austin Community College. This last month has been particularly interesting, with me moderating a panel discussion of Billy Lee Brammer's classic novel of Texas politics, The Gay Place, and a visit from Bob Livingston, a member of Jerry Jeff Walker's Lost Gonzo Band and a true Texas musical legend in his own right.

The Brammer panel included Don Graham, Gary Cartwright, Babe Schwartz, Jan Reid, Kaye Northcott and Nadine Eckhardt. It followed a premiere screening of a short film adaption of part of The Gay Place by Brammer's daughters Shelby and Sidney Brammer.
Bob entertains my class.