Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Temple, Texas, is a special place for me. It’s where my wife grew up and where we were married. It’s where our kids visited their grandparents, and where we had a celebration of life for one of those grandparents. It’s where we often decamped during COVID. 100
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The Haas Brothers — Austin natives whose intricate, loopy work has been exhibited far and wide — are bringing a retrospective to The Blanton Museum of Art. I wrote about it for @austinmonthly.bsky.social. It's a fun, bonkers, wild must-see show. www.austinmonthly.com/haas-brother...austinmonthly.comThe Haas Brothers Return to Austin With Their Trippy, Eye-Catching ArtTheir touring retrospective, 'Uncanny Valley,' will be on display at The Blanton from Sept. 27 through mid-January. 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Dispatch from the Pacific Northwest: Recs, songs, pics, and more. someoneelsessongs.substack.com/p/dispatch-f...someoneelsessongs.substack.comDispatch from the Pacific NorthwestA journey beyond grunge 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Went to the wine capital of Texas, drank no wine, had a good time anyway. 123
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 06/08/2026For the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, I spoke with the prizewinning novelist Chang-rae Lee about his newest (and most personal) book. Check it out. (And if you're in Austin, come see him at BookPeople next Friday!) humsci.stanford.edu/feature/engl...humsci.stanford.eduEnglish professor Chang-rae Lee authors his most personal work yetWith A Tender Age, the prizewinning novelist tells the story of a Korean American immigrant at summer camp in 1976. 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Hot off the presses: I spoke with Matt Johnson — co-founder of Mill Scale Metalworks, which makes world-class grills and smokers for world-class restaurants and regular Joes alike, in Lockhart — for a piece on The Old Ghosts (my first!). Check it out: www.theoldghosts.com/stories/heav....theoldghosts.comHeavy MetalHow two self-taught welders build live-fire grills and offset smokers for the world’s greatest pitmasters in Lockhart, Texas 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 26/06/2026Road tripping this summer? Here's your soundtrack. 001
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Went to Lockhart for @texasmonthly.bsky.social. Found plenty of special shops, galleries, restaurants, and hidden gems. Danced a little. Fell in love with the place, and I think you will, too. Read it now: www.texasmonthly.com/travel/visit...texasmonthly.comThe Reinvention of a Texas Town Once Known Only for BarbecueMaking friends with locals is all part of the trip in this town bursting with creative energy. 091
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 14/05/2026New for @austinmonthly.bsky.social: A profile of the Austin artist Laura Lit's charming, imaginative new show at The Contemporary Austin's Laguna Gloria, her first solo museum exhibition and a delightful addition to the local arts scene. www.austinmonthly.com/laura-lit-im...austinmonthly.comImaginative Sculptures Herald an Austin Artist’s First Solo Museum ShowLaura Lit’s enormous, abstract works bring vibrant color to Laguna Gloria’s sweeping grounds. 020
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 13/05/2026New: My profile of Texas photographer Erin Newman-Mitchell for @texashighways.bsky.social. I'm not sure I've ever worked on an article that looked so beautiful in print or online. texashighways.com/travel/captu...texashighways.comCapturing the Spectacular Landscapes of TexasAn astrophotographer documents the violence and beauty of the state’s diverse terrain 032
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Now online: My feature for Wildsam, on scenic road tripping through Sedona. www.wildsam.com/stories/scen...wildsam.comSeeing Red: A Scenic, RV-Friendly Road Trip in SedonaFall under the spell of Sedona’s magnetic landscapes and undeniable aura. 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 11/05/2026A friend asked me recently what my favorite year in music is, with a request to send a ten-song playlist from that year. Here’s how I interpreted that wonderful, provocative question: someoneelsessongs.substack.com/p/my-favorit...someoneelsessongs.substack.comMy favorite year in music.It starts with a question from a friend. 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 08/05/2026My first piece for @austinmonthly.bsky.social!: 6 great Austin summer reads, from romance to short stories to a "sultry love letter to The Little House on the Prairie" from May Cobb: www.austinmonthly.com/6-great-summ...austinmonthly.com6 Great Summer Reads From Austin AuthorsFrom May Cobb's latest page-turner to new work from a literary Longhorn, here are some engrossing books to check out this season. 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 07/05/2026New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: A Mother's Day gift guide, with more than 25 ideas for the real Texas moms out there: www.texasmonthly.com/style/mother...texasmonthly.comMore Than 25 Texas Gifts for the Real Texas Moms Out ThereYour mother gave you life. The least you can do for Mother's Day is give her a Lone Star-related present. 012
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 03/04/2026New feature alert: A quarterly playlist of new songs, on my Substack newsletter, Someone Else's Songs. Check it out:someoneelsessongs.substack.comSongs I heard and liked in Q1 of 202627 great jams from the year so far 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 23/02/2026"There's just a meanness in this world." On listening to @brucespringsteen.net's Nebraska in 2026. My latest: someoneelsessongs.substack.com/p/listening-...someoneelsessongs.substack.comA Nebraskan on NebraskaListening to a Springsteen classic in 2026 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 06/02/2026New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: A Texas Valentine's Day gift guide, with 14 ideas for your beloved. Plus: A bonus gift idea for the heartbroken. (Hint: It involves a cockroach.) Give it a read: www.texasmonthly.com/style/texas-...texasmonthly.comThe Made-in-Texas Valentine’s Day Gift GuideCelebrate Valentine’s Day with one—or more!—of these fourteen Lone Star ideas. 041
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 13/01/2026Online and on newsstands: My cover story for @texashighways.bsky.social, on the centennial of Route 66. I visiting lovingly preserved Art Deco gas stations, mouth-watering BBQ spots, and roadside museums — including one devoted to "the devil's rope," barbed wire.texashighways.comTake the Ride of the Century on Route 66Take a trip down a memory lane with 100 years of sights and bites along Route 66 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 01/12/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: My latest Made in Texas piece, on Fort Worth-based Artisan Golf, makers of putters, irons, and wedges to the stars (and amateurs like the rest of us). www.texasmonthly.com/style/artisa...texasmonthly.comThe Fort Worth Company Making Golf Clubs for the StarsYou may not play like Artisan Golf clients Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods. But the Fort Worth company will help you take a swing at it. 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 24/11/2025"What defines a Texas gift? Sure, it’s something made in, designed in, or strongly connected to the Lone Star State. But a true Texas gift also tells you something about the giver—their love of craftsmanship and a good story." New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: www.texasmonthly.com/style/top-25...texasmonthly.comThe Top 25 Texas Gifts of 2025Get your favorite people presents from your favorite state, from a Houston puzzle and a five-year rye to a leather phone case and a Longhorn quilt. 011
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 17/10/2025I had the privilege of working with Stetson on the brand's first-ever coffee table book. I did a bit of everything: Writing an essay, telling the brand's 160-year story, and even wrangling a quote from Mr. Martin Scorsese. Out now from @rizzolibooks.bsky.social:stetson.comStetson: American Icon Deluxe EditionIntroducing our first-ever coffee table book, spanning 320 pages and bringing together 160 years of history, innovation, craftsmanship, and culture in one collectible volume. With contributions from a... 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 10/10/2025This was fun. A conversation with Pulitzer- and National Book Award-winner Adam Johnson about the ten years he spent on his epic new novel, The Wayfinder. For @stanford.edu:humsci.stanford.eduStanford Pulitzer winner’s new novel tells an epic tale born from writing ‘every day for 10 years’The Wayfinder, by English and creative writing Professor Adam Johnson, draws on the peoples and natural beauty of the Polynesian islands to tell a story set 1,0 041
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 10/10/2025This was fun. A conversation with Pulitzer- and National Book Award-winner Adam Johnson about the ten years he spent on his epic new novel, The Wayfinder. For @stanforduniversity.bsky.social:humsci.stanford.eduStanford Pulitzer winner’s new novel tells an epic tale born from writing ‘every day for 10 years’The Wayfinder, by English and creative writing Professor Adam Johnson, draws on the peoples and natural beauty of the Polynesian islands to tell a story set 1,0 020
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 28/09/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: My article on how the Torlonia Collection, a set of ancient marble statues that hadn't been exhibited since World War II, came to the @kimbellartmuseum.bsky.social in Fort Worth: www.texasmonthly.com/arts-enterta...texasmonthly.comHow Dozens of Stunning Ancient Roman Statues Ended Up in Cowtown“Myth and Marble,” an exhibition of the Torlonia Collection at the Kimbell Art Museum, has been thousands of years in the making. 020
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 17/09/2025My latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social, on the 20th anniversary of an improbable Texas institution: Prada Marfa. 0236
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 08/09/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: My piece on the new exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, showcasing the American Modern art collection of a man who once described himself as a "poor man's Howard Hughes. Please give it a read: www.texasmonthly.com/arts-enterta...texasmonthly.comWhat Charles Butt’s Art Collection Reveals About the Elusive Man Behind H-E-BBy sharing his private trove of American modernism, the most famous grocer in Texas reveals, for the first time in decades, something about himself. 2113
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 30/08/2025When I started Someone Else's Songs, it was in hopes of running an interview like this one, with Jason Jules of Garmsville and Black Ivy, on his favorite acid jazz tracks. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did: someoneelsessongs.substack.com/p/talking-ac...someoneelsessongs.substack.comTalking Acid Jazz with Garmsville’s Jason JulesThe stylish author of Black Ivy was there from the start 020
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 05/08/2025If you haven't already read this, please do so. It's brave and powerful. And you can contribute to a fund in memory of Aaron's nephew here: austincf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/c...austincf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund 020
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 05/08/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: The story of Hitchman Homestead, who make old-school covered wagons for new-school clients, just outside of Kerrville. www.texasmonthly.com/style/hitchm...texasmonthly.comDoes This Covered Wagon Come With Air-Conditioning? Yes, It Does.A Kerrville couple builds custom wagons that their clients use as mobile shops, outdoor bars, ticket booths, backyard kitchens, and more. 161
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 10/06/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: A Father's Day gift guide, featuring 15 ideas with ties to the Lone Star State (and zero actual ties).texasmonthly.comA Portable Grill! A Straw Stetson! Gifts for the Texas DadFor Father's Day, you can't go wrong with something crafted in the Lone Star State—from books to bourbon to (why not) a new pair of pants. 051
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025“Mind-boggling.” “It’s definitely keeping me up at night.” “You have to tear something down to build it back up.” How Texas’s makers, artisans, and small-business owners are bracing for tariffs. New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social:texasmonthly.comWhy Your Cowboy Boots Might Get a Lot More ExpensiveTexas’s makers, artisans, and small-business owners are bracing for how tariffs could impact the costs of materials, shipping, and more. 071
Reposted by Paul L. UnderwoodTexas Monthly @texasmonthly.bsky.social · 13/05/2025Cardinal Daniel DiNardo describes Pope Leo XIV as a symphony—and hopes his steady nature will help shepherd the church through the migration crisis.texasmonthly.comThe Texan Who Helped Elect the First American PopeCardinal Daniel DiNardo describes Pope Leo XIV as a symphony—and hopes his steady nature will help shepherd the church through the migration crisis. 0379
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 13/05/2025Talked to Texas's first — and, so far, only — Catholic Cardinal about the conclave (and about Conclave) for @texasmonthly.bsky.social.texasmonthly.comThe Texan Who Helped Elect the First American PopeCardinal Daniel DiNardo describes Pope Leo XIV as a symphony—and hopes his steady nature will help shepherd the church through the migration crisis. 0235
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 30/04/2025"Harrison Ford keeping it casual at Cannes. Paul Newman grabbing a couple beers for the road. Ralph Lauren biking with his son in Montauk. Each one a living, breathing retort to Fran Lebowitz, who once said that men wearing shorts is, and I quote, disgusting." New for @ralphlaurenpolo.bsky.social.ralphlauren.com 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 27/03/2025For your #OpeningDay enjoyment: 42 songs about baseball.someoneelsessongs.substack.comPlay ball! ⚾42 songs for Opening Day 000
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 04/03/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: A conversation with the man behind Wilkinson's Fine Goods, who has crafted impossibly handsome leather goods for Post Malone, Leon Bridges, and the George W. Bush Library. Online and in print now.texasmonthly.comWhat Do Post Malone and President Bush Have in Common? A Denton Leather Craftsman.Clint Wilkinson makes custom goods and accessories out of the same downtown storefront that was once his grandfather's saddle shop. 042
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 26/02/2025New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: My story on how Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada (of Black Pumas) wrote and recorded the Oscar-nominated "Like a Bird" from Sing Sing — without once being in the same room. Includes interviews with both artists, who were beyond generous with their time.texasmonthly.comThe Unlikely Story Behind the Oscar-Nominated Ballad From ‘Sing Sing’Abraham Alexander and Black Pumas cofunder Adrian Quesada wrote and recorded “Like a Bird” in Fort Worth and Austin. Now they’re part of Hollywood’s biggest night. 0113
Reposted by Paul L. UnderwoodPark Ranger @spartanparksdept.bsky.social · 04/02/2025I picked up a reverse the curse from BrandNewNoise this last week and it’s so damn cool if you are reading this you should absolutely check their other stuff. 021
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 23/12/2024Charming houses, spectacular BBQ, and the state's oldest deli — which has served both Willie and Rick Perry (and, um, me) — make this 200-year-old city worth a visit. My latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social:texasmonthly.comWhere to Eat, Shop, and Explore in Historic VictoriaThis charming southeast Texas city celebrates its bicentennial this year. 0133
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 19/12/2024I talked with Texas legend Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel about his favorite Texas Christmas songs, the secret to recording with Willie, and his favorite holiday gigs. Give it a read, and listen to the playlist: someoneelsessongs.substack.com/p/ray-benson...someoneelsessongs.substack.comRay Benson’s Texas Christmas PlaylistTalking holiday songs (and Willie!) with the man behind Asleep at the Wheel 010
Paul L. Underwood @plunderwood.bsky.social · 12/12/2024New for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: My latest Made in Texas piece, on the sound toys crafted by BrandNewNoise and beloved by everyone from Mick Fleetwood to Jeff Tweedy. Online now, and in print when the January issue hits your mailbox.texasmonthly.comThis Dallas Inventor’s “Sound Toys” Appeal to Famous Musicians as Well as KidsMick Fleetwood, the Black Keys' Patrick Carney, and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy are just some of the artists drawn to the whimsical wooden boxes and instruments from Brand New Noise. 084