Chicken Ranch anniversary: Miss Edna (1928-2012)

On this date in 2012, Edna Milton Chadwell, better known as Miss Edna, passed away at the age of 84 in Phoenix, Arizona, where she'd lived a life of quiet anonymity since the early 1980s. Her final days were tragic. The previous October (or September--my memory is imprecise) she was involved in a car wreck that left her hospitalized with an array of injuries. From what I understand, her memory was affected, and her brain stopped converting short-term memory into long. In practical terms, it meant somebody could introduce themselves and begin a conversation with her, but five minutes later she'd have no recollection. Over the previous three years I feel I've gotten to know her as much as any person alive today who wasn't related to her. She enthusiastically supported my book project and graciously invited my wife and myself into her home for hours of interviews.

Throughout the six-plus years it took to research, write and publish Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse, there was no bigger supporter of mine than Miss Edna. As I've said elsewhere, my biggest regret is that she did not live to see the finished product. I can't say for certain what she'd have thought of it, but others who were close to the Chicken Ranch have given me the thumbs up, so I like to think Miss Edna would've approved (while giving me an earful about what I got wrong).

Let me share something about her that didn't make it into the book. When I first met Miss Edna, she asked where I was from. I answered that I was originally from Columbus. Miss Edna paused a moment, then said, "Twenty-two miles." Then she asked my wife where she was from. Bastrop, Lisa answered. Miss Edna paused again, then said, "Thirty-six miles." Almost four decades removed from her life in La Grange, Miss Edna still remembered those details that would've mattered to her prospective out-of-town customers. I'll wager we could've sat there for hours, tossing out town names like Brenham, Hallettsville, Bryan, etc. and she'd have come up with the distance between them and La Grange like there was nothing to it. I have long felt that a fascinating glimpse into her character.

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is available from both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

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Friday Night Videos

The Peacemaker series on HBO Max has been an astonishing experience. I enjoyed James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," which this is a spin-off of, but I did not expect the pathos and social commentary that's packed into this loud, profane, gory and very, very funny show about a homicidal would-be super-hero. "Deconstruct" and "irreverent" don't begin to scratch the surface. One distinctive thing about the show is its lavish obsession with the rock of 80s hair bands. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the show's theme song, "Do You Wanna Taste It," is not actually an 80s hair band anthem but in reality a tune released in 2010 by Norwegian band Wig Wam. Holy moly! These guys are completely plugged into the 1980s hair metal vibe. They sound like they come from 1985, and their video--apart from the jarring presence of the Hummer--could easily have found its way into the rotation at MTV, right after that Whitesnake video we all saw a thousand times. The sheer absurdity of this song is perfect for Peacemaker, and I can't imagine any other song now that would fit the bill.

Oh, and if you haven't seen the outrageous opening sequence to Peacemaker, well, enjoy:

Previously on Friday Night Videos... INXS.

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Friday Night Videos

INXS really, really blew up big in 1987. I had their previous album, Listen Like Thieves, and liked it, but the follow-up, Kick, was lightning in a bottle. The entire album was attention-grabbing, start to finish, and while it produced four big hits, I think there are at least four other album tracks that could've fared just as well had they been released instead. It was that kind of album. One thing I don't question is leading with "Need You Tonight." This song is just lousy with audio hooks, and when combined with "Mediate," it becomes something elevated. Everyone likes to pigeonhole the 80s as some variant of punk rock hair and day-glo colors, but this INXS video is the late 80s aesthetic in a nutshell.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Courtney Barnett.

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Exotica Moderne

I've not published anything in a while, but boy, I've got something new and interesting to share today! My writeup on Hugman's Oasis, the River Walk tiki bar that opened in San Antonio last June is featured in the current issue of Exotica Moderne, issue 14 to be exact. Not only that, but Secrets By Miss Lisa contributed some fantastic photography of the immersive tiki bar space, featuring model and burlesque performer Miss Something Blue.

I've professionally published millions of words (no exaggeration) over the course of my career and been translated into so many languages I've lost count, but this marks the very first time I've been published on the subject of tiki. That's kinda weird for me, seeing how tiki is really a hobby for me that's grown beyond all reason. I don't expect this to be the last writing on the subject I do, either. My one regret here is that Claudia Cabrera didn't live to see it published. She was instrumental in making the photoshoot happen, but the article was delayed multiple times for various reasons, and she was gone before it saw print.

Anyone who wants a copy of their own can order online at House of Tabu. A word of warning: THey don't offer subscriptions and once an issue sells out, it sells out. So don't lollygag. Grab your copy and let me know what you think!

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Chicken Ranch anniversary: Happy birthday Aunt Jessie!

On this date in 1885, Fay Stewart was born in Waco. She would've been 136 years old today. Stewart would later adopt the alias of Jessie Williams and operate a small brothel in Austin's Guy Town district before moving to La Grange in 1913. In 1915, she bought 11 acres of land outside of city limits and opened what would eventually become known as the Chicken Ranch. Known locally as Aunt Jessie, she ran the brothel until selling it to Edna Milton in 1961.

Fay Stewart’s parents came from Georgia, moving to Waco well before she was born. The family lived for years on Franklin Street. While it is entirely possible that Stewart learned the ropes of prostitution in Waco's infamous Two Street vice district, there’s scant evidence she was successful enough to own her own brothel there.

Curiously enough, despite the fact Aunt Jessie spent nearly three decades in La Grange and was as well-known a civic benefactor as anyone in Fayette County, I have found no photographs of her. Zero. Nada. Which is strange, since I know photos of her exist somewhere. So in lieu of Aunt Jessie's photo, we'll have to settle from the 1958 edition of the La Grange phone book. Think that cover art is coincidental? Or was someone with the Yellow Pages making a not-so-subtle joke? In any event, here's to Aunt Jessie, the woman who turned a number of shoddy prostitution operations into the brothel remembered today as the Chicken Ranch.

Buy Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch to learn more about Aunt Jessie and the brothel that became the infamous Chicken Ranch!

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