Five Questions (plus one)

Houston's criminal defense media magnet Brian Wice believes in Susan Wright, notmarriage

Local legal eagle Brian Wice, who never shies away from the spotlight and has been the legal analyst for KPRC-TV since 2003, will be basking in the glow this week. The 55-year-old attorney was honored by the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association as their Attorney of the Year at a banquet at the Hyatt Regency Thursday, just two days before CBS’s 48 Hours runs a piece on his current high-profile catch — the Susan Wright murder case.

Convicted in 2004 of killing her husband by stabbing him 193 times and partially burying him in the backyard, Wright is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. She's won a new punishment trial though, thanks to Wice.

Wice talked to CultureMap about Wright (and his battered wife syndrome argument), what Houston restaurant he plans to watch Saturday's broadcast in and the chances of wedding bells in his future. He even worked in a joke about Quanell X.

The man can talk. So much so, that we couldn't even limit him to our usual five questions. With Brian Wice, you always get more.

CultureMap: How did you get involved in the Susan Wright case?

Brian Wice: I covered the case for Court TV. She was sentenced to 25 years because the jury rejected her claim of sudden passion. Her husband had abused her for years, yet her attorneys didn’t put on a proper defense of that. Trying this case without a battered wife expert was like doing Hamlet without Hamlet. I’m an appellate attorney, a lawyer of last resort, this is what I do.

CM: Prosecutor Kelly Siegler won national acclaim by recreating the stabbing scene on the bed in this trial, a very sensational move.

BW: Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. She did her job, I don’t begrudge her for what she did, and she got a TV pilot out of it. But she kicked their butts and took their lunch money, the defense attorneys were bullied by her. If it had been a Little League game they would have stopped it on a mercy call. I don’t begrudge Siegler, but Susan’s council was incompetent.

CM: So you felt compelled to take on Wright’s appeal, but did the media aspect play into it at all?

BW: I knew there would be some pub, but if you think any high profile case has a shelf life over the marriage of Liza Minnelli and David Gest you’re wrong. I thought I’d file a brief, hold a press conference and maybe write a book. Five and a half years latter and a couple of hundred thousand dollars in pro bono, plus going into my own pocket for expenses, I’m still here. But I stuck to it. I believe Susan got a raw deal.

After all this time, I have to say there are few things that leave me speechless but the ruling for a new punishment hearing for Susan was one of them. That appellate court is the most conservative, winning the new hearing was about as frequent as Hailey’s Coment.

CM: So, last October you won a new punishment hearing for Wright, now what?

BW: Well, sure, she could get life, but I’m here to tell you that attorney Kent Schaffer and I are prepared to put spousal abuse on trial and we will get a whole lot, a whole lot, better than 25 years. Hopefully the new D.A will offer us a deal before we even get to that.

CM: So what are you planning for the 48 Hours broadcast?

BW: I think what we might do is go to dinner with some married friends to Pesce or Armandos where’s there’s a TV.

CM: And speaking of married, any wedding bells in your future?

BW: I’m the world’s most eligible Jewish bachelor, which is like being the coolest Osmond brother. There are three unanswered questions in life: Is there life after death? What does Quanell X do for a living? And is Brian ever going to get married?

unspecified

washed out

Houston DJs remember pioneering music store that's closing after 50 years

Photo by Craig D. Lindsey

Soundswaves announced its imminent closure on Saturday, April 25.

The parking lot of the Soundwaves on 3509 Montrose was well-populated on Saturday, April 25. Earlier in the day, the record/skate/surf shop announced on Instagram that the store would be closing soon and all the merchandise was 50 percent off. Of course, people showed up to grab as many items – LPs, T-shirts, skate shoes – as they could, waiting in line as longtime owner Jeff Spargo rang up customers one-by-one.

Soundwaves was once Houston’s mightiest independent record-store chain, with locations all over the city (its South Main location was frequented by hip-hop heads like the late DJ Screw and famed producer/ex-employee DJ Premier). It all started in 1970 when a then-19-year-old Jeff Spargo opened the Inland Surf Shop in Westbury. Seven years later, he would open up his first Soundwaves near Hobby Airport. He would later merge surfing and sounds when he launched the Montrose location in 1997. An official closing date has yet to be announced, and CultureMap was unable to reach Spargo for comment.

As the new millennium introduced streaming-music platforms that made physical media almost obsolete, record chains like Soundwaves were on the decline. The Montrose store – once a prime destination for local and visiting DJs, with its overwhelming, eclectic selection of vinyl and CDs – would eventually become the last one standing.

We asked a few of the city’s finest spinners if they have memories of stocking up at that location and/or other Soundwaves spots:

Emdee “DJ Kool Emdee” Anderson: “I used to frequent it very often. I remember when DJ Premier used to work at the original Main St. location. And when No More Mr. Nice Guy [from his hip-hop group Gang Starr] was released, he put copies of the album in the front of every record slot. I joke with him about that when I see him.

“That location was a hangout spot for DJs and producers. I got a number of gigs by helping others with music suggestions.”

Kris Stivers: “I have tons of memories (and spent tons of money on records). I was there all the time – practically every location. I introduced my sister to a buddy of mine who worked there and, now, he’s my brother-in-law. My sister then got a job at the Montrose location. She called me once from the store and put Questlove on the phone. I met Little Brother and other artists there. I miss those days.”

GrandfatherCLOC: “I met Blind Rob and Devin The Dude at the one on Gessner & 59. I still have a Soundbombing II T-shirt from when The ARE was working at South Main.

“The most memorable was meeting DJ Theory from [KTRU radio show] 12" Sub, a few years after it was off the air, at the one on Montrose. I heard one of the employees speaking and was like, that's Theory's voice!”

Jason “Flash Gordon Parks” Woods: “I went to all the locations. One of my fondest memories was finding Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s Starbooty and feeling like Steel in Juice.”

Jason “DJ Burb” Rodgers: “I only went to the one on Main. I used to go there every Tuesday after getting out of class at UH-D to listen to some new releases in the listening booths.”

Jason Graeber: “I remember all the great music lovers who worked there. Chris and Brandon always knew about the new EDM artists that were coming out. Bucky was great at introducing people to new rock and underground music. Before you had online influencers, the kids at the record stores drove what people listened to. I remember walking in and checking the end caps from my favorite employees to see what new music they were recommending. I feel that this is something that is missing and why it is harder for great bands to get traction.”

closings music soundwaves

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washed out

Houston DJs remember pioneering music store that's closing after 50 years