Don Dixon

Don Dixon's first album ended with the North Carolinian singing Percy Sledge's classic words, "When a man loves a woman, he'll do almost anything." On his new effort, Dixon uses that theme as a through-line. "Romeo at Juilliard" (on Enigma Records) is a funny, touching and provocative treatise on male sexuality, full of romantically desperate characters who'll ring a bell with anyone who's read Warren Farrell's best seller "Why Men Are the Way They Are."

Donald R. Dixon, the most visible of the Texas savings and loan renegades convicted of looting the industry in the 1980s, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for fraud--an unexpectedly light penalty that shocked federal officials. Office of Thrift Supervision Director Timothy Ryan, the nation's top thrift regulator, called Dixon's sentence "very disappointing" and suggested that the sentence could hurt efforts by authorities to punish S&L crooks.

In a less senseless alternate universe, the kids on the street would already be whistling Dixon--Don Dixon, that is, the masterfully tuneful singer-songwriter-producer whose blazing appearance at the China Club in Hollywood made you wonder just how long he can be kept hidden from the masses. Ah, well: If the secret finally got out on the similar John Hiatt (whose "Love Gets Strange" was included in the set), it'll get out on Dixon eventually too.

Somewhere in the dark passageways of the music business, one suspects that this is a frequent exchange: "Boy, this music is a real treasure." "Yeah, let's go bury it!" There must be some evil design at work, because there certainly is a lot of good music created in this country that people never get to hear.

A federal jury Thursday convicted Don Dixon, the former owner of Vernon Savings Assn., on 23 counts of fraud, saying his use of the thrift's money to live extravagantly helped cause its $1.3-billion collapse. Dixon "was the biggest of the highfliers among the savings and loan crooks," Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh said in a statement after the verdict was announced. "His excessive lifestyle and illegal management practices stood as a symbol of wrongdoing."

A flamboyant former Texas savings and loan owner was charged Wednesday with using the thrift's money to contribute illegally to powerful politicians and to pay prostitutes. The federal indictment accuses Don R. Dixon of 38 criminal counts in the collapse of Vernon Savings & Loan in tiny Vernon, Tex.--a debacle that could cost taxpayers as much as $1.3 billion in one of the most expensive thrift failures ever.

With the Lakers dominating the Celtics in the NBA finals, the hottest game in town has shifted from the Forum to Don Dixon's driveway. Dixon lives in a Castaic housing tract where the homeowners association has outlawed basketball hoops. Dixon and his wife, Juli, installed a hoop on their garage a few months ago and they won't take it down. The Dixons say they have always been a basketball-playing family and the way they see it, banning hoops is un-American. The Stonegate Homeowners Assn.

Donald R. Dixon, the most visible of the Texas savings and loan renegades convicted of looting the industry in the 1980s, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for fraud--an unexpectedly light penalty that shocked federal officials. Office of Thrift Supervision Director Timothy Ryan, the nation's top thrift regulator, called Dixon's sentence "very disappointing" and suggested that the sentence could hurt efforts by authorities to punish S&L crooks.

Marti Jones may not be one of the best-known singers in pop music, but she is certainly one of the best. The woman from Canton, Ohio, combines the clear, plaintive folk quality of Joni Mitchell with a tawnier hue that can recall Jackie DeShannon or Bonnie Raitt. Over the course of four albums since 1985, she has shown a particular knack for conveying the ache of relationships gone wrong.

Back in 1960, when Rep. Jim Wright (D-Tex.) was trying to decide whether to run for a seat in the Senate, his father sought to discourage him by drawing a sharp distinction between Texas' two most famous politicians. "Jim," he said, "which would you rather be like, Lyndon Johnson or Sam Rayburn? If I were you, I'd rather be like Sam Rayburn."

A federal jury Thursday convicted Don Dixon, the former owner of Vernon Savings Assn., on 23 counts of fraud, saying his use of the thrift's money to live extravagantly helped cause its $1.3-billion collapse. Dixon "was the biggest of the highfliers among the savings and loan crooks," Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh said in a statement after the verdict was announced. "His excessive lifestyle and illegal management practices stood as a symbol of wrongdoing."

Marti Jones may not be one of the best-known singers in pop music, but she is certainly one of the best. The woman from Canton, Ohio, combines the clear, plaintive folk quality of Joni Mitchell with a tawnier hue that can recall Jackie DeShannon or Bonnie Raitt. Over the course of four albums since 1985, she has shown a particular knack for conveying the ache of relationships gone wrong.

A flamboyant former Texas savings and loan owner was charged Wednesday with using the thrift's money to contribute illegally to powerful politicians and to pay prostitutes. The federal indictment accuses Don R. Dixon of 38 criminal counts in the collapse of Vernon Savings & Loan in tiny Vernon, Tex.--a debacle that could cost taxpayers as much as $1.3 billion in one of the most expensive thrift failures ever.

In a less senseless alternate universe, the kids on the street would already be whistling Dixon--Don Dixon, that is, the masterfully tuneful singer-songwriter-producer whose blazing appearance at the China Club in Hollywood made you wonder just how long he can be kept hidden from the masses. Ah, well: If the secret finally got out on the similar John Hiatt (whose "Love Gets Strange" was included in the set), it'll get out on Dixon eventually too.

Back in 1960, when Rep. Jim Wright (D-Tex.) was trying to decide whether to run for a seat in the Senate, his father sought to discourage him by drawing a sharp distinction between Texas' two most famous politicians. "Jim," he said, "which would you rather be like, Lyndon Johnson or Sam Rayburn? If I were you, I'd rather be like Sam Rayburn."

Don Dixon's first album ended with the North Carolinian singing Percy Sledge's classic words, "When a man loves a woman, he'll do almost anything." On his new effort, Dixon uses that theme as a through-line. "Romeo at Juilliard" (on Enigma Records) is a funny, touching and provocative treatise on male sexuality, full of romantically desperate characters who'll ring a bell with anyone who's read Warren Farrell's best seller "Why Men Are the Way They Are."

Somewhere in the dark passageways of the music business, one suspects that this is a frequent exchange: "Boy, this music is a real treasure." "Yeah, let's go bury it!" There must be some evil design at work, because there certainly is a lot of good music created in this country that people never get to hear.

A scene depicting the total destruction of Santa Monica - complete with fiery meteorites, land masses shearing off into the sea and swarms of flying monkeys - might seem better suited to a Hollywood disaster movie than a planetarium show. But "Time's Up," opening at the Griffith Observatory on Thursday, is not the kind of planetarium show you might remember from grade school. The imagery goes way beyond the traditional static view of the stars, while the presentation forgoes canned narration and gesturing at constellations.

With the Lakers dominating the Celtics in the NBA finals, the hottest game in town has shifted from the Forum to Don Dixon's driveway. Dixon lives in a Castaic housing tract where the homeowners association has outlawed basketball hoops. Dixon and his wife, Juli, installed a hoop on their garage a few months ago and they won't take it down. The Dixons say they have always been a basketball-playing family and the way they see it, banning hoops is un-American. The Stonegate Homeowners Assn.