aka The ATX, the City of Ideas, Silicon Hills
The format of the variety show has, for the most part, been tossed in the trash can and replaced with a global obsession with reality TV. Blech. But thanks again to the internet for allowing me to unearth endless vintage treasures from across the globe!
Just a few weeks ago, I was drinking a Lone Star and listening to one of my favorite musicians of all time (Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers) sing some great tunes at the Austin landmark The Cactus Cafe. Located right in the bizarre student union of the University of Texas, this tiny bar has hosted a slew of musical legends since it opened its doors in 1979. Now the big news around town is that it’s on the verge of closing. Huh?! Read More
Although I’m regularly too poor/cheap/etc. to buy an actual badge for any “official” SXSW events, there are scores of free or single ticket events that are just begging to be weaseled into during the wonderful upcoming month!
Here are my top three that I’m dying to get into… Read More
It’s coming, it’s coming! The temperatures are rising, the sun is emerging, and word is already trickling in a month in advance of the best and wildest South By Southwest parties, despite the fact that we’re still weeks away from my favorite Austin holiday season. So, my northern cousins, are you preparing to make the annual pilgrimage to my lovely city? Is there still a heavy cake of snow on the ground and you haven’t removed your long underwear in weeks? Let me advise you on the fashion essentials for the upcoming glorious month of March. Read More
It’s true, I love the camp and the drama of living in a state with an epic self-mythologizing complex. The pride and the bravado may be overwhelming to the masses, but there’s something that’s fascinating about delving into the grandiosely reverential nature of the Texas spirit. Never is this more apparent than in the various television shows that have taken place in my adopted home state: the highs! the lows! the romance! the fights! Oh, sweet Texas. Read More
I love Austin in the winter. Temperatures drop below fifty in January (and sometimes February, too!) and the need to cozy up and avoid the sudden gray skies takes hold. Now’s the best time for cuddling with pals and watching all sorts of creepy, vintage movies. I might even make a fire in my fireplace! A rare treat. Read More
When I moved to Texas, I had no idea that I’d end up loving the wild and woolly city of Houston. Houston seemed like “real” Texas to me– sprawling, dirty, conservative. The kind of city where men sported the cowboy look 24/7 and women sported blond wigs and breast implants. Well, I’m saying it on the record, for all of posterity. I was terribly wrong. Houston, in all of its bizarre, sprawling glory, is totally awesome. Read More
I can’t stop watching “Let the Right One In,” the gorgeous Swedish vampire flick that has set a new bar for the depths a horror movie should reach, both in beauty and sheer creepiness.
But it’s not just the creepy, captivating plot or the gorgeous light that can only be captured in the northern, arctic stretches of Scandanavia that’s keeping me enthralled. Every darn object and article in this movie is minimal and stylish, thanks to the inherent hipness that flows in the Nordic peoples’ blood. Is this a generalization? Perhaps… Read More
My first experience with disco was a familiar one for a kid in the ’90’s: dancing my heart out to the YMCA at my cousin’s bar mitzvah in the hopes that someone would kiss me on the mouth. Needless to say, that didn’t work; disco, however, lives on in all its schlocky glory. As the genre ages, forgotten, underappreciated geniuses emerge and enrich the music of that very wild era. The history continues to deepen and influence other genres that emerged and we all can more fully appreciate the freaky sound of the 70’s. Read More
Until I started blogging for this site, I never truly realized how much my life revolves around the vintage. Apparently you could transport me to the late 70’s and I’d be happier than a fat tick on a skinny dog. So continuing with the theme, I thought I’d link together three bands that I listen to almost daily. These three bands deeply influenced underground rock and paved the way from punk to post-punk. They were deeply experimental, truly loud and changed music forever. Read More
As someone who relishes discovering bizarre gems from the past, I bask in the vast treasures to be discovered on the internet. Most recently, I have had my time divinely sucked away from me from a virtual warehouse of wacky items from the past. Due to the glory of the surf, one blog has opened the door to another and another, etc. etc. Danger, danger! Read More
What is it about the end of a decade that makes us want to press the “reset” button and start anew? How do we culturally reflect upon a decade and make a leap forward into the next? Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but I’ve been really digging three movies from 1979 recently. These three films capture that quintessential decade-shift angst. And they’re just downright awesome coming of age flicks. Read More
What is it about the Brits that make them awesome at making weird, gut-bustingly funny television? I’m not sure, but I can’t get enough of that wacky, out there comedy. Read More
A friend made this tableau the last time it snowed in 2006.
Snow comes rarely to Austin, Texas. I’ve spent multiple winter holidays basking in the sun on friends’ porches. So, you might be wondering…as a native New Englander, how do I get into the Christmas spirit when a hot toddy isn’t consumed to fight the subarctic temperatures? Well, light a fire in the fireplace and turn up the air conditioning for my personal tour of a Texan Xmas. Read More
