Rusty passed on yesterday. He was such a showman, working until the end. It's funny how you take the familiar for granted... Rusty worked so long in Austin, he seemed to be a part of the landscape. His music was simple and simply delivered but it was his personality that made folks pay attention. The days of "good old Austin beer drinking music" have passed and the haunts of the folks from those days are getting scarcer and scarcer. Unfortunately, the folks themselves are getting scarcer too.

Who was here that fateful day, Dec. 8, 1980? It was actually the day after that I remember. I was awakened, as always back then, to KLBJ-FM. Note, that was when KLBJ was good; before it changed into their current "Hey man, let's party!" blazing guitars and hair mode. Anyway, the DJ was very somber and announced that Lennon had been killed the night before. They played only Beatles and Lennon that day non-stop, no commercial breaks. I had to go to work but I was completely shocked into an altered sense of being. The Beatles meant so much to us all. Around 5:00pm or so, I was at my girlfriend's apartment and she told me of a gathering at Zilker under the Zilker Christmas tree... we had to go.

What we found there was a very large but quiet crowd of Austin under the tree. Some had brought candles to pass around and soon there was a large circle of folks, all holding candles, around the base of the tree, all facing in. We cried, we sang, we thought of the damage that Mark David Chapman had done. We all knew that things had fundamentally changed that night. Austin certainly never felt the same again. It seemed like from that day forward, the pace of change in Austin has done nothing but get faster, accelerating away from us.

Can anyone enlighten me about the name of the Mexican restaurant where it was all you can eat - and when you wanted more - you just raised the flag on your table - and here came the seconds, and thirds, and on and on! Of course, being on a student's budget, the "all you can eat" feature was great - and boy, could we put it away back then! I just remember Ron Franklin's creative advice that if you start with the sopapillas, you'd have no problem -- (like a plug for the drain!) Classy...

Well, I knew U.T. would be a fun place when I visited my sister, Ann Sidor (Baird), during my junior year in highschool (1968), and she was already a freshmen in Longhorn country. I arrived at her apartment while she was still in class, and ran into some other hometown (older - well, at least 18) friends who invited me to join them on a jaunt down to New Braunsfels for WurstFest (or was it "BeerFest"?!) Of course, I couldn't resist and headed out with them not even thinking of my "under age" issue. When she arrived home, no Andrea, and all she saw was a note on her bed -- "I'm off to New Braunfels with Jan" (Nichols - our neighbor from back home). So much for her following our mother's admonition - "Now, take care of Andrea while she's there!" Needless to say - I was cut free from our small town where we had grown up, and I was ready to take in the action! And after I arrived at U.T. 2 years later (1970), I kept the action going for the next 4 years, and loved every minute of it. (By the way, the cops at WurstFest bought my story of really being 18, and I had just left my driver's license at home!!). Oh, the good ole' days.

Anyone remember a Best Products store in Central/North Austin? I worked at one for about 6 months back in 76 or 77. About 10 of us got fire one night 'cause someone shipped a joint in one of those vaccum tubes that was used to request the orders. Trying to remember where it was located. (and no it wasn't me who shipped it!)

Not going back as far, but in the late 70s, early 80s you could find:

The Red Keg out 183 (almost to TI)
People's restaurant (on Anderson in the Village)
Hambergers by Gourmet (downstairs from the video game place on the drag)
Hilberts on Lamar (recently moved)
Mike and Charlie's (ok, really a bar, now a parking lot)
Chez Fred (couple of locations out north)
San Francisco Steakhouse (recently died, but lived for a very long time)
Nighthawk south I35
Tumbleweed Steakhouse/BBQ (on top of Tumbleweed hill on 2222)
Haufbrau Steak house (across from Katz's Deli)
La Tapatia Mexican food on 2nd
Jorge's Uptown Margarita Bar and Grill on Lavaca
Hut's of course (still going strong)

On the road to Volente, you can still find the shell of the Enchanted Tavern. Just another cedar chopper bar way back when...

There wasnt much to recommend driving to Volente except the drive. At the intersection of Volente Highway and Lime Creek Road (at the stop sign downtown Volente) was the King's Dew Drop Inn. Now a real-estate office...

Yea, I was lucky enough to move to austin in mid 60's. Threadgills was the only saloon out north, well besides Jade and Dodge City. But me Mom used to take me, as she knew Kenneth, Senor Cisco, and many politicos.
I remember I thought the gal sounded horrid and just screammed. You had to understand it was a small, small joint and she of course sang her heart out. But I never forget her. She sat with KT and mom and I. And indeed she became a legend, and I finally liked most her stuff. The last time I saw her was in Fillmore West with BB & Holding.
God bless me mom for enlightening me to the Austin music scenne before there was one.
BadBuzz
The road goes on forever...and the party never ends!

I was 18 and new to town.I was a blues fan, but Antones was yet to open.There was not much of a blues scene yet.I heard that the band to see was Storm.I checked the paper and saw they were playing a place called Sittin' Bull.Imagine my surprise as this 18 year old walks into a topless bar for the first time.The guitarist was excellent..some pony-tailed guy named Jimmie Vaughn.Lewis Cowdery played harp and sang.The late,great Freddie Pharoah Walden on drums.Sorry I forget the bassists name,but I believe he later played with Anson Funderburgh for years{so did Freddie].Weeks later,Jimmie Vaughn and Kim Wilson started a new band,and Antones opened.A historic summer for sure.