Memories of Our Austin - Scenes

Pajama Parties

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:31:41 -0700

does anyone remember the pajama parties held at the house at 1000 Baylor in the 80's. That house that sat at 10th and Lamar....I was a part of those as we lived there. We had great times and just seeing if anyone remembers being involved.

Beer Joints

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:43:21 -0800

I had the need to drive up Burnet Rd. the other day and I was brought back in time to a place that was but is no longer: the Char-Ex Drive Inn. You know the place, it was on the corner of Old Keonig and Burnet (that's "ole KAYnig and BURnet" to you newbies... get it right) Their chili was outstanding, their beer was cold, the people there were old school Austin. Today, the building is still there but it has the look of a flea market instead of a respectable beer joint.

What happened to the beer joint? These days, there are notable hangers-on such as Deep Eddy and Ginny's Little Longhorn but the vast majority of the neighborhood taverns have vanished. Austin's reputation for live music has always depended upon the beer joint venues (you don't hear Austin music here)

The people and places that have always been there to define the true Austin culture are starting to get very rare.

Dry Creek Cafe

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:35:13 -0700

I haven't been there in over ten years, and I don't even know if it's still open, or a McMansion has been built in it's place. Out on Mount Bonnell Road . . . you walk in, can buy a pickled egg out of a jar on the counter (they floated around in an ominous green liquid), then get your longneck beer and head to the deck upstairs. The old woman who owned the place would always yell at you, "Bring your damn bottles back down here when you're through with them!" Best sunsets in Austin, better than the Oasis, because it was just you and a few other people up there watching.

Cosmic Cowboys

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:53:16 -0800

Austin was the birthplace of a musical genre that really deserves more attention. During the early 70's, the vibrant Texas rock scene had broken down and moved on. Big name (aka Big Business) acts dominated the music scene. As it always does, Austin responded by reinventing many of the rules and established notions and created the Cosmic Cowboys.

The true leaders of this movement never got the public credit they deserve but are usually cited as major influences by those that did make it big. My favorites are:

Willis Alan Ramsey - huge Austin influence. When you hear early Lyle, your hearing Willis

Michael Murphy - prior to his Michael Martin Murphy, horse riding cowboy days, Murphy kicked around Austin and produced what still could be an anthem for the town: "Alleys of Austin" Anyone have the lyrics?

B.W. "Buckwheat" Stevenson - Everyone has heard his "My Maria"

It's interesting to note that those three performers all came from Dallas from around the same period of time. South Dallas has produced quite a list of musical pioneers, SRV notwithstanding. Update: Here's a good listing of Oak Cliff notables. Anyone here heard of the "Oak Cliff 'Oh'"?

Not on my list are big names like Willie or Jerry Jeff. I think that the Cosmic Cowboy theme was already going when these guys showed up. I'm not saying that they didn't make great contribution... they just owe a debt to Austin and the true pioneers.

Free Clinic

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:54:24 -0800

I'm not sure if it is still functional, but the Austin Free Clinic started in a church hall, I think it was, to the west of the UT campus. I do think it moved a few times, but I remember it down in a basement area of small partitioned off rooms.

The clinic provided a really necessary service back in those days, and did it with a sense of purpose and non-judgemental care.

Pat Larkin worked there, I remember, a well-known character of the Austin housing co-op scene among other things in those days. I've often wondered where Pat ended up - he was a very straightforward (almost said straight - not the same thing in the context of those days...) and genuine sort of guy.

It must have been sometimes pretty frustrating work, with the transient population, the exotic drug use and the health issues brought about through little care for hygiene. I'll pay a long overdue vote of thanks to the people who started the clinic back then!

Christmas In Austin

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:47:43 -0800

Austin has always struggled for a mainstream Christmas tradition... the Zilker Tree, the Trail of lights, Congress Ave. lights. However, there has also always been a counter-culture season tradition as well.

- Take, for example, the (now!) well known "Hippie Christmas" on 37th street. Started off weird-as-you-please but it didn't take long for the Westlake set to start cruising through in Explorers with the windows rolled up.

- When was the first time that you saw a wild cedar tree on the side of the road in full Christmas decoration? Pretty common now.

- Before the Continental Club went legit, you could always count on them being there AND open.

- Christmas Tamales and Tamaladas: one of many Tejano traditions that I first experienced in Austin. Remember when they called it "Austin style Mexican food"?

- The town getting empty. Remember when the UT students leaving town made a significant dent in the population? Suddenly, everything was empty and the folks remaining had the bond of true Austin kinship.

All is not lost. I hear that there is a very healthy chapter of the Santa Rampage here in town. Good for them.

Spellman's

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:40:25 -0800

Spellman's was a small (very), old (very), rustic (very, very) beer bar off of West 5th St. It was one of the first places that I recall that had near constant live music from local songwriters and pickers. Townes, Blaze, Jubal, etc. I didn't appreciate them at the time beyond the good background music for afternoon beers and evening (mostly feeble) attempts at meeting someone new of the opposite sex.

I recall the guy that introduced me to the afternoon gang at Spellman's saying "These are good people. I've loaned them money when they asked." That impressed me most because we were so broke back then that even the thought of having money to loan was inconceivable.

Hippies

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 09:54:18 -0800

Austin was well known for it's hippie culture. Hippies on the drag, Hippie houses, Hippie Hangouts, Hippie events (Eeyore's party is a direct descendant of hippie happenings.) What was interesting was how everyone seemed to get along. It was common to see Hippies mingling with the rest of the population and everyone getting along fine. This is another huge indicator of how modern society has lost the tolerance that once made it strong.
Update: I recently took a stroll through one of the ancient hippie neighborhoods (just west of downtown... you know where) and I was pleasantly surprised to see houses and yards that could pass for 1979 in Austin. Old school Austin bomemia has survived!

Aqua Fest

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 09:48:16 -0800

Aqua Fest was one of the corporate/civic oriented events that desperately wanted legitimacy but was snared in the net of Austin's culture/counter-culture. Boat races on Town Lake? Not if La Raza has anything to say about it. Still, my favorite memories of AF were when the theme nights were still the agenda. German night was such a beautiful family affair. Mexican night was such a party. I still have a few Skipper pins.

6th Street

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 21:47:05 -0800

Well before 6th was the established party destination, it was a somewhat decaying section of downtown with few mainstream establishments. This was before street people (non-Hippies, that is) were common in Austin so around closing time on East 6th there were some fairly rough characters around. There were lots of places to go however. Most of them had been there "for forever" and even some are still around today. Standouts include:

Old Pecan St. Cafe -- Talk about your pioneers. Pecan St. was out there trying to draw a crowd well before the collective bravery was strong enough to venture down there.

Barton Springs

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 21:46:13 -0800

Who here remembers when topless bathing was commonplace at Barton Springs. Where has the rebellious nature (and tolerance of our population) gone to?