Austin Chronicles Part 4

Saturday Night Special
4/5/08

8 pm or thereabouts all of us  headed back over to South Austin Speed Shop on South Lamar for the Garage Magazine #17 issue release party. There's a big crowd already on hand, enjoying the lilting strains of Deguello and Scott Biram.

There we run into Dan Stoner and Brian Bounds, Garage's editorial staff, and they hand us a few copies of the new issue, hot off the press, which contains my Mexican adventure story. They regretfully inform me that cover model & Garage Gal of the Year Dita Von Teese won't be there due to scheduling conflicts. Bummer. We repair to the shop office for food and beverages.

Inside the office Jesse James doles us out some calzones. In addition to being Garage Mag's publisher, Jesse owns an interest in South Austin Speed Shop and lives part of the year in Austin with wife Sandra Bullock.  We kick around a few ideas for the next issue.

Then, the gorilla incident. Note: this is how you break a smoking ordinance.

Step 1. Don gorilla suit.

Step 2. Select your tobacco products. This fellow prefers classic Camel Filters, with their famous Turkish blend.

Step 3. Select quantity. Three or four packs should be sufficient.

Step 4. Light cigarettes. (Caution - keep flame a safe 3" to 4" distance from nylon gorilla hair)

Step 5. Not with a Zippo, you girlyman! This job calls for a bottle propane torch.

Step 6. Enjoy the rich tobacco flavor.

Step 7. Get a hug!

Later the El Pasoan show up and we toss back some ceremonial apertifs, browse the new issue, and take a load of scrapbook pix. "Bleed" closes the party. Frontman Bob Bleed is a friend of ours from Milwaukee who recently relocated to Austin to join the Austin Speed Shop crew.

Party is over about 11, but the afterparty is just setting up downtown on 6th street. Tammi Jo and I hustle the younguns back to the hotel and double back downtown for the festivities.

Sixth Street is a mass of humanity, and the crowd is so huge they've blocked off the exit ramps for downtown. Besides our little hot rod show, Austin is playing weekend host to the Texas Relays and the Urban Music Festival.  We wheel through some backstreets, miraculously find a parking spot, and edge  through the crowd to Emo's for the Garage Mag afterparty.  There I spot Bolus coblogger Scott Noteboom and Alex Gambino, and we decide to go back outside to check the action.

At 2 am the street is a river of people, interrupted by islands of donks and high performance sport bikes -- Ducatis, Hayabusas, GSX 1100Rs, Ninjas -- many in full high-pitched revs.  I'd estimate there are about 30,000 to 40,000 people here, apparently from the Urban Music Fest. Of that number I suspect that Noteboom and Gambino and I are the only ones over 30, and the only ones who are melanin-challenged. This seems to be the source of some amusement from the revelers.  We stake a spot on the sidewalk and admire the passing cavalcade of motorcycles and scantily clad girls, when some sort of commotion erupts and several hundred people start running.  From what I don't know, but we all figure we better join the stampede even if we're a bunch of middle age white boys. After 15 seconds it's over and order is restored. I still have no idea what it was about. No still pictures, but I've got video coming later.

Sunday 4/6/08

Wake up at 1030, leaving us barely enough time to pack up our clothes-tornado hotel room for noon checkout. From there we take the scenic drive out to City Park and the old Ski Shores restaurant on Lake Austin, which is the destination for the Lonestar Round Up Sunday brunch hot rod cruise. Last chance for weekend car photos.

 

Said our farewells to a dockful of Austin friends including Continental Club impresario Steve Wertheimer, the guy who created this little annual shindig 7 years ago.

Thanks y'all, and see you next year.