JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback Lyric Feedback Forum 2 "LET'S KEEP AUSTIN WIERD"

{Ande Rasmussen (DIFS) just posted a Contest of sorts on the Above title & This is what came to My Caffein-Deprived Brain this AM...Doubt it's A Contender, but WAS a Fun Write!}

Waal, I live Down in Florida
It Shorely ain't Too Near,
But There..in the Tampa Tribune
Was a Story Loud-n-Clear:

Some Feller Coined The Slogan (&)
Bumper Stickers Soon Appeared
& On Them Were Prophetic Words (About)
(Let's) KEEP AUSTIN WIERD


Somehow The Slogan soon Caught On
As it Spread from Car-to-Car
But then Some OTHER Entrepeneur
Took The Slogan a Bit Too Far....

He was gonna Crank Out T-Shirts
& Spread that Slogan Far & Near
Make a Bit of MONEY from
(Let's) KEEP AUSTIN WIERD!

(BRIDGE)
They Put LONGHORNS..On CADILLACS
Wear COWBOY BOOTS T' CHURCH
But When Someone STEALS/RUSTLES A SLOGAN
MAN, They Get Their FEELIN'S HURT!

So NOW Insteada the OK CORRAL
They Use LAWYERS t' Make ONE of them DISSAPPEAR
Waal..Buddy, I'll TIP My STETSON T'YOU:
You DEFINITELY..KEEP AUSTIN WIERD!

(VERSE)
So I Gaze upon my Tampa Town
ALL Our CRAZIES..Headin' WEST
The Hippies, Gurus, Winos, Flakes
NOW Think AUSTIN is THE BEST!

They Got a CONVOY of OL' SCHOOL BUSSES
Towards The Settin' Sun..They're STEERED
And It ALL Began with ONE BUMPER STICKER
(Sayin'...Let's) KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!

(OUTRO)
Waaal...I Know TEXAS FOLKS...
Ain't MUCH that Makes 'Em SKEERED....
Put an Extra GUN..In The PICKUP, Son (&)
(Let's) KEEP AUSTIN WIERD!!!

(C) 2002 by Stan Good, BMI
All Rights Reserved.

Yeah, that was a fun read! I live in Texas and you have hit it fairly well. (I do want to state that I don't claim to be Texan since the first 27 years of my life I lived in Kansas.) Here in Texas most people think Austin is the weird place. Very liberal compared to the ultra-conservative nature of most of the rest of the State. You are definitely right about the guns too. I don't care what gun laws are ever passed, you will never pry them from "the cold dead hands" of these ol' boys down here. Enjoyed reading it. --jeff

Thanks Jeff!

Was pleasantly Surprised when Ande emailled back a Nice Bunch of Suggestions... & informed me the Contest was to come up with Melody & Vocals on HIS Lyric, same subject! (Like I said earlier, I was pretty Groggy from lack of Caffein!) I suggested we do a 1/3 Split & I'd do Vocals if he came up with a Guitarist... We'll see if it ever gets Demoed..heh!

But was Real Kind for both you Texans to give me such Kind Feedback today! Allus got a Fond Spot in my Heart for Lonestar Folks...(My Brother, Doug Good's been in Dallas 20+ years, married to a Local/I been horsetradin' Ol' Electric Fans with Many a Texan over the last 15 years..ALL are Great Fellows! My Last Fling that got me in Big Trouble was also with a Nice Dallas Lady...{Decade Ago}... Yee-Haw, already!) ;-)> Great State, Amigo!

Thanks Again for all those Kind Words!
We got PLENTY of "Weird" here in Florida, if you ever run out of it there...heh!

Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

Stan

I enjoyed the read...not sure I understand where all of the context comes from but it's a cute piece!

G'mornin' W-F!

The slogan was coined by One Guy, caught on Bigtime. Then ANOTHER Guy's tried to Copyright (Patent?) the Slogan & went into T-Shirt production... So the First Guy's suing for Ownership...to keep it sorty "Public Domaine"....& "Free."
Local FM Radio Station in Austin is havin' Big Fun with the Brouhaha. Ande's no fool...submitted a Lyric there & they want a CD w/singin' of his song on it, to Air. I'll get back here with Ande's URL & if you're a Singer WITH Melody Backup, here's your Chance..heh-heh!

Big Hugs,
Stan

Like it Stan. I got the same sort of e-mail the one time I did one of them write a lyric thing there. Don't bother now. Don't get the inspiration thing any more either.
I get mine in here.
Real fun one Stan.
Graham

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http://www.songramp.com/homepage.ez?Who=grahamhenderson

G'mornin' Big G!

Said I'd list Ande's URL, h'yar 'tis:
(oops..this is his Email...but it'll getcha whatever ya need
Anderasmussen@aol.com

Anyhew, thanks for Visitin'! Know this isn't a Big Money Contest (Winners get on a CD he distributes to Local DJ's...prolly will never get beyond Texas, but ya never know!) (And Top 5 entrants get a "KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD" T-Shirt...) (Sure to be a Collector's Item if the Lawsuit ceases Production...heh!)

Thanks again for the Kind Words, Amigo!
Big Guy-Hug & a "G'Day, Mate!" to ya!
Stan

G'day Cobber. Seems like 'Rustling Slogans' in your neck of the woods rates as highly as "Cattle Duffing" does in mine. Your song has brought a smile to my face today and I thank you for it and I just love your song. best wishes, Ray.

Hi Stan,

Having just come back from Austin (and hanging out with Ande by the way), I really loved the whole idea of a town slogan being Keep Austin Weird. If only other cities could have a sense of humor and dump their cheesy slogans for something more representative.

We noticed as we traveled this last trip (to several cities we'd never been in before) just how much alike all of them really are. Same stores.. same music... same cultural trappings... it's really kind of sad. We actually drove home totally on back roads through OK and MO so we could see something different.

Maybe a bunch of musicians will write some new slogans for their own towns, taking the lead from Austin!

Brian

HIya Ray!

Texas is about 4 States "West" of My Neck of the Woods, but I really Love those Texans. (My Brother Doug is married to a Dallas Lady, 20-some years now, lives & works in Big D.) They're a Straight-Shootin' FUN Buncha Folks (remind me a LOT of You Aussies!) and I got TONS of Great Memories of all the MANY Fan Collectors Annual Confabs we've had together over the years in Dallas and Houston.

Texans aren't afraid of Bein' "Different" 'cuz they're ALL Pretty "Unique" to begin with. Dunno if they've ever forgiven the Alaskans for comin' in "Late" with a Bigger State, but the Texans STILL got the Biggest Hearts! (Write some Great Songs there...like Susan Gibson's "WIDE OPEN SPACES"...etc.!)

Glad t'hear you're Smilin' after this Read...Mission Accomplished!

Thanks..& a Big Guy-Hug!
Stan

HIDee Brian, Amigo!

You & Ande are BOTH a Source of "Daily Inspriation"....heh!

So TRUE about the Ride Back...heh!
This Planet's gettin' "McDonald-ized"...
(& the French were Overall Pissed when one appeared in Paris..heh!)

A friend of mine pointed out that the Corner GAS Station of Days Past is rapidly becomin' the Corner DRUG Store..heh! (Wierd Conclusions to THAT, eh?) Down here, it's either a Walgreens or an Eckerd's...

I'd have thought that as Us Boomer's take over the Continent that, yeah, we'd have some GREAT Craziness RULIN'...but Nah..just look how RADIO's "Sold Out" and ditto Most EVATHING seems to have a "Bottom Line Mentality" these days.

It's a Wal-Mart World Out there...

I admire the Austinians for their Brave Stand...heh...it takes Courage to dream up a City Slogan that FUN! The Weekly Planet in Tampa (a Free Semi-Counterculture Newspaper) recently published a Cover Story about how the NEW "Growing City of the Future" is actually one with a Viable Artist's Community (With US wacky Songwriters, among Others)
to add Flavor to the Community (Not to Mention "Culture") which'll draw those New Corporations to the Area...more so than "Civic Centers" and the Usual Innercity Fare.

WISH I could think one up for Tampa..."The Cigar City" is pretty durn Dated. "We STILL Got a Few BRICK STREETS LEFT" might be fitting? Some Ad Agency coined "The Next Great American City" back in the '80's...DID look great on Bumper Tags in those days...

"Tampa: So HOT it's COOL!"

I once worked for an Ad Agency dreamin' up that kinda Crap for a Living...
I think Austin's ON to Something, and I hope the City and Their Slogan Succeed beyond their Wildest Dreams!

I thank You and Ande for givin' us "Wierd" Creative Types an active Outlet, and for Promoting the Growth of our Numbers...heh! YAYYY!

Thanks Again, and a Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

Hi Stan.....

I had the contest idea straight, and thought you just took the opportunity to have a little fun with the idea....and you did good! This un's funny and a whole lotta fun. Your sense of humor sure brightens my day.

Sunny smiles....



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http://artists2.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Sharon_Longworth/

Stan,

Actually Susan Gibson came out and played at our San Antonio show (she just moved there). She didn't play WOS though, which just made me like her all that much more because she's clearly moved forward creatively. If someone who wrote one of the biggest country hits of all time can avoid playing it... hopefully other folks who always get stuck in the rut of playing the same songs can move forward too!

We spent yesterday hanging out in Hannibal, MO the hometown of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Saw his house with the picket fence and everything!

Now HE was an original and not afraid to be weird. In fact, I learned something very important about him that I'll probably share in an upcoming newsletter.. since I am about 10 newsletters behind at this point from all the roadtrips...

Brian

HIya Sunshine!

Been burnin' Midnite Oil tonite fixin' an ol' Emerson and an ol' Dayton Fan I'm each way overdue gettin' outta the App't!

I sorty got Ande's Contest Mixed Up a bit, but heck, only lost about 15 minutes whippin' this'n up, & it WAS Great Fun/ I may STILL end up Performin' it someday!

Hey, you got a Great Sense of Humor yourself, OhiaLady... I think The Deity flooded your Basement so I'd feel Lucky I only got a Leaky Roof at MY House...heh!

Dunno HOW ya Smiled thru All That...but you came up with one FINE Christmas Chuckle Song last week...Real Proudyya!!!

Thanks for the Kind Words & a
BIG Christmas Hug Backatcha!
Stan

HIDee Again, Brother Brian!

Back in JPF's Earlier Days, Susan Gibson had her Personal Email Addy right under her Pic in the Mentors' Listings..& I got to know her a bit. Sent her one a my Fans, to a San Antonio P.O. Box..about 2 years ago, think it was...(Think she mentioned her folks lived there?) Alas, she prolly was gettin' Buried in Emails around that time, & her addys all went dead/ Fan got Returned. Still hope to send her one, Someday...She's a Really Fine Person, as you've mentioned!

Ditto for Mark Twain. I allus liked his response to someone who'd exclaimed "Man is the Only Animal which can Laugh"...
Twain's reply was he'd heard (Think it was Oranutans?) Laugh; but more appropriately "Man is the Only Animal which can BLUSH."

I yearn for the Time to read some of his Crustier, Later Writings...he had some Brilliant Insight into the Quirks & Foibles of Humanity...Wrote with the Best of 'Em...Allus had a POINT behind that REAL Entertaining Detailin'...heh-heh!

WISH I had Time for a Riverboat Cruise Down the Missippi now, too... Lookin' forwards to your Twain Insight, Amigo!!!

Thanks Again for the Re-Visit!
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan