Veronica Mars

A fandom was born in me during the early days of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I stuck with that show though the tough days (season 4) and the good days (all the other seasons). I laughed and cried, sometimes simultaneously. When Buffy ended, a hole was left in my heart. I even tried watching the last couple seasons of Angel to capture that same magic and it just never felt the same.

Veronica Mars debuted a whole year after Buffy ended. Until then, I never paid much attention to anything else on UPN until I heard about this new show. I specifically remember one review describing it as “Buffy meets Nancy Drew.” I was instantly intrigued. Another review said Veronica Mars is Angelina Jolie in high school. I’m not exactly sure what that meant. I caught one of the first episodes and despite the fact that Paris Hilton was a main character, I kept watching.



I fell in love with Veronica’s acerbic humor and snarky retorts. She was incredibly independent and strong, yet very flawed. I guess in a way I related to her alienation and determination. Veronica and I both struggled with our own personal demons while managing to keep a straight face.

After those first few episodes, I was enthralled. I even got Chad watching Veronica Mars. We often went to the weekly screenings they did at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. It was such a fun show, but I had a sinking feeling with most things I love getting cancelled. I knew it was a niche audience and I could never imagine the same people watching Lost or Two and a Half Men actually getting Veronica Mars. We had three glorious seasons. I loved the idea of Veronica going to the FBI which was the direction she would have taken. Besides Buffy and Veronica, my biggest role model is Clarice Starling. To see Veronica step into that role as an agent was so exciting.



Fast forward to 2013:

I’ve never pledged to any kickstarter campaign. In fact, I often mocked it for many of the less than reputable projects floating around. However, that afternoon when I saw that the campaign went live, I did not make a second thought. When I pledged, the campaign had not even reached a million yet. I still couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I had no idea there was so much interest in a little show I loved several years ago.



One of the best experiences was getting to attend the kickstarter party here in Austin. Rob Thomas was absolutely beaming (he might have been a little tipsy too) from ear to ear greeting all the people who came out on such short notice. As a surprise, Rob flew out Jason Dohring as a special guest. The entire place was screaming with delight, myself included. I even got to meet the infamous Logan Echolls!



Fast forward to 2014:

The film was shot in less than a month. I admit I had concerns about it flowing with the show. In the end, I knew that no matter what, it would be something special for me and the other fans to enjoy.



The film starts as a recap of the initial three seasons. It gives you a background of who Veronica is and what Neptune is like. This makes it much easier for those who have never seen the show. There are tons of references that only fans will get and there are also tons of other pop culture references. Piz makes a Buffy reference that warmed my heart so much because it really brought together two things I truly love. I loved the film and I think as a stand alone feature, it holds up. As a climax to a long journey it is bittersweet. There’s several open ended questions left for us viewers. I love that Rob Thomas is writing a series of books about Veronica. VM lives on in the same way Buffy lives on through comic books.



Things I LoVe'd:

I love the grown up versions of all the characters. Their prospective jobs are very fitting. I love the exchange with Deputy Leo and Veronica. With the exception of Logan, Leo was my favorite love interest. I just really love the script that Rob Thomas put together. It reminded me of all the things I fell in love with about the show. His writing is really good as we witnessed with Party Down another beloved failed show. I loved that Kristen Bell was a little fuller figured having just given birth to her baby girl in real life. It gave VM a more mature look. Twenty-eight year olds should not look the same as they did at eighteen. Yet with her mature self, VM still slipped on that old satchel like a glove. I loved the Celeste Kane cameo that no one saw coming. I also loved the James Franco cameo. Most of all, I loved Dicky Casablancas. He certainly got some of the best lines.



This I did not LoVe:

I was not happy that there was no reference to Backup the dog. Obviously, he would not have survived all those years, but a photo or nod would have been appreciated. I did not like hearing Gia and Cobb doing it. Yuck! I wasn’t that crazy about the Justin Long cameo, but it was befitting that he got the only “fuck off” in the entire film. I did not want to see Weevil get back into his old habits. The whole man in a uniform thing never did it for me so the military storyline with Logan fell flat for me. Don’t get me wrong he looked good, and he does need some sort of structure in his life. I’m just not crazy about the storyline. Although, I cannot think of a better one for him so I guess it works.



Overall, I enjoyed the film. It saddened me a bit to see Piz so brokenhearted, but it’s all about Logan & Veronica. The scene with Keith getting hit by the truck gave me anxiety, but everything worked out in the end. Even if you never watched Veronica Mars, the film is a great watch. If you have seen the show, it’s a beautiful love letter to all the fans. Now if we could just get that Party Down movie made.

SXSW 2013

Today marks the end of another whirlwind week and a half of SXSW. Every year it gets bigger than the last. Every year there's more people, bigger names, and longer lines.



My experience with SXSW has drastically changed since my first one in 1999. The last few SXSWs, I have spent a few hours of a couple of days out and about as opposed to morning, noon, and night partying my face off. I take a lot of flack for turning my back on my previous party girl ways. Feel free to peruse my old Myspace blogs for further tales of infamy. I admit, I do take myself too seriously sometimes and could use a little more relaxation. However, I do not miss the wild nights out. I do not miss waking up in weird places, forgetting where my car is, the excruciating hangovers, the random bumps & bruises, or any of the other embarrassing moments. I don't regret anything that I did, but I do not miss it either. I can still enjoy myself without getting falling down drunk or getting into THE coolest party.



Sure I was a little bummed out that I did not get to see Prince, Justin Timberlake, or Nick Cave. But I did get to see Prince's 2004 comeback tour at the SBC Center, I did see Nick Cave in 2006 at Stubbs, and I did get to see Nsync at the Alamodome in 2002 so I really can't complain. I got to meet Maddie the Coonhound, I saw Billy Bragg again, and I had a veggie dog from Hot Dog King. Sure SXSW is a lot of corporate bullshit, but that's what keeps it going. We have to take the good with the bad. I used to say I was never doing SXSW again. Now I just accept it as something we participate in every year like Halloween or 4th of July.



I did have fun this year nonetheless. I did see some really cool bands and I did talk to some nice people and catch up with old friends. All in all, it was a low key week. One of my favorite things about SXSW is the people watching. Most people either put in a lot of thought into their outfit or they're still wearing the same clothes from the day before. Both options make for great people watching and at one time I was guilty of both. I spoke to a fellow Austinite who transplanted from the Bay Area many years ago. He traveled downtown on the Metro Rail. He commented on how crowded it was on the train (it's usually a ghost train) and that how it's ALWAYS that busy on the BART. He said something that really stuck with me:

The city is just growing up and we just need to get used to it.

He is absolutely right.

We are lucky to live in a wonderful city that hosts one of the biggest media festivals in the world. We are lucky to live in a city that people actually enjoy visiting. SXSW generates so much money for Austin and we should really appreciate that. We live in a cool city! Why else would Robert Plant want to live here? Or Steve Niles? Or Richard Linklater? Austin cannot stay our little secret forever. Like every other living breathing entity, it will grow. The choice is: whether you will grow with it. Of course I complain when we get stuck in Kite Festival traffic on the way to brunch or have to take a detour to the comic book shop because of a marathon. It is inconvenient, but at least we have the option of these events to attend if we so wish. Not many big cities like Austin are as community oriented.



The worst part is that I know people who have lived here for 3-5 years and have never really experienced this city. They tend to stick to their five mile radius of Round Rock, South Austin, East Side, Cedar Park, or whatever neighborhood they live in. When I first moved here nearly fifteen years ago, I rode the bus everywhere. This gave me the opportunity to truly explore Austin. How can you complain about a place you have never really explored? I know people who have never been to Eeyore's Birthday Party, Mount Bonnell, eaten at Tamale House, gone roller skating at Playland, been swimming at Barton Springs, or even had a sno cone from Casey's. I feel sorry for the people who stick to the same sad Chili's and Panda Express in Pflugerville. It's true some of the iconic mainstays of Austin are long gone. Like everyone else, I too miss Sound Exchange (I REALLY miss it), Libery Lunch, The Dobie, and The Alligator Grill. But I look forward to the new memories and new places to make my own in Austin.



I hope everyone enjoyed their stay in Austin. Respect our city, respect each other, and most of all respect yourself!

SXSW 2012

Alas, another SXSW has come & gone. By Sunday, my poor little city looked like a used up whore. Fortunately, the storm came and washed away all the STDs festering downtown. Every year I say, "This is the last time!" And every year I go back for more, so I give up. If you remember my old SXSW blogs from Myspace, you may recall that I got a little crazy back then. These days, I load up on Vitamin Waters & veggie hot dogs instead of sparkle berries & pills. I'll be honest, it was a rough week that tested my endurance and left me feeling like Danny Glover (I'm getting too old for this shit). On top of my daily duties of work/school, I still managed to make it downtown for a little fun. It was also very strange having a Kenny-less SXSW, but he was having a better time across the pond hanging out with Gary Barlow. I tried to keep my tweets to a minimum because I know how annoying it can get especially for my friends who were not in attendance. I'll share just a couple highlights with you today.

As soon as I heard Bruce Springsteen would be doing the keynote speech, I immediately knew he would be playing a show and I was stoked. I kept anticipating the announcement of The Boss playing Auditorium Shores or some other similar free event. To my dismay, he played only one super exclusive showcase. Even if you had a badge, you still had to enter a lottery just for the chance to see his performance. That's not very working class of Bruce, but I guess the man's gotta promote his new album.


Then suddenly, out of nowhere I get word that the Jesus and Mary Chain are doing SXSW! One of my all time favorite bands who broke up long ago playing here in Austin! Needless to say, my mind was fucking blown. They were also scheduled to play New Orleans, Denton, and Houston in addition to SXSW. I checked various lists and resources to find out when & where their shows would be because surely they would play more than once. I got more and more nervous when I only saw one showcase at The Belmont that was badges/wristbands only. To avoid all this, I ended up going to the show in Houston at The House of Blues. It was just easier for me to go to Houston than wade through a sea of hipsters who were still suckling at their mother's teat when Psychocandy came out. Let me tell you, it was well worth it! I had a great time and JAMC played all the hits. I got to hit up the infamous House of Pies and see my dear friend Robbie who ten years ago, I used to drive around with while listening to I Hate Rock 'N' Roll in his Honda Civic . Special thanks to Chris P for driving!


Wednesday & Thursday I spent most of my time at the IFC house hanging out with my old friend, Joe Escalante who was in town with Legal Zoom answering legal questions for musicians & filmmakers. You may recognize Joe from his other job as bass player for The Vandals. Congratulations to The Vandals on their triumph over The Daily Variety and their bullshit frivolous lawsuit. Now they can get back to making righteous tunes and touring.


Friday I headed over to the Shirts for A Cure event to see some of my favorite dudes, Anti-Flag play. I really admire these guys because they have the courage to put themselves out there and stand up for what they believe. Whether you believe in their politics or not, that is a courageous feat. For years, they have encouraged young people to get involved and make a difference in the movement. You don't see many musicians these days supporting a cause and bringing light to the injustices of the world. "Musicians" today run around with blue hair peddling Pro Active, making sex tapes, or beating women in fancy sports cars. I am so proud to call Anti-Flag my friends. Check out their new album.



I made it to Jackalope just in time to catch Peter Case & Paul Collins. They played a bunch of Plimsouls & Nerves songs. They even played "A Million Miles Away" which made it feel just like the scene in VALLEY GIRL. Man, it was like tripendicular, ya know?

"Who else is there? No other Val dude can touch me. She must really be freaking out."

While I was waiting around for Tommy Stinson to play, these two moderately inebriated guys started chatting me up. One guy mentioned he was a Nascar driver. I know this is Texas, but how is that supposed to be an impressive pick up line? I kept thinking, "Good job on turning left!" I talked to a bunch of other Replacements fans at Jackalope. I gotta say, some of the nicest people I have ever met were from Chicago which is why it remains one of my all time favorite cities in the US. I really didn't expect Stinson to play any Replacements songs, but I was excited to see him live nonetheless. He sounded great and apparently, he has a new album out. Jesse Malin from D Generation played right before Stinson and he did a really cool cover of "Bastards of Young." I mentioned Stinson on twitter and the next morning he replied to me! I had no idea he even had an account, which means he had to have been searching his own name on twitter. This is not nearly as exciting as Chachi Darin's story about how Tommy Stinson came to his birthday party, but you can still Color Me Impressed. I keep a glimmer of hope that one day I will get to see The Replacements live.


Ross played a show Friday night and by then I was already exhausted & tired of SXSW. Saturday was a struggle to get through. Luckily, the delicious vegan bubble tea from Toy Joy helped out a lot. It dawned on me halfway through the event that some people have the most ridiculous tattoos. Don't get me wrong, there was many a ridiculous outfit. I left it to Vice Magazine to capture those gems. So I began taking photos of silly tattoos I came across and you can view them on my Tumblr if you're interested.


SXSW can be a lot of fun and it can also be a who's who of who cares. It's all a matter of how you choose to spend it. You can kick back and enjoy yourself or you can spend the entire time bragging about how you got into the Fader Fort for Kanye. You can meet new people & discover new bands or you can post a dozen photos of yourself & Bam Margera on Facebook. People just seem to work themselves up in a frenzy for a week and then usually spend the following week sick as a dog. Believe me, I have been there before. You don't need to RSVP to every single party ever; only about 10% of the venues actually check the list. They only make you RSVP to get an idea of how many people to expect & no matter what party it is, you should always expect a shit ton of people. And bragging about how you waited 2hrs to get into the Rachel Ray party just to see three minutes of Mumford & Sons is the equivalent of wearing your badge to a non-SXSW event. Don't be an amateur, just relax & have fun. Also, please wear comfortable closed toe shoes. I wanted to vomit after seeing dozens of girls wearing sandals because I'm pretty sure their feet now carry the ebola virus.


Oh & by the way, Fiona Apple is just a shitty version of Liz Phair. I refuse to buy the hype around her or this Lana Del Rey bitch either.


See you guys next year! Don't hold your breath.

Shame on You

Well another SXSW has come and gone faster than you can say, "badges only." After much reflection on this year's events, I'm left perplexed. I am beginning to think that maybe SXSW has outgrown Austin. Why you ask? Because I've seen more bad behavior this year than any other. It's embarrassing to see grown adults behave so poorly. Let's discuss some of these events.


Last Saturday, my dear friend Kenneth ventured east of downtown to meet some people. His outing was completely unrelated to SXSW, just a usual Saturday night. Before reaching his destination, he decided to grab a bite to eat from the #19 Bus(the big red double decker) located on the corner of 6Th and San Marcos in the East Side Drive-In. He noticed a lot of commotion going on behind the window yet proceeded to order a hamburger. The very rude woman at the window was a bit snippy with him. Kenneth noticed they were out of hamburger buns and in substitution decided to use flattened cheese steak rolls instead. He inquired about the buns in anticipation of ordering a different item. At this time, the woman would not even address Kenneth directly. He then overheard her snarl, "That out of towner doesn't want a burger!" This was a slap in the face for someone who's lived in Austin since the Clinton Administration and regularly supports local businesses. I'm sure the proprietors were probably overwhelmed and frustrated with the crowd, but who talks to people like that? Obviously, they were short on ingredients and probably understaffed, yet it is no excuse to be rude to anyone (local or tourist)! What kind of message does that send to visitors?

And where does this "locals only" attitude I've seen lately come from? What is this BLUE CRUSH? I have personally lived in Austin for twelve years now. the first year I attended SXSW I was a visitor. I absolutely fell in love with the city because of it's laid back vibe. I felt comfortable being myself and I especially enjoyed all the friendly faces I met. I still feel that way for the most part. Austin has inspired me to be a more creative, open minded, and compassionate person. True born & bred Austinites are as rare as that damn white squirrel on UT campus. So let's remember that we were all "out of towners" at one point or another.


SXSW may be inconvenient for some people, but it is easily avoidable. It's not some new event that just started. This has been going on for twenty-five years which is a lot longer than #19 Bus has been around. Bars and restaurants should know by now what to expect during SXSW. I myself realize that many places increase the price of food & drinks, but it's a small sacrifice for all the cool shows we get to see throughout the week. Most establishments are welcoming and pleased with the influx of visitors because it boosts business. SXSW is like Black Friday for most places in the downtown area. Businesses often make more money during one week of SXSW than all year! It is the bread and butter of Austin's economy and we need to be respectful of the people kindly spending their money here. I'm not saying every visitor is a perfect angel or great tipper, but let's try to be a little more hospitable. If I wanted to live among pretentious jerks I'd move to New York!

Our friend Bonnie also relayed a story to us about rude behavior at Swan Dive/Barbarella during SXSW. She arrived early at the venue for a showcase that was being sponsored by Sailor Jerry's rum. Several bottles of rum sat on the bar while the bartender prepared to setup. She noticed a patron swipe a bottle and immediately informed the bartender of the shenanigans. The bartender just scoffed at Bonnie then walked away. This was not her first run-in with said bartender. It used to be that you would only get bad attitudes at Star Seeds Cafe. However, it seems this apathetic disposition has infected the town.

Locals were not the only ones misbehaving this year. Let's talk about how Ben Weasel totally pulled a Mel Gibson. By now, most of you have seen the video of the events that took place at the Fat Wreck Showcase. It's horrific that he assaulted not one but two women in one night. What's more upsetting is that he picked a fight with someone who stood up to his antagonistic misogyny, something Screeching Weasel might have preached about 20yrs ago. Don't get me wrong, I remain an avid Screeching Weasel fan, but a fan of Ben Weasel I am not. I saw them a couple years ago at Emos for the big reunion and the performance was great, but it's no secret Ben Weasel is known for being an asshole. He is the patron saint of cynicism, but isn't that why we like his songs? At least liked his songs! I personally haven't been interested in anything since How To Make Enemies and Irritate People (no pun intended). So Ben Weasel spends an entire set dissing SXSW and "corporate stiffs," like no one has ever done that before. Seriously, if you don't want to play a "shameful excuse for a music event" then fucking don't, simple as that. Don't come to town complaining about only getting $250 & a "disgusting green room" as opposed to San Antonio who guaranteed you $25,000. You're lucky people still give a shit about Screeching Weasel! A man in his 40s with a wife and children has no business throwing a temper tantrum like that.

PS- Your half ass apology is not sufficient and the new album sucks ass.
UPDATE- Apparently, Screeching Weasel (the band) has up and quit on Ben Weasel (the jerk) as a result of his stupidity.

As soon as I heard about the Death From Above 1979 secret reunion show, I just knew shit was gonna hit the fan. There was no way Beauty Bar would be able to handle that madness, and of course a fucking riot of hipsters broke out. What's funny is that I do not remember that many people liking Death From Above while they were still around, as when they broke up. Their lifespan was very short lived with only one album released. I'm quit impartial to them, but I could care even less about MSTRKRFT which I suspect is the real reason for all the attention. My only interest in that show was to see hundreds of grown ass men weeping like the second coming, or some shit. I'm sure by Saturday most people were so delirious and drunk they hadn't considered the consequences of dismantling an entire fence. Yes, the cops WILL show up and fucking tazzer/mace your dumb ass! Was it worth it?


Initially, I had no real intention of attending SXSW this year because there really wasn't any artist I wanted to see until I heard OMD was playing. To be perfectly honest, OMD brings out the spell caster in me! I knew I wouldn't be able to catch them at Stubbs with Duran Duran so fortunately I found out about a free show at Mellow Johnny's. Good thing I missed the Stubbs set because a camera boom fell on the crowd crushing five people. A photographer continued to take pictures of the victims in a pool of blood on the ground until the fuzz forcibly removed him. Where is the humanity?


In all the years I have attended SXSW (going on 12yrs), I have never heard of anything like the events that took place this time around. How can these situations be averted? I just hope we as a community can take the next twelve months to reflect on our behavior and ensure that next year's event is much more pleasant.


Finally, I'd like everyone to consider what it would be like if Texas Relay Weekend was a week long event. Wrap your head around that.