The SXSW Diaries - Peasant
By: SoundProof Magazine
 |
Peasant Day One: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 |
Alright. Hello. Yes, I am a little late on this, but that's because I spent a good portion of my time down in Austin soaking up the sun. I may also have dabbled in some early afternoon spirits as well; ok, maybe isn't even a question. In fact, half of my SXSW was spent under the influence of a moderate sun stroke. I can safely say I wasn't alone in that too, ok? ALRIGHT? Let's do this. I will give you some background on my stay, to put it in perspective, and then give you "my perspective", at least some of it.
I drove, first off, which has it's ups and it's downs. My car, which has always been faithful to me on my various road trips, had its check engine light glaring at me the ENTIRE trip, which is definitely a nail biter, and probably a "down". I have never seen as many cows as I did on the drive, which is neither an "up" or a "down". And the "up" for the drive . . . hmmm . . . it's hard to say that you get in touch with the land of this great country by driving on the interstate at 80 miles an hour, but I suppose that you do get a better look than when you fly over it at 600 mph. So yeah, I saw it all, real close and personal (sort of), and never got lost once – GPS is a pretty cool deal.
It's not about the drive though is it? Hurry up and write about the great shows! The crazy nights! The record labels! The signings! I WAS AT THE SAME BAR-B-QUE AS JOHN NORRIS!!! HE DRANK THE SAME BEER AS ME!!!! I'm getting there, I'm getting there! Just read these first paragraphs about the "environment", there is in fact more going on there than you might think, or maybe less! Or maybe both!!!
Anyway, upon completing the 1700 mile trip, which wasn't so bad at all, I ended up like many people, staying with a friend who calls Austin home year ‘round. The level of excitement in the house when I arrived was undetectable. They were NOT excited to see John Norris, and they certainly weren't scrambling to get to 6th Street, We arrived around 11pm or so, and found our hosts calmly drinking beer and reading the New York Times. We would come and go from this scene many times during the course of the trip.
We were staying with my friend and her boyfriend, both fairly recent transplants from Portland, Oregon. So naturally there was a real air of "who-gives-a-fuck". I'll admit, I saw the perspective, but it's funny how things like that work. The grass is always greener, something is never as cool when it's right in your backyard, and I think there are many Austin natives who don't wait around all year for the festival. That night, we drank the koole-aid (mixed with whiskey), doing nothing one night out of four can be justified, especially when you've just been in a car for 30+ hours.
Damien DeRose (Peasant)
