Keep Austin Weird

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Keep Austin Weird is a slogan coined by Red Wassenich in 2000 while giving a pledge to "The Lounge Show", a quirky, eclectic radio show on an Austin radio station KOOP Radio. [1] [2] He began printing bumper stickers in July 2000 and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020 [3] and published Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town. [4]

Contents

The slogan was later adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.

Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs. [5] [6] [7] Other cities have since mimicked the nickname, including Portland in 2003, Louisville in 2005, [8] and Indianapolis in 2013. [9]

A 2010 book on the topic, Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas , [10] discusses the cultural evolution of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement as well as its commercialization and socio-political significance. [11] [12] The origins of Austin's unique culture have been claimed to be the product of unusually cheap housing prices following the end of a housing boom in the 1980s, combined with the location of the University of Texas at Austin in the city. [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "What's the origin behind the 'Keep Austin Weird' slogan?". KXAN Austin. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  2. ↑ Yonan, Joe (March 27, 2011). "Can Austin stay weird? It was originated in Oregon in 1983 and later adopted by". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Yardley, Jim (December 8, 2002). "Austin Journal; A Slogan Battle Keeps Austin Weird". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Wassenich, Red (2007). Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town. Schiffer Books. ISBN   978-0764326394. The slogan was used
  5. ↑ D'Annuzio, Francesca (March 6, 2020). "Austin Journal; "Keep Austin Weird" Originator Remembered for Choosing Community Over Capital". The Austin Chronicle.
  6. ↑ Kanter, Alexis (September 9, 2004). "Keep Austin Weird?". The Daily Texan . Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved March 16, 2006.
  7. ↑ Ross, Warren R. (August 15, 2005). "Structures of justice". UU World. XIX (3): 1. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
  8. ↑ Sheldon S. Shafer (16 Feb 2015). "Group to celebrate Keeping Louisville Weird". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ Anthony, Cara (October 13, 2014). "'The Keep' movement catches on in Indy". IndyStar. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Long, Joshua (2010). Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas . University of Texas Press.
  11. ↑ Kelso, John (May 6, 2010). "It's Weird Social Science: Thesis on Austin now a book". Austin American Statesman. Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  12. ↑ Dunbar, Wells (June 4, 2010). "Viva la Resistance". Austin Chronicle.
  13. ↑ Yglesias, Matthew (2018-09-28). "Austin can't stay weird". Vox. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  14. ↑ "HOPE Outdoor Gallery - HOPE". Archived from the original on 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2017-07-04.

Further reading

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