Austin Now and Then: Burnin' Down the House

Austin seeks to explain its incredible popularity-- the city to go to in the United States of America. How did this happen? Here is the conundrum... look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls. I will. Make that Merriman-Webster. Okay, a conundrum is "a confusing or difficult problem." So how did the funky city depicted in Slacker, the 1991 film by Richard Linklater, prove to be a magnet for creative types from around the country who now want to work and prove themselves as achievers?

The new arrivals wanted to catch that mojo... be part of the scene, etc... As the Austin-American Statesman pointed out "Austin used to be a place to check out. Now it's a place to check-in." So can a city built on peace, love and not working too hard transform itself into a place to achieve-- or is that a formula that leads to catastrophe and collapse?

Part of the transition is the decentralization of American life via the Internet. You don't have to be in NY, LA or San Francisco to put yourself on the map. Texas has a reputation for gun-toting extreme right-winger behavior so how does Austin continue to defy that stereotype? The roads have gotten crowded with shiny new automobiles driven hard by people with somewhere to go. A bit of an LA aggressiveness taking over the highways and bi-ways of Austin. The City Council struggles desperately to add mass transit to the mix. And people still love the city of Austin...

I feel the incredible devotion of the original hippie group that arrived in the 1970s continues to carry-over. The Oat Willie's "onward through the fog" character and Jim Franklin's armadillos may be forgotten or totally unknown to the newcomers... but they built this city. Like a mysterious, soulful life force they continue to guide this city unknown to most. But that's the foundation of Austin-- and it's had a magical success.

At some point does a city get overwhelmed by success? The Impressionists or Surrealists may have built Paris.... the rock 'n rollers made London... and Willie Nelson, the peace-loving cowboy made Austin. Who knows when it all gives in and folds in on itself and starts anew. But this is the Austin heyday for some and for others the heyday has passed.