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SXSW ’08: The Ubiquitous ‘Listing Of The Gift Bag Contents In A Blog Post’ Post

Posted 3/12/08 7:50 pm EST by in SXSW


Every year, after getting your SXSW badge (an undertaking of Herculean proportions which you can witness John Norris undertake in this clip) you are rewarded with a large canvas tote bag stuffed with a bunch of promotional crap that you’ll inevitably end up leaving in a gutter on Sixth Street after one too many Shiner Bocks.

Ladies and gentlemen, your SXSW gift bag!

And in keeping with tradition, festival organizers have an established artist design the bag (in previous years, David Byrne and the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne had the honor), and this year it’s Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore who gets the call. His contribution? A bunch of stick figures cavorting underneath a smiley faced sun! Thanks for spending three minutes on it, Thurst.

Moving on to the contents of said bag … Rather than go through each item individually (something that would take from now until Sunday evening), here are some of the, uh, “highlights”:

- Twenty-seven promotional fliers of differing sizes and textures, pimping everything from the Blue Man Group and “pioneers of garage glitter” Star Mother to the Utne Reader and Mpress Records’ showcase, home to such luminaries as the Kin and Amy Speace & the Tearjerkers. Remember, thousands of trees died for this.

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SXSW ’08: A ‘White’ Wednesday; On The Vegan Hunt; And It’s Already Too Hot

Posted 3/12/08 6:49 pm EST by in SXSW


Every year it’s the same here on the gastronomical front: I don’t do the proper research into vegan places in Austin, and I spend the week either eating salad, breaking my diet and eating some cheese, or … eating at P.F. Chang’s. I mean, I love it and all — it’s cool and they have some killer tofu dishes, but four times in four days …

Anyway my production manager (and former P.F. Chang’s employee, no lie) Damian Vaca and I were in a bit of a hurry today, so for lunch it was off to P.F.’s again.

Whatever, we may be deep in the heart of Texas but it’s also a massive college town and I know there are plenty of veg-friendly spots here, I just need to do the homework. No Age are big vegans. Note to self: Ask them tomorrow where I should eat.

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'American Idol' Contestant David Archuleta: Michael Stipe Feels Your Pain

Posted 3/12/08 6:09 pm EST by in American Idol, SXSW


Did John Norris and Michael Stipe know something we didn't? Yesterday, we caught up with R.E.M. in Austin, where the band is making its first-ever appearance (really?) at South by Southwest.

Just a few hours before America collectively gasped at what shall henceforth be known as the David Archuleta Debacle, our own John Norris unknowingly asked a rather prescient question, and Stipe offered an answer which might comfort the dimpled teen from Murray, Utah.

SXSW '08: Hello, Texas -- Now I'm Going To Overdose on BBQ

Posted 3/12/08 12:06 pm EST by in SXSW


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Texas is awesome for many reasons -- delicious bar-b-que served in massive portions being most of them. So every year, when I head down to the state capital of Austin for South by Southwest, I vow to eat only BBQ. This is easier said than done, primarily because everyone wusses out on me by like Thursday, so I end up compromising my dream and eating at some lousy Tex-Mex joint while staring longingly out the window.

But this year, there will be no compromise. So even when I'm actually compromising -- I wanted to kick off my BBQuest on Tuesday night at Stubb's, Austin's landmark smokehouse and rock venue, but no one else in the MTV News posse wanted to go (the lines were too long), so that idea got shot down -- I'm not gonna actually compromise. Which means that even when we end up at a lame sports bar (like we did tonight), I'm still ordering something BBQ-related.

So this is a Champions BBQ brisket sandwich, topped with red onions and served on Texas toast. As you can tell by the paper it was served in, Champions' motto is "Good Food, Good Times, Good Sports," though they should probably also add "Bad BBQ" to that tag, because this sandwich was disgusting. It had the texture of dog food, and it kind of tasted like it too -- but like dog food slathered in BBQ sauce.

Also, as you can see, the sandwich came with french fries and a pickle, both of which, strangely, were more "authentic Texas BBQ" than the brisket was. And that's saying something.

There's more from me at SXSW in my Bigger Than The Sound column, plus check back with the Newsroom blog throughout SXSW for more highlights, and be sure to visit our sister blog You R Here for concert reviews, photos and more.

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SXSW '08: R.E.M. Aren't Looking Back

Posted 3/12/08 1:11 am EST by in SXSW


How’s this for jumping right into South by Southwest 2008? An interview with the single biggest name playing this year’s festival: R.E.M.

Exactly one year ago, the iconic band from Athens, GA — the men for whom the term “alternative rock” was practically invented were in New York, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And as undeniable an honor as that was, they are just as happy, if not more so, to be mixing it up with the kids down in Austin, where tomorrow night they’ll headline the venerable Stubb’s, in a show that will likely lean heavily on songs from the band’s hard-charging new album, Accelerate, due April 1.

Only a couple of hours after stepping off a plane in a beautiful cloudless 70 degree Austin, there was a calm before the storm of SXSW around the main drag, Sixth Street. But it was a thoroughly upbeat R.E.M. that I sat down with for about an hour at a nearby hotel, clearly excited to be playing what is, somewhat surprisingly, their first-ever South by Southwest.

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SXSW '08: We're Here, And So Are R.E.M.

Posted 3/11/08 7:07 pm EST by in SXSW


R.E.M. with John Norris

Michael StipeThe MTV News crew has arrived at South by Southwest — the annual hipster pilgrimage to Austin, Texas, where countless buzz bands perform in countless clubs for countless industry scouts, bloggers and hardcore music fans.

But instead of a scrappy group of up-and-comers, our first sit-down happened with none other than veteran rock act R.E.M., who spoke to John Norris about making their first-ever appearance at the conference and their upcoming album, Accelerate.

For more of Norris' adventures in Austin, watch some "John TV." Plus check back with the Newsroom blog throughout SXSW for more highlights, and be sure to visit our sister blog You R Here for concert reviews, photos and more.

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