Austin City Limits

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » 26 Feb 2005 12:40 am

I remember when Austin City Limits featured Country Music.

No longer?

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Feb 2005 10:00 am

We can't have those Christian white people playing their own cultural music on T.V.!!!! Somebody get me the producer and let me explain to him that if they are going to have a music show on T.V. its either got to be blues or rock. Oh, the thought of it!![This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 26 February 2005 at 10:01 AM.]

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 26 Feb 2005 11:50 am

Guys, before you start the persecuted white Christian rap litany, let me offer a few thoughts from someone who's done a few ACL's, and lives in the town where it's produced, and know some of the folks who create the show.

First, ACL can be considered a mirror of what's popular in the City of Austin, and country music hasn't been a major music in this town for a LONG, LONG, TIME!

Where there was once at least a dozen clubs inside the city limits where country music could be heard to good crowds any night of the week, there's now only 2 dedicated to "real" country music. And the crowds can be spotty at those. Then there are a couple of places that book all kinds of Americana type musics; rockabilly, blues, Alt-country, trad-country, folk.

Most all the country-type venues are out in the hinterlands, the countryside outside of town anywhere from 20 to 60 miles away from the "city limits."

For the most part, the crowds clamoring for music in the clubs of the "live music capital of the world," as my town so facetiously and hypocritically refers to itself (IMHO), are seeking hard rock, hip-hop, urban, jazz, whatever musics. But hoss, it sure ain't country.

Secondly, ACL is an expensive show to produce by PBS standards, and to attract much of this money the show has to attract stations whose viewership contributes money to those stations based on what they want to watch. Most people in the ACL demographic today want to watch pop and rock acts. They vote with their pocketbooks and telephone pledges. The people who creat the show want it to be watched by the greatest number of people. Ergo: rock and pop.

From the sidelines here, it looks like the party line is that the Gaylord-types sold out country (Opry, TNN) because they were money-grubbing capitalists... which is great to be except when the ox of the dwindling number of country music fans gets gored. In the case of PBS, will it be because they're Godless Communists?

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 26 Feb 2005 12:55 pm

Sshhh....I'm channeling the spirit of Henry Ford. He'll know what to do!

Man, white folks crack me up!

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 26 Feb 2005 1:30 pm

...there was once at least a dozen clubs inside the city limits where country music could be heard...

Herbster,
We,once,played the "El Paso Cattle Co." on Houston St.,in Austin,back in the mid-70's. I remember it well,because Willie came in that night,& T.O. just wanted to acknowledge his presence,but Willie took it as an invitation to "sit-in",& that,he did. He jumped up on stage,grabbed T.O.'s guitar,& did about 20 mins. That was my one,& only time to play behind Willie Nelson. But,then again,I digress. Is that club still there?
What's it called now?

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 26 Feb 2005 2:05 pm

I remember seeing John Mayall on ACL once. I thought the Blues Breakers were phenomenal, but JM was pleading for euthanasia in his own way.

I think it's appropriate for ACL to feature the type of music thats popular in Austin. The crowds look pretty genuine to me.

There's a lot to be said for Godless Communists. We've gotten some of our best music from them.

I don't even know what a "Gaylord" is, besides top country stars hanging out with their boyfriends on lower Broadway..

It'll be soon that watching music clips will be much like listening to the type of music that you enjoy. I think it is now, but nobody's realised how easy it is.

Pretty soon, we'll all be self pursecuted.

Some people won't know what to do.

HST appearantly couldn't come to grips with it.

If they want me to listen to it, they've got to give me a reason. If they don't, I'm perfectly happy with finding my own sources.

EJL

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 26 Feb 2005 2:36 pm

Wonder if they still serve free beer to the audience. Last time I went about 1980 they served free Lone Star

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 26 Feb 2005 3:28 pm

I drank a bottle of Lone Star once and it ain't worth free! JMHO

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 26 Feb 2005 3:38 pm

Check out The Nashville Show.com! (And tell all your friends, too!)

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com

Lem Smith · Post by **Lem Smith** » 26 Feb 2005 5:28 pm

Thanks for the link, Ernie. I signed up for it. Sounds like it ought to be a GREAT show!

Lem

David Turner · Post by **David Turner** » 27 Feb 2005 1:51 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>
First, ACL can be considered a mirror of what's popular in the City of Austin, and country music hasn't been a major music in this town for a LONG, LONG, TIME!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought Austin City Limits was seen nationally on PBS.

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 27 Feb 2005 2:01 am

Lem;
I hope it's fantastic! I was asked if I'd be interested in doing it, but it's not really feasable for me to do. I'd have to make the trip to Nashville EVERY WEEK! Yikes! (Might be Doug Jernigan in the staff band.

)

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com[This message was edited by Ernie Renn on 27 February 2005 at 08:46 AM.]

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 27 Feb 2005 4:18 am

Austin City Limits is on PBS.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 27 Feb 2005 10:46 am

David, I hope you caught Buck Reid just laying it down with Lyle Lovett on last night's show. I'm sure it'll be rebroadcast if you missed it.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 27 Feb 2005 11:22 am

I caught Michael MacDonold on ACL the other night. His band was awesome and he sang his butt off. I've always been partial to good drummers, and he had a lady drummer that had all the talent in the world. She dug a trench ten feet deep and ten feet wide.

Piney Woods · Post by **Piney Woods** » 28 Feb 2005 2:56 pm

R.E. Mr.Hatton's reply 'we can't have those Christian white people playing their own cultural music on T.V.', I hope you were being tongue in cheek. I think Mr. Steiner is probably correct on this one. If your statement was serious,well, it's hard to know where to start. Why do you assume that non-country musicians aren't Christian (or that country musicians are)? Also, I've been trying to follow Jesus for a long time now and I can't think of any group in America that is LESS oppressed than white Christian males. Personally, I think so-called Christian leaders are just trying to make Christians think they're oppressed so they can make $$ off of them to feed their own un-Christian political aspirations. And, anyhow, what are so many people complaining about--didn't Jesus say his followers should expect to be persecuted?
Sorry to make this about religion; I wish ACL still had more C&W,too, but you have to give the people what they want. And, as G.W. Bush said a few weeks ago, if you don't like what's on the TV, turn it off. Hope I didn't offend anyone.[This message was edited by Piney Woods on 28 February 2005 at 02:57 PM.]

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 28 Feb 2005 3:52 pm

I lived in Austin in the early 80's and back then there wasn't much of a country scene that I was aware of. It was a lot of alternative folk, blues, rock, punk, etc. but not much country.

I used to play in club called Emma Joes where people like Lucinda Williams, Butch Hancock, Townes Van Zandt, and Blaze Foley used to hang out. It was Townes guitarist, Mickey White, who invited me down and helped me get my first gigs there.

Big bands at the time where folks like Uncle Walt's band.

None of this was what I would call country, or at least traditional country. And all of it showed up on Austin City Limits. I don't remember ACL ever having a lot of country acts for the 20 some years I've been watching it.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 1 Mar 2005 3:29 am

I lived in Austin in the early 80's too, small world. Asleep at the Wheel and Willie Nelson used to play down at the summer river festival, but I remember it as a heavy blues town. Antones, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, I used to go to the most god-awful dive bar down the street from my house called the Continental Club to see a kid named Stevie Ray play guitar for a couple bucks cover charge.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 1 Mar 2005 5:11 am

I remember seeing Stevie there. In fact I took over his apartment when he moved out.

Who was the 13 year old kid that used to open for him: little something something. He was fabulous, but don't know what ever happened to him.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 1 Mar 2005 6:59 am

Who was the 13 year old kid that used to open for him: little something something. He was fabulous, but don't know what ever happened to him.

He was "Little Charlie," who morphed into Charlie Sexton, rock guitarist who worked with David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Double Trouble after the passing of SRV.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

seldomfed · Post by **seldomfed** » 1 Mar 2005 9:00 am

Forget TX! - take your steel and move to AU.

http://www.country.com.au

Chris

Mark Herrick · Post by **Mark Herrick** » 1 Mar 2005 11:58 am

I used to go to the most god-awful dive bar down the street from my house called the Continental Club...

As dive bars go, nothing could beat The One Nite. Especially when a fight would break out and someone comes diving across your table with a knife...

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