End of Silence

Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get admission to Pearl Jam’s Austin City Limits taping back in October. The episode airs tomorrow night at 7pm on KLRU locally. Check your own listings on your local PBS station of you’re outside of Austin. The ACL people have posted a time lapse video of the day’s taping. If you’ve never been to an ACL taping, it gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the elevator up to the studio and the hallway to the studio where they pass out the free Ziegenbock and Budweiser on the way in. You can also see the historical marker that was added recently on the end of the bleacher risers on stage right. I’m pretty sure that’s part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame declaring ACL a rock and roll landmark. It wasn’t there when I was in the studio in June for the Okkervil River taping. I’m definitely going to miss the old studio when they move the operation downtown in a couple of years.

Here’s a couple of reviews of the taping that were posted right after it happened from Austin 360 and TwoFeetThick along with an outtakes addendum from Austin360 as well.

Speaking of ACL tapings, if you’re a fan of Pearl Jam, set your calendars for February 13th when the Them Crooked Vultures taping will air.

I took this during an evening shower (a rare evening shower this summer as we’re about to beat the record of number of days over 100 degrees) heading east on 45th street near Burnet Rd. I was at a full stop at a light. I’m guessing that if the new “texting while driving” ban that the Austin City Council approved this week eventually gets passed, I could get ticketed for doing this. They’re going to have a difficult time enforcing that one fairly.

I took my 10-year-old son to see the double bill of The Day The Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet at the Paramount last night as part of the awesome annual Summer Film Series. I love seeing old films there.  My wife and I used to go when we were dating. It’s only $8 for both films. I remember seeing a double feature of Rear Window and Vertigo that included a buffet in between features. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. The theater is a real local treasure that should be preserved and the best way to do that is to attend the films. It’s a win-win.

No buffet last night, but we did have an unexpected treat. Tom Savini, well known horror movie makeup and effects artist, was sitting in the row in front of us during Forbidden Planet. I was pretty sure it was him, but opted not to bug him. I wondered if he might be in town for Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, which is filming here in Austin right now. Turns out I was right.

Mighty Cone

Originally uploaded by ttrentham

We finally checked out Mighty Cone on Sunday. We were hungry and had to go grocery shopping at HEB Oltorf anyway. I’ve been passing the “food trailer park” that’s sprung up on South Congress for weeks and meaning to get over there. Hey Cupcake! started the invasion and now there’s a Roppolo’s Pizza, a popcorn trailer, a crepe trailer and an Armadillo coffee trailer in addition to Mighty Cone. The church that owns the lot has added electricity and port-a-potties to accommodate all of the businesses. A little bird tells me that the land has been sold and that there’s going to be a hotel on the lot. I’m not sure what this means for the vendors on the lot now or how soon that will take shape. I imagine they could just find another spot and move.

As for Mighty Cone, they’ve got a pretty nice setup. As you can see from the photo, the tables have been built with cone holders in the middle. They had a nicely shaded area with some hanging plants. I opted for the special of the day, The Purple Pig. Swine Flu be damned! I’m having revenge on Porky with their pulled pork and purple cabbage cone. It was good. The Wife went for the ACL tradition of the Chicken and Avocado cone. If you’re familiar with their ACL offerings, you can find them all here including Death By Chocolate. They’ve added shrimp to the choices along with a kid option which is served with plain chicken (no sauce or slaw) and french fries.

All in all, a pleasant Sunday afternoon lunch watching the people pass by up and down South Congress. I’m not sure how pleasant it’ll be in August, but it’s nice to have so many more local fast food options in that area.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVJ_gEo1vic&fmt=18[/youtube]

Checked out the free stuff at the Convention Center for SXSW Interactive. The kids played some games at ScreenBurn and built a few things in the Lego Interactive Playpen. It seems like there were fewer Legos this year. A sign of the recession? Check out the video shot with an awesome Metblogs Flip cam.