Maud’s Bigger in Texas: Listmania Edition

Photographer John Francis Peters
March 22, 2011

My Week in Austin is over, I'm back in Los Angeles. There were things that didn't make it into my posts, however, and since I want you to feel like you, too, were there in the heat with me, I bring you, Texas Listmania:

You Know You're in Austin When
- Walking from East Austin to downtown with a friend, a gentleman shouts "hey ladies!" When you turned around, you realize it's Black Lips' Jared Swiley, hanging half way out the passenger side window of his band van.
- You're having a conversation and Ariel Pink interjects, admitting that he's been eavesdropping, and proceeds to talk tons of shit while eating pizza, and then walks away.
- You're eating dinner at a place with a slightly offensive name (more on this later) and a snake powered by ten hippies pedaling bikes slithers past.

Gnarliest Street Food
- Dessert Empanadas (think McDonald's apple pie)
- Waffle Tacos (Belgian waffle, bacon, swiss, Cholula, syrup, gross)
- Hot dogs covered in a pound of toppings, with a pretzel as a bun (actually delicious, but lose points for the fact that you'll not only be eating it, but will also be wearing it)

Please Don't Kill Me For Saying This
- Austin taco trucks are way better than the one's in Los Angeles

Rock 'N' Roll Lady Crushes
- Las Robertas' Mercedes and Mons, who give EVERYONE a run for their money, both in talent and in dirty, sexy, cool.
- Austra's Katie Stelmanis who has that freaky Kate Bush moon lady thing going in the best way.
- Colleen Green, a relative newcomer on the Southern California scene, who makes dirty, girly crush-rock so convincing you believe she probably keeps her sunglasses on in bed.
- 'Kickball' Katy Goodman, La Sera front-woman and Vivian Girls bassist is the reigning crush of grungy rock. Whenever she's around you can see other girls getting shifty-eyed at their drooling boyfriends. Seriously.

Best Ways for a Band to Thank Someone for Letting them Crash on their Floor
- Bottle of wine
- Sweet Note
- A pile of scratch-off Lotto Tickets

"Witty" Food Truck Names
- Me So Hungry (Asian Fusion--I couldn't even bring myself to eat here when it was free)
- G'rag Mahal (Indian food in a garage, OBVIOUSLY)
- Be More Pacific (Filipino American. I love a good bad grammar joke as much as the next writer, gotta say this one made me giggle)

Best Celeb Sightings
- Rainn Wilson on my flight
- Donald Glover at Das Racist's performance at the Youtube party
- Apparently Jon Hamm was wandering around Austin but despite my efforts I couldn't find him (and convince him to marry me)
- J Mascis asleep at gate 21 at the Austin airport

Best Surprise Guest Rumors
- Radiohead at Pitchfork Interactive party
- Radiohead on 6th Street
- Radiohead in my motel room
- Lady Gaga at Kanye Power Plant show
- Foo Fighters at Interactive Opening party which had no bands playing it
- Radiohead

Way More Important Things that Happened Last Week that Hardly Anybody Talked About in Austin
- Japanese tsunami, earthquake, nuclear disaster
- Air strikes in Libya
- Syrian protests
- Radiation in West Coast Water

Back to real life, everyone!! See you next year!

Maud’s Bigger in Texas: Listmania Edition