I work in downtown Austin, almost dead center in the city, in a building on the corner of 6th Street and Congress Avenue. When I leave work, I drive by that corner. Today, there was a very interesting tableau that definitely shows where the slogan “Keep Austin Weird” came from.
On the corner, standing on an upturned bucket, was what I gathered to be a performance artist, dressed in black, with a hood, black fabric covering his face, long sleeves, and gloves. None of his skin was visible, and he was standing still in a pose that looked like he was Death Incarnate making some unknown proclamation. In front of him carrying on what seemed to be a one-sided conversation was a slim man dressed in a ragged dark burnt orange T-shirt with a long beard and wild tawny hair surrounding his face like that of a lion. On a park bench nearby a large but not fat man was sitting, singing “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone” very loudly but with a surprisingly good voice. He’s there frequently, and has quite the repertoire of Blues songs.
The light changed to green, and I drove on.
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Cross posted to Random Fate and The Moderate Voice .