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Keep Austin Weird

Unofficial slogan of Austin, Texas

Unofficial slogan of Austin, Texas

Keep Austin Weird is a slogan coined by Red Wassenich in 2000 while giving a pledge to "The Lounge Show", a quirky, eclectic radio show on an Austin radio station KOOP Radio. He began printing bumper stickers in July 2000 and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020 and published Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town.

The slogan was later adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.

Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs. Other cities have since mimicked the nickname, including Portland in 2003, Louisville in 2005, and Indianapolis in 2013.

A 2010 book on the topic, Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas, discusses the cultural evolution of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement as well as its commercialization and socio-political significance. The origins of Austin's unique culture have been claimed to be the product of unusually cheap housing prices following the end of a housing boom in the 1980s, combined with the location of the University of Texas at Austin in the city.

References

References

  1. (2023-05-01). "What’s the origin behind the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ slogan?".
  2. Yonan, Joe. (March 27, 2011). "Can Austin stay weird? It was originated in Oregon in 1983 and later adopted by". Washington Post.
  3. Yardley, Jim. (December 8, 2002). "Austin Journal; A Slogan Battle Keeps Austin Weird". The New York Times.
  4. Wassenich, Red. (2007). "Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town". Schiffer Books.
  5. D'Annuzio, Francesca. (March 6, 2020). "Austin Journal; "Keep Austin Weird" Originator Remembered for Choosing Community Over Capital". The Austin Chronicle.
  6. Kanter, Alexis. (September 9, 2004). "Keep Austin Weird?". [[The Daily Texan]].
  7. Ross, Warren R.. (August 15, 2005). "Structures of justice". UU World.
  8. Sheldon S. Shafer. (16 Feb 2015). "Group to celebrate Keeping Louisville Weird". The Courier-Journal.
  9. Anthony, Cara. (October 13, 2014). "'The Keep' movement catches on in Indy". IndyStar.
  10. Long, Joshua. (2010). "[[Weird City". University of Texas Press.
  11. Kelso, John. (May 6, 2010). "It's Weird Social Science: Thesis on Austin now a book". Austin American Statesman.
  12. Dunbar, Wells. (June 4, 2010). "Viva la Resistance". Austin Chronicle.
  13. Yglesias, Matthew. (2018-09-28). "Austin can’t stay weird".
  14. "HOPE Outdoor Gallery - HOPE".
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slogans culture-of-austin,-texas economy-of-austin,-texas small-business anti-corporate-activism
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