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Keep Austin Weird
Keep Austin Weird is a slogan coined by Red Wassenich in 2000 while giving a pledge to an Austin radio station KOOP Radio.[1][2] He began printing bumper stickers in July 2000 and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020[3] and published Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town.[4]
The slogan was later adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas. It is intended to promote local businesses.
Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs.[5][6][7] Other cities have since mimicked the nickname, including Portland in 2003, Louisville in 2005,[8] and Indianapolis in 2013.[9]
A 2010 book on the topic, Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas,[10] discusses the cultural evolution of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement as well as its commercialization and socio-political significance.[11][12] 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.[13]
The Austin Independent Business Alliance is among at least 85 community organizations affiliated with the American Independent Business Alliance, a national non-profit that supports and connects pro-local community-based organizations.
- ^ "What's the origin behind the 'Keep Austin Weird' slogan?". KXAN Austin. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ Yonan, Joe (March 27, 2011). "Can Austin stay weird? It was originated in Oregon in 1983 and later adopted by". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013.
- ^ Yardley, Jim (December 8, 2002). "Austin Journal; A Slogan Battle Keeps Austin Weird". The New York Times.
- ^ Wassenich, Red (2007). Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town. Schiffer Books. ISBN 978-0764326394. The slogan was used
- ^ D'Annuzio, Francesca (March 6, 2020). "Austin Journal; "Keep Austin Weird" Originator Remembered for Choosing Community Over Capital". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ Kanter, Alexis (September 9, 2004). "Keep Austin Weird?". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved March 16, 2006.
- ^ Ross, Warren R. (August 15, 2005). "Structures of justice". UU World. XIX (3): 1. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
- ^ Sheldon S. Shafer (16 Feb 2015). "Group to celebrate Keeping Louisville Weird". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Anthony, Cara (October 13, 2014). "'The Keep' movement catches on in Indy". IndyStar. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- ^ Long, Joshua (2010). Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas. University of Texas Press.
- ^ Kelso, John (May 6, 2010). "It's Weird Social Science: Thesis on Austin now a book". Austin American Statesman.
- ^ Dunbar, Wells (June 4, 2010). "Viva la Resistance". Austin Chronicle.
- ^ Yglesias, Matthew (2018-09-28). "Austin can't stay weird". Vox. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
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