''Keep Austin Weird'' is the
slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group. Th ...
adopted by the
Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote
small businesses in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. It is intended to promote local businesses and is inspired by comments made by
Red Wassenich in 2000 while giving a pledge to an Austin radio station. He later began printing
bumper stickers and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020 and published ''Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town''.
Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market
T-shirt
A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...
s,
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...
s, 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
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
in the city.
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.
Gallery
File:Leslie Cochran 1.jpg, Beloved Austin local Leslie Cochran
File:Cathedral of junk austin.jpg, Cathedral of Junk
File:TMI castle austin 2014.jpg, HOPE Outdoor galleryHi, How Are You
''Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album'' is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. The subtitle refers to the length of the album; Johnston had intended for it to be an ...
'' mural
See also
*
Keep Portland Weird
*
Keep Louisville Weird
*
Keep Indy Indie
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{Austin
Slogans
Culture of Austin, Texas
Economy of Austin, Texas
Small business
Anti-corporate activism