Two eloquent writers relentlessly bashed one another in their back-in-forth responses last week in regards to their separate opinions over what Austin, Texas used to be and what Austin can be.
Michael Corcoran, the award-winning, veteran Texas music critic with a penchant for contrarianism, and Terry Sawyer, the whip smart blogger who represents the wave of people who have moved to Austin recently in part because of the cultural cachet people like Corcoran helped foster, according to the Texas Monthly Daily Post.
I first read the Sawyer's response to Corcoran's article, "Welcome to Mediocre Texas". After reading the response, I just had to read "Welcome to Mediocre Texas" and find out who Corcoran was.
After reading "Welcome to Mediocre Texas" and Sawyer's response, I became very intrigued by this whole situation, because I'm a huge Texas music fan and I also recently visited Austin for SXSW. I read Corcoran's response to Sawyer's response and Texas Monthly Daily Post's article on the whole dispute.
After reading as many articles as I could about this situation, I have concluded that there is a lot of profane fighting words being exchanged and red dirt slinging going on.
The articles I have found are very interesting reads, but I do believe the attacking with words has settled down...for now.
However none of these opinions completely change my opinion on Austin. I fell in love with the music coming out of Austin before I went to SXSW and after visiting Austin for the first time, my love for Austin music was only confirmed, and perhaps even deepened.
I'm from the boondocks in Indiana. The closest metropolitan to me is Evansville, Indiana and there is no music scene. Absolutely no music!
What I saw in Austin was...heaven. Granted it was during SXSW, when I was in Austin, but I can tell there is still a vibe there in Austin like no place I've ever been too.
Be thankful Austinites for what you have, for it could always be worse.
Michael Corcoran's "Welcome to Mediocre Texas"
Terry Sawyer "False Metrics and Forgone Conclusions: A Response To The Half-Assery of Michael Corcoran"
"Corky gets bitch-slapped!" By Michael Corcoran (Corcoran's response to Sawyer)
"Fightin Words: Michael Corcoran v. Terry Sawyer" By The Texas Monthly Daily Post
~Peace, Happiness and Music~
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