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  • "The 1960's Underground" with Alice Embree and Thorne Dreyer

    "The 1960's Underground" with Alice Embree and Thorne Dreyer
    2026/07/01
    "The 1960's Underground" with Alice Embree and Thorne Dreyer "And so to me, one of the stories is to look back at that time and go, "Look, there was a lot of crossover that younger people don't know about," right? And when I tell people about it, they're like, "Oh, I had no idea." … These narratives tend to live in textbooks and not come from people's lives, it seems like sometimes… if you pay attention to how people experience the times they lived through, it looks much different than the stories that get told much later on." (Alice Embree) In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Jason Mellard and Eddie Wilson, sit down with two of Austin's most enduring activist voices: Thorne Dreyer and Alice Embree, co-founders of The Rag, the sixth underground newspaper in the United States and one of the longest-running, publishing 377 issues from 1966 to 1977. Together they trace the arc of Austin's radical counterculture, from the origins of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to the birth of a national movement. Content Warning: adult themes Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom. Chapters: 01:00 - Thorne's background: Houston upbringing, artistic family, acting in New York, arriving in Austin 02:10 - Alice's background: growing up in Austin during Jim Crow; Austin's civil rights battles on campus with segregated dorms, segregated football, and the fight to change both 02:55 - Kennedy assassination as a radicalizing moment; Lyndon Johnson's daughter in a segregated dorm; UT's delay tactics 04:10 - Frank Erwin and the Board of Regents; Thorne placed on disciplinary probation in 1967 04:25 - The founding of The Rag (October 1966); John Economidy's right-wing takeover of The Daily Texan 05:45 - "SDS": Students for a Democratic Society's trip to Haight & Ashbury pre-Summer of Love; overlap between Rag staff and SDS 06:15 - The Rag's 11-year run; 377 issues available on JSTOR via Independent Voices 07:33 - Reading of Thorne's October 1966 letter announcing The Rag to the underground press 12:05 - "Hippies and politicos merge": Austin's unusual counterculture-political fusion explained 13:25 - The "Prairie Power" movement inside SDS and why Austin's chapter stood apart from its East Coast counterparts 14:40 - Drugs: Austin as a national hub for peyote distribution; the 1963 Playboy "Assassination Issue" on psychedelics 16:45 - Jim Franklin stirring the peyote kettle outside Lockhart; the sheriff encounter 17:32 - Peyote Orange Juliuses; Dave Richards and Sam Houston Clinton exploit the legislative misspelling 19:00 - Surveillance of New Left activists and hippies; solidarity across counterculture and politics 19:25 - Texas SDS members standing out at national conferences; hostile state environment breeding unity 20:30 - Eddie Wilson and Shiva's Headband; carrying the band's pot to an East Texas benefit 21:40 - Shiva's Headband and the Conqueroo as politically active bands; doing benefits constantly 22:22 - The Armadillo and Vietnam Veterans Against the War; beer garden fundraisers 23:03 - United Farm Workers march; Economy Furniture strike; November 1972 Armadillo benefit with Greasy Wheels, Steve Fromholz, Willie Nelson, Teatro Chicano 25:25 - Eddie on the Armadillo as "a giant Petri dish"; bikers, ballet, grandmothers 25:45 - Stanley Hall run off from Austin Ballet Theater for being gay; moves dance classes to the Armadillo 26:25 - The UT folk singing club as a gateway to campus political culture; Janis Joplin performed there 27:00 - Austin's export to San Francisco: Chet Helms, the Avalon, Janis, 13th Floor Elevators, Doug Sahm, Rip-Off Press, San Francisco Oracle 29:50 - The YMCA building as nerve center: two locations, Frank Wright, Chris Cunningham as directors 30:30 - Alan Pogue: Vietnam vet photographer who essentially lived in his darkroom at the Y 30:55 - Women of The Rag set up birth control and abortion counseling hotlines within the office 31:15 - Those women persuaded Sarah Weddington to take the Roe v. Wade case 32:00 - The Rag ahead of the underground press on women's issues; papers elsewhere split apart (Berkeley Barb, Rat) 32:55 - Women bringing new content; collective leadership model enabling more women's involvement 33:10 - Alice's time in New York: NACLA, cross-fertilization with The Rat; Jeff Shero and the women's takeover of The Rat 34:00 - Collective editorial model at The Rag, Space City, and Liberation News Service 36:00 - Underground papers' lack of financial sustainability; why the underground press died; The Rag's 11-year run as exceptional 38:00 - The obligation to pass these stories to younger generations Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills AND Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch Guest: Thorne Dreyer and Alice Embree, founders of The Rag, Austin's influential underground newspaper; prominent figures in the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Their ongoing work: The Rag Blog, Rag Radio...
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    46 分
  • "Developing Austin" with Perry Lorenz

    "Developing Austin" with Perry Lorenz
    2026/06/24

    "Developing Austin" with Perry Lorenz

    "We all got liberal arts degrees, and a whole lot of my friends are, you know, are casualties in one way or another. Either, either drug casualties or lifestyle casualties, and never quite made it through school, although that's the reason that they came to Austin. And again, it was so inexpensive… People weren't having to work three jobs to figure out how to pay for their school. Student debt, what the hell is student debt? I mean, nobody I knew graduated with student debt. So it was just a completely different scene… and it was just a liberal bastion." (Perry Lorenz)

    Perry Lorenz has been at the center of Austin's transformation for nearly six decades, from printing underground comics in San Francisco, to developing some of downtown Austin's most iconic real estate. In this conversation with co-hosts, Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard, Perry traces his unlikely journey from University of Texas student and counterculture participant, to one of the city's most consequential developers, reflecting on what Austin gained and lost along the way.

    Content Warning: adult themes
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    01:30 - Coming to Austin in 1966; feeling "born" in Austin
    02:00 - UT culture: liberal arts, no fraternities, no business school
    02:43 - Visiting San Francisco, discovering the underground comix scene
    03:05 - Joining the Ripoff Press as production manager
    05:00 - Returning to Austin; entering the car business
    05:30 - Downtown Austin in the late '70s: ignored, owner-financed, no banks
    08:40 - The true story of the Rainey Street rezoning
    10:00 - The shift from planned high-rises to a bar district; owners ultimately profiting
    11:18 - Soap Creek Saloon's opening night bartender, tequila Wednesdays
    13:00 - George Majeski making the worst of enemies get along
    14:00 - Appearing in Texas Chainsaw Massacre; cooking on opening night at Pecan Street Cafe
    15:50 - The Independent ("Jenga Tower")
    16:15 - The Nocona at 9th & Lamar with Robert Barnstone
    17:00 - Ann Richards' support; proving the downtown condo market
    18:03 - East Austin condo development; the railroad land; Larry Warshaw
    21:25 - UT in the '60s & '70s: open admissions, cheap tuition, student culture
    23:10 - Cambodia protests; marching on the Capitol; Austin's liberal identity
    24:00 - Working with Dave Moriarty in San Francisco; the warehouse culture with Jerry Garcia and Angela Davis
    25:00 - Working alongside Gilbert Shelton, printing the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
    26:00 - Printing for Robert Crumb, Spain Rodriguez, Dave Sheridan
    28:08 - The Convention Center relocation story: Suzanne Cannon's idea; Larry Speck's scoring matrix; convincing the city council.
    31:15 - West 33rd Street: hippie houses, Joe Long, motorcycles indoors
    32:50 - Reflections on Austin's change: "it was better 18 months before you got here"; history as ongoing

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest: Perry Lorenz - Principal of Constructive Ventures, participant in early underground comix movement, community commissioner, and decades-long figure in Austin downtown development.

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    35 分
  • "Outstanding Stories in the Criminal Legal System" with Dick Deguerin

    "Outstanding Stories in the Criminal Legal System" with Dick Deguerin
    2026/06/17

    "Outstanding Stories in the Criminal Legal System" with Dick DeGuerin

    "Well, I accept a lot of cases. Basically, my criteria is something that needs to be challenging. So you get some tough cases that way, and if you get the reputation for trying tough cases, people come to you. Growing up, I was younger than all my classmates…and I was smaller. But what I learned was the law and the rules of evidence…great equalizer…In the hands of someone that knows the law, you're as big as anybody in the courtroom." (Dick DeGuerin)

    This episode of Austin Roots features Dick DeGuerin, a legendary Houston-based criminal defense attorney with deep Austin roots. Raised in the city and educated at UT Law, Dick shares wide-ranging stories spanning his college days, legal career, famous cases, and lifelong love of Texas music. The conversation begins with memories of 1960s Austin, fraternity life, underground rock and roll radio (KTXN), the Ranger humor magazine, and colorful campus characters like Frank Irwin and "Daddyo" (Bill Whitliff). Dick recalls early encounters with Kinky Friedman and the Terrytown scene. The discussion shifts to his legal career: his time at the Harris County DA's office, then 12 years under legendary attorney Percy Foreman, who mentored him through high-stakes criminal cases. Dick explains his philosophy of taking on seemingly unwinnable cases, as exemplified by the Robert Durst trial in Galveston, and his representation of Billy Joe Shaver. A standout segment covers his direct involvement in the 1993 Waco siege, where he entered the Branch Davidian compound multiple times as David Koresh's attorney, offering a rare ground-level perspective on the standoff and ATF's use of force. Throughout, Dick weaves in his passion for Texas music, playing ukulele and guitar since childhood, friendships with Guy Clark, Terry Allen, Billy Joe Shaver, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore, and his New Year's gatherings in Marfa.

    Content Warning: adult themes
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    01:04 - University of Texas in the '60s: Fraternity life, booking bands, Dave McNeely
    01:47 - Underground rock and roll radio: KTXN
    02:10 - Lavada Durst Jr. and the fraternity party scene
    06:43 - A high school epiphany, Tarrytown, and a close call with a plainclothes cop
    10:01 - Percy Foreman: mentorship and the DA's office
    10:21 - Learning from Percy: trying capital cases in his early 30s
    15:51 - Taking "unwinnable" cases; how the Robert Durst trial in Galveston proved the strategy
    18:16 - Representing Billy Joe Shaver and quoting his lyrics in closing argument
    20:38 - Guy Clark, black diamond strings, and a life in Texas music
    24:28 - The Armadillo World Headquarters: Dick's memories of Eddie and the scene
    26:25 - Waco & the Branch Davidians: the call that started it all
    26:30 - Inside the compound: a firsthand account

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest List: Dick DeGuerin, one of the most storied criminal defense attorneys in Texas history.

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    36 分
  • "Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin

    "Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin
    2026/06/10

    "Music Journaling" with Kevin Curtin

    "The Austin Chronicle, it's just like, is so fiercely loyal to the local scene and willingly ignores opportunities to interview national artists in favor of a local artist. I think that means something in terms of where we put the quality of the people in our community in comparison to people in the national picture. You know, we wanna treat them on the same level, and I think it's important, you know?" (Kevin Curtin, 2021)

    This episode of Austin Roots features Kevin Curtin, music journalist at the Austin Chronicle, in conversation with hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard. They trace Austin's music ecosystem from the Armadillo World Headquarters era to the present, exploring how venues, journalism, visual art, and community identity have shaped the city's culture. Topics range from Kevin's origins as a hitchhiker/camper-dweller who broke into music writing, to the legacy of the Chronicle's music column, the East Austin blues tradition, the modern psychedelic revival, and the challenges of preserving a vibrant scene amid rapid growth.

    Content Warning: adult themes
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    02:00 - Hitchhiking to Austin in 2006, living in a camper, working at Planet K head shop
    03:00 - How he wore down veteran journalist Margaret Moser to get his first writing opportunity
    04:00 - Transition from musician identity to writer identity; attending 300+ shows/year
    06:00 - Eddie's recollection of recognizing Kevin's "enthusiastic potential"
    08:00 - The Austin Chronicle's 40+ year lineage; only 7 people have written music news column
    10:00 - Chronicle's unique position as a "dedicated press corps" for the local scene
    12:00 - Austin clubs having strong personal identities, traced back to the Armadillo
    17:00 - Armadillo's diversity of programming out of financial necessity
    18:00 - Word-of-mouth impact spread by touring national acts (Van Morrison, ZZ Top stories)
    22:00 - Community trust in venue operators as cultural stewards
    25:00 - Red River District History
    27:00 - Eddie's restaurant "Raw Deal" and the area's early club history
    30:00 - Bill Campbell as a legendary, press-shy Austin figure
    33:00 - Austin's blues through-line from the East Side to Antone's to Gary Clark Jr.
    35:00 - Austin's "boomtown" growth over the past 12 years
    36:00 - Multiple distinct scenes coexisting: garage, honky-tonk, hip-hop, blues, psychedelic
    38:00 - The modern psychedelic revival (Black Angels, Austin Psych Fest/Levitation)
    39:00 - Tommy Hall's prescient belief that his music would endure
    41:00 - Physical print vs. digital — the Chronicle's commitment to the printed artifact
    43:00 - How Kevin uses video/social media to surface local and legacy artists
    44:00 - Chronicle as a pipeline for young writers; optimism about the future of music journalism
    46:00 - The value of telling stories of lesser-known contributors to the scene
    49:00 - Gilbert Shelton and Jim Franklin's roles in establishing Austin's concert poster culture
    57:00 - Clifford Antone and the blues scene
    1:00 - Modern venue operators (Dennis Larkins: White Horse, Sagebrush) as successors

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest: Kevin Curtin - artist, writer, and music journalist at the Austin Chronicle

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    50 分
  • "Early Club Scenes" with John Toad Andrews

    "Early Club Scenes" with John Toad Andrews
    2026/06/03

    "Early Club Scenes" with John Toad Andrews

    Forming The Wigs with Boz Scaggs, The Chelsea with George Kinney, and joining Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, to his unlikely second career restoring and selling antique ceiling fans, John "Toad" Andrews' story weaves through some of the most important threads in American rock, blues, and country history.

    In this episode of Austin Roots, hosts Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard sat down with guitarist John "Toad" Andrews for a sprawling conversation about Austin's early music scene. John recounts his arrival at UT Austin in 1964, the formation of the influential blues-rock band The Wigs alongside Boz Skaggs, and the rhythm-and-blues circuit that shaped him, from fraternity parties to Houston's legendary Black clubs. He traces his path through London, back to Houston playing with bandleader Grady Gaines, a stint in LA rehearsing with the Mike Nesmith-backed Armadillos, and finally joining Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth in San Francisco. The band's journey took them to Nashville, where they recorded with country legends. Along the way, John crossed paths with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, and the Doobie Brothers. He closes with the unlikely story of how he traded his guitar for a second career restoring antique ceiling fans, ultimately bringing the business back to Austin.

    Content Warning: adult themes
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    01:02 — Arriving at UT Austin in 1964 - Enrolling at UT after two years at University of Virginia
    01:18 - Meeting Bob Arthur at Villa Capri; forming The Wigs
    02:05 - Finding Boz Scaggs via UT bulletin board
    02:29 - Angus Wynne, social connections & early gigs
    06:36 - The fraternity party circuit in '64; party barns like Soap Creek
    07:24 - Eastwood Country Club in San Antonio; Gatemouth Brown & Curly Mays
    08:39 - The Wigs' repertoire: Freddie King, Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed
    09:13 - The Wigs wind down; plan to go to London
    10:56 - London, the draft, and escaping to Majorca
    12:37 - Back in Austin '65; meeting George Kinney & Roky Erickson
    13:17 - Forming The Chelsea with George Kinney & Daryl Rutherford
    22:17 - Houston R&B With Grady Gaines
    22:49 - Mike Nesmith recruits a Texas band (The Armadillos) to LA
    23:36 - The Armadillo name — early precursor to AWHQ
    24:07 - Connecting with Roy Gaines; auditioning for Little Richard
    25:57 - Joining Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth in San Francisco
    26:59 - Recording Living with the Animals; Dick Clark's American Bandstand (playing live)
    27:34 - The Armadillo World Headquarters opening night (setting the record straight)
    29:06 - Mother Earth heads to Nashville; recording with country legends
    37:01 - Bring Me Home on Warner Brothers; Tim Drummond joins
    38:16 - Newport Pop Festival 1969 — 200,000 people
    39:05 - Bob Arthur fills in for Billy Cox with Jimi Hendrix
    39:53 - Crossing paths with Jerry Jeff Walker & Jimmy Buffett
    40:06 - The Pan American train ride; the origin of Railroad Lady
    42:57 - Playing the Armadillo World Headquarters
    50:38 - Second career: discovering antique ceiling fans in Nashville
    52:02 - First big ceiling fan sale; road trip to Evansville, Indiana
    54:53 - Opening a fan store in Austin
    54:56 - Hunter Fan Co.

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest: John "Toad" Andrews, guitarist and Austin music veteran

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    56 分
  • "Archiving The History of Austin" with Leea Mechling

    "Archiving The History of Austin" with Leea Mechling
    2026/05/20

    "Archiving The History of Austin" with Leea Mechling

    "Prosperity doesn't always mean dollar signs. Sharing music and sharing art really expands your heart." (Leea Mechling)

    Leea Mechling grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where her earliest music experiences ranged from Czech dance halls to an Ike & Tina Turner backstage pass at age 11. After moving to Austin to attend UT, Leea fell in with the crowd at the Armadillo World Headquarters, where she worked from 1974 until its 1980 closing. She shares vivid stories from those years: the push to get women onto the main floor bar, and Henry Gonzalez's tireless creativity building stage sets and preserving posters. After the Armadillo closed, Leea worked with Asleep at the Wheel, Gregg Allman, and Stevie Ray Vaughan before channeling her passion for Austin music history into founding the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop) in 2004. What started on two folding tables next to Planet K on South Lamar has grown into a celebrated archive and exhibition space, with partnerships at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Wittliff Collections, and the Bob Bullock Museum. Leea sees AusPop's mission as essential in a rapidly changing Austin: not to recreate the past, but to inspire newcomers and young artists to build something authentic of their own.

    Content Warning: adult themes
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    01:06 - Growing up in Corpus Christi; family music influences, Czech dance halls
    02:03 - First concert: Ike & Tina Turner, 1968 (with backstage passes at age 11)
    03:03 - The 13th Floor Elevators connection explained
    04:05 - A fake Tiger Beat press passes and crashing a band rehearsal
    07:09 - "Cowboys vs. surfers": the South Texas counterculture divide
    07:44 - Friends from Corpus (John Main, Ken Featherston, Houston Evans) already at UT
    08:38 - Starting at the Armadillo World Headquarters (1974)
    11:55 - Women at the Armadillo: the fight to work the main floor bar
    12:44 - The black nightgown strategy; breaking the barrier
    13:55 - Jan Beeman: the Armadillo's den mother and moral compass
    15:15 - Jan Beeman charms Frank Zappa into changing his backstage demands
    17:54 - Henry Gonzalez: artist, muralist, and Armadillo creative force
    22:48 - Most memorable musical nights at the Armadillo
    23:58 - Roy Buchanan: babysitting Ben, and heartbreak at the Armadillo's closing
    26:41 - Bruce Springsteen: "a Yankee who thinks he can rock and roll"
    28:46 - Post-Armadillo: life after the Dillo closes, including a job with Asleep at the Wheel
    30:42 - Founding the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (2004)
    31:01 - Henry's poster preservation mission starting in 1968
    35:01 - AusPop's role in a rapidly changing Austin
    49:54 - Collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest List: Leea Mechling, Founder, Executive Director and Curator, Austin Museum of Popular Culture

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    56 分
  • "A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton

    "A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton
    2026/05/13

    "A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton

    "Chet Helms and Jack Jackson and some others, and then I bought a printing press. It was our idea to print rock posters. That was a big thing at the time. Nobody knew how to run our new printing press and our posters were really crappy, but then we discovered that printing on the comic books didn't have to be good printings. We shifted over to comic books at Ripoff Press. (Dave Morty) was running the small printing press and he had long hair. This is not a good idea for a printer. And the printing press caught him by the hair and pulled him in, but it wasn't powerful enough to crush him. And after 30 minutes, the postman came in with the mail. After a few minutes, Morty was able to instruct him how to find the off switch, and he was able to pull his hair, where that name comes from." Gilbert Shelton

    This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with legendary underground cartoonist Gilbert Shelton, creator of Wonder Warthog, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and Not Quite Dead. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard speak with Shelton from his home in France, where he's lived since the 1980s, about his formative years in Austin during the 1960s counterculture movement. The conversation spans Shelton's time as editor of the Texas Ranger humor magazine at UT, his role as creative director of the Vulcan Gas Company, and his eventual move to San Francisco where he co-founded Rip Off Press. Shelton shares vivid memories of Austin's underground press scene, including colorful stories about fellow artists Jack Jackson, Joe Brown, and Jim Franklin, as well as musicians like Janis Joplin and encounters with Bob Dylan. The discussion also touches on the Austin Police Department's surprisingly lenient attitude toward marijuana, the origins of the armadillo as Austin's unofficial mascot, and how the Freak Brothers became an enduring symbol of 1960s counterculture.

    Content Warning: adult themes, stories of drug use
    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Chapters:
    02:00 - UT's humor magazine culture in the early 1960s
    04:00 - Jack Jackson's artistic development and later historical work
    08:00 - Early Comics as political and social satire elements
    13:00 - Role as art director and poster designer for the Vulcan Gas Company
    15:00 - Jim Franklin's arrival and armadillo artwork
    20:00 - The armadillo as UT mascot movement
    21:00 - Wonder Warthog and the evolution of the character through the decades
    23:00 - First publication in Bacchanal magazine
    27:00 - Billy Lee Brammer
    29:00 - Drugs and artistic influence
    31:00 - Early Influences: Dick Tracy and other comics
    36:00 - The Bob Dylan encounter
    40:00 - Musicians: PJ Proby and Tommy Hall
    42:00 - Founding Rip Off Press with Dave Morty, Fred Todd, Jack Jackson
    44:00 - Origins of 'The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers' in the Austin Rag newspaper
    48:00 - Freak Brothers' cultural impact and resonance
    50:00 - Rip Off Press, the warehouse space and legendary parties
    54:00 - The Caswell House commune parties
    59:00 - Living with Janis Joplin on East Ninth Street in Austin
    1:03 - Final thoughts on the counterculture legacy

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

    Check out our store here and collect our gear: https://Threadgills.com/merch

    Guest: Gilbert Shelton - Underground cartoonist and creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

    Production Team:
    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
    Editor, Renee O'Connor
    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
    Executive Producer, TSSI
    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    1 時間 9 分
  • "Austin's Early Art Scene" with Danny Garrett

    "Austin's Early Art Scene" with Danny Garrett
    2026/05/06

    "Austin's Early Art Scene" with Danny Garrett

    "The San Francisco posters sort of resonated with everybody and I mean everyone across the country, across the world. Of course, there was a very strong connection between Austin and San Francisco. There was direct feedback from that, from what was going on in San Francisco, especially with Gilbert (Shelton) and (Jack) Jackson out there. There was a resonance, but it wasn't the same thing. Approaches were very different anyway. I think the success of the San Francisco posters sort of drove the other poster scenes here and elsewhere." (Danny Garrett)

    Danny Garrett, a central figure in Austin's music poster art scene, joins Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard to discuss his journey from Vietnam veteran to iconic poster artist. The conversation covers his work with the Armadillo World Headquarters Art Squad, his deep relationship with Clifford Antone and the blues scene, and his iconic posters for Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Garrett also shares stories about the transition from counterculture to tech industry, his teaching career in New Zealand, and the evolution of Austin's music venues from the 1970s to today.

    Chapters:

    02:00 - Early musical influences: Bobby Blue Bland, Roy Head and The Traits, BJ Thomas and The Triumphs

    03:00 - Discovering art through comics and Mad Magazine

    04:00 - Drafted in 1969 while pursuing history degree at Stephen F. Austin

    05:00 - Return to civilian life and joining the counterculture in March 1970

    06:00 - Moving from Houston to Austin in 1971

    08:00 - First visit to Austin: Enchanted Rock trip, spring 1971

    09:00 - Meeting Jim Franklin at the Armadillo to discuss underground comics

    10:00 - First poster commission: John Sebastian (a financial disaster for the venue)

    11:00 - Introduction to the Armadillo Art Squad

    12:00 - Artistic education from peers, especially Guy Duke, Michael Priest, and Bill Narum

    13:00 - Common visual language: Texas/Western iconography, music imagery

    17:00 - Michael Priest's iconic first Willie Nelson poster (cowboy crying into beer, "Hello Walls")

    20:00 - AWHQ Posters, importance of readability: "need to read it driving by a telephone pole"

    23:00 - Creating the Antone's logo (also Texas Chili Parlor logo the same year)

    25:00 - The iconic Muddy Waters bust poster (using Watt Casey photograph)

    27:00 - The 21st Anniversary poster: petitioning Clifford to feature Stevie instead of Albert Collins

    30:00 - Six locations of Antone's club over the years

    34:00 - First seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan play at Antone's circa 1976: "the kid brother"

    37:00 - Working with Willie's organization: "challenging" but an honor

    39:00 - Eddie Wilson's story of booking Willie at the Armadillo

    41:00 - The chaotic 1972 Dripping Springs Reunion

    45:00 - The Tech transition: Michael Priest and Sam Yates founding Schenough Studios

    48:00 - Origin Systems and Gaming

    50:00 - Immigration to New Zealand after George W. Bush's reelection

    51:00 - Teaching at Auckland University of Technology (2005-2010)

    52:00 - Founding faculty member of digital graphics program (now partnered with Peter Jackson's studios)

    53:00 - The challenge of old-style poster pricing vs. digital work

    Content Warning: adult themes, stories of drug use

    Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

    Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, at @Threadgills

    AND

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    Guest: Danny Garrett, visual artist, author of Weird Yet Strange: Notes from an Austin Music Artist

    Production Team:

    Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills

    Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard

    Editor, Renee O'Connor

    Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar

    Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor

    Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709

    Executive Producer, TSSI

    Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic

    Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir

    Production consultant, Katey Psencik
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    54 分