If not, asks SXSW's Brent Grulke, "Why in the hell does every publication from Rolling Stone to L.A.'s New Times mention the Austin Fire Department?" The presence of the boys in red was certainly hard not to notice that week, which isn't unusual, considering their job is to keep people safe and SXSW is a huge event that packs patrons into clubs.īut what is it, as Grulke queries, that made the department's presence so tangible as to make it such an important component of so many writers' musings? Were they patrolling the streets and clubs during that time to keep things safe, or to just throw their weight around? "It seemed," says Grulke, carefully emphasizing that last word, "that they were less interested in real safety issues than grandstanding." So is there a war going on? Well, there was most definitely something awry during the third week of March. And why not? In a situation like that, you wait to make sure the good guys really are good before you risk crossing them. Waterloo owner John Kunz was audibly distressed when asked for comments on the situation. When an article appeared in Rolling Stone last month containing a paragraph that could be interpreted as indicating use of pyrotechnics at a Waterloo Records in-store, the local music clearinghouse started receiving calls and visits from the FD. After all, the Fire Department wields a considerable amount of power. A reporter is led, though, to look behind the cheery smiles and wonder if something were wrong, would they tell the press? Other venues in the Sixth Street area say things are okay, and those away from the music district indicate that they really don't have any comment on the matter. Since then, Ward says things have been fine. Liberty Lunch's J'net Ward remembers three years ago when her club was hassled by a person she says is no longer with the department. Most club owners say they have a fine relationship with the boys in red.
Perusing articles in various local and national media about the conference, one could easily get the idea that there's a war going on between the Fire Department and the local music scene.
Or so that seemed to be the case at this year's South by Southwest. Where's a better way to cause a panic in Austin than yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre: Try yelling "Fire Marshal!" in a crowded live music club, instead.
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