This particular subject will take many posts. In fact, I can't foresee how many because there are so many opportunities to write about how Austin is determined to "Keep Austin Weird."

The “Keep Austin Weird” movement began sometime after 2000 when Red Wassenich phoned in to make a donation to the community radio station KOOP.
When asked why he was donating he made an off-the-cuff comment stating it helps to keep Austin weird. That flipped a switch for Wassenich.

The librarian for Austin Community College and his wife then decided it would be fun to create bumper stickers with the slogan “Keep Austin Weird” and distribute them free to local businesses. He wanted the slogan to convey the “walking down the street feel”(1) of Austin and all its goofy idiosyncrasies. The blue and white stickers popped up all over Austin.

Wassenich’s brain gem created an out-pouring of inspired Austinites expressing their weirdness if they were not expressing it already.

The Mayor of Austin, Will Wynn, “recall(s) many moments in Austin City Council meetings when people often showed up in costumes or protested with songs of poems.” He is quoted as saying “I also like interpretative dance as an expression of opinion about zoning issues.” He also states, “the confluence of hippie and redneck culture… all of the really weird stuff is a manifestation of that mix.”(1)

Wow. I can attest though that it does get a lot weirder around here than that. Look for more "Weird Sightings" posts to come.

If you are interested, they have developed a KAW Quotient Test to determine if you are weird. Of course, questions and answers do pertain mostly to Austin-centric oddities. The survey is from their website.

AM I WEIRD? KAW Quotient Test

I own the following (check all that apply):
1. A Tommy Hilfiger tattoo
2. An SUV with the extra tailgating magnet
3. A PDA and a cell phone and a pager and a laptop and a watch that cost more than $50
4. A Port-A-Potty

I have put marshmallow chickens in a microwave.
___ Yes ___ No

I know what a zilch is.
___ Yes ___ No

I know who Oscar Snowden was:
__ Yes ___ No ___ I think I am The Big O.

I spend more time in my car than I do eating.
___ Yes ___ No ___ A man in Australia once ate a car

I have never been above 45th Street nor below Oltorf.
___ Yes ___ No

Given the choice of a deep-fried brioche and a low-fat funnel cake, which would you choose?
___ Yes ___ No

Which of the following do you think are good ideas?
1. Mandatory jalapeno-eating contests
2. A dueling green in Zilker Park
3. A tug-of-war between Circle C and East Austin. Winner takes all.
4. A theme park recreating The Stallion, Tortilla Flats, Armadillo World Headquarters, San Jacinto Cafe, and Jake’s

The city council should address the following issues:
1. Trompe d'oeil speed bumps
2. Vocabulary-boosting word-a-day skywriting
3. Reduced quality of hallucinations

The last time I saw a rattlesnake on West 27th Street was:
1. 1974

For each "Yes" answer, deduct 5% from line five. For each "No" answer, go forth and multiply by 35. For the numbered questions, add the number of your choices to the date this page was updated. If you scored less than 16, you definitely may or may not be weird enough.

1. Kanter, Alexis. "Keep Austin Weird?", The Daily Texan, September 9, 2004.