PopMatters @ SXSW 2007
Cook videoblogs from this year’s SXSW festival, interviewing Mike Watt and Swamp Dogg in the process.
Twenty years ago, South by Southwest was a tiny twister, a newborn wisp wriggling its way off the ground on the energy of upstarts and also-rans. These days, the massive nine-day festival is more like a cross-continental cyclone, whisking the world’s most renowned musicians and moviemakers away to Austin. As thousands upon thousands of artists, fans, and industry types descend on the city, the rest of the world stands still: stripped of its artisans, there’s nothing to do but wait and see who will return Sultan of the storm.
Like cross-eyed cousin the CMJ Music Marathon, this is a make-it-or-break-it event, a gathering where some dreams are born and others are broken. Facing the wind’s fury, the best pluck down intact, like pristine porcelain, while the worst fall with the fury of cars being crushed.
This week, PopMatters braves the wind as well, cataloging the best movies and music to emerge from the mayhem. Our plates are positively packed with movie premieres, music showcases, invitation-only parties, red-rope soirées, and backyard BBQs, but somewhere in there we’ll find time to issue daily updates from the field.
Speaking of which, what say we get to it culture vultures? After all, we’ve got nine crazy days to get through, and then we crown us a king.
—Andrew Phillips
Thursday, March 29 2007
Robin Cook’s SXSW Video Adventures: Part Two
Cook videoblogs from this year's SXSW festival, interviewing Mike Watt and Swamp Dogg in the process.
Wednesday, March 28 2007
Robin Cook’s SXSW Video Adventures: Part One
Cook videoblogs from this year's SXSW festival, interviewing Jon Langford, Tommy Ramone, and Vashti Bunyan in the process. Stay tuned tomorrow for Mike Watt and Swamp Dogg.
Thursday, March 22 2007
LIZARD LOCOMOTIVE: A SXSW Road Journal
PopMatters' Brian Bartels goes gonzo, mapping his serpentine slither through SXSW.
Wednesday, March 21 2007
PACKED IN THE PARTY: A SXSW Road Journal
From Stooge sightings to bear-soaked breakfasts, PopMatters' Kevin Pearson explains how to survive 46 full sets in 4 days on 14 hours of sleep and 11 slices of pizza.
Tuesday, March 20 2007
Music Days 3 & 4
PopMatters' concerts crew sends SXSW out with a bang, breaking down the Belles of the Ball and flushing out the Bathroom Breaks.
Monday, March 19 2007
Music: Days 1 and 2
Arms bedecked with stamps and weighed down with wristbands, PopMatters' SXSW concert crew forges into the fray, bringing you the best and worst from days 1 and 2 of the festival.
Film: Days 6-7
PopMatters takes back its anti-anti-Moore attack, pushes further into an inconvenient truth, and explores the webs that sisters weave.
Friday, March 16 2007
Film: Day 5
You'd think exhaustion would dull the senses, but, as SXSW wears on, your critical faculties actually begin to sharpen -- it's only natural. As time passes, the real world fades away; home and family become distant memories. By day five, you have no family -- only films.
Thursday, March 15 2007
Film: Day 4
The gloves come off as PopMatters' SXSW Film crew digs into a drug-addled drama, takes on the terminator, and goes to blows over the mirth of marijuana.
Film: Day 3
PopMatters' SXSW film crew ventures off the beaten path today, taking a trip to Frownland, deconstructing a Supersize Me-style documentary that really pops, and feigning fondly over a horror apocalypse of the human mind.
Tuesday, March 13 2007
Film: Days 1 and 2
In Day 1 and 2 of our SXSW coverage, PopMatters dives deep into the film festival, fraternizing with zombies, dissing deep on mindless Michael Moore attacks, and rocking a little Bible study with the folks from The State.
