Keep Austin Weird

Common card · No. 427888

Keep Austin Weird is an unofficial slogan of Austin, Texas, United States, coined by Red Wassenich in 2000 while giving a pledge to "The Lounge Show", an eclectic program on KOOP Radio. The original intent of the slogan was to highlight the "unserious" and "unmaterialistic" nature of Austin, which he saw as distinguishing features from other cities. He began printing bumper stickers in July 2000 and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020 and published Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town. The slogan was later adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote local small businesses. About two years after the phrase originated, Waterloo Records and BookPeople paired ‘Keep Austin Weird’ with ‘Support Local Business’ while opposing a proposed Borders Books and Music store near Sixth Street and Lamar. Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs. Other...

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