Happy Saturday, Everyone. I wanted to share a few more snapshots from my week at SXSW 2015. While I love a good live show when it comes to music, I usually stick to SXSW Film, because my time is limited and the film festival is a way for me to recharge, take in some amazing movies, and learn more about the world through the eyes of talented filmmakers. You can read about the first part of my week (including my chance to see the 30-year anniversary restored edition of The Breakfast Club/panel discussion with Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy) here.
One of my favorite things about SXSW is walking around downtown Austin in the beautiful spring weather. The sculpture above is on Congress Avenue, and it always catches my eye.
And this car caught my eye as well! It was parked on the street away from the hustle and bustle. Who ya gonna call?
My husband Todd (pictured below) and I always enjoy the Flatstock poster show during SXSW. Ten years ago we fell in love during this festival, and we now have a yearly tradition of visiting Flatstock, going out to eat at a fun downtown restaurant and then catching a SXSW film. It’s our way to celebrate the time we’ve spent together.
This year we saw a film called Human Highway, which Todd kept calling “Human Head Highway” because it got a big reaction out of me. Did you know that Neil Young, Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell and Devo were all in this 1982 film? Directed by Neil Young, Human Highway focuses on a town next to a nuclear power plant the very last day on Earth. SXSW screened the Director’s Cut.
Human Highway has this ’50s-meets-’80s vibe, complete with retro-fabulous sets by Michael Miner, bizarre scenes and quirky characters right out of a David Lynch film. Much of this movie was improvised, and there are some amazing musical numbers by Devo, including a version of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”, in collaboration with Neil Young. Neil Young and Charlotte Stewart (also in the film) were there for a post-movie Q&A. Neil Young has such a great sense of humor regarding the film—at one point he said, “It [the film] has a life of its own. It just refuses to die. We tried to kill it a couple of times.”
I seriously enjoyed his low-key personality and self-deprecating humor. At one point Charlotte Stewart got cold during the Q&A, and Neil Young asked her if she wanted his plaid shirt, then admitted that it probably wouldn’t look right. I had to include a photo from the Q&A in the montage above. I also included an image of myself on the red carpet at the Austin Convention Center. Yes, anyone can pose in front of that logo backdrop. ; – ) The vibrant block wall art is an installation at the convention center. I’ve always loved it!
Above we see a shot of Austin’s Violet Crown Cinema. I spent a lot of time eating on 2nd Street this year at SXSW, and this theater is right on the main path. Thanks for letting me share about my SXSW experience. Read more about it here, and now is when I’ll say “until next year”…
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