After a Fashion
Stephen at ACL?! Were there buff men with rickshaws to cater to such VIPs?? Were they giving out free Prada??
By Stephen MacMillan Moser, Fri., Sept. 30, 2005
FESTIVAL DIARY Not being a fan of large crowds or heat, I generally avoid events like ACL. If I have to attend, my favorite vantage point is from a helicopter, though an air-conditioned armored car would run a close second. However, I was a brave little soldier this year and waded right into it. Briefly. Thursday night, I attended the ACL Soundcheck on the Rocks benefit for KLRU with my old friend Neil Diaz. It was fab. The Hon. Ann Richards and my friend Donna Van Fleet were there, along with many rich people that I do not know. Yet. And I ran into my Austin Chronicle cohort Chris Gray sporting a black eye, which, as he claims, is of unknown origin. Uh huh, sure. The live auction had great items, from a custom-made Gibson guitar (carved in wood from the ACL stage), to an Anthony-Nak suite of jewelry, to a trip to Spain. (Did you know about the Prada Museum in Spain? It sounded absolutely dreamy, and I was very surprised to hear of it … until someone explained to me that it was the Prad-o Museum and not the Prad-a Museum). The production of the event was terrific, from the golf carts to shuttle us around to the misting fans to keep it cool. Every detail seemed right, especially the part where even the drivers, security staff, and event staff all called me "Mr. Moser." I just love that. The catering by the Four Seasons was wonderful, as always, and by nightfall it was quite lovely outside. The stars sparkled brightly in the sky as Robert Earl Keen played his set, followed by the legendary John Prine, and all was right with the world. The following days were not quite the picnic I'd hoped they'd be. I tried to go in around noon on Friday, but with my smart summery outfit wilting in the relentless heat, I just couldn't bear it. Saturday, I went to see Roky Erickson, but was sidetracked by Oasis. I stayed for several songs, including one crowd-pleaser with which I was unfamiliar. Caught up in the enthusiastic crowd I reached for my lighter to wave it in the air in solidarity with the band, but I forgot that I'd quit smoking and didn't carry lighters anymore. I didn't have any glow-sticks either, so I just waved my cell phone and instantly felt much more modern. At the end, I clapped until my jewelry ached. And Sunday? Well, Sunday was a day of rest.
LETTER FROM LEANNE Being a veteran of such calamities, my dear friend glamorous society fixture Leanne Raesener reported to me about how she prepared for the possibility of Hurricane Rita's arrival in Austin: "I was at the Whole Foods stocking up on my end-of-life rations, not for the first time might I add; I had to do this for 9/11 and the great NYC Blackout, so I am quite adept at it. While I was strolling with the other maniacs getting all the water they could and God knows what all else, I calmly grabbed my one water bottle, drank it while shopping, and filled my basket with lovely bottles of wine and champagne, headed over to get some olives for my vodka martinis – as you know come in handy in time of tragedy – and then realized I had no food, so I strolled over to the smoked salmon section ..." You get the picture, I'm sure. This dame is cool as a cucumber and twice as fresh.
SOCIAL CALENDAR Saturday, Oct. 8, 6-10pm Jo's Coffee will produce their third annual Average Jo Fashion Show in the swinging parking lot of the Hotel San José, to be hosted by our next governor, Kinky Friedman, and his partner in crime Little Jewford! Participating boutiques include Vivid, Creatures, Service Menswear, Blackmail, and others. With music by Trey Lopez, the show features rescued dogs – from Kinky's very own Utopia Rescue Ranch, Blue Dog Rescue, EmanciPet, Wee Rescue, and Animal Trustees of Austin – all of whom desperately want to go home to you. Admission is free... It's time again for the Octo Tea Dance, Sunday, Oct. 9, 3-9pm at Cabo Loco on Lake Travis. This production, brought to us by the fine folks of the Octopus Club as a benefit for AIDS Services of Austin, is always fabulous, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I think of it as a bit of Fire Island right here in Central Texas. This year the glamorous chanteuse Hedda Layne, she of the iridescent voice, will be performing, and DJ Roland Belmares will keep the dance floor sweaty. Go to www.octopusclub.org for further info… Also on Sunday, Oct. 9, 8pm-midnight at the Hyatt Regency is the Style Cup, Austin's only annual hair show in which local salons compete for honors in several categories. Emceed by the effervescent Miss Kitty of Mix 94.7 and KGSR's Kevin Finney, the show benefits Project Transitions, a nonprofit agency that provides hospice and housing for people with HIV/AIDS in Central Texas. Go to www.stylecupaustin.com for further info.
