Tim Stegall says former Music Editor Raoul Hernandez was the one who first gave him the push to start putting down for posterity the history of Austin punk. Tim started writing that book in 2019 – nearly 30 years after he started writing for the Chronicle – and we’ve been publishing chapters as he finishes them. This week marks the culmination of a three-week run of chapters; reigning Music Editor Kevin Curtin was keen to time the series to the anniversary of a pivotal Sex Pistols show in San Antonio. It’s been a terrific long read, bolstered by amazing archival photos by Ken Hoge, Joe Bryson, and David C. Fox, and, of course, the perfectly punk stylization by our most excellent Art Director Zeke Barbaro. (Kevin also sends a big thank-you to Leea Mechling, executive director at the Austin Museum of Popular Culture, for opening up their archives to us.)
I interviewed Tim before the holidays for the Chronicle‘s weekly show on KOOP Radio (which, incidentally, airs Fridays at 6pm, 91.7FM – you should check it out).
“I never thought when I was writing in fanzines in the late Eighties that I would end up an investigative reporter writing the history of punk rock,” he told me, a little verklempt.
The life of a freelance punk rock journalist is not always an easy one, and it is so cheering to watch Tim thrive in this phase of his career. He said he’s just about to the point in the book that he enters the story as a character himself. I’m looking forward to seeing where his punk chronicles go next.
Missed earlier installments? You can catch up on the whole thing at austinchronicle.com/austin-punk-chronicles.
The Chronicle‘s annual Austin Music Poll kicks off in this week’s issue. Find this year’s nominees on p.37 of this week’s issue, then go to vote.austinchronicle.com to cast your ballot for best band of the year, best DJ, best fiddle player, best poster artist, and 47 other categories celebrating the artists and industry professionals making their mark on the Austin music scene. Winners will be announced at the 40th annual Austin Music Awards on March 8.
Online This Week
Queer Eye Makes Over Austin: The locally shot sixth season of the uplifting Netflix reality show debuted last week. Austinites getting a Queer Eye touch-up include Terri White of the Broken Spoke; Chris Baker, who assists Austin’s homeless community as executive director of The Other Ones Foundation; and hip-hop artist Reggie DeVore, aka BlackLight.
Dale Dudley Exits KLBJ-FM: The celebrated morning drive time DJ announced on Tuesday that he’d been fired from his longtime gig; KLBJ-FM owner Waterloo Media reframed his exit as a contract nonrenewal. In a sanguine post on Facebook, Dudley wrote, “It’s been a great run and boy did I have some fun!”
Who Said Anything About a Dry January? Captain “Day Trips” Gerald McLeod interviews Spoetzl Brewery’s head brewer, Jimmy Mauric.
Simply the Best: The Austin Film Critics Association released the nominees for its 2021 film awards. Western The Power of the Dog, Oscar winner Jane Campion’s triumphant return to feature filmmaking, nabbed nine nominations while Dune and Licorice Pizza garnered eight nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 11.
The Austin Chronicle Show on KOOP 91.7FM
This week, Austin Sanders breaks down the candidate field looking to replace exited Council Member Greg Casar in District 4, and Tom Cheredar talks about Austin’s flourishing gaming industry.
Tune in Fridays, 6pm, to KOOP Community Radio. Past episodes at austinchronicle.com/av.
This article appears in January 7 • 2022.
