Fun Fun Fun

Randy “Biscuit” Turner, 1985 (Photo by Martha Grenon)

Tim Kerr posted the following to his Facebook page after the Chronicle asked for comment on the Big Boys' "incident" at the second annual Austin Music Awards show in 1984. Reprinted in full with the guitarist's permission:

In 1984, we were asked to play the Austin Chronicle's Award show. At this point we were putting on our own shows and knew that most of the folks that supported the "scene" that we were a part of would not be able to afford the ticket price, much less care to come to something like this. After a lot of deliberation, and we did have friends at the Chronicle, we decided to do it.

The stage crew and bouncers for the night were the same ones that had so overreacted at our Fiesta Gardens performance earlier that year. Unbeknownst to us, they wanted revenge and to throw out the small group of people that had come to see us. These people had come up front to participate and to get the candy that Biscuit was handing out.

At first, these "security" people attacked the audience only when any of them got up onstage with us, but they then quickly turned on the people just trying to get candy as well. I was actually punched by one of the bouncers, and though it was not a very successful hit (I was too close for him to wind back), I realized how absurd the whole thing had gotten. We walked off and did not finish our set. Even people there that had no idea about our scene were asking, "What the hell was up with the bouncers?"

The Chronicle at the time never published all the letters they had received after that night, never really mentioned it in their articles, and never apologized.

I was asked this week if I would give a "quick" interview for their article on the anniversary of the awards show. Here was my response: "Considering they did not write about it, post all the letters they received right after the 'incident,' OR even apologize, I doubt what I have to say about it would result in a soundbite that they would even publish now [smile].

Thanks, but I respectively decline."

Tim Hamblin did this video and part of the footage is taken from the Fiesta Gardens show:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVjMx0JDHM