One-liners
Friday spottings included actress, filmmaker, and Toto inspiration Rosanna Arquette at the Convention Center and former 120 Minutes host Matt Pinfield walking up Red River… Recording Academy president Neil Portnow presented Robert Plant with Led Zeppelin‘s lifetime achievement award before Plant’s keynote interview, an award Texas Chapter executive director Wendy Morgan said was “heavy as shit” as she lugged it back to the chapter’s Penn Field offices… Iranian band 127 had to cancel after getting stuck in Dubai when the embassy containing their passports was closed, but London rapstress M.I.A. averted her own passport trouble in time to make her Elysium showcase… Meeting of the minds: Rodney Crowell dined with Plant, Elvis Costello, and Robyn Hitchcock Wednesday… Big, albeit unconfirmed, rumors Thursday included the New York Dolls at Flamingo Cantina and a secret Flaming Lips show at tiny Progress Coffee… Austin American-Statesman music writer Joe Gross found a good way to get out of work this week: seeing to his wife after she bore the couple’s first child Wednesday, so congrats… Grizzly Austin twangers Lil’ Cap’n Travis played a 30-minute set live on L.A. NPR powerhouse KCRW… The Mercy Lords, a new band featuring Ricky Broussard, Tony Scalzo, and Kevin Brown, play noon on Saturday at the Hole in the Wall, joining scads of others listed at www.holeinthewallaustin.com… Former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin‘s new band played Cream Vintage’s day party; ex-guitarist James Iha DJs Jane magazine’s private pool party at the Elks Lodge today… Fashion trend of the day: cowboy boots with skirts, followed closely by hearing-aid-like wireless earpieces… Three people dressed as bananas crashed Club de Ville’s New West party as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Trish Murphy, Patricia Vonne, and Joe Ely milled about… Someone enlivened the Jason Mraz boat party on Town Lake by taking a pratfall into a tub of beer as dozens of music-biz execs looked on from the Four Seasons balcony.
This article appears in March 18 • 2005.