123-458: Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. (August 2, 1957 – February 7, 2024), known professionally as Mojo Nixon , was an American musician and actor best known for his novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere", which was an alternative staple on MTV . His style could generally be defined as psychobilly , a musical genre which blends rockabilly with punk rock . Nixon hosted The Loon in the Afternoon radio show on
246-667: A #1 single on July 21, 1958 , and is the only novelty song (#346) included in the Songs of the Century . "Lucky Ladybug" by Billy and Lillie was popular in December 1958. Lonnie Donegan 's 1959 cover of the 1924 novelty song " Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?) " was a transatlantic hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard charts two years after its release; it was one of
369-607: A B-side collection due to pressure from album distributors. Also among his later work was " Tie My Pecker to My Leg ", which featured lyrics about bestiality , incest , and coprophilia . In the mid-1990s, Nixon collaborated on albums with Jello Biafra ( Prairie Home Invasion ), Dave Alvin , and members of the Beat Farmers , including Buddy "Blue" Seigal ( Live in Las Vegas by the Pleasure Barons). Country Dick Montana of
492-700: A boil-water advisory which would last until water pressure was restored on February 23. Beginning January 30, 2023 the City of Austin experienced a winter freeze which left 170,000 Austin Energy customers without electricity or heat for several days. The slow pace of repairs and lack of public information from City officials frustrated many residents. A week after the freeze and when Austin City Council members were proposing to evaluate his employment, City Manager Spencer Cronk finally apologized. On Thursday February 16, 2023, Cronk
615-443: A cotton gin engine was located downtown near the trains for "ginning" cotton of its seeds and turning the product into bales for shipment. However, as other new railroads were built through the region in the 1870s, Austin began to lose its primacy in trade to the surrounding communities. In addition, the areas east of Austin took over cattle and cotton production from Austin, especially in towns like Hutto and Taylor that sit over
738-625: A diverse mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, and blue-collar workers . The city's official slogan promotes Austin as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to the city's many musicians and live music venues, as well as the long-running PBS TV concert series Austin City Limits . Austin is the site of South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual conglomeration of parallel film , interactive media , and music festivals . The city also adopted " Silicon Hills " as
861-553: A documentary film, The Mojo Manifesto , to be released in 2014. The film premiered at the 2022 South By Southwest festival. On February 21, 2023, Freestyle Digital Media announced that it had acquired worldwide rights to the film, slating it for a March 17 release across VOD platforms. Nixon and his wife, Adaire, have two sons. Nixon was an outspoken supporter of free file sharing of recordings in MP3 and other formats. In July 2000, he publicly declared his support because he said that he
984-588: A facility to produce its Selectric typewriters. Texas Instruments was set up in Austin two years later, and Motorola (now NXP Semiconductors) started semiconductor chip manufacturing in 1974. A number of Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or regional offices in Austin, including 3M , Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) , Agilent Technologies , Amazon , Apple , Dell , Facebook (Meta) , General Motors , Google , IBM , Intel , NXP Semiconductors , Oracle , Tesla , and Texas Instruments . With regard to education, Austin
1107-473: A flood on April 7, 1900. In the late 1920s and 1930s, Austin implemented the 1928 Austin city plan through a series of civic development and beautification projects that created much of the city's infrastructure and many of its parks. In addition, the state legislature established the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) that, along with the city of Austin, created the system of dams along
1230-535: A freeze are December 1 and February 15, giving Austin an average growing season of 288 days, and the coldest temperature of the year is normally about 24.2 °F (−4 °C) under the 1991-2020 climate normals, putting Austin in USDA zone 9a. Conversely, winter months also produce warm days on a regular basis. On average, 10 days in January reach or exceed 70 °F (21 °C) and 1 day reaches 80 °F (27 °C); during
1353-433: A holiday or a fad such as a dance or TV program. Many use unusual lyrics, subjects, sounds, or instrumentation, and may not even be musical. For example, the 1966 novelty song " They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! ", by Napoleon XIV , has little music and is set to a rhythm tapped out on a snare drum , a tambourine , and the bare sides of the musicians' legs. A book on achieving an attention-grabbing novelty single
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#17329026135511476-457: A major staple of Tin Pan Alley from its start in the late 19th century. They continued to proliferate in the early years of the 20th century, some rising to be among the biggest hits of the era. Varieties included songs with an unusual gimmick, such as the stuttering in " K-K-K-Katy " or the playful boop-boop-a-doops of " I Wanna Be Loved By You ", which made a star out of Helen Kane and inspired
1599-638: A major university. The 1970s saw Austin's emergence in the national music scene, with local artists such as Willie Nelson , Asleep at the Wheel , and Stevie Ray Vaughan and iconic music venues such as the Armadillo World Headquarters . Over time, the long-running television program Austin City Limits , its namesake Austin City Limits Festival, and the South by Southwest music festival solidified
1722-581: A man having to share the doghouse when his lover kicks him out of the house), but contemporaries (among them Jerry Rivers ) disputed this and noted that many men had been faced with eviction under similar circumstances. The 1953 #1 single " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window? " became notable both for its extensive airplay and the backlash from listeners who found it increasingly annoying. Satirists such as Stan Freberg , Allan Sherman , and Tom Lehrer used novelty songs to poke fun at contemporary pop culture in
1845-452: A new audience online; the hit song " The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) " by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis was featured on the kids compilation album So Fresh Pop Party 13 in 2014. Likewise, rapper Big Shaq 's 2017 hit " Man's Not Hot ", which depicts a man who refuses to take off his jacket, received widespread attention and inspired countless memes as a result of its success, with the man behind
1968-502: A nickname in the 1990s due to a rapid influx of technology and development companies. In recent years, some Austinites have adopted the unofficial slogan " Keep Austin Weird ", which refers to the desire to protect small, unique, and local businesses from being overrun by large corporations. Since the late 19th century, Austin has also been known as the " City of the Violet Crown ", because of
2091-472: A number of other knockoffs, including The Nutty Squirrels and Russ Regan 's one-off group Dancer, Prancer and Nervous. In 1960, 16-year-old Brian Hyland had a novelty hit with the song " Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini ", by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss , which topped the Billboard single chart. The Trashmen reached the top 5 with " Surfin' Bird ", a surf rock medley of two novelty songs originally recorded by The Rivingtons . In 1964,
2214-662: A part of their land, created an immense motive for Sam Houston, the first and third President of the Republic of Texas, to relocate the capital once again in 1841. Upon threats of Mexican troops in Texas, Houston raided the Land Office to transfer all official documents to Houston for safe keeping in what was later known as the Archive War , but the people of Austin would not allow this unaccompanied decision to be executed. The documents stayed, but
2337-557: A set of zoning restrictions that preserve the view of the Texas State Capitol from various locations around Austin, known as the Capitol View Corridors . At night, parts of Austin are lit by "artificial moonlight" from moonlight towers built to illuminate the central part of the city. The 165-foot (50 m) moonlight towers were built in the late 19th century and are now recognized as historic landmarks. Only 15 of
2460-541: A severe lull in economic growth from the Great Depression , Austin resumed its steady development. Following the mid-20th century, Austin became established as one of Texas' major metropolitan centers. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Austin's population as 14.5% Hispanic, 11.9% black, and 73.4% non-Hispanic white. In the late 20th century, Austin emerged as an important high tech center for semiconductors and software. The University of Texas at Austin emerged as
2583-518: A third of normal precipitation. This was a result of La Niña conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean where water was significantly cooler than normal. David Brown, a regional official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained that "these kinds of droughts will have effects that are even more extreme in the future, given a warming and drying regional climate." The drought, coupled with exceedingly high temperatures throughout
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#17329026135512706-424: A weekday program on Steven Van Zandt ’s Outlaw Country channel on SiriusXM. Nixon's first comeback was in 2006 when he came out of retirement in support of Kinky Friedman 's bid to become Governor of Texas . As Nixon said at the time, "If supporting Kinky for governor is what it takes to drag my ass out of retirement, consider my ass dragged." In October 2009, he announced his "unretirement" on his website with
2829-512: A year later with a cover of Lou Bega 's " Mambo No.5 ", and also had another less successful single in 2008 with " Big Fish Little Fish ". Some novelty music draws its appeal from its unintentional novelty; so-called " outsider musicians " with little or no formal musical training often will produce comical results (see for instance, Florence Foster Jenkins , Mrs. Miller , the Portsmouth Sinfonia , The Shaggs , and William Hung ). After
2952-668: A year), with novelty act LadBaby reaching Number One five times in a row, with all five songs being parodies of other popular songs reworked to incorporate a running gag that revolves around sausage rolls . More often than not, the UK Christmas novelty records were recorded for charity, with LadBaby's Christmas chart rivals in 2020 also including The Dancing Binmen (Jack Johnson, Henry Wright and Adrian Breakwell) with their song "Boogie Round The Bins At Christmas Time", and "Merry Christmas, Baked Potato" from comedian Matt Lucas, with fellow chart contender "Raise The Woof!" being promoted as
3075-649: Is The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way) , written by The KLF . It is based on their achievement of a UK number-one single with " Doctorin' the Tardis ", a 1988 dance remix mashup of the Doctor Who theme music released under the name of 'The Timelords'. It argued that (at the time) achieving a number one single could be achieved less by musical talent than through market research , sampling and gimmicks matched to an underlying danceable groove. Novelty songs were
3198-491: Is a state park administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department , located at the confluence of Onion Creek and Williamson Creek. The park includes several designated hiking trails and campsites with water and electric. The namesake features of the park are the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek. The Emma Long Metropolitan Park is a municipal park along the shores of Lake Austin , originally constructed by
3321-435: Is a popular summer swimming spot for visitors and residents. Hamilton Pool Preserve consists of 232 acres (0.94 km ) of protected natural habitat featuring a jade green pool into which a 50-foot (15 m) waterfall flows. In May 2021, voters in the City of Austin reinstated a public camping ban. That includes downtown green spaces as well as trails and greenbelts such as along Barton Creek. McKinney Falls State Park
3444-615: Is home to the tallest condo towers in the state, with The Independent (58 stories and 690 ft (210 m) tall) and The Austonian (topping out at 56 floors and 685 ft (209 m) tall). The Independent became the tallest all-residential building in the U.S. west of Chicago when topped out in 2018. In 2005, then-Mayor Will Wynn set out a goal of having 25,000 people living downtown by 2015. Although downtown's growth did not meet this goal, downtown's residential population did surge from an estimated 5,000 in 2005 to 12,000 in 2015. The skyline has drastically changed in recent years, and
3567-467: Is its highly variable humidity, which fluctuates frequently depending on the shifting patterns of air flow and wind direction. It is common for a lengthy series of warm, dry, low-humidity days to be occasionally interrupted by very warm and humid days, and vice versa. Humidity rises with winds from the east or southeast, when the air drifts inland from the Gulf of Mexico , but decreases significantly with winds from
3690-752: Is located within the middle of a unique, narrow transitional zone between the dry deserts of the American Southwest and the lush, green, more humid regions of the American Southeast. Its climate, topography, and vegetation share characteristics of both. Officially, Austin has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) under the Köppen climate classification . This climate is typified by long, very hot summers, short, mild winters, and warm to hot spring and fall seasons in-between. Austin averages 34.32 inches (872 mm) of annual rainfall distributed mostly evenly throughout
3813-472: Is most common during the spring. According to most classifications, Austin lies within the extreme southern periphery of Tornado Alley , although many sources place Austin outside of Tornado Alley altogether. Consequently, tornadoes strike Austin less frequently than areas farther to the north. However, severe weather and/or supercell thunderstorms can occur multiple times per year, bringing damaging winds, lightning, heavy rain, and occasional flash flooding to
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3936-431: Is rare in Austin. A snow event of 0.9 inches (2 cm) on February 4, 2011, caused more than 300 car crashes. The most recent major snow event occurred February 14–15, 2021, when 6.4 inches (16 cm) of snow fell at Austin's Camp Mabry , the largest two-day snowfall since records began being kept in 1948. Typical of Central Texas , severe weather in Austin is a threat that can strike during any season. However, it
4059-497: Is run over by Santa Claus' entourage, and found trampled at the scene the next morning. It has become a staple of Christmas music playlists on American radio since its original release. An underground novelty music scene began to emerge in the 1960s, beginning with the homosexually themed songs of Camp Records and the racist humor of Johnny Rebel , then in the 1970s and 1980s with X-rated albums by David Allan Coe and Clarence "Blowfly" Reid . Novelty songs have been popular in
4182-512: Is the home of the University of Texas at Austin , one of the largest universities in the U.S., with over 50,000 students. In 2021, Austin became home to the Austin FC , the first (and currently only) major professional sports team in the city. Austin, Travis County and Williamson County have been the site of human habitation since at least 9200 BC. The area's earliest known inhabitants lived during
4305-652: Is water. Austin is situated at the foot of the Balcones Escarpment , on the Colorado River , with three artificial lakes within the city limits: Lady Bird Lake (formerly known as Town Lake), Lake Austin (both created by dams along the Colorado River), and Lake Walter E. Long that is partly used for cooling water for the Decker Power Plant. Mansfield Dam and the foot of Lake Travis are located within
4428-511: Is well-fed. Both range in temperature from about 68.0 °F (20.0 °C) during the winter to about 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) during the summer. Hippie Hollow Park , a county park situated along Lake Travis, is the only officially sanctioned clothing-optional public park in Texas. Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion thousands of years ago. The pool, located about 23 miles (37 km) west of Austin,
4551-492: The 11th-most populous city in the United States, the fourth-most populous city in the state after Houston , San Antonio , and Dallas , and the second-most populous state capital city after Phoenix , the capital of Arizona . It has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States since 2010. Downtown Austin and Downtown San Antonio are approximately 80 miles (129 km) apart, and both fall along
4674-622: The 2020 census . The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan statistical area, which had an estimated population of 2,473,275 as of July 1, 2023. Located in Central Texas within the greater Texas Hill Country , it is home to numerous lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake and Lake Travis on the Colorado River , Barton Springs , McKinney Falls , and Lake Walter E. Long . Residents of Austin are known as Austinites. They include
4797-739: The Civilian Conservation Corps . The 284 acres (115 ha) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a botanical garden and arboretum that features more than 800 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings; the Wildflower Center is located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Downtown in Circle C Ranch . Roy G. Guerrero Park is located along the Colorado River in East Riverside and contains miles of wooded trails,
4920-595: The Grammy for Best Country and Western Album was awarded to Roger Miller . Miller was known to sing novelty songs. In 1965, " A Windmill in Old Amsterdam ", a song written by Ted Dicks and Myles Rudge , became a UK hit for Ronnie Hilton . The song spent a total of 13 weeks on the UK Singles Chart peaking at No. 23 in the chart of 17 February 1965. The song's composers were granted an Ivor Novello Award in 1966 for
5043-543: The Houston and Texas Central Railway (H&TC) in 1871 turned Austin into the major trading center for the region, with the ability to transport both cotton and cattle. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas (MKT) line followed close behind. Austin was also the terminus of the southernmost leg of the Chisholm Trail , and "drovers" pushed cattle north to the railroad. Cotton was one of the few crops produced locally for export, and
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5166-521: The Interstate 35 corridor. This combined metropolitan region of San Antonio–Austin has approximately 5 million people. Austin is the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States and is considered a Gamma + level global city as categorized by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . As of 2024, Austin had an estimated population of 984,567, up from 961,855 at
5289-476: The Rat Music For Rat People compilation album. Throughout the late 1980s, Nixon and Roper produced several satirical pieces lampooning contemporary celebrities, such as MTV VJ Martha Quinn , in "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin", and Rick Astley and Debbie Gibson , in " Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child ". Nixon appeared in several promotional spots for MTV during this period, but
5412-544: The Teletubbies who reached number one the previous week failed to gain it with their single " Say Eh-oh! ". They came second in the charts to The Spice Girls second of three consecutive Christmas number ones, with " Too Much ". Later on at the turn of the millennium , Bob the Builder was successful in achieving a Christmas number one in 2000, with " Can We Fix It? ". However, Bob the Builder did have another number one single
5535-429: The blackland prairie , with its deep, rich soils for producing cotton and hay. In September 1881, Austin public schools held their first classes. The same year, Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute (now part of Huston–Tillotson University ) opened its doors. The University of Texas held its first classes in 1883, although classes had been held in the original wooden state capitol for four years before. During
5658-498: The top 40 . Freeform and album-oriented rock stations made use of novelty songs; some of the best-known work from progressive rocker Frank Zappa , for instance, is his extensive body of mostly adult-oriented novelty music. Zappa's " Bobby Brown (Goes Down) " was a smash hit in Europe despite its sexually explicit storyline, and " Valley Girl " was a Top 40 hit in the US, while his " Don't Eat
5781-400: The 1880s, Austin gained new prominence as the state capitol building was completed in 1888 and claimed as the seventh largest building in the world. In the late 19th century, Austin expanded its city limits to more than three times its former area, and the first granite dam was built on the Colorado River to power a new street car line and the new " moon towers ". The first dam washed away in
5904-471: The 1920s and 1930s. They had a resurgence of interest in the 1950s and 1960s. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music ; the other two divisions were ballads and dance music . Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. Novelty songs are often a parody or humor song, and may apply to a current event such as
6027-495: The 1950s and early 1960s. In 1951, Frank Sinatra was paired in a CBS television special with TV personality Dagmar . Mitch Miller at Columbia Records became intrigued with the pairing and compelled songwriter Dick Manning to compose a song for the two of them. The result was " Mama Will Bark ", a novelty song performed by Sinatra with interspersed spoken statements by Dagmar, saying things like "mama will bark", "mama will spank", and "papa will spank". The recording even includes
6150-480: The 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis biographical film Great Balls of Fire! . The film starred Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder , the latter of whom appeared in Nixon's video for " Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child ". The B-side to the "Debbie Gibson" song, which was also the subject of a video, was "(619) 239-KING", a follow-up to "Elvis is Everywhere" in which Nixon, responding to then-active rumors that Presley
6273-482: The 1991-2020 period recorded at least 1 day of the latter. The average daytime high is 70 °F (21 °C) or warmer between March 1 and November 21, rising to 80 °F (27 °C) or warmer between April 14 and October 24, and reaching 90 °F (32 °C) or warmer between May 30 and September 18. The highest ever recorded temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) occurring on September 5, 2000, and August 28, 2011. An uncommon characteristic of Austin's climate
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#17329026135516396-549: The 1991-2020 period, all Januarys had at least 1 day with a high of 70 °F (21 °C) or more, and most (60%) had at least 1 day with a high of 80 °F (27 °C) or more. The lowest ever recorded temperature in the city was −2 °F (−19 °C) on January 31, 1949. Roughly every two years Austin experiences an ice storm that freezes roads over and cripples travel in the city for 24 to 48 hours. When Austin received 0.04 inches (1 mm) of ice on January 24, 2014, there were 278 vehicular collisions. Similarly, snowfall
6519-499: The 31 original innovative towers remain standing in Austin, but none remain in any of the other cities where they were installed. The towers are featured in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused . In December 2023, amid rising home prices, the Austin City Council loosened the city's zoning rules to permit by-right development of triplexes on each lot and loosened restrictions on tiny homes. The central business district of Austin
6642-583: The Afternoon on Outlaw Country (channel 60), the NASCAR -themed Mojo Nixon's Manifold Destiny on SIRIUSXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and the politically themed Lyin' Cocksuckers on Raw Dog Comedy (channel 99). In October 2005, Nixon began appearing on the Sirius Howard 100 channel as the "General Manager". On November 8, 2016, Nixon did his final "Lying Cocksuckers" show, saying he would be back next year with another show on RawDog Comedy on Sirius/XM. Nixon hosted
6765-685: The Austin Nature & Science Center, and the Zilker Zephyr, a 12 in ( 305 mm ) gauge miniature railway carries passengers on a tour around the park. Auditorium Shores , an urban park along the lake, is home to the Palmer Auditorium , the Long Center for the Performing Arts , and an off-leash dog park on the water. Both Zilker Park and Auditorium Shores have a direct view of
6888-681: The Beat Farmers, who was a close friend of Nixon's, was eulogized on Nixon's 1999 album, The Real Sock Ray Blue , after his 1995 death onstage of a heart attack. Nixon retired from the music business in 2004, playing his last live show on March 20 of that year at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas . In later years, he occasionally performed at special events, as he did to support fellow musician Kinky Friedman 's candidacy for Texas governor. Nixon made his acting debut as drummer James Van Eaton in
7011-711: The City of Austin issued a mandatory citywide boil-water advisory after the Highland Lakes , home to the city's main water supply, became overwhelmed by unprecedented amounts of silt, dirt, and debris that had washed in from the Llano River . Austin Water, the city's water utility, has the capacity to process up to 300 million gallons of water per day; however, the elevated level of turbidity reduced output to only 105 million gallons per day. Since Austin residents consumed an average of 120 million gallons of water per day,
7134-453: The Colorado River between two creeks, Shoal Creek and Waller Creek , which was later named in his honor. Waller and a team of surveyors developed Austin's first city plan , commonly known as the Waller Plan , dividing the site into a 14-block grid plan bisected by a broad north–south thoroughfare, Congress Avenue, running up from the river to Capital Square, where the new Texas State Capitol
7257-749: The Colorado River to form the Highland Lakes . These projects were enabled in large part because the Public Works Administration provided Austin with greater funding for municipal construction projects than other Texas cities. During the early 20th century, a three-way system of social segregation emerged in Austin, with Anglos, African Americans and Mexicans being separated by custom or law in most aspects of life, including housing, health care, and education. Deed restrictions also played an important role in residential segregation . After 1935 most housing deeds prohibited African Americans (and sometimes other nonwhite groups) from using land. Combined with
7380-578: The Comanches westward, mostly ending conflicts in Central Texas. Settlement in the area began to expand quickly. Travis County was established in 1840, and the surrounding counties were mostly established within the next two decades. Initially, the new capital thrived but Lamar's political enemy, Sam Houston , used two Mexican army incursions to San Antonio as an excuse to move the government. Sam Houston fought bitterly against Lamar's decision to establish
7503-772: The Downtown skyline. The Barton Creek Greenbelt is a 7.25-mile (11.67 km) public green belt managed by the City of Austin's Park and Recreation Department. The Greenbelt, which begins at Zilker Park and stretches South/Southwest to the Woods of Westlake subdivision , is characterized by large limestone cliffs, dense foliage, and shallow bodies of water. Popular activities include rock climbing , mountain biking, and hiking. Some well known naturally forming swimming holes along Austin's greenbelt include Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, Gus Fruh Pool, and Campbell's Hole. During years of heavy rainfall,
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#17329026135517626-629: The Outlaw Country Cruise (docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico ), which he attended as a performer and host; he was 66 years old. Two days later, James Van Eaton , who he portrayed in Great Balls of Fire! , also died. Among the memorial events held in honor of Nixon was an all-day concert in Austin, Texas in March 2024 during the South by Southwest festival. With Skid Roper Solo Mojo Nixon and
7749-565: The Outlaw Country channel of Sirius XM . Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina , on August 2, 1957. He paired with Skid Roper in the early 1980s in San Diego. Roper mostly provided instrumental backup to Nixon's lyrics. Nixon and Roper released their first album in 1985 on Enigma Records , Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper . The song "Jesus at McDonald's" from that album
7872-452: The Republic of Texas into the United States. In 1860, 38% of Travis County residents were slaves . In 1861, with the outbreak of the American Civil War , voters in Austin and other Central Texas communities voted against secession. However, as the war progressed and fears of attack by Union forces increased, Austin contributed hundreds of men to the Confederate forces. The African American population of Austin swelled dramatically after
7995-410: The Texas Congress formed a commission to seek a site for the new capital of the Republic of Texas to replace Houston . When he was Vice President of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar had visited the area during a buffalo -hunting expedition between 1837 and 1838. He advised the commissioners to consider the area on the north bank of the Colorado River (near the present-day Congress Avenue Bridge ), noting
8118-426: The Toadliquors Other Novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick , a piece of humor , or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs , which are more explicitly based on humor, and with musical parody , especially when the novel gimmick is another popular song. Novelty songs achieved great popularity during
8241-563: The U.S. in four consecutive decades (1950s through the 1980s for Richard, 1980s to 2010s for Yankovic). Randy Brooks wrote a Christmas novelty song and it was originally recorded by the duo Elmo Shropshire and his then-wife Patsy in 1979, called " Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ". It tells the tragic-comic story of a family grandmother (loosely based on Brooks's uncle Foster Brooks ) who meets her end on Christmas Eve. After having drunk too much eggnog and forgetting to take her medicine, she staggers out of her family's house late Christmas Eve,
8364-415: The UK as well. In 1991, " The Stonk " novelty song raised over £100,000 for the Comic Relief charity. In 1993, " Mr Blobby " became the second novelty song to reach the coveted Christmas number one slot in the UK, following Benny Hill 's 1971 chart-topper " Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) ". Many popular children's TV characters would try to claim the Christmas number one spot after this. In 1997,
8487-503: The Year's Outstanding Novelty Composition . Chuck Berry 's " My Ding-a-Ling " reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, and Ray Stevens , known for such novelty hits as " Ahab the Arab ", " Gitarzan ", and " Mississippi Squirrel Revival ", had a #1 hit with " The Streak " in 1974. Comedy act Cheech & Chong recorded a number of musical bits that can be classified as novelty songs, including " Basketball Jones "(1973) and " Earache My Eye " (1974). Warren Zevon 's lone chart hit
8610-408: The Yellow Snow " and " Dancin' Fool " also reached the top 100 in his native United States. Beginning in 1970, Dr. Demento 's nationally syndicated radio show gave novelty songs an outlet for much of the country; this lasted through the mid-2000s, when the show (mirroring trends in the genre) faded in popularity until its terrestrial cancellation in June 2010. In the 21st century, novelty songs found
8733-408: The area's hills, waterways, and pleasant surroundings. It was seen as a convenient crossroads for trade routes between Santa Fe and Galveston Bay , as well as routes between northern Mexico and the Red River . In 1839, the site was chosen, and briefly incorporated under the name "Waterloo". Shortly afterward, the name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin , the "Father of Texas" and
8856-471: The area. Spanish colonists, including the Espinosa - Olivares - Aguirre expedition, traveled through the area, though few permanent settlements were created for some time. In 1730, three Catholic missions from East Texas were combined and reestablished as one mission on the south side of the Colorado River, in what is now Zilker Park , in Austin. The mission was in this area for only about seven months, then
8979-484: The capital in such a remote wilderness. The men and women who traveled mainly from Houston to conduct government business were intensely disappointed as well. By 1840, the population had risen to 856, nearly half of whom fled Austin when Congress recessed. The resident African American population listed in January of this same year was 176. The fear of Austin's proximity to the Indians and Mexico, which still considered Texas
9102-403: The capital would temporarily move from Austin to Houston to Washington-on-the-Brazos . Without the governmental body, Austin's population declined to a low of only a few hundred people throughout the early 1840s. The voting by the fourth President of the Republic, Anson Jones , and Congress, who reconvened in Austin in 1845, settled the issue to keep Austin the seat of government, as well as annex
9225-474: The city's limits. Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis are each on the Colorado River. The elevation of Austin varies from 425 feet (130 m) to approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level. Due to the fact it straddles the Balcones Fault , much of the eastern part of the city is flat, with heavy clay and loam soils, whereas the western part and western suburbs consist of rolling hills on
9348-509: The city's place in the music industry. Austin, the southernmost state capital of the contiguous 48 states, is located in Central Texas on the Colorado River . Austin is 146 miles (230 km) northwest of Houston , 182 miles (290 km) south of Dallas and 74 miles (120 km) northeast of San Antonio . Austin occupies a total area of 305.1 square miles (790.1 km ). Approximately 7.2 square miles (18.6 km ) of this area
9471-420: The city. The deadliest storm to ever strike city limits was the twin tornadoes storm of May 4, 1922, while the deadliest tornado outbreak to ever strike the metro area was the Central Texas tornado outbreak of May 27, 1997. From October 2010 through September 2011, both major reporting stations in Austin, Camp Mabry and Bergstrom Int'l, had the least rainfall of a water year on record, receiving less than
9594-653: The clay-rich types, are slightly to moderately alkaline and have free calcium carbonate . Austin's skyline historically was modest, dominated by the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas Main Building . However, since the 2000s, many new high-rise towers have been constructed. Austin is currently undergoing a skyscraper boom, which includes recent construction on new office, hotel and residential buildings. Downtown's buildings are somewhat spread out, partly due to
9717-404: The colorful glow of light across the hills just after sunset. Emerging from a strong economic focus on government and education, since the 1990s, Austin has become a center for technology and business. The technology roots in Austin can be traced back to the 1960s, when defense electronics contractor Tracor (now BAE Systems ) began operations in the city in 1962. IBM followed in 1967, opening
9840-469: The creation of Betty Boop ; silly lyrics like " Yes! We Have No Bananas "; playful songs with a bit of double entendre, such as "Don't Put a Tax on All the Beautiful Girls"; and invocations of foreign lands with emphasis on general feel of exoticism rather than geographic or anthropological accuracy, such as " Oh By Jingo! ", " The Sheik of Araby ", and "The Yodeling Chinaman". These songs were perfect for
9963-658: The earliest top-5 hits to come from the United Kingdom in the rock era, preceding the British Invasion . Three songs using a sped-up recording technique became #1 hits in the United States in 1958–59: David Seville 's " Witch Doctor " and Ragtime Cowboy Joe, Sheb Wooley 's " The Purple People Eater ", and David Seville's " The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) ", which used a speeded-up voice technique to simulate three chipmunks' voices. The technique (which Dickie Goodman had also used on "The Flying Saucer") would inspire
10086-546: The economy. We must take bold action now. If I make the new album free and my entire catalog free it will stimulate the economy. It might even over-stimulate the economy. History has shown than when people listen to my music, money tends to flow to bartenders, race tracks, late night greasy spoons, bail bondsman, go kart tracks, tractor pulls, football games, peep shows and several black market vices. My music causes itches that it usually takes some money to scratch. In 2013, Freedom Records & Films announced that they were producing
10209-634: The edge of the Texas Hill Country . Because the hills to the west are primarily limestone rock with a thin covering of topsoil, portions of the city are frequently subjected to flash floods from the runoff caused by thunderstorms. To help control this runoff and to generate hydroelectric power, the Lower Colorado River Authority operates a series of dams that form the Texas Highland Lakes . The lakes also provide venues for boating, swimming, and other forms of recreation within several parks on
10332-678: The enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas by Union General Gordon Granger at Galveston, in an event commemorated as Juneteenth . Black communities such as Wheatville , Pleasant Hill, and Clarksville were established, with Clarksville being the oldest surviving freedomtown ‒ the original post-Civil War settlements founded by former African-American slaves ‒ west of the Mississippi River . In 1870, blacks made up 36.5% of Austin's population. The postwar period saw dramatic population and economic growth. The opening of
10455-405: The fictitious composer P.D.Q. Bach repeatedly won the " Best Comedy Album " Grammy from 1990 to 1993, the category was changed to "Best Spoken Comedy Album". When "Best Comedy Album" was reinstated in 2004, "Weird Al" Yankovic won for Poodle Hat . Novelty songs were popular on U.S. radio throughout the 1970s and 1980s, to the point where it was not uncommon for novelty songs to break into
10578-405: The first ever Christmas record for dogs. Austin, Texas Austin ( / ˈ ɔː s t ɪ n / AW -stin ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat and most populous city of Travis County , with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States,
10701-454: The increasing availability of audio recordings by way of the player piano and the phonograph; whereas much of Tin Pan Alley's repertoire was sold in the form of sheet music and thus had to be simple enough for an amateur pianist to play, novelty piano brought virtuoso -level performance to the home and to those who would not normally attend classical concerts. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, " Hitler Has Only Got One Ball " (set to
10824-412: The infrastructure was not able to keep up with demand. In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri dropped prolific amounts of snow across Texas and Oklahoma, including Austin. The Austin area received a total of 6.4 inches (160 mm) of snowfall between February 14 and 15, with snow cover persisting until February 20. This marked the longest time the area had had more than 1 inch (25 mm) of snow, with
10947-489: The lake for canoeing and fishing. The 10.1 miles (16.3 km) Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail forms a complete circuit around the lake. A local nonprofit, The Trail Foundation, is the Trail's private steward and has built amenities and infrastructure including trailheads, lakefront gathering areas, restrooms, exercise equipment, as well as doing Trailwide ecological restoration work on an ongoing basis. The Butler Trail loop
11070-437: The lake shores. Austin is located at the intersection of four major ecological regions, and is consequently a temperate-to-hot green oasis with a highly variable climate having some characteristics of the desert, the tropics, and a wetter climate. The area is very diverse ecologically and biologically, and is home to a variety of animals and plants. Notably, the area is home to many types of wildflowers that blossom throughout
11193-498: The late Pleistocene (Ice Age) and are linked to the Clovis culture around 9200 BC (over 11,200 years ago), based on evidence found throughout the area and documented at the much-studied Gault Site , midway between Georgetown and Fort Cavazos . When settlers arrived from Europe, the Tonkawa tribe inhabited the area. The Comanches and Lipan Apaches were also known to travel through
11316-451: The medium of Vaudeville , and performers such as Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker became well known for such songs. Zez Confrey 's 1920s instrumental compositions, which involved gimmicky approaches (such as "Kitten on the Keys") or maniacally rapid tempos ("Dizzy Fingers"), were popular enough to start a fad of novelty piano pieces that lasted through the decade. The fad was brought about by
11439-590: The much larger Mansfield Dam was built by the LCRA upstream of Austin to form Lake Travis, a flood-control reservoir. In the early 20th century, the Texas Oil Boom took hold, creating tremendous economic opportunities in Southeast Texas and North Texas. The growth generated by this boom largely passed by Austin at first, with the city slipping from fourth largest to tenth largest in Texas between 1880 and 1920. After
11562-545: The network's decision not to air the video for "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant ..." prompted him to sever ties with the network. Meanwhile, Nixon and Roper also lampooned contemporary American culture and social issues in songs such as "I Hate Banks", "Burn Down the Malls", and "The Amazing Bigfoot Diet". Nixon and Roper parted ways late in 1989. The following year Nixon recorded a solo album on Enigma Records called Otis . On this album, Nixon continued his assault on pop culture , as in
11685-427: The peak of the blackouts an estimated 40% of Austin Energy homes were without power. Starting on February 15, Austin Water received reports of pipe breaks, hourly water demand increased from 150 million gallons per day (MGD) on February 15 to a peak hourly demand of 260 MGD on February 16. On the morning of February 17 demand increased to 330 MGD, the resulting drop of water pressure caused the Austin area to enter into
11808-593: The previous longest time being three days in January 1985 . Lack of winterization in natural gas power plants , which supply a large amount of power to the Texas grid , and increased energy demand caused ERCOT and Austin Energy to enact rolling blackouts in order to avoid total grid collapse between February 15 and February 18. Initial rolling blackouts were to last for a maximum of 40 minutes, however lack of energy production caused many blackouts to last for much longer, at
11931-493: The release of his album Whiskey Rebellion , a collection of previously unreleased tracks he claimed he had found in "an old shoe box full of cassette tapes" under his front porch. To promote the CD, he announced the temporary free downloads of the CD tracks and several of his solo albums (and albums with Skid Roper) on Amazon.com , along with a tour of several Texas locations. In a press release, he stated, Can't wait for Washington to fix
12054-451: The republic's first secretary of state. The city grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin . Edwin Waller was picked by Lamar to survey the village and draft a plan laying out the new capital. The original site was narrowed to 640 acres (260 ha) that fronted
12177-440: The residential real estate market has remained relatively strong. As of December 2016 , there were 31 high rise projects either under construction, approved or planned to be completed in Austin's downtown core between 2017 and 2020. Sixteen of those were set to rise above 400 ft (120 m) tall, including four above 600', and eight above 500'. An additional 15 towers were slated to stand between 300' and 399' tall. Austin
12300-523: The river's calm waters, nearly 6 miles (9.7 km) length and straight courses are especially popular with crew teams and clubs. Other recreational attractions along the shores of the lake include swimming in Deep Eddy Pool , the oldest swimming pool in Texas, and Red Bud Isle, a small island formed by the 1900 collapse of the McDonald Dam that serves as a recreation area with a dog park and access to
12423-466: The same vein for the next two decades including his gold record RIAA certified hit " Mr. Jaws " in 1975, which charted #1 in Cash Box and Record World and was based on the movie Jaws . Among the more far out songs of this genre were the two released in 1956 by Nervous Norvus , "Transfusion" and "Ape Call". The Coasters had novelty songs such as "Charlie Brown" and " Yakety Yak ". "Yakety Yak" became
12546-512: The song " Don Henley Must Die", which caused a fresh round of controversy, even to the point of Nixon's record company begging radio stations not to play it. (Henley himself was unfazed; on July 31, 1992, at The Hole in the Wall in Austin, Texas , the former Eagle jumped onstage and performed the song with Nixon, causing Nixon to praise Henley as having "balls as big as church bells", as well as to ask, "Is Debbie Gibson here too?") Shortly after Otis
12669-418: The song being British comedian Michael Dapaah . The children's novelty song " Baby Shark " received widespread attention when Korean education brand Pinkfong 's cover version from an online viral video reached the top 40 in the U.S. and several other countries. In the United Kingdom, the novelty hit has mainly become a feature of the " Christmas chart battle " (apart from a few viral hits found earlier in
12792-491: The sound of a dog yowling. It is regarded by both music scholars and Sinatra enthusiasts to be perhaps the worst song he ever recorded. Sinatra would record few others before he left Columbia and joined Capitol Records in 1952. Dickie Goodman faced a lawsuit for his 1956 novelty song " The Flying Saucer ", which sampled snippets of contemporary hits without permission and arranged them to resemble interviews with an alien landing on Earth. Goodman released more hit singles in
12915-591: The summer of 2011, caused many wildfires throughout Texas, including notably the Bastrop County Complex Fire in neighboring Bastrop, Texas. In the fall of 2018, Austin and surrounding areas received heavy rainfall and flash flooding following Hurricane Sergio . The Lower Colorado River Authority opened four floodgates of the Mansfield Dam after Lake Travis was recorded at 146% full at 704.3 feet (214.7 m). From October 22 to October 29, 2018,
13038-450: The system of segregated public services, racial segregation increased in Austin during the first half of the twentieth century, with African Americans and Mexicans experiencing high levels of discrimination and social marginalization. In 1940, the destroyed granite dam on the Colorado River was finally replaced by a hollow concrete dam that formed Lake McDonald (now called Lake Austin ) and which has withstood all floods since. In addition,
13161-529: The tune of British Army bandmaster F. J. Ricketts 's popular World War I–era " Colonel Bogey March ") was sung by British troops. A 1940s novelty song was Spike Jones' 1942 " Der Fuehrer's Face ", which included raspberries in its chorus. Tex Williams 's " Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) " topped the Billboard best-sellers chart for six weeks and the country music chart for 16 weeks in 1947 and 1948. Hank Williams Sr. 's " Move It On Over ", his first hit song, has some humor and novelty elements (about
13284-408: The water level of the creek rises high enough to allow swimming , cliff diving , kayaking , paddle boarding , and tubing . Austin is home to more than 50 public pools and swimming holes . These include Deep Eddy Pool , Texas' oldest human-made swimming pool, and Barton Springs Pool , the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area. Barton Springs Pool is spring-fed while Deep Eddy
13407-538: The west or southwest, bringing air flowing from Chihuahuan Desert areas of West Texas or northern Mexico. Winters in Austin are mild, although occasional short-lived bursts of cold weather known as " Blue Northers " can occur. January is the coolest month with an average daytime high of 62.5 °F (17 °C). The overnight low drops to or below freezing 12 times per year, and sinks below 45 °F (7 °C) during 76 evenings per year, mostly between mid-December and mid-February. The average first and last dates for
13530-512: The year but especially in the spring. This includes the popular bluebonnets , some planted by "Lady Bird" Johnson , wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson . The soils of Austin range from shallow, gravelly clay loams over limestone in the western outskirts to deep, fine sandy loams, silty clay loams, silty clays or clays in the city's eastern part. Some of the clays have pronounced shrink-swell properties and are difficult to work under most moisture conditions. Many of Austin's soils, especially
13653-424: The year, though spring and fall are the wettest seasons. Sunshine is common during all seasons, with 2,650 hours, or 60.3% of the possible total, of bright sunshine per year. Summers in Austin are very hot, with average July and August highs frequently reaching the high-90s (34–36 °C) or above. Highs reach 90 °F (32 °C) on 123 days per year, of which 29 days reach 100 °F (38 °C); all years in
13776-574: Was "not an asshole like Metallica ." In October 2009, several of his albums were available free on Amazon.com in MP3 format for a limited time as part of a promotion for his CD Whiskey Rebellion . Nixon was a self-described " libertarian cynicalist anarchist" and supported Barack Obama in 2012. He was also a member of the Church of the SubGenius . Nixon died from a "cardiac event" on February 7, 2024, while aboard
13899-499: Was also the honorary captain of the United States luge team at the 1998 Winter Olympics . In response to this, Nixon invited members of the men's doubles squad to work on a song for the Games: "Luge Team U.S.A.". The song was recorded by Nixon along with members of the Beat Farmers and luger Gordon Sheer playing drums under the band name The Arctic Evel Knievels. In 2008, he was hosting three shows on Sirius Satellite Radio : The Loon in
14022-574: Was completed in 2014 with the public-private partnership 1-mile Boardwalk project. Along the shores of Lady Bird Lake is the 350 acres (140 hectares) Zilker Park , which contains large open lawns, sports fields, cross country courses, historical markers, concession stands, and picnic areas. Zilker Park is also home to numerous attractions, including the Zilker Botanical Garden , the Umlauf Sculpture Garden , Zilker Hillside Theater,
14145-515: Was established in 1992 to develop and improve parks in and around Austin. APF works to fill the city's park funding gap by leveraging volunteers, philanthropists, park advocates, and strategic collaborations to develop, maintain and enhance Austin's parks, trails and green spaces. Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is a popular recreational area for paddleboards , kayaks , canoes , dragon boats , and rowing shells . Austin's warm climate and
14268-484: Was even a promotional music video filmed for the game featuring the song. In the late 1990s, Nixon worked as a radio disc jockey in San Diego (on KGB-FM ) and Cincinnati starting his career in 1998 on WLW before moving to WEBN . In 1998, he had a short run as an advice columnist with "Life Fixin' with Mojo Nixon". Only two columns were authored, and both ran in the short-lived Peterbelly Magazine . That year he
14391-794: Was fired by the Austin City Council for the city's response to the winter storm. Former City Manager Jesus Garcia was named Interim City Manager. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department received the Excellence in Aquatics award in 1999 and the Gold Medal Awards in 2004 from the National Recreation and Park Association . To strengthen the region's parks system, which spans more than 29,000 acres (11,736 ha), The Austin Parks Foundation (APF)
14514-506: Was moved to San Antonio de Béxar and split into three missions. During the 1830s, pioneers began to settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River . Spanish forts were established in what are now Bastrop and San Marcos . Following Mexico's independence , new settlements were established in Central Texas . In 1835–1836, Texans fought and won independence from Mexico . Texas thus became an independent country with its own president, congress, and monetary system. In 1839,
14637-513: Was released, Enigma Records went bankrupt, which left much of Nixon's early catalog in legal limbo. In the 1990s, Nixon released a handful of albums on several labels with a backup band known as the Toadliquors. These later albums included songs such as "You Can't Kill Me", " Orenthal James (Was a Mighty Bad Man)", and the controversial "Bring Me the Head of David Geffen ", which was ultimately released on
14760-478: Was still alive, invited the singer to call and leave a message on what was, at the time of release, a legitimate telephone number. The 1990s also saw Nixon appear in a further five films, including Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Car 54, Where Are You? (1994). In 1997, Nixon voiced the character of Sheriff Lester T. Hobbes, a recurring enemy in the computer game Redneck Rampage . The game's licensed psychobilly soundtrack also features two of his songs. There
14883-493: Was the duo's first single. Nixon and Roper's third album, 1987's Bo-Day-Shus!!! , featured the song "Elvis Is Everywhere", a deification of Elvis Presley , which is his best known song (Nixon later declared his personal religious trinity was Presley, Foghorn Leghorn , and Otis Campbell ). Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper were also recorded in San Francisco during these early years by producer Sylvia Massy at CD Presents for
15006-495: Was the novelty number " Werewolves of London ". Other novelty songs in the '70s are Jimmy Castor Bunch "King Kong"(1975), Rick Dees ' " Disco Duck " (1976) and The Fools ' "Psycho Chicken" (1978). "Weird Al" Yankovic would emerge as one of the most prolific parody acts of all time in the 1980s, with a career that would span four decades; he would join Cliff Richard in being one of the few acts to have at least one top-40 hit in
15129-634: Was to be constructed. A temporary one-story capitol was erected on the corner of Colorado and 8th Streets. On August 1, 1839, the first auction of 217 out of 306 lots total was held. The Waller Plan designed and surveyed now forms the basis of downtown Austin. In 1840, a series of conflicts between the Texas Rangers and the Comanches , known as the Council House Fight and the Battle of Plum Creek , pushed
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