mspurlin's Blog

So it is once again time for the scourge of upper middle class bikers riding expensive motorcycles to descend on Austin and make lots of noise.  Now there are many events that come to Austin, but for some reason I hear more and more people complain about the motorcycles every year, and I just don't understand it.

I mean, it is never easy to get around or go to your favorite places when 100,000 or more people come into town.  But as far as big draws, this is one of the least annoying and inconvenient.  And it is certainly no match for the most God-awful weekend of the year, Lame by Lamewest.

So how does ROT stack up against LXLW "music" and "film" Festival?  Let's Compare them side by side, and see what they affect.

People

Advantage - R.O.T. 
Look I don't want to be mean, some of my very best friends go to LXLW, but the majority of people who come into town that weekend are snotty jerks.  Compare that with the mild-mannered accountants and lawyers that trickle in with their $50,000 plus bikes.  These people don't try and talk to me about some obscure band nobody has ever heard of and how great it is to live in some other city other than Austin.  Sorry I don't care.  Give me the cordial nature of the R.O.T. bikers every time.

Traffic

Advantage - R.O.T.
Bikers win again.  I don't know what it is about LXLW but there are so many idiots driving the wrong way downtown that I got into like three accidents this year.  Besides, motorcycles don't take up as many parking places as cars.  Plus, R.O.T. only takes up two and a half days, not the 14 or so that LXLW is messing up my city.

Music

Advantage - R.O.T.
Yea that's right.  They have better music playing in all the bars during the R.O.T. rally than the crap that goes on in the LXLW.  The one year i volunteered at LXLW i knew a guy that worked pretty high up at the festival, and everyone was buzzing about the "secret" band that was playing.  it was BLUR.  BLEEP blur?  That is an alright band, but not a great one.   But because the organizers convinced everyone that it was a "secret" show, everyone HAD to get in so that they could be seen.   It is all about image with those people anyway.

Then any really good band that comes into town for that weekend nobody except the festival organizers and big shot executives and actors get to see anyway.  Sorry, i'd rather see bands for free and listen to the bars cranking out ZZ Top and Foghat classics that put up with the overrated garbage during LXLW.

Attractive People

Advantage - LXLW
You have to give them credit, there are not as many leathery looking old men and women wearing clothes that would have been too small on them twenty years ago at the LXLW festival.  I will give some credit where credit is due.

Inconvenience Factor

Advantage - R.O.T.
So if you want to go to your favorite restaurant or bar this weekend, you more than likely will be able to do so unless that bar is on 6th between Brazos and 35.  Even then, it will not be that much more crowded.  Most of the Bikers are out on the street watching their bikes. 

LXLW however, they obtain bars and restaurants all over the city.  I can't go to West 6th or the warehouse district because there are private parties all over the place, or some sort of VIP system to try and get around.  Even the worst bars on 6th street have lines coming out of them because some crappy band is playing there.   If you go out on the town and you don't want to go to LXLW, your life is shut down for a week.

Festival Organizers

Advantage - R.O.T.
This is rather obscure but it must be pointed out that R.O.T. has a big advantage here over the whiny cry babies that run LXLW. 

In 2007, the LXLW people went around and called the Fire Marshall on "unofficial parties" so that they could be shut down.  Then in 2008, they told this station that they were unhappy that "unofficial parties" were going on because it drained money and people away from the real parties. 

Well try not being a bunch of lame BLEEP losers and people will want to go to your precious little parties.  I never hear about R.O.T. rally bikers complaining because a dozen people were riding their motorcycles around South Austin and not attending official events.  Why? cuz they don't suck.

Basically this is just a laid back weekend with loud motorcycles in town.  If you like to feel cool by complaining about people that are slightly different than you, go ahead, but don't expect me to listen.  this weekend does not really bother you much more than other weekends.  And unless you are a college student in your 20's the annoyance downtown outside of The Library or other crummy bars will not affect you.  Go to any other bar in town and you won't even notice the bikers are there.

Unfortunately, LXLW damages us all.  We cannot get away from it or escape it.