There is a fantastic, though prob

Apocryphal story about Austim's insanely fabulous Texas Instruments:  That someone from the calculator company actually traveled down to Austim to see the band, decided that they were not going to be any big deal, or threat to the company name, and went back home.  Even if that story is not true, it is true that the calculator company was upset, and did everything in their power, surreptitiously, to sabotage the band's success.  The band eventually changed their name, and then disbanded.






The (Austim) Winona Ryders opened up for t.i. (as most folks called them, anyway) at a BBQ joint in Austim, TX.  It was my first gig ever, and they were very kind to split the extremely modest door receipts with us after the show.

I am thinking of t.i. right now because of Todd Akin and the 2012 General and the GOP's War on American Women™.

The song Decade of Denial comes to mind:

"We'll all be better off under a Conservative sun/We're gonna legislate your bedroom/Tell you where and with whom/I was only doing my part/And pledge allegiance to the holy ramparts/You were only speaking your heart/We better stop/And arrest ourselves."

I would advise all of you folks to hunt down t.i. records, cds, downloads, whatever you can.  They are difficult to find, and, if any of my friends close by would like me to burn you a cd, or let you tape my Sun Tunnels vinyl, I would be glad to oblige.

They are certainly worth it; one of America's most thoughtful, sensitive, and greatest bands ever.

Ardent