South by Southwest 2009: Day 4 (Interactive, Film + Porn Karaoke)
March 17th, 2009 by Joran in News, SXSWRight now, according to the Tweet I just got from @SXSW, Seth Rogen and Anna Faris are in Room 16AB of the Austin Convention Center – I’m sure, hyping their new film, Observe and Report.
I am across town, sitting on an overstuffed couch after a long (first) night of drinking.
Yesterday morning’s walk into town was beautiful as it’s starting to warm up in Austin (around 60 degrees and sunny), and when I got to the center, I attended two rounds of SXSW Accelerator, sponsored by Microsoft Bizspark. The competition put four contestants in four categories (Web, Social Networking, Video and Music) through a 2 minute pitch and then a round of questioning from an industry panel and keynote Guy Kawasaki.
Watch Hourville.com’s segment here.
Wandering through the fourth-floor tradeshow, I talked with companies like KickApps and Acquia. Then, I stumbled upon the Austin Chronicle (CL’s Austin counterpart). Their booth was set up like a living room – complete with couches, coffee table, twinkies and condoms (a lot of condoms at this conference). I befriended Promotions Manager Logan Youree and watched him give his e-newsletter pitch to passersby. High marks, for sure. Logan gave me a pass to their film after-party later that night at La Zona Rosa.
Around 7 p.m., we hooked up with Cheska and Monica. Travis suggested we pile in the car and head over to DK’s Sushi Bar for some porn karaoke. Now, we have this sort of thing in Tampa/St. Pete, so the prospect wasn’t that exciting, but Travis assured me that DK was particularly lecherous and that his advances were a worthwhile part of the experience. Watch the video below (NSFW) for footage of DK biting some girl’s boob while alternately chanting “pussy” and “sake bomb.” The entire place at one point actually got up and did the “Thriller” dance. Pretty amazing. (Note: Austin holds the world record for the most people doing the “Thriller” dance at one time. Check it.)
The crew was apparently worn out from all the activity, so they dropped me at La Zona Rosa on 4th St. at around Midnight. On stage (and the only band playing) was The Black and White Years. According to Austin lore, the group had been noticed at last year’s SXSW by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, who this year produced their latest release. They were a bit underwhelming, on the back side of the curve with similar bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand.
Logan introduced me to Chronicle classified coordinator (and videographer!) Michael Bartnett and we had a great time discussing the state (and future) of alt-weeklies, new media, monetizing video and the crumbling of the walls between the editorial, marketing and sales departments. Good times. Video of the party forthcoming. Must take a shower.
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