Update:The Armadillo Oral History Project, National Headliners Award Winner

KUT 90.5 FM’s signature music news unit Texas Music Matters recently won first place for “Home with the Armadillo: The Armadillo Oral History Project” in the annual National Headliners Awards. AWC Austin member Ann Leifeste co-produced the Project.

The award encompassed all phases of the Armadillo Oral History Project (AOHP):
1.  “Home with the Armadillo” hour documentary on KUT Texas Music Matters series
2.  Oral Histories of those who made art, attended, worked or played at the Armadillo, i.e. poster artists, students, teenagers, hitchhikers, a street corner flower salesman, poets, actors, military, politicians, families, bouncers, wait staff, musicians, dogs, etc.
3.  AOHP Website with oral histories, slideshow and photos
4.  “Five Days of the Dillo”:  5 days of music on KUT by bands who played the Armadillo

Armadillo Oral History Project from KUT on Vimeo

Co-producers Ann Leifeste and Nick Marcotte shared their thoughts and experiences.

What inspired you to do this project?

NM: I have long been a fan of Texas music and of public radio programming.  Being new to Austin, I wanted to find a way to get directly involved with the music scene, but not just as it was happening today.  I was very interested in Austin’s musical past, and this seemed like the best opportunity to have direct contact with that.

AL: I moved back to Austin four years ago and memories flooded back to me of my days here as a UT student from ’68 to ’72.  I drove around where the Armadillo used to be, and there was nothing left of what was a cultural institution for my generation.  I felt a tribute needed to be made to it and to those heady Vietnam, Vietnam Draft, Bombing of Cambodia, Kent State, Watergate days played out on campus, in the streets and in the music halls of Austin, all of which have come and gone.  I thought of the early Armadillo as a time capsule of those days serving as a stage for artistic expression and a balm for a generation, all coming together.  KUT thought so too for which I am eternally grateful.  Hence, The Armadillo Oral  History Project was born with David Brown, Executive Producer of the Texas Music Matters unit, at the helm of the project, along with both Singer/Songwriter Nick Marcotte and myself recording memories of the  many who volunteered to share their stories of the Armadillo.  This was the beginning of a year-long project which grew into a documentary special written and produced by David Brown entitled “Home with the Armadillo.”  The project also featured a website, multi-media presentations and a week-long Armadillo music celebration on the airwaves of KUT entitled “5 Days of the Dillo.”

What has been your favorite part along the way?

NM: People’s stories all have a unique intimacy to them.  Everyone had their own experience of the Armadillo, and it was interesting to see how those interviews overlapped with each other and how they were different.  Some people had a drastically different experience of the Armadillo than others because they were at different vantage points: some were musicians, some worked on sound, some were backstage, some were out there in the crowd every other night.  It’s these different vantage points that form a greater picture of what the Armadillo was.  Watching that picture slowly take shape and emerge was an amazing experience.

AL: The music and memories are clear, I have discovered, as Armadillo compatriots have traveled from around the block and around the state, and beyond, to participate in this Oral History.  We have been sent a semi-autographic novella from New Mexico, written about an Armadillo waitress, as well as folks bringing in posters, saved and collected, ticket stubs of favorite concerts, bandanas, jewelry, photos and albums recorded live at the Armadillo.  I have also discovered that the spirit of the Armadillo and those times still live on in the lifestyles and career choices made by many of those who participated in our Project.

What has been the biggest challenge?

NM: Honestly, at this point I think the biggest challenge is preparing all of the precious material we have for long-term preservation.  Thanks to the digital age, we will always have the hundred-plus interviews we did, and they should always be available on the online archive.  However, the final thrust of the project is to have the interviews preserved in other places as well, which is what we are working on now.

AL: To remind myself that those days weren’t all about peace, love and awakening but that those days were also filled with tragedy, uncertainty and cataclysmic change played out at the Dillo.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in Austin between 1970 and today?

NM: I can’t really speak to this since I’m a few generations removed.  I come from the perspective of someone who has a deep fascination and love of culture from this period — particularly as it was happening in Austin.  I know that every other person we spoke to during the project discussed, with a range of feelings, the immense changes that Austin has undergone since then.  One thing that came up again and again was how the Austin “city limits” used to be Ben White and 290.  Some lament the changes, some feel that Austin still has the heartbeat that it did then.  It was almost unanimous, though, that all were devastated when the Headquarters closed and was eventually razed.  This signaled a time of mourning in Austin, and many of the participants were surprised that there wasn’t more of an outward reaction.

AL: There is no comparison, which is another reason I wanted to do this project.  A $1 ticket for the unknown Bruce Springsteen.  Willie and the gang.  A loving, kind and generous audience which fed the performance and looked out for each other.  A gentle family of staff.  A community watering hole.  The music.  The music of a generation.  The music of many generations.  All to be remembered.

Update:
New Award! Home with the Armadillo: The Armadillo Oral History Project won a Silver Radio Award at the New York Festival 2011 International Radio Programs and Promotions Awards in the History category for “Home with the Armadillo.”

The National Headliners Awards is one of journalism’s oldest, largest and most prestigious competitions, conducted since 1935 by The Press Club of Atlantic City. The juried competition recognizes journalistic excellence in several categories including newspaper, radio, television, photography and online media. Other winners this year include the Associated Press, the Austin American-Statesman, the Dallas Morning News, CBS Radio News, CNN, Marketwatch Radio Network, NPR, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.