SXSW Meetup

December 6, 2005 6:36 AM

SXSW 2006. Who's attending?
posted by ijoshua to MetaFilter Gatherings at 6:36 AM (20 comments total)

Looks like Henry Rollins, Ben Lee, Heather Armstrong, Judy Collins, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Bragg, and some dude named Kottke.

Or did you mean besides the people listed on the linked page?

It must be the coffee and donuts talkin'.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:40 AM on December 6, 2005

I'm going to have to go to this thing this year. I've had my head up my ass about it forever and a day, laboring under the impression that it was some kind of navel-gazing blog conference. I finally met someone completely outside the 'sphere whose band played there one year, and his description put it over the top for me.
posted by scarabic at 6:46 AM on December 6, 2005

Well, I'll be attending the Interactive section (10-14 March.) I'll be going by myself, and I don't know anyone else who'll be there. Anyone interested in sharing a hotel room? (Email in profile.)
posted by ijoshua at 6:49 AM on December 6, 2005

Kris Kristofferson? Is he just showing up to scowl and look rugged?

Or sing, I guess.
posted by cortex at 7:43 AM on December 6, 2005

It's been a music festival for longer than it's been anything else and it's enormously huge. Last year there were over a 1,000 bands. Here's the first page of the listing of last year's bands. It's just A-D.

Here's a blogger's all-in-one-place compilation of last year's list

The other portions of the festival are doing increasingly well. The film festival is pretty good and the multimedia is quite large.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 7:52 AM on December 6, 2005

Wow. Now I despair of ever being able to take it all in. Nevermind. I'm staying home ;P

We should gather some serious meetup momentum before March and make it happen out there.
posted by scarabic at 8:26 AM on December 6, 2005

This isn't a trade show, no? It's something anyone can attend? This is one of those things I've heard about for years that I always put in the "It Sounds So Cool, I'm Probably Not Invited" category. But March is a good time for me to take off work.....
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:57 AM on December 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

It's something anyone can attend?

I think so, but at $725 ($825 on the day) for a Platinum badge (the one that lets you see all the stuff, be it music, film or interactive), you'd probably want your employer to be footing the bill.

I can't even see anything on the site about press accreditation, which takes my already miniscule chances of attending down to nil...
posted by jack_mo at 9:05 AM on December 6, 2005

Ahh yes, now I see the differences in Badge level. I couldn't care less about film, and I'm so picky about music anyway..... Hmm, will have to research this; I need a vacation in March, and I've heard Austin is very hip.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:11 AM on December 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

SWSX Baby! has tracked who's going in the past, but it doesn't look like it's being updated.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:36 AM on December 6, 2005

That's the most telling thing that anyone could possibly say. Like Burning Man, SXSW Interactive's time has come and gone. When I went a few years ago, I had an OK time, but I didn't really think it was worth the expense and effort. That said, I hope those of you attending find it worthwhile.
posted by crunchland at 10:54 AM on December 6, 2005

Do tell, crunchland- what about it disappointed you?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:07 AM on December 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

Well, I can only speak for the Interactive part (though my ticket did allow for me to see several interesting movies from the movie festival) ... and I only went one year (2003).

For the most part, the panel discussions were pretty lame. The speakers weren't well prepared and the moderators even less so. Not a complete waste of time, but not worth the airfare, hotel costs, rental car (all of which I paid for out of my pocket. It might have been more bearable if someone else was footing the bills). I got the impression that SXSW Interactive was more an excuse for far-flung bloggers to get face-time at parties than for anything substantive to get accomplished. And since I hardly knew anyone, it was all a bit of a bust for me.
posted by crunchland at 11:15 AM on December 6, 2005

crunchland's SO over it :)

So where ARE the cool kids going this year, man?
posted by scarabic at 11:20 AM on December 6, 2005

The real world went to sxsw last year, so it's gotta be cool.
posted by justgary at 11:21 AM on December 6, 2005

Seriously, tell me where the cool kids are going and I will go there!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:26 AM on December 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

Because I am a desperate cool-kid wannabe.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:29 AM on December 6, 2005 [1 favorite]

Pink, we're hanging out at the pool on top of the high school. You just take the elevator up there.

What? You don't have an elevator pass? Well, I guess I can sell you one...
posted by cortex at 11:30 AM on December 6, 2005

Haaaaaaaaaaa!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:38 AM on December 6, 2005

SWSX Baby! has tracked who's going in the past, but it doesn't look like it's being updated.


We're tweaking the site in preparation for its relaunch later this month.

And yeah, I'm going.
posted by bradlands at 1:34 PM on December 6, 2005