CMT Blog: Archive

For years, I’ve wanted to visit the Texas Chili Parlor in Austin because of a Guy Clark song called “Dublin Blues.” In the first line, he sings, “Well, I wished I was in Austin, mmm-hmm, in the Chili Parlor Bar drinkin’ Mad Dog Margaritas and not carin’ where you are.” I happened to be in Austin over the weekend writing about a George Strait concert, so I finally tried a few. They are delicious. Even though a friend of mine and I met there for happy hour, and that happened to be the last thing I did on Friday night. Oh man, they are strong too – mezcal, Cointreau and fresh limes. And they sneak up on you. If I had written “Dublin Blues,” I’d have finished the rhyme with “drinking Mad Dog Margaritas, wondering how to get my car.”

Thanks to this job, I know a few writers and musicians in Austin now, so I found myself hanging out in some of my favorite places in town – Magnolia Café, Mozart’s, Habanero (gotta have migas) and Scholz Garten, among them. I meant to do the scenic 10-mile run around Ladybird Lake (formerly Town Lake) but it’s just too easy to be unmotivated in Austin. I’ll be stopping for coffee at Dominican Joe next time I’m in town too, since I had four cups of delicious hot coffee on Saturday morning before I realized it. Needless to say, I was able to stay up past midnight for a concert at Momo’s, to see two of my favorite songwriters, Bob Schneider and Hayes Carll, who both live in Austin. I am always intrigued by the way the see the world. Bob is intense, to say the least. Hayes is… well, he’s probably the most relaxed person I’ve ever met. He’s also a big fan of Guy Clark, and I wish I’d had asked him first about those Mad Dog Margaritas, mmm-hmm.