Adios Austin
Four years ago, deep in the throes of the pandemic, my wife and I started asking idle questions: are we happy in Austin? What have we always wanted to do? Where have we always wanted to go? What do we want from life? What does life want from us?
Questions turned into far-ranging conversations. Conversations turned into plans. Doubt and confidence ebbed and flowed.
An unlikely dream emerged: what if we moved to New Zealand? We’d never been there, but always wanted to go. It seemed impossibly far, geographically and psychologically.
We visited in spring 2023. We fell in love with the country: the people, the culture, the ecology, those wonderfully strange Kiwi accents.
Four years ago, my wife scribbled “New Zealand 2025” on a post-it note and pinned it up above her desk. We move to Wellington, New Zealand in a few weeks. The requisite phrase right now is: I can’t believe this is happening. But looking at that note, that manifestation, I can believe. Slowly, painfully, joyously, we made it happen.
I’ll be studying for a Masters in Fine Arts at Massey University in Wellington. This was a big, big step for me. I never wanted to go back to school because I assumed I had to continue my previous studies (history) or my career (radio/broadcasting). But my wife prodded me: if we’re moving to a new country, on the other side of the freaking world, do something new.
I’ve had a hard time admitting to myself and others that art is what I love the most. I’ve always been responsible, and pursuing art in a serious way, in a foreign country, feels irresponsible. But what’s more irresponsible than living with regret?
On December 21st, I broadcast my last radio show at KUTX. I’ve been there for fifteen years, and I’m ready to go. I’ve been bored and restless and annoyed at the compromises that radio seemingly requires. When I tell people where I work, and they say, “what a cool job,” I feel guilty when I don’t feel the same way. I’ve just outgrown it.
But I thank KUTX and the Austin music community for making me who I am. I made an hour-long show of my favorite Austin music memories: favorite concerts, people I met, shows I played, markers of time and meaning. I wish everyone who was leaving a longtime home could do the same, but maybe you can: make a playlist, record some memories, honor your time and make a little ritual out of it. It feels good. Listen here.
I hope to use this space to showcase my art and studies and new adventures in a new land. And I can’t wait to meet some artsy weirdos on the other side of the world. Thank you Austin for twenty years, happy new year to all of y’all, and here’s to dreaming big in 2025.