Luv Doc Recommends: Austin Lounge Lizards' 25th Anniversary Show

Ah, the Hawaiian shirt … fashion staple of the middle-aged white dude (MAWD, acronymically). Short of strapping on a fanny pack or wearing a cell phone on a belt clip (hey, no one is denying the utility), nothing screams “over 50” louder than an obnoxiously colorful, devil-may-care floral pattern. If you’re going to flaunt it like that, you might as well buy a Harley, a PT Cruiser, or a motor home. Or maybe you should just swing for the fence and get a timeshare in Santa Fe. Word on the AARP chat room is that SFNM is like an ongoing house party for Q-tips: a veritable orgy of bad Southwestern art, wine snobbery, wildly perverted native American mysticism, and abominable turquoise jewelry (aka “geriatric bling”). Bad as all that may seem, it beats Branson, Mo., if only by a nose. The kind of twilight zone reality where Yakov Smirnoff and Jim Stafford can still pack theatres at three in the afternoon could only exist in Missouri (pronounced “misery” by the unfortunate members of Branson’s hotel service industry). Yeah, you’re better off sporting that eye-slapping polyester Georgia O’Keefe number right here in Austin, where at least we have decent Mexican food and stifling heat (good for the joints). As Hank and Kate proved conclusively in On Golden Pond, there’s no way to grow old gracefully, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun on your long, slow slide into the grave. Take the Austin Lounge Lizards for instance: This Saturday at the Texas Union Ballroom, the Lizards are celebrating their 25th Anniversary. Think about it: These musical Methuselahs have been playing their wacky blend of country, bluegrass, folk, and satire for better than a quarter century. They’ve toured nationally, internationally, recorded nine albums, and delighted and entertained countless Austinites, young and old. Not bad for a bunch of middle-aged dudes in Hawaiian shirts. Saturday they will be joined by Terri Hendrix, Darcie Deaville, Katy Moffat, and the godfather of centex Country, Lloyd Maines. You should join them too.