TCB

D.C. City Limits

"A surreal experience" is how Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona describes his trip to Washington last week to accept the National Medal of Arts on the show's behalf, the first time a television program has been so honored. Lickona and the other members of the KLRU party -- Ed Bailey, Evan Smith, Bart Knaggs, and Maury Sullivan -- were ushered into the Oval Office for a brief encounter and photo op with ACL fans George and Laura Bush. "We just love Austin City Limits!" the first lady told Lickona. "I used to serve beer at the tapings in 1974," to which George the Younger interjected, "I was probably drinking the beer." (The only time Lickona knows of Dubya visiting ACL was as governor, when he showed up to chat with vibes great and family friend Lionel Hampton.) The KLRU folks and fellow honorees, including George Strait, Buddy Guy, and Ron "Opie" Howard, were later feted at a full state dinner. "Everybody was glomming onto Ron Howard more than anyone else," says Lickona. "George Strait snuck out pretty early." Back in Austin, it's business as usual for the PBS staple, with the Joe Nichols/Jessica Andrews episode on tap for this weekend. "We're not going to bask in the glory of the medal for too long," swears Lickona. "It's locked up in the accounting department right now."

Haynes His Way

If a rolling stone gathers no moss, what does a Butthole Surfer do when his band is on "quietus"? If he's Gibby Haynes, he recruits fellow Surfer Nathan Calhoun and ex-Pariah mates Shandon Sahm and Kyle Ellison for a new outfit called Gibby Haynes & His Problem, which debuts at the Back Room this Saturday. Far from a side project, Haynes intends to record an album in December and January before going on tour with Ween next spring. "It's what I'm doing now," the recent NYC transplant insists.

TCB: What made you want to start up this band?

Gibby Haynes: Why, what do you suspect? It's just sort of the flow of what I've been doing for the last 20 years. ... Some sort of musical outlet, I guess, since the Buttholes aren't that active right now.

TCB: What are the songs like?

GH: It goes from real spacey, kinda jammy stuff to real cheap rock & roll. There's one song that's about as low-down and cheap as you can get, called "Redneck Sex," that's real fun to play.

TCB: What's the Buttholes' current status?

GH: [chuckles] We're on "quietus." Which really isn't hiatus. It's been real hard to get the band together to play live shows. I can see us recording some stuff in the future.

TCB: Thanks for your time.

GH: I wish I could be funny or something, but better luck next time. I'm getting ready to go into Kinko's and copy medical records. I got bit in the face by Nathan's dog the other day.

TCB: Oh my God. Are you OK?

GH: $690.30.

TCB: Ouch. Stitches?

GH: Yeah.