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Subject: Frog mural will survive after locals protest - Daily Texan - State & Local
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 22:35:30 -0500
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Content-Location: file://C:\Users\dj\Documents\Daniel Johnston\Articles\2004\Frog mural will survive after locals protest - Daily Texan - State & Local.htm
Frog mural will survive after locals protest - Daily =
Texan - State & Local
Ernesto Elfonso =
cuts a window=20
into the Baja Fresh building at the =
corner of=20
21st Street and Guadalupe. The owners of =
the=20
building altered the plans for =
construction in=20
order to save the frog=20
=
mural.
A=20
friendly greeting from a frog nicknamed =
"Jeremiah" has=20
amused Austin residents for more than a decade =
with its=20
cartoonish style and curious "Hi, How are you?" =
tagline.=20
Earlier this month, however, Austin =
nearly lost=20
the icon painted by local artist and =
singer-songwriter=20
Daniel Johnston.
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill =
planned=20
to remove the mural before it opened its new =
franchise=20
at 2100 Guadalupe.
"It was this chain =
restaurant=20
out of California that was coming into Austin =
and trying=20
to change the way our city looked without any =
regard to=20
what we value," said Dan Solomon, a screenwriter =
who=20
lives near the site.
When residents =
noticed=20
construction work surrounding the "Jeremiah" =
mural, many=20
became concerned over the fate of the likable=20
frog.
"I think it expresses a lot of the =
spirit=20
of Austin," Solomon said. "It's friendly, =
amusing and a=20
little subversive."
Solomon decided to=20
investigate the matter on his own. After =
learning of=20
Baja Fresh's intention to tear down the mural, =
Solomon=20
rallied Austin protesters via the =
Internet.
Baja=20
Fresh franchise owner John Oudt had no idea his =
new=20
restaurant was threatening an Austin icon. =
"We=20
went through 10 weeks of planning the =
renovations and=20
working with the city of Austin, and no one =
mentioned=20
the frog had any significance," Oudt said. "We =
had=20
planned to cut out the wall along 21st for =
windows.=20
That's when it hit the fan."
Solomon =
estimated 30=20
protesters gathered outside the former Sound =
Exchange=20
building Jan. 6 in an effort to preserve the =
mural. Oudt=20
agreed to meet with the Austinites.
"I =
simply=20
explained to him the importance of the frog. He =
was=20
completely shocked. He had no idea. He just =
assumed it=20
was some graffiti on the side of his wall," =
Solomon=20
said.
Daniel Johnston originally created=20
"Jeremiah" for the cover of his "Hi, How Are =
You?"=20
album. Johnston's growing popularity in the =
underground=20
music scene led Sound Exchange to ask him to =
turn the=20
frog into a mural on the wall facing 21st=20
Street.
"The minute I opened up =
[Johnston's] site=20
and saw a pic of Kurt Cobain with a frog on his =
chest, I=20
knew I was making a mistake," Oudt said, =
referring to=20
the deceased Nirvana star's MTV appearance in =
which he=20
wore a frog T-shirt.
"[Oudt] was just =
initially=20
unaware of the cultural significance of that =
mural, and=20
once he was aware of that from the community, he =
was=20
more than happy to accommodate the request," =
said Megan=20
Weiler of the Austin Arts in Public Places =
program.=20
After speaking with protesters and =
executives=20
from Baja Fresh, Oudt agreed to protect the =
mural. He=20
estimated that changes in the renovations and=20
architectural plans will cost about $50,000 and =
will=20
delay the opening of Baja Fresh one month. Oudt =
now=20
estimates it will open in late March or=20
April.
"It's going to be a very weird =
Baja Fresh,=20
which I hope will keep the 'Keep Austin Weird' =
people=20
happy. We just hope to be part of the UT =
community,"=20
Oudt said.
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