Hello There Fellow Constituents
This is an introduction to the Raw Deal. You probably don’t need much of an introduction to the concept. Everybody has one. My name is Edwin O. Wilson and mine is at 605 Sabine St. A combination greasy spoon and juke joint, 605 Sabine was one of the forerunners of the tri-ethnic honky-tonk tradition in Austin. For many years The Soldier’s Inn, then Chico’s and later La Rachael’s, it is now the home of the Raw Deal Report. Using the prices of 1977 for effect, The Raw Deal is dedicated to the memory of the depression. Not the Great Depression but the general depression.
The Raw Deal #1 features honky soul food (steaks, pork chops, burgers, beans, pecan pie, beer and huge breakfasts all day Sunday), a juke box which is instrumental to its core and which provides a unique opportunity for conversation and a collection of newspapers and magazines dating back to the twenties, offering a chronicle of the best of the worst raw deals. On slow afternoons, this Historic News Service has caused more reading than the Tarrytown Library annex and stirred the observation that the Raw Deal is a great place to forget.
ONE PERSON’S RAW DEAL IS ANOTHER PERSON’S FAT CHANCE
… and thanks to the patronage of a few regulars, The Raw Deal is now paid for and can enter Phase II. For the remainder of this Spring, Genie and I will be an officially semi-retired couple on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Therefore, The Raw Deal will be closed on those days until sometime in the Summer. Although we plan to wallow in underachievement on these days, arrangements may be may to use the facility for special events. We specialize in fund raisers for unpopular causes, anniversaries and birthday parties for the elderly.
During our short period of operation (a preview party on Pearl Harbor Day and a Grand Opening on Xmas) we have recognized a need common to our clientele that has yet been unmet by the problem solvers in the community. There seems to be a raw deal blind spot. Most people cause their own hard luck yet they seldom see it coming. It is a terrible thing to spend weeks tripping blissfully along thinking that everything in your world is pretty much O.K. and then be rudely awaken by a piece of miserable news to the fact that things are very much a mess. Our answer to this problem is THE RAW DEAL REPORT. The RDR hopes to keep you from being brought down too much at one time. You never know when you’ll get it, even if you subscribe, but at least you’ll have a receipt for it, a reminder that all is not well.
A LITTLE BIT OF ROTTEN NEWS IS A FAR, FAR BETTER THING THAN TOO MUCH TRUTH AT ONCE…
Fairly certain that things are pretty much what they seem, the RDR is a mite anxious about conditions but not even slightly worried about appearances. If you suspect that the RDR is too expensive for you, fear not, you can get a very small one. If you would care to occasionally receive the RDR at your home of office, send an amount commensurate with the size of the subscription you desire. Insure your uneasiness. Know in your own wallet that you have a piece of the Raw Deal. If you don’t send enough to allow us to mail Reports to you, we’ll hold it for you here.
Among other possibilities, the RDR will probably feature commentary on such things as Food on Sixth Street, Music, Media, a Pedestrian’s Guide to Downtown and an easily corruptible Hot Tips on Best Buys on the Block. The first Hot Tips column focuses on automobile tires.
One of our most popular promises is a full blown Letters to the Editor service. Unlike most publications, we will respond to any reasonable inquiries by large subscribers with our most considered and humble opinions. You may save postage and deliver your letter in person when you come by to eat some chops.
In closing, let me remind you that the Raw Deal Special Events Series will begin on Sunday, March 27. At seven o’clock we will begin officiating the Austin Kazoo Eliminations and Whistle Off. Class competition will include solo accompaniment to any tune on the Raw Deal juke box, Free Form and Duets, Trios and Quartets. Any of the above categories may also apply to comb players as well. (ACE combs and Cut-Rite wax paper only.) Prizes will include a gift certificate for twenty Raw Deal Cheeseburgers, A Free Night at Spellman’s, a recording contract with Raw Deal Records and Tapes worth at least $3.98, and kazoos, whistles and combs galore. Drop by, fill out an entry form when you pick your tune from the juke box, and get details on next month’s Spoons and Jugs Contest.
Rub a Dub Dub …
Copyright, 2014, Edwin O. Wilson