WED., MAY 24, 2006

While all the smelly hippies are off at Kerrville listening to folk, smoking dope, making mud pies, and carousing in communal squalor, local not-so-oldies station BOBFM is taking advantage of the extra elbow room by hosting a margarita contest down at Waterloo Park, called BOBaritaville. If you haven’t tuned into BOB, it’s sort of the antithesis of, say, KOOP. BOBFM plays pop hits from every generation that isn’t in a nursing home or dead, whereas KOOP generally plays obscure music from all generations living and dead – along with a culturally diverse hodgepodge of arcane commentary, nerdy nattering, and political polemic, the kind of stuff that occasionally makes you squirm in your seat. BOBFM on the other hand, makes you squirm in your seat, but only because you want to snap your fingers and BOB your head, especially if you’re 25-54 and dance with an overbite. Hey, there’s no shame in embracing the safe and familiar. McDonald’s didn’t serve over 4 billion orders of Moo Goo Gai Pan, did they? Of course not, and it’s a good bet that most people with a decent credit rating prefer “Come on Eileen” over Tuvan throat singing, which, in turn, explains why BOBaritaville’s music lineup features three cover bands: Bakin’ Brownies, the Mark Chandler Band, and LC Rocks. It should be a fun day of drinking and dancing, but if Saturday’s winning margarita leans a little towards the bland and inoffensive, don’t be indignant: It’s what the people want. Just be happy that there are nearly 20 other bars and restaurants serving up margs that may have a little more funk. There should also be plenty of food on hand too, so lay down a base before you start drinking. That way you’re less likely to pass out and end up in a picture on some Web site somewhere with a penis scrawled on your head with magic marker.