CAN WE GET A FACT CHECK ON AISLE THREE?

There are so many things wrong with Patrick Beach's article about the venerable Austin dive bar The Carousel Lounge in today's Austin 360 supplement in the Austin American-Statesman that it's hard to know where to begin.

Right off the bat, in the first paragraph, we learn that the motion picture "From Here to Eternity" opened in March 1963. Um, no. The film was released in 1953. 

Later in the piece, bartender Chris Doughitt relates the story of how legendary Austin filmmaker Terence Malick once shot a scene for a movie at the Carousel. According to Doughitt, "Malick has been my favorite actor since I was a kid." I don't know what films Mr. Doughitt has been watching but Terence Malick is a film director, not a film actor.

Perhaps most egregiously, Beach admits to playing in a band that performs at the Carousel and even goes so far as to plug an upcoming gig at the club's anniversary party tomorrow. Yes, he does make a full disclosure, but this is about as blatant a case of conflict of interest as I've ever seen. Come on Statesman, you couldn't find another writer to do a profile of the Carousel Lounge besides someone who plays in a band that performs there? Talk about free advertising.

There's also a photograph showing five people standing outside of the club "to smoke." None of the people in the photograph are smoking. In fact, none of them are even holding cigarettes. They appear to be just drinking beer and talking. No smoking going on that I can see.

I've been to the Carousel Lounge. I went one time, about twenty years ago, just to see what the place was like. It was a dive then and it's still a dive now. But it's a "cool" dive now because hipsters have discovered it. The hipsters are welcome to it but can we please get someone at the American Statesman to fact check these stories before they go to print?