Hello My name is Simon Umlauf and I want to welcome you to the first Real People, Real Stores Podcast. I’ll try to pop one out every week or two. This first one is about Old Austin - Old Austin Texas that is - told by my father Arthur Umlauf who is the son of Austin artist and sculptor Charles Umlauf. My dad lives in Tucker Georgia now but he was born in Austin Texas and family lived on a house that overlooked Zilker Park and Barton Springs Boulevard since the mid 40’s. He talks about growing up in Austin (when it was a small town) in the 50’s and 60’s and talks about some of his childhood friends like Roky Erickson the lead singer of the 13th Floor Elevators - one of the first psychedelic rock bands out of Austin Texas, and August “Hands” Hartkopf, a brilliant race car mechanic who had a car shop on Barton Springs boulevard who had the same hormonal disorder called acromegaly that Andre The Giant had - plus many other stories of old Austin that you might not have heard of. The reason I’m telling or having my dad tell these stories is because these where the stories I heard growing up my from my dad and my uncles - they aways talked about Roky Erickson’s Icarus like fall from grace due to drugs and fame - and about August “Hands “Hartkopf lifting a small block engine out of a car with his bare hands - that’s where he got the kickname “hands” because of his large hands. These were the legends that I heard growing up from my aunts and uncles.
Also, this podcast is sponsored some great folks with a really good cause - Comunidad Connect is a social enterprise that works to alleviate poverty and create sustainable change in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic by getting volunteers - like you - who help locals build homes, provide healthcare and further youth development to those who need it most. Contact Comunidad Connect to find out how you can travel to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic and connect with local communities. You can find the link to Comunidad Connect in the description of this podcast.
And my second sponsor is Atlanta-area realtor Mark Sandidge. Mark is a super smart guy with an MBA from Georgia Tech and a degree in Mathematics. He is a great guy to grab a beer or coffee with to talk about the current housing market - but he can also tell a real story - because your home has a real story whether it’s in a cozy neighborhood with the community pool down the street, or it’s packed full of kids or a relaxing get-away in the mountains, Mark can help get your home’s story out there. See Marks link below.
here is a link to our sponsor Comunidad Connect comunidadconnect.org/
here is a link to Mark Sandidge's linked in page
www.linkedin.com/in/markjsandidge/?trk=public_post_feed-actor-image
here is a link to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden www.umlaufsculpture.org/
here is a link to a 13th Floor Elevator song with Roky Erickson singing and playing guitar. ⁠
th-cam.com/video/E5ChfmIkgNE/w-d-xo.html⁠
below are two links to some photos of August “Hands” Hartkopf highlandlakestimingassociation.com/2014/05/06/drag-racing-vintage-texas/ www.sixflagsdragway.com/butchlake/index.htm