Thirty years after earning his degree, Andy Langer, Class of ’94 journalism alumnus, has returned to the university as senior director of live music and entertainment. Langer said the role will require him to bridge the campus with the broader Austin music scene through music-focused initiatives.
Prior to joining the UT staff, he hosted “Austin City Limits Radio,” was a writer for Texas Monthly, and was music editor of Esquire for 15 years. Langer, who was hired in a full-time position this year, spoke to the Daily Texan about his plans to shape the future of live music on campus.
The Daily Texan: You’ve had an impressive and diverse career across media. How do you think those experiences have shaped your role as senior director of live music and entertainment at the University of Texas at Austin? Andy Langer: As part of Austin’s music scene, this campus has It has a rich history and the city itself is the live music capital of the world. The music industry itself is relatively small and insular, and I’m part of it at a national level. What I can do is use everything I know about the outside world and help connect these two things. Everything I do is designed to connect those dots. DT: What specific partnerships can the UT community expect from your efforts to connect Austin’s music scene with campus life? AL: (On Monday) we launched the Concert Club with the Moody Center. Ta. (UT) Once you log in to the site using your EID, you will receive an email with a code. On select Fridays, the Moody Center offers deeply discounted tickets. This is important because concerts are expensive. Students receive a significant discount. As such, we plan to work with artists and their management teams to offer discounted tickets to students for shows that remain in stock. Two weeks ago, I brought the Andre 3000 to campus, and as you know, the Andre 3000 has a flute record. Andre 3000 spent an hour and 15 minutes speaking with 18 flute majors. The night before, we bought them tickets to see his performance at ACL Live, and the next day Andre spoke to them. He went to the soccer stadium and received a new jersey from Sarkisian. The football team will never forget him walking down the halls. DT: Looking forward, what are some specific goals you would like to accomplish in your first year in this role? AL: (I have) a goal and landmark: to connect the culture of the campus and the city. And it’s quite measurable. What is unfathomable is what happens when you become one of the flute students learning directly from Andre 3000 and talking about the flute with him. What that student experienced would not happen anywhere else. I’m not saying it can’t happen elsewhere because they don’t have me, but I’m saying it can happen here.
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