UT's Best Student Publication is a Travesty

If you've become increasingly bored with the Old Lions of student media at The University of Texas, you may want to consider an alternative. The Daily Texan, once considered the legit alt-paper when this was still a one-horse town, was ousted by The Austin Chronicle long ago, and now tends to offer minimal reporting that increasingly looks more like any other college daily than the proud former home of Willie Morris and Bill Moyers. The only student publication we really look forward to reading these days is The Texas Travesty.

First hitting campus in 1997, the monthly humor publication is created by the students, for the students. Their brand of humor is comparable to The Onion, except with an Austin/UT focus. But it isn't exclusive to the just students--if you were ever a college student, you will love this paper. We have no affiliation with The Travesty, we just like them, a lot, and not just because the chronicle thinks so.

Aside from the various faux-news articles like Texas Tech Unveils Mothratron or Famed 'Stingray Hunter' Savagely Eaten by Crocodile, they have clever photoshops and hilarious center spreads in every issue. Our favorite are the Around Campus quips:

Professors will give up on trying to inspire their students when they see one wearing a “Wish you were beer” shirt.
Freshmen will discover the only thing more stressful than midterms are false positives on pregnancy tests.
The guy who claims he prefers riding a moped to campus because of rising gas prices secretly wishes he had a motorcycle, a car, or a penis.
Awkward, unfunny people will quote the Borat movie to replace their aging Napoleon Dynamite impressions.
White freshmen will feel bad when minority students don’t even try to give them a flyer.

Their second edition of the year was distributed around campus this week and it's great! If you don't happen to grace the 40 Acres regularly, you can check them out online.

All images courtesy of texastravesty.com

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By patrickdentler in News on October 25, 2006 3:43 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

ol'pappy

whereas with The Onion, I've read maybe 2 ever there weren't laugh out loud hilarious.

The Onion never really makes me laugh. It makes me chuckle, but I think I've only laughed out loud once or twice from their stories. Misprint is the only humore magazine in Austin that I really love and anticipate. The Travesty is alright, but they're toilet paper compared to Misprint.

ol'pappy

Who is Chad Holt?

truecraig

Now kids, THAT'S how you troll right there!

chad holt

Since y'all started throwing my name around, I'll go ahead and chide in. Being a local publisher, I respect The Travesty but agree that the notion of anything in it being funnier than my shit is...well... a travesty. That's taking nothing away from anyone though, because I'm the best. Plus, I noticed homeboy in question is a Longhorn, so he can eat crackers in my bed anytime. As far as The Onion, I think it's a carpetbagging one-trick pony. I'm horrified by the similarities (of style, not substance) between the last page writer of their Austin spin-off and my shit. Does anyone know if that is pure coincidence or a total ripoff? I've often wondered... Oh, and whatever truecraig is, the following line: "I've never read/seen Chad Holt." is the most signifigant thing it has ever produced. CHAD

truecraig

I remember when this little pub came to be back in the late 90s. It was a little one-pager that was trying to be The Onion for UT, and it was pretty fucking funny. They've come a long way with the whole intertubesite and whatnot. Whatever praise they receive, they deserve.

Drew Baelle seems like a nice guy who should probably run for office at some point.

I've never read/seen Chad Holt. But we might have gotten falldown drunk together without me knowing it. Or remembering it. I hear he's a funny sunnovabitch though.

Actually, I know nothing of his mother so I won't go down that road.

greg

Wow, I'm amazed that anyone finds it funny at all. I've read maybe 2 things in it ever that were even slightly humorous, whereas with The Onion, I've read maybe 2 ever there weren't laugh out loud hilarious.

78722

Yeah, he's funny. Except compared to Chad Holt's stories, which are nearly identical, except real.

kb

i agree, i don't think they included him in the latest issue, and he was missed.

pd

The obnoxious rambilings of Drew Baelle, aka "The Hymen Annihilator," is some of the funniest stuff i've read. He's got that UT frat/dude-bro act down. The drunkeness is right up there with truecraig but, dare I say, more vulgar?

http://www.texastravesty.com/content.php?issueNumber=2006_02&story=opinion_drew