Dallas Has No Culture? We Disagree, And We’ve Got A New Video Series To Prove It

People say Dallas has no culture. We vehemently disagree. The home of America’s Team (and thus the enduring iconography of America’s Sweethearts) and the birthplace of the stadium nacho has no culture? We don’t think so. Not to mention our greatest contribution to society: the frozen margarita machine. If you’re responsible for one of the 224 million Spotify streams of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy,” you can thank the streets of Dallas for inspiring his strums. And speaking of music, don’t get us started on the impact of Dallas hip-hop’s influence through viral dances like The Dougie and The Woah.

But our city doesn’t just boast cultural relics. We have institutions devoted to preserving Dallas’ culture and busting its concrete corporate nature, one piece of art at a time. A feud between billionaires gave the city some of the most beautiful art collections in the country, most of which are on view for free. 

There isn’t a singular type of performance you can’t see in Dallas. We’ve got street corner buskers and sold-out arena tours. We’ve got experimental performance art from nearby college students trying something new and formal-wear-only opera showings. 

In Dallas, there’s always an exhibit opening, a circus tent rising, a bad one-act play, a $10 concert, a poetry reading, an indie movie screening and a slew of people making it happen. If this place was barren of culture, we can’t imagine so many people coming here to contribute to it.  

So, yes, we’re tired of people saying Dallas has no culture. What’s more, if that were true, there would be no Dallas Observer.

So to prove it, we’ve made it our mission to show you what Dallas culture really is, and we’re asking the people at the center of it all. The Observer is rolling out a new video series to prove what we already know: Dallas has culture, and tons of it.

For the first video, we interviewed Brian Perry, a bassist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He played a song of his choice (“Let It Be,” in case you were curious) and let us ask him all about what Dallas culture really is. Take it from the guy who clocks in at the world-renowned Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by I.M. Pei.

Perry says Dallas is “colorful.” We agree. 

So, keep an eye out for the next episode, and follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss a beat. We’ve got a full docket of painters, gallerists, rappers and anything else you could possibly think of.