Waaaay back before the twin forces of 35 Denton and SXSW happened, we at DC9 had the idea to snap photos of what was in fans' bags, to see what people brought with them to festivals and hopefully not come off as creepy purse-peepers. The idea came to me years ago when, sitting at a bar, I saw a woman pull a birth certificate, two hairbrushes, a Ziploc bag filled with bottles of lotion and loose peanuts, a birthday card and a half-eaten doughnut out of her purse.
That said, we're approaching this new series, "What's In Your Bag?," as an anthropological study. When Observer photographer Catherine Downes spotted this rare and elusive fanny pack in the wilds of 35 Denton, we just had to document it. We'll be posting more in the future, so check back. - Audra Schroeder
Owner: Jesse Hopkins (Bethan, Sarah Jaffe, Smile Smile)
What's in it: A lot of keys, an invisible ink pen, flashlight, wallet, flash drive, iPod, Swiss army knife, Burt's Bees lip balm.
Why the fanny pack?: I love the feeling of empty pockets, but I also have the incessant need to carry a bunch of shit around that I might or might not need on any given day. I started wearing them in '07 and it just sorta stuck. Honestly, I'm surprised that I don't see them more often. I don't know anyone else who wears one for daily use. This is my favorite fanny pack, which you can probably tell by how dirty and worn it is. It's a Le Sportsac. The real tragedy is that part of the clasp is broken and they don't make it in this color anymore.
