Bill Narum

Long before the slick videos made them pop stars, ZZ Top were already one of the most stylized bands of all time, thanks in large part to Bill Narum's graphic vision to replicate, exaggerate and ultimately redefine the mythology and history of Texas.

"The imagery and iconography of ZZ Top -- the lettering, the barbwire bordering, woodblock print, cactus and jalapenos -- gradually worked its way into becoming the image of Texas - the new image of Texas," Narum said.

The Austin-born and Houston-raised Narum was influenced early on by Mexican artists and their unique interpretations of European and American imagery. From his work with ZZ Top, he saw that chain of influence come full circle.

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	You call that art? Local artist Bill Narum’s 40-year career is on display at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture.

"I felt redeemed and proud years later coming back through the border at El Paso. On the Mexican side was a boutique that had taken the name Fandango and picked up the lettering style from the ZZ Top album cover and painted it across a two-story building. So it came back all the way to Mexico; it’s an obvious sign they appreciated what we'd done with it," Naram said.

A new exhibit at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture collects 40 years of art -- not just with ZZ Top, but for the Armadillo World Headquarters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Threadgill's, Whole Foods and dozens of other Austin icons -- all of which suggests this is Austin's true king of all media.

"It's ranged from grocery bags, T-shirts, bumper stickers, waitress uniforms, frozen food packaging and print media of all kinds. I worked with Space City, helped start the Sun - which became the Austin Chronicle - and the Texas Observer. It's been a long strange trip. And it's good to see it all culminate in something," he said.

Narum's retrospective "You Call That Art?" runs through May 8 at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture.