If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to leave some flowers on her grave.
While I was digging up the graveyard last night, I found this old flier for a show at the Trocadero back in ’97. Back then it seemed like there was live music going on everywhere! I never thought SOMA would ever become such a douchebag’s paradise.
C’est la vie.
In a previous post, “The Forgotten Fringe“, I mentioned Grimes Poznikov, otherwise known as The Human Jukebox. He was a San Francisco legend in his time, and a friend of mine after his downfall. I was sad to only recently learn of his lonely death, 6 years after the fact, and his story stands as reminder of how unkind the world can be.
Read more about him here, here, and here.
Goodbye, Grimes, and thanks for the music.
VCR got drunk, started takin’ off her clothes in the middle of the street. We had to ditch her.
One winter, years ago, I was at the Elbo Room for Anton LaVey’s daughter Karla’s annual Black X-mas party. Upon my arrival upstairs, a random, small toilet plunger flew from out of nowhere like a me-seeking missile, and bounced hilariously off of my chest. A direct hit! As I turned, laughing, to head back towards the stage, Miss LaVey (who also seemed to come from out of nowhere) bumped smack into me and spilled my drink all over my shoes. Apologies, names, and pleasantries were exchanged, then, with no more than a snap of her fingers, she had my drink replaced. And she even made it a double!
And THAT, kids, is the story of how I was baptized by the sweetheart Spawn of Satan(ists).
Now, please enjoy this video of Anton LaVey’s hauntingly beautiful rendition of the suicide classic, “Gloomy Sunday,” set to scenes from Polanski’s masterpiece of madness, Repulsion. It’s the final track off of his album Strange Music (which can be heard in its entirety here), and features the vocals of his then special lady friend, Blanche Barton. It’s amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uAeWST9En4
Big thanks to icoulddietomorrow for turning me on to this treasure.
Back in my day, it only cost 15 cents to ride the bus! That was back when nickles had pictures of bumblebees on ’em. “Gimme 5 bees for a quarter!” ya’d say! Anyhow, I once was takin’ the trolly up to Nob Hill, and I had an onion tied around my belt, cuz that was the style at the time…wait..now,what was I sayin’?
Or, to put it in plainer terms…
If you pass by the corner of 14th and Shotwell you will see a modest roadside memorial. Nothing fancy, just a few candles, flowers, and a plastic rosary. It was put there to mark the passing of one of the local homeless guys who camp out on that corner. He froze to death the night before last. He was 35 years old.
Sadly, this is a frequent cause of death on the street, which is why I have declared today Blanket Day. I would like to ask all of you to do something very simple, yet potentially life saving: Get a blanket, and give it to a homeless person.
It doesn’t have to be new, thrift store blankets are just as warm and cheap as hell!
Like under 10 bux!!! It’s easy! Join the Blanket Day celebration of kindness and empathy and help somebody stay warm this winter. And please, re-post! Tell your friends, co-workers, everybody!
Happy Blanket Day!!!
I would like to share with you today a great fucking song about my beloved city by the infamous Black Randy, off the album “Pass the Dust, I Think I’m Bowie.” The vocals are a little hard to understand at times, (like good punk should be,) so I have posted the lyrics below. Enjoy!
SAN FRANCISCO
Golden Gate and I’m ready to jump
San Francisco, you’re playland at the dump
Cable cars gone to rust
Skinny faggots smoking dust
Many boys on Castro Street
Lumberjacks are fun to meet
Late at night they like the Stud
Buffet suppers, foodstamp crud
10 to 12, at the disco
12 to 2, fetch the Crisco
Some of them are masters
Some of them are slaves
Some wanna do it in freshly opened graves
All the drugs I bought did not get me high
Til I met a guy at the Mabuhay
He was very kind, he gave me some green pills
We saw the Avengers and part of the Dils
Ran into a guy with lipstick and a beard
When he took me home it was everything I feared
He lived in a house, it was runs by ferns
We sprayed their leaves and we polished their urns
The ferns were anarchists quoting Chairman Mao
Now I want to leave but I don’t know how.
. . .
-Me neither, Randy… me neither.
I am aware that I do not speak for everyone.
I understand that my tastes for the forgotten landscapes of yesterday are not necessarily shared. But this is the internet, and last time I checked the internet was still a free country. So, if Steve the neo-nazi can have his say on here, so can I. And I am not looking forward to this stupid boat race one bit.
I’m sure you’ve heard all about the the upcoming America’s Cup, and if you haven’t, there are several sites I can direct you to that will fill you in on all the details. They say it will bring jobs and revitalization to the waterfront district, but people say lots of things. Frankly, I feel that Gavin Newsom sold us out on a grand scale, bending over backwards to give away developing rights to some billionaire, on the condition that he not be bothered to give us a reach around. Whether or not you choose to believe the rhetoric regarding “jobs” and “revitalization” is your own business. One thing we can all be certain of though is that my beloved rotten piers will be demolished, and that saddens me. What am I talking about? Let me show you.
Here they are at sunrise, adorned with astronauts.
I hope that my pictures have managed to convey some of the beauty I find here. I will miss this terribly when it is torn down and replaced with whatever they deem fit for their prestigious race.
Thank you for listening.
It appears that the party’s over for Bay to Breakers this year, what with alcohol, floats, nakedness, and party crashers all being banned. I wonder if the new regulations will have any effect. I wonder how much longer my city will have to suffer, as her soul slowly withers away. I wonder how many years it will be until there’s no one left here who remembers what San Francisco once was. I wonder what I will do then.
I know I’m living in the past, but at least in the past, we lived!
Ghostbusters 2009
Kegstand 2009
Stripper Pole Float 2008
2008
Last Call, San Francisco 