Mission Mission

Just got back from a fight with one of my best friends. We went to dinner at Chino and then had a drink at ABV and got into a long thing about political participation and net neutrality and revolution and convictions. He told me I don’t give enough of a shit, I made fun of his corporate job and BMW.

Then I got home and opened an email from Adam, of Jawbreaker (the most legendary Mission-based band of all time):

I just uploaded this to the Jawbreaker youtube page. It’s from a roll of super 8 film that i found over 20 years after I shot it — shots of Valencia and Mission between 16th and 24th. I set it to our song “Boxcar.” Check it and feel free to post if the spirit moves you

Man, it moves me like crazy. I love the Mission. I love how it changes. I love remembering how it was one decade ago, and I love watching videos about how it was two decades ago. I love reading articles about how it was in the ’80s, and I love my parents’ foggy remembrances about how it was in the ’70s. I love Burrito Justice’s futurist visions of how it will be in the ’20s and in the ’30s and ’40s and beyond. (I even love when I almost get run over by a Ferrari while it’s looking for parking outside Trick Dog.)

I love Obama and I love net neutrality and I love the Mission and I love my friends.

And I love a girl I know, a Mission girl, and how I got to see her sing “Boxcar” at karaoke in another state once upon a time, and how that was basically the best night of my life, so far away from home but feeling super-connected via this girl and this song… and thus feeling connected to everything and everyone, ever, and just loving life.

The thing is that I basically missed out on Jawbreaker, like most of us did probably, because we’re just a little too young or a just a little too from-somewhere-else or whatever. But Jawbreaker persisted, thanks to older pals talkin’ shit and making mixtapes and blog posts and playlists, and thanks to Thorns of Life shows at Thrillhouse Records and thanks to Forgetters shows at similar spots in Brooklyn or wherever — and thanks to lovable midwestern girls who dug Jawbreaker early and did whatever it took to make their way to California and San Francisco and into our hearts.

Why can’t we all just get along and save the world and abolish government and be in love forever?

Ugh. Let’s rock:

Thanks, Adam!

The Director of the San Francisco Tenants Union, Ted Gullicksen, died suddenly in his home the night of October 13th or morning of October 14th. There will be a memorial service this coming Sunday at Mission High. I didn’t know Ted personally, but when my mom and I were wrongfully evicted during dotcom1, the SF Tenants Union was very supportive. Ted and the Union have provided assistance to so many San Francisco residents over the years.

More about the memorial and Ted here. Donations in his memory can be made to the Tenants Union, or to the fund for Falcor, his dog, who needs medical care.

Let’s rock:

[Photo by Nicole, via It's Always Sunny in San Francisco]

[via killyoselfalready]

Cute.

Also, go Warriors! (They’re the best team in the NBA btw.)

Get a sweatshirt (also available in t-shirt) here.

[Photo by Shannie, via It's Always Sunny in San Francisco]

There’s something comforting to me about a raspy-voiced man singing his heart out, and telling us small secrets of his life through his crackling words. It reminds me a lot of the hours I’ve spent driving long distances, and exploring strange rural places, and a feeling of bittersweet happiness. Hiss Golden Messenger are a folk-country-rock group from Durham, North Carolina fronted by M.C. Taylor, and listening to their songs evokes that feeling in me, even in my city apartment. Touring after releasing their latest album, Lateness of Dancers (Merge), they’ll be at the Independent tomorrow night, with opener Phil Cook of Megafaun.

Watch Hiss Golden Messenger’s video for “Mahogany Dread”

You can get your tickets here!

3D City is a year long stereoscopic photography project by Doctor Popular

My morning walk from the Mission to downtown is one of my favorite rituals. When shooting photos along the way, this walk takes about 30 minutes. Unless it’s raining, then I’ll be out for hours.

This batch was shot on my Nimslo 3D with a roll of Ilford HP5 (my default “foggy day” film) on a recent rainy morning, then dropped off at Photoworks on the walk back home where I’ll load up film for the next day’s walk.

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Fortunately for all of us, theater is alive and well in the Bay Area. Between some great shows and inspiring conversations, Drama Talk & Drinks is seeming more and more hopeful for lively, challenging and engaging performance around here. I dunno about you, but I am feeling jazzed to get out and see some theater. More on that soon. In the meantime, Brittany and her boyfriend took his mom to Berkeley Rep to see their new show, Party People. Here’s their report:

[(l to r) Christopher Livingston (Malik), Steven Sapp (Omar), and Reggie D. White (Solias) perform in UNIVERSES’ Party People, a high-wattage fusion of story and song that unlocks the legacy of the Black Panthers and Young Lords at Berkeley Rep. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com]

When parents visit, finding events with reasonable decibel levels can sometimes be a challenge. So when Brittany’s SO’s Mom was in town, they decided to treat her to a night at one of the best theaters in the Bay Area, Berkeley Rep, to see their current show Party People. Since the play is partially about fostering intergenerational dialogue, we figured why not do a Drama Talk & Drinks Parent-Visit edition!

Brittany: One of the biggest problems with the current theatre scene, at least in my opinion, is it tends to play it too safe and fall back on what’s already been done. We see so many revivals and classics being remounted, and even with new plays lots of topics have been revisited ad nauseum. There’s definitely something to be said for timeless theater, but it’s hard to stay relevant without taking some risks. This play takes risks.

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Everything’s gonna be alright.

[Photo by Andy, via It's Always Sunny in San Francisco]