Mission Mission

Reader Jeff points us to this just-published SFGate piece about the fine line between edginess and bigotry at what may or may not be a popular Mission bar:

“ID and open your bag,” one of the two guys at the door muttered testily to Ryan. Ryan says he produced his ID, as usual, but was surprised by the bag check — he’d never been asked before. He swung his bag off his shoulder around for an inspection, and inquired whether this was a new policy.

[...]

“Just open your f—— bag, okay?”

“I am. I was just wondering.”

“Just open your f—— bag and don’t give us a hard time.”

“I am opening my bag. I was just asking a question.”

It’s at this point, Ryan says, that the two young men looked at each other, then looked Ryan up and down and proceeded to laugh derisively.

“Dude, look at your pants. Look at your bag,” one of them said. “Obviously this is not your kind of place.”

Link. Jeff says, “A couple of people in the comments section seem to be pointing the finger at Zeitgeist, but it’s hard to tell if that’s right.” Are they right?

More Mission Mission “Bars of the Mission” Coverage:

Zeitgeist Makes Esquire’s Best Bars in America

Dope New Furnishings at Beauty Bar

The Phonebooth Actually Very Pleasant Before Dark

The Attic: Refuge For Displaced Toronado Regulars

The Chronicle Discovers Bender’s

Doc’s Clock Smells Like Bathroom

This drunk white-guy flannel-shirt-and-converse type, after crazed dancing to a whole mess of Barry White, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green, came up to the DJ booth on Wednesday night and asked if I had anything more modern to play. I asked, “Like what? Give me a suggestion”. I think he said some names toboggan gonflable drunkenly so I couldn’t understand him, but I played it safe and said “No, sorry.” And then he asked …

“Carly Simon?”

That’s right, DJ Katie has a regular gig now. And it kicks off tomorrow! See the official event page on Facebook here. I had the following chat with Mission Mission pal Dyan M. the day after Katie’s last performance:

Dyanimal: Beauty Bar was so much fun
thanks for inviting me
me: oh i’m so glad
thanks for coming!
Dyanimal: yea tell me next time too!
ps im so hungover
wanna cry

So if that (+ great music and lots of toboggan aquatique gonflable dancing) sounds like a good time, stop by Beauty Bar tomorrow from 7-10pm.

More Mission Mission mentions of DJ Katie here.

More Mission Mission mentions of Beauty Bar here.

No more boring old barstools at Beauty Bar; they’ve just introduced a barfull of killer foot-pumped beauty-parlor-style lounge chairs. The entire bar is lined with these beauties, so there’s no reason not to go to this place anymore.

(Complete Mission Mission Beauty Bar coverage here.)

Mission Mission’s very own Katie will be on the decks at Beauty Bar on Thursday from 7:30ish to 10ish. Katie tends to spin disco, soul, old r&b, and sometimes some ’60s garage rock and reggae. Last time, the dance floor got positively white hot! In attendance might be Mission Mission pals like Malcolm M., Lola and A Panda. Plus, a prize to the first person to guess Friend X‘s secret identity and point her out.

Link to archive of Katie’s posts.

Photo by Spencer Mack

Last month, after the Black Lips‘ set at GAMH, singer/bassist Jared was chauffeured over to Beauty Bar for a DJ set sponsored by Vice and Dewar’s. It was pretty good, and it had me thinking my preconceived notions about the bar might be unfair. I was going to write about it, but I was waiting on photos from Misha Vladimirskiy. Photos were never published, and I never finished my post.

Last night, an even better DJ changed my mind once again. And I took my own photo so I wouldn’t have to wait. Bravo, DJ.

Mission Mission’s very own Katie will spin disco, soul and maybe some punk and reggae at Beauty Bar tonight from 7-10pm. Admission is free. As the above video makes abundantly clear, Katie is full of spunk and verve, so bring your dancin’ shoes.

Beauty Bar, San Francisco originally uploaded by charlotte.wright

I’ve noticed the droves of young females who spend their nights at Beauty Bar. It’s mainly young undergrads who’ve recently migrated from Southern California to a three-bed share in the Tenderloin. Their version of the Mission is meeting friends at Puerto Allegre for uninteresting margaritas and enchiladas, then shaking their shoulders with some date-rape shirt to some sub-par DJ at Beauty Bar. A few months go by, and they’re standing in the cocaine line at Delirium wondering if the douchebag in the corner with the purple kerchief sitting pretty on his scruffy, smelly neck is checking out her American Apparel sangria-colored tights. Do these tourists make the Mission, or does the Mission make the tourist?