Mission Mission

“I could have sworn she said the corner of Guerrero and Dorland . . . ”

Is there something about a couch on the sidewalk that somehow easily becomes anthropomorphized and pitiful? Is it because they’re a place of comfort, but also a place that we sink into when we’re sad?

In case you somehow missed it, SFist did a cool piece a couple weeks ago with a Sofa Free master, Erik Wilson: The Abandoned Couches of San Francisco.

If you were walking by Clarion Alley at Valencia Saturday afternoon a very friendly guy with a can of spray paint in one hand and a Flip camera in the other may have excitedly encouraged you to paint your name on the wall. Chor Boogie was getting tourists and locals alike, most skeptical at first, to grab a can of paint and throw-up.

Chor has been collaborating with the San Francisco Arts Commission for the Free Wall Program, giving people a legal space to paint on to discourage them from painting . . . anywhere else. Little kids can get started early by painting with cops. He hosted a free wall at the last Sunday Streets in the Western Addition, and will host another for the October 24th Sunday Streets at Civic Center.

It’s definitely fun to have a bunch of random strangers collaborate on a large piece, but I’m not sure how you make a product that can be enjoyed once the process is finished. The Clarion wall as it ended up (directly above) is cool in a chaotic way, but is ultimately a mess. You could say it reflects the overlapping thoughts and voices that is life in a neighborhood as dense as The Mission. Or something like that. But it’s still too much for me to really want to look at.

That’s not really the point here, I know. People were enjoying being able to paint without rules or structure. (though etiquette was still enforced, Chor reminded a man not to spray upwind of another artist) So the process is engaging and inspiring and freeing, but once it’s done what are we supposed to do with what’s left? I wonder if they’d be able to impose a loose structure that allows people to feel empowered to create what they want, but gives them enough framework to produce something cohesive. Exquisite Corpse? Paint by numbers? Maybe everyone gets assigned a piece of a known painting that gets recreated as you go.

In any case I like the idea and the $150,000 program also pays for commissioned murals and arts in schools, which is rad.

On 16th Street there’s no time for subtlety when it comes to BP (formerly British Petroleum).

Up in North Beach we find this helpful guide.

Back to Valencia, and I’m not actually sure what this one’s about.

For rilz.

Opening tonight, Waiting for Godot plays a two week run at our wacky arts space The Secret Alley. The Off Center and Collective Theater Productions produce this latest interpretation of the ahead-of-its-time Beckett classic by director Wolfgang Wachalovsky. Come see it for laughs, arguments, confusion and more.

The show is Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this weekend and next, all shows at 8pm. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. The Secret Alley is at 180 Capp St. near 17th.

Sweet!

More carson! Nick Fisher was on the scene last night.

“The fire somehow turned on the horn and headlights which were both blasting for the duration.”

“[The firemen] are trying to get the hood off to put out the fire still burning under there. Eventually they sawed it off.”

Just a week and a half since  2 cars on 18th Street were torched in a row. Still not cool, bro.

UPDATE: Thanks to actual journalism, The SF Appeal gets the official story so far:

“[A]ccording to SFPD spokesperson Sgt. Michael Andraychak, the arson task force has determined that the fire was accidental in nature, and is not believed to be connected to last week’s intentionally set fires.

Andraychak, who says he spoke directly with arson investigators, confirms Talmadge’s report that the fire began in one car, then spread to the second. God, sucks for the second guy, doesn’t it? Best of luck to all in dealing with that insurance claim.“

(One of the infamous “hotel rooms”?)

Nick Fisher read our post from a few months ago about getting a free tour of The Armory and sprang into action. Last Friday his tour came up and he was kind enough to take Julie, Dottie and me with him.

Julie posted about it on Caliber, along with a link to the full set.

Check out the sights after the jump. (some NSFW stuff linked)

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(still from "Fire in the street spreads to parked cars.")

Sunday night around midnight someone lit the northside gutter between Mission and San Carlos streets on fire. At least two cars parked along the block were caught in the blaze. A third car pulled out from behind them before the fire spread, as seen here.

I came along after the flames had been put out and the two cars were pretty much melted into the sidewalk on their right sides. Since my camera’s in the shop I had no proof until Void (winner of our science themed music video contest) sent us this video by “northofsouthofmarket“.

The owners of the car in front, a middle aged male and female couple talking to each other in Spanish, stood and stared at the melted mess. I asked them what had happened and the man told me that “somebody with nothing better to do came here and lit a fire.”

Is this the work of the “carsonist” we’ve heard so much about? Or just some wanna be burner who missed the last bus to the playa? Either way, not cool, bro.

Seen on 20th Street.

If I have sarcastic facial hair that makes fun of ironic facial hair does that make it moronic?

See also the Side Stash . . .

And the Ironic Combovers.