Mission Mission

Well, I’m not sure what you expected to see:

Members of the Mission High School ROTC, San Francisco, Calif., demonstrate .50 cal water cooled machine gun for Jackie Walling, 340 Valencia, a member of the ROTC Band. (L-R) Larry Fifield, 72 Fair Oaks; Melvin Cook, 62 Santa Ynez Ave.; Neil Cook, 3517 16th St. These students are shown in their new issue uniforms which consist of ETO jackets in place of the old time blouses.

I love how it lists their addresses. You know, just in case you want to send any of them a letter.

The online SF Historical Photo Collection (AKA one the sources of Johnny0‘s power) has loads of sweet images like this.

This amazing chalk rendition of Quetzalcoatl (any relation to Missionlocatl?) just popped up on 21st and Valencia. More pictures and details are up on the artist’s blog.

Mission Mission reader Todd gave us the heads up about an upcoming community meeting discussing a potential new park on 17th and Folsom:

We need your help to design a proposed new open space in the Northeast Mission! Help the City design this space and tell us what types of activities and programs are needed in the neighborhood.

The site is currently a parking lot on the corner of 17th and Folsom Streets. The City is working on acquiring this site and converting a portion of this space to a neighborhood park.

The following will be provided:

English to Spanish translation

Light refreshments

Childcare & youth friendly activities

Here’s the time and location:

Marshall Elementary School 1575 15th St. (at Capp)
Saturday, January 23
11:00 AM

I always thought this site across from the Rite Spot Cafe could use some beautifying. We all agree on parks right? I mean it’s not like this is a luxury condo, boutique store, or parking lot.

Well, I’m sure one of you will find a way to post a nasty comment about why parks are a bad idea. Such as how they have the tendency to attract those unsavory bike polo types. Go to it, readers!

Hella bands tonight at the Lab. Contrary to the info on the flyer, the official roster is: Boyz IV Men, Date Palms, Work, Raccoons, Glass Cake. Bearded DJ Triste Tropiques will be spinning the only bands that matter: SF bands! There will also be FREE COOKIES; no word yet on what kind.

This is all in celebration of DarDarDar‘s 1-year anniversary. DarDarDar is a great site that lists bay area shows that you care about. It’s the cleanest, most bullshit-free calendar there is and I highly recommend it. It’s way better than flipping through the SF Weekly or combing through each venue’s lousy web site. The site owner is also a Dreamdate bro and tasteful photoblogger.

“Dar” is short for the last syllable in “Calendar”. That fucking word was my death blow at the 6th grade Stanislaus County Spelling Bee. I let a lot of people down that day. If only I could give back that pizza party the principal had in my honor.

Quinn DeVeaux leads an awesome Ray Charles-style Rhythm and Blues Band, complete with a trio of long-gloved hot girl backup singers (the Quintettes, naturally). Check out their performance on the awesome Chasing the Moon video podcast here.

Tonight at 8:30 he’ll be doing a special solo performance of his bluesy originals for FREE at Bluesix on 24th and Treat. Bluesix shows are always loads of fun. It’s a great listening space and the nights there usually end up as wicked house parties.

And after that, don’t forget to go next door to Taqueria La Vallarta this evening to check out their delicious taco bar and fascinating mural.

First, an old video of Mission locals Dr. Popular and Kiya (yeah, Self Edge Kiya) nonchalantly SHREDDING on their yos while interviewing for KRON 4. (Bonus: it’s the same awkward correspondent that interviewed Broke Ass Stuart some time ago):

Next, Kiya posted this bit of history in the comments of the last Yo-Yo-related post and I thought it was too interesting not to share:

The Mission yoyo craze started many years ago when Doc moved from Minneapolis to the Mission and lived with me for a while on 22nd street.

I have a yoyo club which he’s a part of called The Consortium of Yo, we used to be sponsored by Zeitgeist and for years there was a COY x Zeitgeist yoyo you could buy at the bar that had both our logo and the Zeitgeist logo/motto on the side-caps.

Also, another bit of trivia… I named the fried pickles dish at Weird Fish/Benders, hence the name Fried Yoyos.

Doc is the Bay Area’s yoyo ambassador, 2nd Place World Champion, and a famous hair model.

Kiya: Still got any of those Zeitgeist-branded yo-yos buring a hole in a box in your garage? We must learn your ways.

Ok no more yo-yo posts this month, I promise.

I started following Doctor Popular on a whim from a comment he left a few days ago. Little did I know he also happens to be a goddamned Yo-Yo wizard. Check out this bitchin’ yo executed in Clarion Alley:

I sincerely hope this starts a Mission Yo-Yo craze the likes of which has not been seen since the Duncan Yo-Yo Team toured elementary schools around the US in the ’80s.

The good doctor also happens to be a game designer, illustrator, tailor, and rapper (he produced the song in the vid too). Save some talents for the rest of us, would ya Doc?

Spotted at the Rite Spot Cafe on 17th and Folsom.

Two theories:

1. This tagger has no imagination and/or some serious guts. “Yeah that’s right, I’m Peter Crawford! Come get me you pigs!!”
2. Someone is trying to frame this guy. Or maybe this guy: British award-winning, freelance film-maker, author, photographer and lecturer Peter Crawford. Moral: Don’t mess with taggers! Just because they are mostly pasty self-righteous wimps doesn’t mean they can’t fight back!

You would think there would be more gay events in the Mission. Most of the rest of America would call the boys here “fags”. Statistically speaking, a lot of them probably are.

So good thing Bill of TransAm Presents tells us:

I throw a gay rock ‘n’ roll dance party called Sissy Fit every month at Sub Mission (usually 3rd Saturday but it varies sometimes)….  The Mission may be hipster central, but it’s a veritable no-man’s-land for gays.  We’re hoping to build that bridge with Sissy Fit.  Every month features two DJs spinning post-punk, punk, classic hardcore and jagged new wave, plus a live band and some Trannyshack-style drag performances.

I never thought I’d see a flyer for a gay dance club that had a pale skinny dude in lieu of some ultra-tanned hunk with an 8-pack, but hey it’s 2010! Seriously though, that shit is offensive towards men. If you don’t like working out or drinking protein shakes that’s cool with us. Love your bodies, fellas.

Oddball Films is screening two documentaries this Friday 1/15 on the original graffiti/hip hop/break dancing scene in NY in the early ’80s: Style Wars and the uber rare Electric Boogie. More info here and check out the trailer after the jump.

Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present two cult documentaries focused on the emerging Hip Hop culture in New York. “Style Wars” (1982) has reached near legendary status for its documentation of the exploding sub culture of Hip Hop, and it’s a great film to boot- winning the Grand Prize for best documentary at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival.  “Electric Boogie” (1983) is the rarely screened and virtually unavailable film about four young friends who break dance their way through the South Bronx.  Plus, the anti-vandalism short “Graffiti”, hosted by a post-Capt. James T. Kirk/pre-Sgt. T.J. Hooker William Shatner.

Ah, the ’80s: when wearing pastels and tight jeans was considered tough. When rap songs described in clear, concise english how you were supposed to dance to them. When holding a boom box over your shoulder was the iPod. What a time!

Best of all, Pete has kindly offered a pair of tickets for you and yours! How do you get them? Post a comment with your mission breakdancing name and leave a real email address. Best one takes them after an almost completely arbitrary judging process!

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