San Francisco
-
DIY Junk Style
Read more: DIY Junk StyleHomemade, aggressively rinky-dink art and fashion were pretty cool. I used to go around in an old hand-me-down London Fog raincoat with the Flipper logo painted in day-glo tempera paint on the back. Some people used to make their own clothes. A lot of the aesthetic was trash- and junk-related. None of this beautiful, polished,…
-
Parking
Read more: ParkingThere was a kind of Wild West situation with parking in the city. Even though the population of San Francisco was smaller, there were a lot more cars per household. These days, you’ll see single families occupying entire houses in neighborhoods where previously you could expect two or three flats, each holding a few renters…
-
Roommates
Read more: RoommatesMost people I knew in the 1980s moved a lot. The first few years I lived in the Bay Area, I changed addresses about twice a year. It was kind of fun because it felt like all the renters here were on a personality spectrum somewhere between “oddball” and “completely insane,” so you got a…
-
Survival Research Labaratories
Read more: Survival Research LabaratoriesIf someone asked me “what was the most San Francisco thing in the 1980s?” I might have to say “Survival Research Labs.” Describing what they were is tricky, but maybe something like: a collective of artist/engineer/mad genius/mischief-makers led by a guy named Mark Pauline. They would construct elaborate, brutal, surrealistically violent machines, and stage public…
-
Local Eccentrics
Read more: Local EccentricsThe most famous local eccentric of the late 20th century was probably Jim Jones—who was a little before my time, but back in the day, he founded a cult-like church, moved the congregation to Guyana, and convinced the entire flock to commit mass suicide by poisoning. Another notable personage was Anton LaVey from the Church…
-
Weird Bars
Read more: Weird BarsThere used to be a notorious cocktail bar on Haight Street called the Persian Aub Zam Zam Room. The bartender was a cranky old guy named (I think) Bruno. When you walked in, he’d size you up and if he didn’t like the looks of you, he’d simply refuse to serve you. Sometimes he’d make…