AltWeeklies Wire
The Dutchess and the Duke Break Hearts on Acoustic Stringsnew
Sunset/Sunrise is permeated by a much darker mood than the band's debut, She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke, but the follow-up succeeds by using the same simple arrangements.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Politics are Crippling California's Services to the Disablednew
In addition to being a lifeline for needy disabled Californians, the state Department of Social Services' In-Home Supportive Services program is a cash cow for Democrats. The program's political status has made it a target for Republicans, who characterize it as a bastion of fraud and corruption, and thus ripe for $1.1 billion in cuts.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
10-28-2009 |
Commentary
Hey Obama, Where's the Justice in the Current Economic Crisis?new
Despite the president's promises of change, corporate crooks are still going unpunished for their roles in the financial collapse.
Meet Theresa Sparks, San Fran's Transgender Trailblazernew
In 2004, she became the city's first transgender police commissioner, and is now among the country's first openly transgender department heads. But Sparks is pondering a move that would be the biggest of all: becoming San Francisco's first openly transgender city supervisor.
Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard, and a Bad Actress Pay Tribute to Kerouac's 'Big Sur'new
On the One Fast Move or I'm Gone soundtrack, Farrar and Gibbard trade off singing 12 songs with lyrics taken from Big Sur, including lines from the poem "Sea" that closes the novel. Farrar admits to being intimidated at first to use Kerouac as his lyricist, until he settled into a stream-of-consciousness songwriting style.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
10-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Are Sea Lions Too Cute to Shoot?new
As the number of sea lions in San Francisco explodes, the creatures have bitten and bumped swimmers, poached fishermen's catches, sunk boats, and damaged docks. Many would like to see the nuisance creatures banished, but the potential for a public relations disaster is high.
SF Weekly |
Ashley Harrell |
10-07-2009 |
Animal Issues
The Weathermen's Ticking Time Bombnew
The investigation into a cop killing in the '70s leads to a Chicago law professor involved in the early stages of Barack Obama’s political career.
Those Who Know Him Best Say Gavin Newsom's Got the Wrong Stuffnew
As San Francisco's mayor gears up for his gubernatorial campaign, former supporters say he's "narcissistic," "thin-skinned," "disloyal," and "friendless."
The YouTube-ification of Public-Access TV in San Francisco is About to Beginnew
California has joined some 20 states in largely letting cable companies off the hook for funding public-access TV. Dozens of cities have lost their stations altogether, and in San Francisco, the operating budget has been hacked to a fifth of its former level. And the old cast of kooky cable programmers doesn't like it one bit.
SFPD Still Uses Unreliable Polygraph to Screen Recruitsnew
Polygraph examinations have constituted a routine part of checks conducted on potential recruits for as long as the SFPD's current background examination supervisor can remember. And it seems as if people are still fooling the machine.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
08-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Unagi Keeps Hip-Hop Reference-Richnew
Unagi takes hip-hop on a maximalist ride that jells with his geography. He talks up living in the birthplace of Del the Funkyhomosapien, Hieroglyphics, and DJ Shadow, and his drive to "go for more obscure references than [sampling] the obvious song."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
07-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Researcher Says White Folks are Fleeing MySpace for Facebooknew
Last week, a study showing that older folks have flocked to Facebook was all over the news. But word of an even more provocative trend waits in the wings: white flight from MySpace to Facebook.
Norwegian Death Metal Doc 'Until the Light Takes Us' Aims High(brow)new
Norwegian death metal is a fascinatingly dark corner of the musician-as-fanatic landscape. Until the Light Takes Us is an attempt to create the definitive film on the subject, but directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell instead offer a passive, jumpy synopsis that's more artsy than insightful.
Christopher Muhammad, the Man Who Cried Dustnew
Muhammad's fight with Lennar over toxic dust has resulted in a restraining order against him, an accusation that he's a shakedown artist, and grudging respect from his rivals.
SF Weekly |
Lauren Smiley |
07-02-2009 |
Environment
Toshio Hirano, the Tokyo Yodelernew
Hirano is a poorly kept secret who nonetheless provokes the protective nature of his followers. The night I was at Amnesia, one young fan showed concern that I would increase Hirano's exposure, shaking his head and saying, "But he's our local treasure."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Toshio Hirano
