Driverless cars and Red Barchettas: Did Rush predict a Google-controlled future?
As the San Francisco Chronicle’s biggest Rush fan, I have spent my career defending the Canadian trio with a myopic fervor. This includes the lyrical vision of Neil Peart, the sci-fi-obsessed,...
View ArticleHeart of Rock and Roll: Bay Area’s best county fair free acts
For more than a decade, the quality of Bay Area county fair free acts could be judged by the participation of the Holy Trinity: Rick Springfield, Eddie Money and Weird Al Yankovic. This summer just one...
View ArticleThe Beatles played Candlestick Park in 1966 – share your concert story
Were you at Candlestick Park when the Beatles performed in concert on Aug. 29, 1966? Did you run into the band while they were staying in the Bay Area? Did you take photos or shoot film during the...
View ArticleTax, man: The Beatles’ 1966 concert at Candlestick was a money loser
It’s comforting to know that some things in San Francisco will never change: The fog rolling over the hills, engulfing Sutro Tower like a winter coat. The ding-ding-ding of a street car cable car...
View ArticleThe Beatles at Candlestick in 1966: An oral history from the fans
Last month, The Big Event and the San Francisco Chronicle started searching for readers who went to the Aug. 29, 1966, The Beatles show at Candlestick Park. The concert, the last commercial show for...
View Article38 years later, “perplexing” Owen Maercks record is a hit
I met Owen Maercks when I was writing this 2010 story about the East Bay Vivarium. The Vivarium co-owner is a good guy to know if you have a lizard or an interest in old music, so we’ve stayed in...
View ArticleGiants pitcher Jake Peavy sings “Pancho and Lefty” (and it’s perfect)
Jake Peavy became one of my favorite Giants the moment he strode to the mound to pitch his first inning. The words I would use to describe him are “hacked off.” He’s always shaking his head and...
View ArticleY&T: The most underrated rock band in the Bay Area
We knew something was wrong when our taxicab pulled into the driveway of the Arizona concert venue. Instead of a theater, bar or even an outdoor plaza, we approached a windowless bunker, with familiar...
View ArticleQ&A: Johnny Mathis remembers Christmas in San Francisco
When he picks up the phone, Johnny Mathis introduces himself as “John,” which was how he was known as a child at Emerson Elementary school in San Francisco, a teen at George Washington High and a young...
View ArticleOur SF: Meet the first hipster in San Francisco history …
The beginning of the Our San Francisco project coincided with the arrival of a game-changing piece of research software. A few weeks ago, librarian Bill Van Niekerken informed me that we had the power...
View ArticleJohnny Mathis (yes that Johnny Mathis) was an SF prep track star
When the name Johnny Mathis comes up in 2015, I think about shopping malls at Christmas, comfy slippers and the music. “Wonderful! Wonderful!” “Chances Are.” Family gathering around the fireplace...
View ArticleThe greatest rock concert in San Francisco history was …
I was expecting a huge number of “how could you forget …” e-mails after this week’s Our San Francisco feature about great rock concerts in the city’s history. I know from experience that whatever...
View ArticleQ&A: Chuck Prophet lays it on the line for City Hall 100th
After a longer than expected San Francisco Chronicle photo session at San Francisco City Hall – jockeying with several wedding photographers for the most picturesque locations – singer/songwriter Chuck...
View ArticleGrateful deb: When the Dead played a debutante ball in 1966
I’ve found some unexpected things in the seven or so years I’ve spent scouring the San Francisco Chronicle’s basement archive. I’m hoping Mitt Romney on the 1964 GOP convention floor, Dianne Feinstein...
View ArticleAmbush on Memory Lane: Michael Tilson Thomas, the early years
Ambush on Memory Lane! is our ongoing series where we find the earliest Chronicle photographs of Bay Area newsmakers, and post them with hindsight-aided analysis. This week’s subject: San Francisco...
View Article“Dr. Dre is Andre Young”: Covering the lawsuits of N.W.A.
I was 25 years old and woefully unqualified for my first job in Los Angeles. It’s likely City News Service of Los Angeles hired me because they were desperate – they had to send a full-time reporter to...
View ArticleSaluting the Aerosmith/Britney/NSYNC Super Bowl halftime show
There are certain musical arguments I’m reluctant to start. Not because I don’t wholeheartedly believe in them, but because I know that in a world of short attention spans and 140-character limits, I...
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