San Diegan Mike Davis, author of eight nonfiction books and Planet of Slums, the ninth, comes on the line, voice weak from recent pneumonia. We launch in. "You were educated...?" "I went to UCLA. I …
April 6, 2006
News & Stories
Mike Davis' Planet of Slums
Kick Dirt and Follow the Pruners
"I didn't realize you're not supposed to put the fondue fork in your mouth."
Multicultural Mixers
Tiffany was turning 30 and hosting a party in the clubhouse of her Mission Valley apartment complex. I got there a few minutes after 7 p.m. as she was setting up, so I shot pool …
April 6, 2006
The Gone Ranger
'There were three bizarre theories for his disappearance, beyond the possibility that he had met with a tragic accident: That he committed suicide, that he had taken off and started a new life, and that …
April 6, 2006
Trace the remnants of an old railroad grade along the bank of North County's Santa Margarita River.
A wild and scenic section of the Santa Margarita River, a part of the last undammed major watercourse in San Diego County, is open to visitation by self-propelled explorers, courtesy of the Fallbrook Public Utilities …
April 6, 2006
Meanwhile, on Punk's Demon Highway...
At Die Princess Die's recent South by Southwest performance, vocalist Pete Chekvala threw his guitar into a wall, picked the guitar up, threw it at another wall, and then dove into his band's rhythm section. …
April 6, 2006
Hatred of Governed Music
Acnom, 19, is a backpacker, one of a few North County hip-hop artists (including N3RO Tactic, Simple One, Plain Jane, and Future Shock) who sell their music on the street. "It took me five hours …
April 6, 2006
Unashamed of Screamo
"Che Café has that elite, on-the-cusp, über-indie stigma," says Brian Serocke, a UCSD senior who books bands to play on-campus Porter's Pub. Unlike the Che Café (UCSD's more famous music venue), Porter's Pub serves beer …
April 6, 2006
He Quit Onstage
Lower Definition was the only local unsigned group invited to play the Taste of Chaos tour at the Sports Arena on February 16. The post-hardcore band won the slot in a Myspace popularity poll. At …
April 6, 2006
Vaya con Díos, Socio
Eighty-five-year-old Raúl "Socio" Crespo Villardel, founder of Mike's Bar in Tijuana, died on March 8 of natural causes. In the '60s, members of Vanilla Fudge, Love, and Spirit could be found hanging out with Carlos …
April 6, 2006
This Is Your Brain on Pavement
"They had to put him into a medically induced coma, and they ended up removing half his skull," says Grandview guitarist Casey Jenkins of the skateboarding accident that nearly killed their drummer, Craig Winger. "We …
April 6, 2006
Sports Showbiz Edition
Yes, it's time to catch up with our favorite sports heroes from yesterday. Go ahead, kick back on the big, brown living room sofa and while you're there, why not enjoy a glass of your …
April 6, 2006
Nostalgic for Cheap Beer
Pabst Blue Ribbon, the first canned beer sold in the U.S., is still the only canned beer available in many San Diego bars. As the cheap hipster beer of choice, Pabst is sold at the …
April 6, 2006
Dark Side of the Kitchen
Irradio bassist Anthony Rogers-Wright says producer Alan Parsons mixed three tracks on their upcoming album (One Sound) and invited the band to his home in Goleta, just outside of Santa Barbara. "For a guy worth …
April 6, 2006
Hot Breath
It was 12 o'clock in the morning and I was lying in my bed, half asleep. The moon was shining so brightly through the blinds that I could see almost everything in my bedroom. All …
April 6, 2006
Choco-informative
Heymatt: I love chocolate-covered cherries, but I can't figure out how they make them. Do they cover the cherry with chocolate and then squirt the juice in there somehow? Do they make the top, put …
April 6, 2006
Red Dye # BOOM!
Dear Matthew Alice: I just borrowed another 20 bucks from my dad. The 20 in question had red dye along one edge. Was it involved in a bank robbery� you know, exploding dye packs and …
April 6, 2006
The Mis-sing Word
Matt: The hatred of women is misogyny, but what about the hatred of men? Lovers of All, San Diego An interesting commentary, when we all know misogyny but not its male counterpart. The word isn't …
April 6, 2006
The Reader's Eye on Television
Paper tapestries printed with the oily ink and complicated characters of Japanese calligraphy flutter in a soft breeze. A warm wind crosses the sushi restaurant and delivers to me the subtle scent of ginger, tuna, …
April 6, 2006
Levitt Courts Adoring Press, Gets Fat Fees
'If Arthur Levitt approaches his job in San Diego as he did his position at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the people of San Diego will be left with a pile of adoring press clips, …
April 6, 2006
We're Sorry About Mike Aguirre
'I apologize to San Francisco," said Ben Haddad when the California Coastal Commission met for its monthly meeting in the Bay Area city on December 14. "As for [city attorney Mike] Aguirre...," said Haddad, an …
April 6, 2006
Breaking Stories
Triple bogey, redux The San Diego city property agent who blew the whistle on a pending sweetheart lease renewal for Carlton Oaks Golf Course has been fired, and the timing of the move -- sanctioned …
April 6, 2006
Eastlake Community Church
When the band started at Eastlake Community Church's 11:30 a.m. upper campus service, Pastor Ben Sigman was not in the building. He was still down the hill at the church's more churchlike lower campus, finishing …
April 6, 2006
Sinners Welcome: Poems, with an Essay on Poetry and Faith
Sinners Welcome: Poems by Mary Karr. Harper/Collins, 2006; 93 pages; $22.95. FROM THE DUST JACKET: Mary Karr describes herself as a black-belt sinner, and this -- her fourth collection of poems -- traces her improbable …
April 6, 2006
Rosa Jurjevics in Boston
The Producer It's 2 p.m. and I'm back in bed, computer propped on my blanket-covered knees, one hand on the keyboard and the other hand on the phone. I am wearing my customary morning costume …
April 6, 2006
Fancy Feet
It's a pleasant thing to be young, and have ten toes. -- Robert Louis Stevenson I should have taken her someplace nicer. As I parked the car, I tried to remember my motives for bringing …
April 6, 2006
Culinary Sine Qua Nons
My sister Meg lives without most common kitchen utensils. You won't find a Pyrex measuring cup, a wooden spatula, or even a teakettle in her kitchen. On one family visit to her house, my husband …
April 6, 2006
Drop-Out Zone
Have you ever been caught between San Diego and National City? A man could starve in this eddy and not be found for months. I've been walking south through Barrio Logan, trying to find something …
April 6, 2006