Over the course of 25 years of handwritten correspondence with my pen pal Persephone, none had ever been returned. Imagine my confusion when my last letter reappeared a couple of weeks later, unopened and defaced …
October 18, 2017
News & Stories
Behind the fire at Mission Hills' ultimate Halloween house
Escaped moves by King Charles by fleeing to Paris
This is the principal service of God, there being nothing on earth which represents more perfectly the state of the blessed in Heaven, than to praise him with fervor and cheerfulness. For it is written: …
October 18, 2017
Jason Lee in orchestral ecstasy
“When Metallica [played with an orchestra], it blew me away,” says Jason Lee, a veteran rocker who has fronted the surf-guitar-inspired Riptides for 13 years. Lee took the orchestral plunge with his other band called …
October 18, 2017
Vampire tacos and more at Border X Brewing
Erk! Suddenly strikes me: Halloween’s around the corner. And seeing I’m here in Barrio Logan, my mind starts gravitating to vampire tacos. Tacos vampiros. Always wanted to try one. Never had one. Only problem: the …
October 18, 2017
San Diego Arab Film Festival: this week and next
For the past six years, the San Diego Arab Film Festival has piggybacked off its sister fest in San Francisco. The same can’t be said of festival seven. Not only will they be flying solo, …
October 18, 2017
Digital is ephemeral, print is permanent
“The ’80s was a nadir: hair metal, New Romantic synth-pop, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, Men at Work — it was horrible,” says Mike Stax about the inspiration behind launching his ’60s music mag Ugly Things …
October 18, 2017
Bay Area influences
As Republicans’ grip on San Diego’s city council loosens, big labor has filled the void by getting into the city-hall advocacy game in a big way. The latest player to file as a labor lobbyist …
October 18, 2017
Glitzy nostalgia porn
Dear Hipster: So, we have Marvel movies and DC movies, both killing it at the box office these days. November will see Justice League and Ragnarok in cinemas at the same time. What I, and …
October 18, 2017
Sneak glimpse of Devil's Jumpoff
Just east of Ramona in a section of the Cleveland National Forest, one can hike high above the San Diego River Watershed along an old fire road to a dramatic viewpoint overlooking Dye Canyon, where …
October 18, 2017
Halloween, for the kids and not-so-kids
“Halloween on a Tuesday,” griped my friend Sarah. “That’s a long way from the weekend.” “Call it pre-gaming,” offered friend Kathy. “We’ll do a party at my house with all the kids on the actual …
October 18, 2017
Vandals on the straight and narrow
Orange County proto-punkers the Vandals haven’t had a new member since 1989. Joe Escalante joined shortly after the band formed in 1980. “If you told me back then I’d still be playing in my 50s …
October 18, 2017
From minx to hellcat
“My soul is humbled when I see the way little ones accept their lot,” says Mrs. Cooper at the end of Night of the Hunter. “Lord save little children. The wind blows and the rains …
October 18, 2017
Hank Sax's ode to a crusty Devil Dog
“My new digital single ‘Have One More for Chesty’ is dedicated to Chesty Puller, the most highly decorated Marine in history,” says singer-songwriter Hank Sax of his upcoming release. “Modern-day Marines use the phrase ‘Have …
October 18, 2017
Salt Bae, the Eclipse, IT, Cuphead, the Mooch — look for them Halloween
Dear Hipster: What are your top selections for Halloween costumes this year? — Sandy It’s once again time to celebrate that greatest of all hipster traditions: elaborate, ironic, pop culturally relevant Halloween costumes! Salt Bae …
October 18, 2017
Bat Boy lands in OB
Imagine Dracula meets Beauty and the Beast meets Frankenstein meets Footloose, and then add some music which has something of a Rocky Horror Picture Show vibe (but isn’t near the quality) and you’ve got Bat …
October 18, 2017
Mastodon helps let out the scream
I used to think the Black Crowes were a loud band until I experienced Mastodon. The back story: I’d been granted a working-category stage pass back when San Diego still hosted Street Scene weekend concerts. …
October 18, 2017
My comb triumphantly accumulates more of my hair
Lil’ Blues For several days my heart has shared much in common with a barbershop, the shuttered drugstore, and empty parking lot. 5:30 p.m. Dirty plates, yellow napkins, cigarettes, mother-of-pearl ashtrays, a once-bitten fruit, the …
October 18, 2017
Wilmark – a few steps from being mobsters
In May 2015, Bernard Vinluan’s job at Willmark Communities became more secret agent than apartment leasing agent. Vinluan waited for the employees to clock out of the office before he made his move. He snuck …
October 18, 2017
DROP-out chief hits Las Vegas
As she counts down the days until her lucrative retirement on the city’s notorious Deferred Retirement Option Plan, widely known as DROP, San Diego chief of police Shelley Zimmerman has increasingly taken to the road, …
October 18, 2017