This isn’t the first time I’ve been on during the daytime at a rock station. I began cracking the mic back in the late ’80s. A lot of the music from that era was disposable. …

Thirty Years AgoThank you for your article on our boss, Lowell Blankfort (“Press Passes,” March 30). We commend Paul Krueger’s skill in capturing the personality of this Star-News co-publisher quite accurately (in the view of …

Over the span of a normal lifetime, how often do you see a loved one off for a trip? A long trip? A long and dangerous trip? It’s five o’clock in the morning in a …

Thirty Years AgoA former alcoholic, Sister Winnie first immersed herself in rescue work 28 years ago when she took over the city’s oldest such haven (then 25 years old) and rechristened it God’s Extended Hand. …

The first time I heard the word Larry was when my old boss said it to me. I bumped into him and he yelled, “Watch out, Larry!” I wondered who Larry was and then I …

It was one of my favorite events of the year: the Brazil Carnaval at 4th&B. She and I had just met, but we danced the samba as if we had known each other forever. The …

Lisa FranekFilmmaker and lecturer, SDSU Arturo Ripstein’s No One Writes the Colonel is just beautiful. The camerawork is amazing; it’s filled with rich colors. It’s a beautiful storyline that’s dark and dreary but still really …

Post Date: March 12, 2007Post Title: The Problem with Really Good TimesIt’s partly the empty chest of a lingering hangover, but at the end of weekends like this I feel like breaking down over the …

Post Date: August 8, 2007Post Title: A Simple Request to My Friends Prelude: One year ago, early morning in Las Vegas. I woke up on the floor of our friends’ hotel room with a brain …

Thirty Years AgoLarry Remer’s first fundraiser for his weekly newspaper, Newsline, held in the stately Mission Hills home of Janed Casady, rallied 150 fellow liberals at $12.50 each. The ticket price paid for a chance …

One of my favorite memories takes me back to my years on the high school varsity tennis team and turning our school’s losing record into one of the best for the girls’ tennis team. Believe …

Thomas PierceLibrary technician, Encinitas Pink Floyd The Wall has a dark, evocative story by Roger Waters and brilliant animation by Gerald Scarfe. It’s essentially a feature-length music video directed by Alan Parker. Parker also directed …

A schwiggler is a sneaky person, someone who is trying to trick you or hide from you. It’s something my friends and I call each other. Of you’re trying to avoid phone calls from someone …

James VasquezFilmmaker-actor, Daisy 3 Pictures, readyokmovie.com Paper Moon, shot in B&W, features an Oscar-winning performance by 11-year-old Tatum O’Neal. Director Peter Bogdanovich takes his time telling this funny father-daughter story, often with long static shots, …

In the early ’80s, at 19, I enrolled in a culinary school in Hyde Park, New York. I’d planned on finding an apartment off campus, but after getting lost and stuck in a traffic jam …

Thirty Years Ago“Jacumba Hotel, Ida here.” “Hello, I’d like a reservation for this weekend.” “Sorry, honey, we’re filled up. We’ve got two groups coming in — the glider club and the A.A. — plus all …

Thirty Years AgoSunday, country music figurehead Johnny Cash makes his annual visit to San Diego at the Civic Theatre with his perennial partners, June Carter and the Carter family. Cash has long been the most …

I think there’s a particular kind of relationship — specific to each person — that you must endure before you find the one that you are going to spend the rest of your life with. …

Greeth is a combination of ‘“gross” and “teeth.” I guess it could also be “green” and “teeth,” depending on how long it had been since the person brushed. “Grums” is the same idea but pertaining …

Considering they’ve been making noise and upsetting parental status-quo sensibilities since 1980, it’s not only a pleasure to be on the receiving end of fresh Bad Religion albums every 24 months or so, it’s also …

Mauricio ChernovetskyDirector, Cassandra To someone who’s a fan of long, contemplative takes and abstract narrative techniques, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Syndromes and a Century really delivers! But what’s most refreshing is the lightness and humor …

He was gorgeous. Kristen and I sat on the lawn at Orange Glen High School, watching Chris walk by on his way to the cafeteria. It was winter in sunny Southern California, and he wore …

It was the night I became a man. It was Ocean Beach, California. It was a Halloween party in 1999 and I was dressed as a P.E. teacher. You should have seen my outfit: tiny …

Keturah StickannAssistant director, San Diego Opera, 2008 seasonsdopera.org John Carney’s Once is one of the best depictions of the creative process I’ve ever seen. I love its sincerity, and I really love its soundtrack. Little …

Thirty Years AgoWhile I have permitted myself, the last week or two, to become hopelessly tangled up in writing about, or trying to, Wim Wenders’s The American Friend, a near traffic jam of other important …

Levi, “social chairman” of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Cal State San Marcos, says, “Most of the students don’t live within a five-mile radius of the campus. There isn’t much to do on campus. …

My word is “squadouche,” which basically means “nothing.” Don’t really know where I heard it from... But basically used in the context, “Hey dude, what’d you get at the store today?” “Squadouche! I didn’t get …

Karen Huff-WillisDirector, San Diego Black Film Festival, sandiegoblackfilmfestival.com For Black History Month I would like people to see something by Oscar Micheaux, like Within Our Gates. He’s from the 1920s, and he made wonderful films. …

“There is no single person who has the juice to book major acts [at 4th&B],” says an insider who suggests that the 1500-capacity venue has created the best business plan it could, considering the competition; …

I saw Queensrÿche at the Sports Arena in the early ’90s, when Operation: Mindcrime came out. I wasn’t even in radio back then. There were two things I noticed about the crowd: a lot of …

Post Date: September 17, 2007Post Title: Kokeshi 101Kokeshi is the name for a traditional Japanese doll usually representing a woman or girl. Made from wood, they are originally believed to have been created for tourists …

Thirty Years AgoIt’s 1:30 a.m. Standing beside a pair of pay phones and a silver train of piggybacked carts, you figure you’re ready for Mayfair Market’s morning crowd. The store lights up a quiet section …

I had just seen the movie Across the Universe about an English guy who falls in love with an American girl. It brought back all my memories of visiting England when I was 18. That …

I just recently heard “ass antlers” and I think it’s wonderful. It refers to tattoos on the lower back, sometimes also called a “tramp stamp.” They are usually tribal tattoos in a v-shape and sit …

Edoardo MuellerPrincipal guest conductor, San Diego Opera, sdopera.org Renata Tebaldi: Profonda ed infinita is a collection of the best videos Renata did in her life — her interviews and performances, and footage of all her …

Thirty Years AgoDear Matthew Alice:How did the word “pot” come to stand for marijuana? Does it have anything to do with the old joke about people “going to pot”?Julie Simms, North Park No. “Pot” is …

I met Paul online, and it wasn’t long before we were talking on the phone, engaging in the most introspective, enlightening, and enjoyable conversations I’ve ever had, replete with deep discussions about the world, about …

“Carlsbad’s gotten ugly,” says a musician who supports himself by playing music in Carlsbad clubs. Following noise complaints by nearby residents, the City of Carlsbad is enforcing a new entertainment ordinance that went into effect …

The slang I use is mostly terms for metrosexual guys. I’m a hairstylist, so a large amount of my clients are men. I like “manscaping” for guys who are picky about grooming their body hair, …

Ilise Gersten BushCurator, San Diego Jewish Film Festival, sdcjc.lfjcc.org Tonight’s opening film, Sixty-Six, is a quirky coming-of-age comedy that reminds me in spirit of Hope and Glory. It’s the story of Billy, who holds on …

I was in my sophomore year of college, and I’d never had a boyfriend. Not because I wasn’t interested but because I’d been too busy with my own life to consider being a part of …

Thirty Years AgoI would not complain that Jeannette De Wyze’s story on nudists (“What You See,” February 2) was completely one-sided. But still, De Wyze never once treated any of the serious objections to nudism. …

Coors Amphitheatre, owned by Live Nation, will soon lose its name. Effective March 1, the Coors Brewing Company will end its connection with the area’s largest outdoor venue (10,000 reserved seats and a capacity for …

Finest City Broad-Cutting? The 25th anniversary of 91X (on January 11) was ignored by everyone, including station management at Finest City Broadcasting. "For the tenth anniversary, they had the 'X years of the X' promotion," …

Don’t Yuck My Yum It’s the best thing to say whenever anyone tries to shove their opinion on you. I hate it when I’m into something and someone comes over and starts yucking and making …

Zakiya KhabirSan Diego market coordinator, Landmark Theatres Many have said it before, but HBO’s series The Wire should be required viewing. Not only is it incredibly addicting, it’s scarily realistic. Having lived in Baltimore for …

Thirty Years AgoEver since the Ocean Beach Planning Board has begun recommending how the beach community should grow, they have given fast-food franchises a cold shoulder. Now, however, the antifranchise wall may be cracking: although …

At [one] point, I felt there were people in the audience who had paid to come to see a conference about porn, who didn’t necessarily have any feminist concerns. I realize that I am approaching …

Seeing Wyclef live will turn any fan into a fanatic. I have seen him break out into a tightrope walk on a wooden fence while rapping. I’ve seen him grab and play every instrument on …

We’ve all done it. It doesn’t matter how confident you are, how secure, how much you wear self-love on your sleeve for all to see — if you’re a woman with a pulse, chances are …