Archive Search

Feature

Pants on Fire

How the San Francisco Fire Department turned a manageable house fire into a lethal disaster -- and then tried to cover up its firefighting mistakes

By Matt Isaacs

Published: July 26, 2000

In her one-year career with the Fire Department, Melanie Stapper, more than anything else, wanted to belong. A sturdy woman with thick shoulders, Stapper was willing to lose 17 pounds when she...

Mecklin

They Love Bloomie's

The Chron and Ex drool over Bloomingdale's as the city coughs up $27 million

By John Mecklin

Published: July 26, 2000

I have become accustomed to pathetic journalistic behavior. I have had to. I live in San Francisco. For example, my indignation levels scarcely budged last week when Independent columnist...

Dog Bites

Dog Bites

May Your Wheat Grass Stay Green; Dog Bites' Cooking Corner

As told to Laurel Wellman

Published: July 26, 2000

May Your Wheat Grass Stay Green We are somewhat out of spirits this week, and there is no use pretending otherwise. Aside from the redesign, which has us on edge -- it seems awfully bright in...

Night Crawler

Bang, Bang,

The ins and outs of a disorganized try at the gangbang record

By Silke Tudor

Published: July 26, 2000

When anyone attempts to break the "gangbang" world record, certain inevitable questions arise: What sort of books does she read? What sort of lube does she use? Does Guy No. 489 feel nervous or...

Bay View

Funeral Family Feud

After decades of war, the Duggan clan of morticians are still giving one another grief

By Jeremy Mullman

Published: July 26, 2000

Some squabbles, it seems, are harder to bury than others. Take, for example, the family feud between the Duggans -- one of the most prominent names in the Bay Area's funeral industry -- who have...

Letters

Letters to the Editor

More Girl Problems; Bracing for the Fall; Wounded Again; Suddenly Everybody's an Expert

Published: July 26, 2000

More Girl Problems But what's the solution?: Thanks for your outstanding article ("Girl Problems," July 19) and interview with "Tanesha." I am especially impressed by Tanesha's statement that...

Music

Border Crossings

Using everything from kotos to cockroaches, synthesizers to strippers, Miya Masaoka is redefining the musician's creative process

By Sam Prestianni

Published: July 26, 2000

To take advantage of her artist-in-residence tenure this past spring at the Headlands Center for the Arts, San Francisco kotoist Miya Masaoka had to haul her weird wired world to the beach. She...

Music

A Brand-New Case

With the new wave Plimsouls (and Plimsouls reunion) behind him, Peter Case is returning to his folk roots

By Denise Sullivan

Published: July 26, 2000

You just gotta do things. There was unfinished business with the Plimsouls and it still seemed like there was a lot of life in it. I just went for it," says singer/songwriter Peter Case on what he...

Riff Raff

Riff Raff

This Column Is Brought to You by the Letter M, the Letter P, the Number 3, and the Concept "Death of the Artist"; On That Note ...

By Mark Athitakis

Published: July 26, 2000

This Column Is Brought to You by the Letter M, the Letter P, the Number 3, and the Concept "Death of the Artist" It's been the better part of a month since John Vanderslice took on the somewhat...

Music

Tin Hat Trio

Helium
(Angel)

By Sam Prestianni

Published: July 26, 2000

Tin Hat Trio Helium (Angel)Tin Hat Trio blew up with the power and exuberance of a firestorm on last year's recording debut Memory Is an Elephant . With an unlikely instrumental core of violin or...

Music

The Catherine Wheel

Wishville
(Columbia)

By Katherine Brown

Published: July 26, 2000

The Catherine Wheel makes über -English music -- though the title of its new album, Wishville , sounds like it might have wandered over from the Wilco rack, the eerie blend of wistfulness...

Hear This

Hear This

Femi Kuti & Positive Force

By Mark Athitakis

Published: July 26, 2000

Of all the assertions contained in Michael Veal's fine new Fela Anikulapo-Kuti biography Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon , one of the most important and striking is that...

Eat

The People's Choice

Breads of India

By Greg Hugunin

Published: July 26, 2000

It begins quite innocuously: At 5:27 p.m., the door to Breads of India swings open. A man steps out, affixes a list to the front window, and then steps back inside. A tiny gift box of a...

Eat

Standard Order

LiveFire

By Matthew Stafford

Published: July 26, 2000

South Beach, as a concept, was unknown to me until I was invited to the grand opening of a restaurant -- the Barking Dog? the Braying Mule? -- at the corner of Brannan and the Embarcadero 10 or 12...

Side Dish

Going, Going...

This Program Has Been Pre-empted; Good Help; Gone Fishin'; Pretty in Pink

By Harry Coverte

Published: July 26, 2000

This Program Has Been Pre-empted At the same time that Jaime and Yasmine have taken their leaves from S.F.'s contribution to the world of nighttime TV -- Nash Bridges -- some key players have...

Social Grace

Help for As*holes

Are you unsure how to behave? Social Grace answers all your toughest etiquette questions

By Social Grace

Published: July 26, 2000

Dear Social Grace, At a bar recently, I came across a group of acquaintances. While speaking to them, I made a dumb joke about a certain group of people -- and then proceeded to make many...

Film

Senses Working Part-Time

Jeremy Podeswa's new film seeks sensation in the humdrum

By Gregory Weinkauf

Published: July 26, 2000

Honestly now, have you, of late, found yourself enthralled by pleasing stimuli? Please, no nauseating responses like "Aromatherapy shifts my reality" or "After I get rolfed, my heart is more open...

Film

Tears of a Clown

The Eyes of Tammy Faye teaches us that garish televangelists have feelings too

By Luke Y. Thompson

Published: July 26, 2000

In a perfect world, any documentary about televangelists narrated by RuPaul and a couple of sock puppets would be hailed as the unquestionable conceptual masterpiece of the year. Alas, those stodgy...

Reel World

Reel World

The Potted Psalm; Devil's Doorway

By Michael Fox

Published: July 26, 2000

The Potted Psalm I hung up the phone and tipped my Panama in amazement to Jeff Ross, the founder of S.F. Indiefest. As if spearheading a weeklong annual film festival wasn't sufficiently...

Night&Day;

Eine Kleine Odd Musik

Bart Hopkin promises to play

By David Cook

Published: July 26, 2000

As a high school music teacher, Bart Hopkin didn't have much chance to explore his fascination with strange and exotic instruments. It's not like he could have outfitted the entire teen horn...