Calling from San Francisco

[fingertrouble]

Me Djing in the main room at Bootie.

Now the dust from the weekend has cleared (Bootie went really well; did a short set in the mainroom which went well, and brought the UK-style Bastard to the USA in the backroom, which I played tracks that should be played rather than just playing to the crowd, with mixed success)
I'm in a net cafe on Polk Street about to meet up and interview Adrian and Mysterious D from Bootie before I go on Thursday.

It's been a good trip; San Fran always seems like an old friend, I travelled out to see the Palace of Fine Arts at sunset and it was like greeting an old friend, this was the first thing I saw in San Francisco when I came here 8 years ago to see my then lover (and first love) Bob...so there is something bittersweet here also.

Started with Pet Shop Boys at the Civic last Tuesday; Eric Kleptone had a +1 so I got in on guestlist and bumped into heypyro and saw many cute men there...great show, and although they have to try hard to get over the DAT machine + singer legacy of what they do (more like Chris Lowe pressing play in Ableton or Logic tbh, with a little playing over...) - the sets were great, and hearing Go West in the place it was written for and sung by many voices was a highlight.

Later on went to Trannyshack which was doing a Freddie Mercury tribute - saw Adrian of Bootie synching Under Pressure but tiredness hit so left after 6 songs.

Wednesday was catching up with the other DJs from the UK, first time I went to Fisherman's Wharf and all that (kind of glad I avoided it before) ended up in a really wanky gallery/bar just by MOMA playing limpid house, so left and met up with DJ Jay-R who was DJing at The Cafe in the Castro, and Mysterious D and Eric Kleptone turned up...was a good night, Jay-R is a really good hiphop DJ, but it got messy at the end :-(

Thursday was recuperating then crashing the closing drinks at the O'Reilly Web 2.0 conference at the Palace Hotel with Eric Kleptone - yes I drank their wine, ate their nibbles and talked shite with head honchos of Myspace and startups. Also met Psychofanjeff who's a really nice bloke (Dawn and Drew fans will know who I mean). Eric told me later that while we were there whoring Bootie and Radio Clash and Kleptones (I had cards made, Eric had natty CDs!) Lou Reed was playing upstairs for a really exclusive AOL gig...! Got to hang with Eric in his room and interview him for 2 hours - god knows how I'm gonna edit that with all the others...!

Friday was the Bootlegger meetup at the Holy Grail (O'Reilly's) on Polk Street, which all of the UK DJs, Partyben, A+D, Eric Kleptone, Jordan (DJ Earworm), Dada, DJ John and Libby, and a cast of thousands were in attendance...very good meal, got a bit weird when we decided to do musical chairs THEN the food arrived (with 'hilarious consequences' for some *wink*) and the vodka shots at the end and the astronomic bill...good to meet everyone at last.


Me and Steve Supercollider the photography twins

Saturday I went to pick up a lead and some 'grumble' as the UK leggers called it - porn for everyone else from Different Light, some as a pressie for John ;-) and then went to the gig at DNA Lounge...probably going to give a full report later when I get back, I've recorded all the backroom sets for the Bastard USA room on my new Hi-MD recorder I bought s/hand here; which I'll be excerpting for Radio Clash 99 and posting in full on someone else's server (too big for mine!) and have LOADS of pics and interviews of all the DJs apart from Dada and Partyben...

If you want to hear my main room 1/2 hour set it's on the DNA Lounge site: http://cerebrum.dnalounge.com/archive/

(I'm on at 10-10-30 so should be 1hr in or so, listen for the Who Boys - yes I inflicted Revolution Uber Alles onto the Bootie crowd cos they *should* hear stuff like that too - but loads of new boots on there, Push it Slut (2006 French Avenue version) got the best response, which is Salt n Pepa vs Avenue D and Kraftwerk Tour De France)

Also pics and feedback and drunken posting during the night here (there were terminals in the club!) http://www.gybo-v3.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=24453 and http://www.bootiesf.com/Bootie_British_Invasion/Bootie_British_Invasion.html and

Signing off now - going to see the Pacific tomorrow, my last full day before I fly on Thurs lunchtime...and interviewing A+D tonight and having a meal at a Italian restaurant nearby.

Comments

[holy13nation.livejournal.com]

Was the duff bar/gallery 111 Minna? With the Juxtapoz exhibition on? I hope not because they get good art but if it's gone pissy it wouldn't entirely be a surprise.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

Could be...seemed like a lot of degree/atudent work, unfinished, or very little ideas...was about 8 artists.

Not good.

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

It was on Minna, yes.

[amanda-pink.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was the place. Nice gallery, just full of Nathan Barley types, all about the style and not the content.

I'm amazed I hung around for SO long and in hindsight, going to the Castro with Tim would've been a much better idea than walking from Minna to Lombard/Van Ness, which I wound up doing...

[timbearcub.livejournal.com]

ouch.

That's a LONG way...the Cafe was cool, I don't think people appreciate that Jay-R is a really good hiphop DJ; and plays some really good tunes.

Just don't get him drunk :-(