From the driver’s seat: ‘Sometimes I Miss Driving Muni’

Ed. note: A reader who calls himself Trolleypup and tells us that he works as a Muni supervisor shares his perspective on what it takes to “have happy people instead of cranky people,” especially on Halloween. He even sent us a picture of his train decked out in Halloween fun. – Eugenia

As a supervisor, I describe the job as “Less Stress, Less Fun!”

Not that operating buses and streetcars for Muni is a bowl of cherries all the time, but sometimes you can make your own and others’ day.

So, Halloween: a night that one tries to avoid being out in the mayhem, unless you can be part of it! My schedule request for Halloween was always “Late finish NIGHTS, if not available, early finish DAYS.” And if I got a late night run, I would decorate my bus and wear a costume (adding bits to the uniform, anyway).

One night, I was doing the Halloween Shuttle in the subway — two-car train, back and forth. I had decorated my train in each cab with electric pumpkins, Halloween lights, custom head signs, with me in some sort of costume, Halloween music, and sound effects over the PA. By the end of the night, I was the ONLY shuttle train that without some sort of incident to write up.

Sometimes it just takes a little bit of work to have happy people instead of cranky people. And on an extremely crowded train, that can make all the difference.

Muni Playlist: From Joe Jackson to Flight of the Conchords

Music Friends
Photo by WarzauWynn

Last week, we brought you the A-Side of our second Muni Playlist (see the first Muni playlist, from November 2009). As promised, today we bring you the so-called B-Side. There’s no reason to think these tracks are any less awesome than last week’s; there were simply too many excellent submissions of readers’ choice Muni-riding tunes to fit into a single playlist.

So here they are, the tracks you guys are listening to. We hope you enjoy checking out what your fellow Muni riders are listening to as much as we enjoy discovering and reporting it.

  • JimmyD This morning: ‘Role Models,’ written and read by John Waters. Brilliant! (we couldn’t find this on YouTube, so we substituted an interview with the always-entertaining Waters. -eds.)
  • smallerdemon: I tend to [listen] to podcast[s] unless there’s some specific thing I need to drown out with guitars and drums going on. SModcast, Tell’em SteveDave, Mysterious Universe, The Philosopher’s Zone, The Bugle.
  • Pappu: during my morning commute, Bollywood bhangra type songs; Bon Iver; that Lady Antebellum song, “Need You Now”– being single during Pride is not fun.
  • Francesca: This morning – “Business Time” by Flight of the Conchords!
  • Jazee I am listening to Joe Jackson. (Perhaps betraying our age, we took the liberty of choosing “Stepping Out” as the Joe Jackson track. -eds)
  • Ben: New Blitzen Trapper Album.

Enjoy, and let us know what you are listening to on Muni: muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com

Muni Playlist: From Kanye to Kerouac

SF Muni
Photo by laughlin

Early last week, we asked you what you were listening to on Muni. We can’t help it: we want to know what’s emanating from those sexy earbuds you’ve got in there, drowning out the noise around you as you slip into your own private headspace.

Today’s playlist is the A side, if you will, of the musical selections you sent us via comments and tweets. The B side (in no way inferior to this one) drops next week. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out what your fellow Muni riders are rocking out to. Here they are, in their own words:

  • @anniebanannie kanye west (we took the liberty of choosing “Heartless”)
  • @revunderpants #Pavement! (we chose “Gold Soundz”)
  • @tonyriggins Jeezy “Put On” … for my city. Perfect for people watching on the Embarcadero
  • Lola LCD Soundsystem (This is Happening), Massive Attack (Heligoland), Matt and Kim (Grand), and Broken Social Scene (Forgiveness Rock Record)
  • Dancing Penguin Dog&Panther – Love Make // The Sweet Serenades – Die Young // Neon Walrus – We Don’t Matter // We Are Enfant Terrible – Seagull // Bonaparte – My Body is a Battlefield // MNDR – I go away…
  • Andrea My morning entertainment this morning was . . . Blues and Haikus – from Jack Kerouac, Al Cohn and Zoot Zims.
  • Sam “Bulletproof” by La Roux

For your listening (and possibly viewing, if you’ve got that kind of time in your day) pleasure, we’ve created another Muni Playlist on YouTube. Enjoy!

Want another soundtrack from the bus? Check out last fall’s Muni playlist,

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