Recap: Muni Diaries Live, Full House! 01.23.12
Photo by Kevin Wong
All of these awesome Muni Diaries Live photos here are by Kevin Wong.
Pinched Nerve kicked off the show with a song with a chorus that we all know too well: “Back Door, Step Down!” Killer fishnets too.
Writer Jan Richman told a tale of testifying in “Muni court” with a mangled hand.
Lots of us from the Bay Area hear his voice every morning, so it was a surreal treat to have KTVU traffic reporter Sal Castaneda in the house.
Comedian Caitlin Gill had us in stitches. If your reflexive response to any crisis on Muni is to take out your ear buds and close your book (with your finger still on the page you were reading), you are not alone.
As usual, we encourage three brave audience members to come up on stage and share their own Muni stories. Our great prizes from Timbuk2, Tacolicious, and SFLocal.net served as encouragement.
Muni Diaries is nothing without your tales, and these brave audience members — Kristina, Shawn, and Jesse — brought their A game. I love the conspiratorial look on Shawn’s face.
Jesse, who you might remember from the last show, took home the first-place honor.
Glynn Washington, executive producer of NPR’s Snap Judgment, gave everyone a lot of food for thought when he was confronted with a mugging on his commute.
When a “smelly tramp” gave Chloe Veltman a smelly kiss “in the carriage” (oh Brits!), she did the only logical thing: write a five-part madrigal to sing at Muni Diaries Live. Chloe led the song, performed by Nick Weininger, Matt Scherb, Meredith Landis and Rebecca Schonberg. Nice neckware too!
We closed the show with Stephen Elliott, who you may know as the author of The Adderall Diaries and editor of The Rumpus. He dug out a couple of pages from his journal to share with the Muni Diaries Live crowd.
We were overwhelmed by the amazing turnout at the Elbo Room Saturday night — our apologies if you were stuck in line downstairs or fighting your way to the bar. But it was amazing to see that Muni rides can bring so many people together to share a drink, commiserate, and laugh at the absurdities of urban life.
Thank you to all our storytellers and to everyone who came out to enjoy this evening with us. Until the next show, keep the stories coming!
Drink to True Muni Stories Tomorrow at Muni Diaries Live! 01.20.12
Illustration by Jay Sacher
- Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries and editor of The Rumpus.
- Sal Castaneda, longtime KTVU traffic reporter and radio host.
- Glynn Washington, executive producer of NPR’s Snap Judgment.
- Caitlin Gill, comedian and spoken-word artist.
- Chloe Veltman, host and producer of public radio’s VoiceBox.
- Pinched Nerve. San Francisco musician who will be performing his song, “Back Door, Step Down!”
- Jan Richman, author of Thrill-Bent, a new novel about roller coasters and Tourette’s syndrome.
And you can win goodies from Timbuk2, Tacolicious, and SFLocal.net.
Advanced tickets are on sale, so grab one today. We can’t wait to see you!
Muni Diaries Live! This Saturday! 01.16.12
Illustration by Jay Sacher
- Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries and editor of The Rumpus.
- Sal Castaneda, longtime KTVU traffic reporter and radio host.
- Glynn Washington, executive producer of NPR’s Snap Judgment.
- Caitlin Gill, comedian and spoken-word artist.
- Chloe Veltman, host and producer of public radio’s VoiceBox.
- Pinched Nerve. San Francisco musician who will be performing his song, “Back Door, Step Down!”
- Jan Richman, author of Thrill-Bent, a new novel about roller coasters and Tourette’s syndrome.
And you can win goodies from Timbuk2, Tacolicious, and SFLocal.net.
Advanced tickets are on sale now, so grab one quick before they’re gone. We can’t wait to see you!
Muni Diaries Live Full Lineup 01.09.12
Illustration by Jay Sacher
- Stephen Elliott, author of The Adderall Diaries and editor of The Rumpus.
- Sal Castaneda, longtime KTVU traffic reporter and radio host.
- Glynn Washington, executive producer of NPR’s Snap Judgment.
- Caitlin Gill, comedian and spoken-word artist.
- Chloe Veltman, host and producer of public radio’s VoiceBox.
- Pinched Nerve. San Francisco musician who will be performing his song, “Back Door, Step Down!”
- Jan Richman, author of Thrill-Bent, a new novel about roller coasters and Tourette’s syndrome.
Don’t forget to ready your stories for the audience-participation portion. You might just win a bag from San Francisco’s own Timbuk2, a $50 gift card to Tacolicious, or cool (temporary) tattoos from SFLocal.net.
We’ll have transit goodies for sale by Secession Art and Design, and everyone in our audience gets a special show discount on Muni Diaries shirts and wallets.
This is gonna be good. We can’t wait to see you there.
Muni Diaries Live
Elbo Room
647 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Take Muni there: J-Church, 12, 14, 22, 33, 49, or BART: 16th or 24th St stations
Sat., Jan. 21, doors: 6:30, show: 7 p.m. Tickets: $12.
Buy advance tickets
Event photography by Right Angle Images.
A Sneak Peek at the Next Muni Diaries Live Lineup 01.06.12
Photo by Mike D
You’ll see Stephen Elliott — You know him from The Adderall Diaries and The Rumpus. But now you have to hear about what happened to him on the bus.
You’ll also see comedian and spoken-word artist Caitlin Gill, who tells one hell of a dirty haiku at Tourettes Without Regrets.
We’ll reveal the rest of the lineup in a few days, but in meantime, get your tickets now!
Muni Diaries Live
Elbo Room
647 Valencia Street
San Francisco
Take Muni there: J-Church, 12, 14, 22, 33, 49, or BART: 16th or 24th St stations
Sat., Jan. 21, doors: 6:30, show: 7 p.m. Tickets: $12.
Buy advance tickets
Thank You, Khaki-Pants Metro Hero 10.13.11
Isaac was such a hit that he may have inspired a Missed Connection ad from our event. And you thought you didn’t believe in fate and true love.
Have fun watching Isaac’s retelling of his D.C. Metro story (involving a hockey move!) and try not to laugh too loud in your cube…
What You Missed at the Muni Diaries Reunion Show 09.30.11
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Our special guest Anna Conda kicked off the show by reading the winning review on Google Places by PuckPuck (above). PuckPuck’s review was hilarious, even better read by the glamorous Anna! PuckPuck also received a $100 gift certificate to Hog and Rocks.
Rumpus editor and resident hotcake Isaac Fitzgerald returned to the stage to regale us with a tale of why wearing khaki pants doesn’t make you gangster on the metro.
Photo by Lilah Johnson
(See Isaac’s first story at Muni Diaries Live)
Filmmaker and former Muni troublemaker Vero Majano told a story about Jesus bling on the bus, and how fellow riders “repented him off the bus” for violating a very important tenet of Muni etiquette.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Newbie alert! Audience member Rajeev bravely signed up to join us on stage to tell his first Muni story where he tried to convince kids on Muni (and the police) that a terrorist would never carry an L.L. Bean backpack.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Rachel of Fog City Notes, whom you might remember for her delicious Muni cupcakes, returned to the stage with a story about a public peeing incident that shocked even the fare inspectors.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
A little girl tested Joyce Lee’s patience on the bus, and she returned to the Muni Diaries stage to tell us how it ends. If you have problem disciplining your children, we know who you need to call.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
(See Joyce’s first appearance at Muni Diaries Live)
Pam Benjamin, a host of Mutiny Radio, sashayed on the stage to tell a story about having sex (that’s right) at a Muni shelter. Under the bright florescent lights. With people walking by.
Photo by Lilah Johnson
Oh, hey, look, new Muni Diaries storyteller! Audience member Chris told a story about a hiccuping lady on the bus. “I might be drunk, but I am always on point.” You tell ‘em, Chris.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Tara Demoulin, our favorite Muni songstress, came back to the show to sing another Muni-inspired tune, this time to the tune of “My Favorite Things.” You’ll never guess what she rhymed with “bukaki.”
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Plucked straight from the audience of another Muni Diaries Live show, Jesse James returned to the stage, and there was much rejoicing. Jesse told a tale of love and fate that involved a fellow Muni rider who looked a lot like Elijah Wood. I believe that in the photo below, though, Jesse was inviting a certain handsome audience member to see him after the show.
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
We had $50 to give away to the newbies that night. With your applause and the help of Ashley from Google Places, Rajeev was the winner of the cash prize. We had several storytellers who volunteered their tales, but we sadly didn’t get to hear all of them due to our limited time on stage. If you know anything about Muni Diaries, you know we’re dying to hear your stories. So if you signed up at the event and didn’t get to tell your story, please email us and let us know!
Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
This was our first reunion show/open mic, and again we were totally energized by the great crowd and storytelling at the show. We’ll have videos of some of the performances for you in the next few days, so stay tuned, and keep the stories coming!
Joyce Lee’s Mom Takes on Muni 07.12.11
I first saw Joyce at the Tourettes Without Regrets’ 10th anniversary show, where she knocked my socks off with her poem, “Crazy:”
“I’m only as crazy as my love is. And my love checks your Facebook every fucking day.”
Joyce has an upcoming poetry CD/DVD, her first professionally produced CD/DVD. She’s also got a Kickstarter page to help get the CD/DVD produced, so check it out if you liked what you heard!
Want more Muni Diaries Live? Check out our Muni Diaries Live event recap page and relive shows you might have missed!
Kirk Read on Muni: Humanity and Criminality 06.15.11
I missed my preferred mode of Muni transportation, which I think it’s the only dignified way to ride Muni: the underground. Riding above ground you’re just open to all manners of humanity and criminality and indecency, really. I missed that, so I was left with a double bus on Mission — the 14. Exactly. So I step into my carriage…I went to the back of the bus because that’s where the most interesting people are. So that’s where I sit, in solidarity with the interesting people.
On this night there was nobody in the back of the bus, so I sit down. Then I hear this rustling and I look down, and there is this little pile of fabric squirming on the floor. What is going on?! It took a minute and I realize it’s this little woman who was rubbing against everything, all up on the windows. It’s like when you’re on ecstasy and you really let yourself go. She’s not touching me because she has some manners. But she’s like touching the air, and I’m fascinated, and I’m just like, YES! I’m just gonna sit here and behold.
Watch the video to find out what happened in the rest of Kirk’s story.
Got a story of humanity, criminality, or indecency on the bus? You know where to send it.
Jesse, Rosie Perez, and Ron Weasley on a 38-Geary to the Farallons 05.05.11
At last month’s Muni Diaries Live, Jesse shared the story of withering away of innocence when it comes to riding Muni:
I grew up and went to high school in Southern California. I did what everybody else did — I drove a car … I graduated high school and I fled, like crazy. I went to San Francisco State. I didn’t even look at the school — I just knew it was in San Francisco and gay people live there!
And I encountered Muni. I encountered buses, and trains, and trains that did buslike things, and stairs, and all that craziness. I was flabbergasted, to say the least. Riding Muni was like riding a unicorn. It was like, “What??!? I get a transfer? This is so great! $1?” I’m dating myself.
I was that guy on Muni who was so in love with the experience that I was talking to people. I was like, “Oh my god, you shopped today? So did I!”
Watch the video above to hear the rest of Jesse’s gripping tale.
Previously: MissionMission’s Ariel Tells All: First Kiss, on Muni
Like Sex, Love, Lust … Muni? Click 
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