DRUGS
You Can Buy Magic Mushroom Candy Bars Over the Counter in Oakland
SF STANDARD (August 25, 2022)
Buying magic mushrooms in the Bay Area has always been about knowing where to go and who to ask. But these days, acquiring a chocolate bar stuffed with dried psilocybe cubensis is as simple as driving to one of the Oakland retailers listed on the website of Bliss Mushrooms.
The Trippy Trials of the Mushroom Rabbi
LEAF MAGAZINES (August 2022)
A candid interview with Rabbi Ben Gorelick, who faces legal trouble in Colorado for providing his unorthodox congregation with psychedelic sacraments.
For Mirage Medicinal, The Truth is Stranger Than Fiction (Part II)
SF WEEKLY (September 23 & 30, 2021)
After a five year run, this was my final (two-part) weed column for SF Weekly. It tells of how Malcolm Joshua Weitz went from Rikers Island to opening SF’s first equity-owned consumption lounge.
The Pot to Prison Pipeline
THE NIB (February 2021)
Cartoon from Issue #8 (The Drugs Issue) in collaboration with artist Sophie Yanow.
How a Group of Marin Teenagers Created 420
MARIN MAGAZINE (March 22, 2019)
The story of four San Rafael High students who unwittingly coined pot’s most popular code name — in their own words.
CULTURE
Billie Joe Armstrong: Green Day is First Band ‘Actually from Bay Area’ to Headline Outside Lands
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (July 29, 2022)
The last time Green Day played at Golden Gate Park, front man Billie Joe Armstrong wasn’t even old enough to drink. But Armstrong told SF Chronicle that he expects his band’s second go of it will have better results.
Oakland’s Shannon & the Clams Are No Longer a Bay Area Secret
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (October 9, 2021)
The retro-rock quartet details the strong songwriting and resilient hope at the heart of their sixth album.
Dave Eggers Unleashes a Stinging Rebuke of a Society Obsessed with Algorithms. For Him, It’s Personal.
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (October 2, 2021)
The acclaimed Bay Area author discusses his latest novel and shares his concerns about letting machines do the work of being human for us.
Aimee Mann On ‘Bachelor No. 2’ Turning 20 & Launching An Indie Label In 1999
RECORDING ACADEMY (December 20, 2020)
The Grammy-winning artist discusses her groundbreaking album and putting together a remastered vinyl version for its twentieth anniversary
Karen O and Danger Mouse on Joining Forces for ‘Lux Prima’ and Criticizing Your Collaborators
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (March 15, 2019)
It took them a decade to get together, but the results were worth the wait.
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus Celebrate Beauty of Collaboration with Boygenius
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (November 21, 2018)
Speaking with musicians Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus, it’s clear that what transpired over four days in Los Angeles this June was something akin to magic.
What the World Needs Now Is Devo
SF WEEKLY (June 28, 2018)
Founding members Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale discuss donning their energy domes once more this summer at Burger Boogaloo.
Musician Jon Brion Doesn’t Want to Sound Familiar
VANITY FAIR (February 23, 2018)
The prolific film composer and producer on how he scored ‘Lady Bird’ and his reverence for music that matters.
At 78, Photographer William Eggleston Reveals a Brand-New Talent
VANITY FAIR (October 20, 2017)
The famed photographer is finally ready to let the world listen in on the music he’s been creating for years.
You Still Believe in Me: An Interview with Brian Wilson
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND (May 18, 2016)
Our favorite Beach Boy reflects on 50 years of ‘Pet Sounds.’
Grumpier Old Men: Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland Hit San Francisco
SF WEEKLY (February 24, 2016)
An interview with two cranky New Yorkers who are definitely not comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney.
GENERAL INTEREST
Musée Mécanique Owner Working to Keep the Fun Alive Despite Pandemic, Fire
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (September 2, 2020)
Dan Zelinsky’s one-of-a-kind collection of antique games and machines has survived a lot over the years. Can Laughing Sal’s good humor get them through COVID too?
Trial Separation: Growing Up with the Trailside Killer
MARIN MAGAZINE (September 2019)
A firsthand account by the son of one of the attorneys working on the serial killer’s case.
Marin’s Hidden Gem: Samuel P. Taylor State Park
MARIN MAGAZINE (February 2019)
There’s a wealth of history behind this lesser-known natural wonder.
Trespassing for Treasures
ALTA JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA (Winter 2019)
Where others see blight and danger, Jonathan Haeber is the preservationist, adventurer and outlaw who sees exquisite decay.
REVIEWS
SHOWS
‘Man, I Love Being Cancelled’: Dave Chappelle Defiant at Tour Kickoff
ROLLING STONE (November 5, 2021)
New doc focuses on a series of 2020 shows held near the comedian’s home, though it’s hard to see why Chappelle thinks it’s so controversial.
Paul McCartney Shows He Won’t Let It Die at San Jose Concert
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (July 11, 2019)
Don’t turn the amps off on this former Beatle just yet.
We Are All Complicit in Hollywood Vampires
SF WEEKLY (May 15, 2019)
What is the true cost of watching Johnny Depp play guitar?
Paul Simon Bids Farewell with Final Bay Area Concert
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (May 26, 2018)
The acclaimed musician may be ready to retire from the stage but his appeal showed no signs of aging.
Radiohead Demanded Redemption at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre
SF WEEKLY (April 18, 2017)
Thom Yorke was in a gleeful mood and there were (thankfully) no sound issues at the Monday, April 17 performance.
Live Review: Prince at Oakland’s Oracle Arena
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND (March 5, 2016)
The Purple One kept the Golden State Warriors’ home win streak intact.
BOOKS
Brutally Honest and Hilarious S.F. Literary Adventurer Makes His Life an Open Book
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (July 11, 2022)
On the map of Isaac Fitzgerald’s life, it’s the detours that tell the real story.
Gripping ‘Devil House’ Has a Spellbinding True-Crime Tale at Its Dark Heart
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (January 18, 2022)
Third novel from Mountain Goats musician probes what matters more in the genre of true crime: the crime or the truth?
In Memoir, Comedy Legend Mel Brooks Details Remarkably Funny Career
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (November 23, 2021)
The 95-year-old actor, filmmaker, and comedy legend’s ‘All About Me’ details a life lived at ludicrous speed.
Japanese Breakfast Musician’s Memoir Makes a Meal of Mourning
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (April 13, 2021)
Michelle Zauner proves her pen is as mighty as her guitar in “Crying in H Mart.”
ALBUMS
Courtney Barnett Proves Patience Is a Virtue on ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’
VARIETY (November 12, 2021)
The Aussie rocker’s exceptional third album is a testament to the value of taking things slowly.
Haim’s ‘Women in Music Pt. III’
VARIETY (June 26, 2020)
If the first phase of Haim’s career was a sister act, their latest proves unity is not the only trick in their bag.
Vampire Weekend’s ‘Father of the Bride’
VARIETY (May 2, 2019)
Ezra Koenig delivers 18 tracks of often brilliant ideas with little concern for how palatable listeners might find them.
Jenny Lewis’ ‘On the Line’
VARIETY (March 22, 2019)
On her first album in five years, Lewis no longer seems such a cipher; she has warmed to the possibility that the personal can still be poetic.
Zack Ruskin 