Watching City Hall #293, (6-3-04)“What I can’t figure out is why the presidents all die on Mondays.”
(Jens’ buddy, ‘Eddie’ during Memorial day smokeout)
Do you still talk to Matt Gonzalez? I barely do. … Just to be certain he hadn’t forgotten his old buddy, I got up at 3am the other day, got drunk on cheap bourbon and gave him a call at 7am. It was a holiday, so I figured he had nothing to do. People always appreciate it if you call them early, you know. … He said he had to take a shower.
“I have to take a shower.”
Everytime a politician takes a shower in this town, they get into trouble. … I recommended against it. … He was adamant. I was inconsiderate. … Inconsiderate usually trumps adamant. “You ought to rent that space!!”
Matt: “What space?”
h.: “The art gallery in North Beach the fascists closed.”
Matt: “I don’t know about that, man.”
h.: “She has 6 months left on the lease. You should rent it and ONLY show anti-war art for the rest of the lease, then use it for your law office!”
Matt: “I have to take a shower.”
h.: “At least have the painting Friday at your monthly art show.”
Matt: “I’ll see you man. … And, I told you 2 years ago when we were hanging out that I wasn’t going to run for the Board again.”
h.: “I don’t care if you’re on the Board, dude.”
That’s a true conversation
People often ask how much of my column is just pure lies and, of course, the answer is … most of it. … My conversation with Matt is true, though. We’re all going to miss the kid.
Matt Gonzalez, middle distance runner
All of you who had the name ‘Matt Gonzalez’ set up on your google or whatever to alert you when people in India or Zimbabwe or Germany wrote about Matt’s ascendancy in the Green Party and his run for mayor, know what I mean. … Until Matt fired, then rehired Peskin (what the fuck are we here, George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin!?) … before that, the only trickle of ‘Matt Gonzalez’ pieces on the internet referred to a kid who is obviously a pretty fair middle-distance relay runner in Michigan. Our Matt’s got a bad ankle. … I don’t wanna get sentimental here. I just read Doc Ahimsa’s piece in the Bay View and I’ve been talking to people with documentaries and at least 2 books in the works from the Gonzalez campaign. … I’m getting nostalgic here, huh? Where was I?
Peskin for Board President
Gonzalez should resign the Board Presidency after the November election and give Aaron Peskin a head start at the post. Matt can’t appoint the boy, of course, but I’m betting Aaron’s got the votes from this Board. He deserves the chance.
I’d prefer Daly
Chris is cool at the Board until 2010. He’ll be 38. … If, he makes it. … I’m thinking he’ll be in Congress by the time he’s 36. Read em & weep Republicans, this is the face of the new Democratic party. Elected at 28 years of age with an 83% approval in San Francisco’s famed Barbary Coast. … Whatever, let’s write about him later. Right now, I’d prefer him for Board president because he has the least fear.
Or, common sense
Oh, Peskin will do the best job. … couple day break … Sorry for the breaks in these columns lately. I’m moving around. Watching Kitty Ultrasound’s kitties on Russian Hill (first featherbed I’ve slept in since 1955). Swinging by Ania & Robert’s to hang with their cat, Kitcha and watch da Board on their cable. (I’m there for a week starting today) … Kicking back up to my daughter’s where I have my mailing address and stay most of the time in the Haight. (I’m falling for her downstairs neighbor, Destiny.) … Then, I gotta hang with Jens on his days off on Wednesday and Sunday. … Life is never simple for a drunken pot head with a legion of friends. (thank you, Lord) … Housesitting, Board watching, flirting with gorgeous women. It takes up all your time.
(Saturday, June 5th)
Thursday night was Savannah Blackwell’s birthday party at Martuni’s. Hell of a lineup of writers and pols. Savannah, herself. Barbara Taylor. Dan Levy. Rachel Gordon. Adriel Hampton. Aaron Barnes. Alex Clemens. … Aaron Peskin held court. Ross Mirkarimi was in top form. Bill Barnes cruised the crowd in his own low-key fashion. … Marc Salomon and John Dunbar were there if you were looking for serious insights. Seth Walker. Amy Laitenan. Randy Knox. Dozens more. … I ordered a triple bourbon and the waiter brought me a pint beer glass full of Beam & ice that lasted me the entire evening. … These are the coolest of nights. A dark room in the back of a dark bar. People huddling to plot the overthrow of the government while others sing along to show tunes with the guy playing the grand piano in the corner. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face and didn’t want to. … Someone passed me something as they brushed by. I looked down into my hand. It was a fat joint. … You gotta love these people.
The rumors flew!
People whispered terrible things into my ears, ‘off-the-record’. … I’ve never really understood what that means. I’m always quick to pass the information to the next person, held upright by only the building’s west wall. I impart the latest information with the same question: “What’s your take on that?” They respond with comments like: “Don’t you ever take notes?” and … “Get your hand off my ass!” … You know, things like that. I invited a couple of cohorts out to the sidewalk to do the joint.
I walked to Kitty’s?
She’s back in New York. Attending a wedding. Hanging with her parents. It’s been my first sitting gig with her beasts and I’m getting to know them. Some cats don’t like to be alone. When I got back to Kitty’s, one cat had crapped on the stack of newspapers I’d been going through. It was a message to be certain. I cleaned both litter boxes again and gave extra treats. It was a sign of weakness and meant to be one. They twitched their tails and accepted my prostration. I made a note not to leave these guys alone for 12 hours again. Savannah’s birthday morphed into Matt’s birthday as the cats and I settled in to watch Letterman.
Close this one out quickly
The next meeting of the District 5 Candidates Collaborative will be at Jim Segal’s place. … Who the hell is that? … Someone says he’s Newsom’s boy. That doesn’t bother me much but a guy like me has to be careful. These kinds of things can very quickly turn into interventions. … You know, you walk in and say something like: “What you got to drink?” … and, they say something like: “That’s what we invited you here to talk about.” … So, Segal will host. … My top 3 picks are going well. Mirkarimi, Haaland & Barnes all had good weeks. Everyone got lots of good press. … A few of my rumors are getting legs.
Cop car with bullet holes?
I tried and tried, but couldn’t get a single major news outlet to call the cops on their claims that Cammerin Boyd put bullet holes in the car of the officers pursuing him. Now, you know me, I’m always going to give the cops the benefit of the doubt in things like this. … Unless they do shit like this. Hey folks, if the man put holes in a cop cruiser, show me the holes!!! Put the friggin’ picture of the car with its bullet holes on the front page of the Examiner. The longer we don’t see this picture, the more I’m thinking of switching sides here.
Art gallery attack a scam?
There’s a rumor going around that it is possible that the attack on the gallery and owner of the Copianco Gallery was a publicity stunt that went awry. I know the rumor is out there because I started it. … I hope I’m wrong, but this whole thing just feels weird. I mean, what anti-war activist runs from publicity? Why the hell would a guy who faced down the United States government and did hard time in prison for his refusal to support the Viet Nam war run away from a red-neck punk? Yeah, I find myself saying to myself: “Self, … this doesn’t sound right.” Get the gallery open. Need guards? I’ll do an 8 hour middle-of-the-night shift for nada. So would a hundred others.
That’s enough for now. Someone at Matt’s said last night that Jack Hirschman said the gallery would be open again today. I have to check that out. … First, I was invited to catch the Harvey Milk endorsement hearings for District 5 this morning too. Hmmm, think they’ll endorse Robert Haaland? Isn’t he their president? Personally, I find them to be segregated nit-pickers. As a candidate, I get all of these folks mailings. Their questionnaire was 38 questions long and some of the questions had a half dozen parts. They noted that if they considered any of your 200 or so answers incomplete, they wouldn’t invite you to present to them. I think they’re trying to weed out the straight people. … But, hey you know me. I’m not one to cause trouble.
Be happy, chuckles:
