Storied: San Francisco

In this episode, Maddy and I talk about various aspects of art, including Instagram "treasure hunts," putting on DIY art shows, and how artists are or are not surviving in today's economy. If you missed  Part 1 , please go back and listen. We recorded this podcast in Contra Costa County in November 2018. Film photography by  Michelle Kilfeather

Painter Madeleine Tonzi moved to the Bay Area from Santa Barbara in 2007 to go to art school. She quickly fell in love with the drum 'n' bass scene in San Francisco and parties that featured underground musicians. In this podcast, Maddy shares her story of moving here. For her, the underground party scene gave way to visual arts. She talks about coming to love street art and the murals in the Miss...

Melinda Uno knows some bad-ass women. In 2015, they hatched a plan to ride motorcycles across Mexico, with Melinda joining in to document the adventure. This podcast is the story of that ride. Melinda reflects on some of the lessons she learned on that trip and how they relate to what's going on here in San Francisco. If you missed Part 1, please listen to that episode. Photography by Melinda Uno

Welcome to Season 2 of Storied: San Francisco podcast. This season won't be too different from what you heard in Season 1. The changes are mostly cosmetic—new theme music, a new look for the website, that sort of thing. Michelle and I learned a lot the first year, and we hope to bring some fresh perspectives to this project. Our theme this season is: What is it about this place? What draws people...

It's been a minute. Michelle and Jeff take a break from their break to reflect on Season 1 and how Michelle got involved to begin with. We talk about getting ready for Season 2 and everything we're doing to set up our two-day event,  Two Storied Nights , on Nov. 9 and 10. We're so happy to have brought you 49 different storytellers in Season 1, and now, we want to meet you! Two Storied Nights is y...

As we learned in  Part 1 , Gary Weinstein moved to San Francisco in 1971 and started driving Muni buses right away. In this podcast, Gary shares some of the juicier stories from behind the wheel. He ends the episode talking about what prompted him to cover his body in tattoos. That's it for Season 1 of Storied: San Francisco. We hope you've enjoyed it. We'll be back with Season 2 on Nov. 13, but i...

Gary Weinstein grew up in Buffalo, New York. He chose not to go to nursing school and decided instead, in 1971, to move to San Francisco. After a couple of short-lived gigs, he got a job driving Muni buses. In this podcast, Gary talks about his time with Muni, from his adventures while training to his distaste for driving light-rail vehicles. Check back Thursday for Part 2, the final podcast of St...

Bertha Fajardo has been with the Giants since 1997. In this podcast, she talks in more detail about the work she does with the Giants, which involves both current and former players, their families, and groups in the city and around the Bay Area. In case you missed it, check out  Part 1 of Bertha's episode . We recorded this podcast at AT&T Park in August 2018. Film photography by  Michelle Kilfea...

Bertha Fajardo grew up going to games at both Candlestick Park and the Oakland Coliseum. Her dad and uncles got her started, but her love of the game survived her teenage years, and in 1997, she got a job with the Giants. In her role as manager of Community and Family Programs, Bertha oversees much of the charitable work that current and former Giants players and their families are involved in. ​I...

​Mike Lynch paid his dues in San Francisco. His business,  Babylon Burning , which he's owned since 1999 and which has been open since 1976, recently attained legacy status with the city. In this podcast, Mike talks about what it means to own a small business here. He shares his aim to support other local businesses, reflects on how the city has changed over the years, and discusses the things he...

Mike Lynch grew up in Maine. In the 1980s, so many of his New England friends had moved to San Francisco that he decided to give it a try. More than 30 years later, he owns a business and a home and has a family. In this episode, Mike talks about the printing jobs he had, which eventually led him to the shop he owns today— Babylon Burning  in SoMa. Sidenote: Mike's shop made the Storied: SF T-shir...

Pepper Alexandria is a belly dancer and dance instructor these days. She puts on a big show every year called Carnival of Stars. She moved to San Francisco in 1968, in the heyday of the hippie movement. In this podcast, Pepper talks about shows she went to, bands she knew, and venues they played at. She shares stories of underground comix and their parties, which she often danced at. She ends the...

Kevin DeMattia has bartended and barbacked at Big Heart City, the Black Cat, the Blind Tiger, and the Chi Chi Club. He eventually got introduced to Bender's in the Mission. From the first time he set foot in the bar, Kevin felt like he was home. He got a job there, and right as he felt he had hit his stride in San Francisco, Bender's burned down. In this episode, Kevin walks us through his jobs in...

It's 2004. September 11 wasn't even three years removed yet. But Kevin DeMattia had a thing for climbing large buildings and structures, and Sutro Tower was calling his name. ​In this podcast, Kevin, who co-owns Bender's Bar and Grill in the Mission and Emperor Norton's Boozeland in the Tenderloin, shares the story of conquering the 977-foot TV and radio antenna tower that has become quite the ico...

In this episode, San Francisco Giants Executive VP of Communications Staci Slaughter shares stories about opening the team's new stadium in China Basin—PacBell Park, as it was known back in 2000. She tells stories about Barry Bonds, playoff games, World Series wins, and parades down Market Street. She ends the podcast with some reflections on Giants fans. We recorded this podcast at AT&T Park in J...

​Staci Slaughter grew up going to Giants games at Candlestick Park. In the 1990s, she got a job in Mayor Frank Jordan's office, where she helped with the effort to keep the baseball team in San Francisco. After Jordan left office, Staci found a job in the Giants' front office, where she's been for 22 years now. Today, she's the Executive VP of Communications for the ballclub. In this podcast, Stac...

Darryl Lim grew up in San Francisco and saw first-hand the devastation that AIDS wrought on the city's gay community. In this podcast, Part 2 of Darryl's story, he talks about what it was like to watch friends and loved ones die of the disease and suffer the stigma of having it. He talks about his own experience with AIDS and what it was like, after living in a few other cities, to come back home...

​Darryl Lim was born in San Francisco and raised in North Beach. In this podcast, Darryl, who is a skin care professional these days, shares the great things about his childhood, including cafes, bookstores, clubs, and the schools he went to. He talks about going to Esalen when he was 12, and the influence that hippies had on him. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Darryl will talk about living...

Gordon Szeto  loves taking photographs. The San Francisco native found photography as a teenager, and after a run with his family business, he fell back in love with the art. These days, Gordon co-owns  Glass Key Photo , a camera and film store located in the Polk Gulch. In this podcast, Gordon talks about his love of photography—specifically, film photography. He shares thoughts on what makes San...

Gordon Szeto grew up on the edge of Russian Hill, close to Chinatown, a neighborhood that, from a young age, captivated him. As a teenager, he got into photography, and Chinatown was a natural subject. These days, he and a few other photographers are documenting life in Chinatown—the people and businesses that have held out all these years. In this episode, Gordon talks about growing up in San Fra...

It was one thing for the San Francisco Giants to end the franchise's 56-year drought, winning the World Series in 2010. They went on to repeat as champions in 2012 and 2014. In this podcast, the third part of three, staff photographer Andy Kuno shares stories from the second and third World Series victories for the San Francisco Giants. We recorded this podcast at The Social Kitchen and Brewery in...

​Something happened in 2010 that had never taken place in San Francisco before—the Giants won a World Series. The team had been here for 52 years at that point. They had played in three different stadiums. Entire generations of families had been fans. But that season, it all came together and eventually culminated in a parade down Market Street in November. In this podcast, the second part of thre...

For 24 years, photographer Andy Kuno has been on the field with the San Francisco Giants. He grew up going to games at Candlestick with his dad, a photo lab owner who helped out taking pictures of the ballclub. In the 1990s, Andy got the job, and he's been there, through thick and thin, ever since. In this podcast, the first part of three, Andy talks about memories of the Giants in the 1989 and 20...

After Anthony Bourdain passed away in June, our friends at  Bitch Talk Podcast  decided that the best way to honor him was to follow in his footsteps—literally. The second of three planned "Bourdain Crawls" brought them (and Jeff) to Upper Haight's Zam Zam, where we met and were treated to some amazing oral history from bartender Kundan Baidwan. In this episode, which is shared by our podcast and...

In this podcast,  Ed Wolf  talks about moving here and feeling like he was part of a community. Shortly after his arrival in San Francisco, that community was upended by AIDS. Ed tells stories of his own relationship with the disease and he talks about an old roommate who was sick but found hope in an unusual place. Here's the poem Ed mentions having written in this podcast: THE SKI MASK When he's...