Happy 100th Birthday MUNI!

Some of the MUNI Themed Pieces from the 2011 Project.

December 9, 2011 – F Market Fido

City living has its challenges at times and there are times when it can be really aggravating. Then there is the good stuff, the moments big and small that make up the reasons why so many of us choose to love in big cities. Public transportation can often be a hassle but there is one thing that always makes my day. There is something about seeing a happy dog excited to be riding the bus or streetcar. It can put everyone in a good mood, like this fella I recently saw on the F Market heading downtown for a little adventure. So take your dogs on MUNI, just remember, they have to pay their fare.

November 29, 2011 – City of Wires

There are certain images that come to mind when many people think San Francisco. Things like cable cars, Victorians and the Golden Gate Bridge. While valid, those are the images made for Hollywood and tourist postcards.

For me, one image that really says San Francisco is our nest of wires. The wires that are in view whenever you look up above the street. The jumble of wires sprouting out of poles wherever you look out a window. Even in posh neighborhoods, the rich look out of their windows into poles that are a jumble of wires. The same wires vex camera-toting tourists trying to photograph our pretty houses. The poles lean like drunks adding to the chaotic effect of telephone, electric, cable wires. To the mess, add the wires for electric buses and streetcars. Ironically, the ancient cable cars have their cables discreetly beneath the streets.

The wire mess may not be pretty, but it always reminds me that I am home.

November 21, 2011 – MUNI

It’s the best worst public transportation system in the country. It gets you there and if we didn’t have it, what would we complain about? Where would we be without the endless MUNI anecdotes? Some stories are funny, occasionally a story reminds us that there are some good people riding and working for MUNI, but most of the stories are just outrageous and at times shocking — and hopefully still funny.

August 31, 2011 – Collage Monsters

Today’s piece for the 2011 Project is an experiment. And with 240 previous pieces so far, there are plenty of scraps and bits to work with. I like these little monsters, so stay tuned, more to come….

April 13, 2011 – Crazy Chick

Every time you sit down on BART you can’t think about it. You don’t want to know what lurks in those upholstered seats. It would be best not to read the New York Times article about BART seats and bacteria (I told you not read it). Sometimes when you sit down on BART, you know that a crazy person was there before you. These are the times you find a little comic book left for you on the seat from Chick Publications.

Chick Publications are the car crashes of religious fundamentalism. You can’t help but look. They are truly vile. They are perfect examples of the sort of hate and bigotry that zealots do so well. And as awful as they are, just like McDonalds and Jerry Springer, I secretly like them. They are so gross and yet hilarious. It’s tricky to parody Chick, as they parody themselves. That said, in the 1990’s the San Francisco comedian and performer David Hawkins created a play based on Chick Publications. The play remains one of the all time best underground theatre pieces ever done in the City.

You never know where you’ll find one, so keep your eyes out. The funny thing is I never see Chick Publications left on MUNI. There is no lack of crazies on MUNI, I wonder if the folks at Chick have ceded the turf to Mormon Missionaries.

April 7, 2011 – Fan

I am a real fan of foreign packaging. When I travel to foreign countries I always head to the supermarket. I can spend hours doing anthropological research just looking at all the “exotic” products and packaging. So much time that I suspect the staff monitoring the CCTV at Marks & Spencer thought I was a shoplifter. In the absence of foreign travel, I live in San Francisco. I have the Mission, Japantown, Chinatown and the Richmond.

One of my rules is, if it is a dollar or less, and you like it, buy it. Last week in the Richmond I came across Fan Medicated Soap. The retro looking packaging and the price of 59¢ had me. The smell is, to be subjective, medicated. It’s pretty awful. And in the spirit of authenticity for the 2011 Project, I used Fan Medicated Soap in the shower this morning. The smell doesn’t linger on the skin. Well, I think the soap removed a layer or two of skin. It’s pretty harsh. But the packaging inspired me for today’s piece.

The bar of soap is actually a rather attractive color. I was thinking that if I wanted to be a new age grifter, I could buy a load of Fan Medicated Soap at 59¢ each. Soak them to remove the embossed logo and then repackage the bars and sell them for $8 each at craft shows. “Homemade” soap indeed. But, in a way, I was too late. A quick search online and I learned the soap is seen as having some spiritual powers. Now, I am not questioning the spiritual powers of the soap and the beliefs of others. But I kept searching and found the bars priced at $5 and even £4.99. You may not live in San Francisco, but shop around because the soap should only cost 59¢.

Now, what do with the bar itself? Do I toss it or save it? It might be the perfect thing for washing my hands after a trip on MUNI.

March 8, 2011 – MUNI Transfer

For some reason, I have saved a handful of old MUNI transfers. Not surprisingly, they are all from the 17th of some month. 17 is my favorite lucky number. Today I was mostly looking for all sorts of purple bits for a collage and this transfer popped out. Like my earlier Homage to a Fast Pass, public transportation related bits of ephemera should be preserved in some form. As ticketing becomes more high tech paper will completely disappear. The last time I flew, I even noticed iPhone posers using their screens to show their boarding pass. I just don’t need to be that cool (yet). In the meantime, a bit of hoarding of paper can lead to some more art.

January 16, 2011 – An Homage to the Fast Pass

The MUNI Fast Pass in its color striped with a dash of foil design is no more. The embedded high tech pass on the Clipper Card has as much charm as an ecard. As goofy as it sounds, I used to always have a sense of anticipation when I bought the new pass. What will the colors be for next month? It was kind of like when you turn the page on a wall calendar on the first. It’s probably the only time of the month you might pause and regard the image

There are quite a few artists out there doing work with old Fast Passes. John Kuzich’s work even made it to the de Young (deservedly so). Chronicle Books’ blog has more Fast Pass art. Last year I got these groovy buttons made from the gang at PunkPunk. They feature old Fast Passes. I wear them with pride and  amused when little kids comments on them.  Even they recognize they are Fast Passes. But that won’t be for long.

I think I wouldn’t mind the Clipper Card half as much if the design looked like a good old Fast Pass.