THERE WAS A HUMAN BE-IN OF sorts outside the Warfield Theatre on Market & 6th on Monday, as The Dead appeared for one night only. "People were lining up at four o'clock this morning," said the Warfield's Dwion Gates. ... Here today, ganja tomorrow. ... Jewelry and brownies of specious nature were being proffered on the grimy sidewalk -- along with clay pipes ... glass pipes ... and porcelain pipes. ... All this street theater was accompanied, of course, by the obligatory obligato of a lone conga drummer. ...By nightfall, it was a full-fledged, noisy, tribal gathering under a low-lying, hazy, pungent cloud that wafted over the block between Taylor & Mason ...
The Dead's music -- as well as the scent of herbs -- was coming up through the floors here at The Examiner. The Dead sound is vibrant and, well, lively. The remaining Dead are a testament to being alive. With Grateful Dead originals Bill Kreutzmann ... Bob Weir ... Mickey Hart ... and Phil Lesh, now 62, and with a new liver -- this merry band represents the triumph of flesh over pharmaceuticals. ...
John Creighton Murray, the Marina violin virtuoso, and Dr. Harvey Caplan, the Green Street psychiatrist, attended Friday night's concert at the Herbst by Midori, the Japanese-born violinist. ... John, just as famous as Midori in his day, studied with the great Bronislaw Huberman, who actually knew Brahms. (Funny how we think history is always so separate and distant.) ... The program indicated that Midori's violin is the 1734 Guarnarius del Gesu "ex-Huberman" -- once owned by John's venerable teacher. ... John was stunned. "I possessed that very violin for a number of years!" And John recently discovered an old photo of him and Huberman with that very violin. ... It gets better: John had the photo in his pocket. ...
John Murray believed this priceless instrument wound up in the hands of another great violinist, Ruggiero Ricci. ... After the concert, Harvey and John went backstage to greet Midori. John told her the story and showed her the picture. An amazed Midori explained she indeed got the violin from Ricci. It's on a lifetime loan from the Hayashibara Foundation. ... It's startling to see how these connections are made through the ages in an endless continuum of attempts to express beauty. ...
Midori, by the way, lives in New York with her two dogs, Franzie (after Franz Joseph Haydn) and Willa (after Willa Cather, one of Midori's favorite writers). Really, Midori? ... Dr. Caplan was amused to learn Midori has a psychology degree from NYU. Harvey is an amateur violinist. ... In the 1940s, broadcast pioneer Lowell Thomas described John Creighton Murray as the world's greatest violinist. ... Jane Riley, now retired from KCBS, introduced me to Lowell Thomas more than a few years ago. Thank you, Jane. ... Jane, who created the radio show, "Bay Area Woman," was spotted having a spot of lunch with the great Al Hart at Moose's the other day. ... Three courses and six degrees of separation. ...
This Sunday, Feb. 15, marks the last day for jazz at Marlena's in Hayes Valley. "It's the same, old sad story with small jazz venues," laments Barry Kinder, who's been singing there. "It's money. We did enjoy a three-month run. I guess that's rather good for today's standards." ... Let's show up on Sunday; maybe Marlena will change her mind. ...
Kevin Keating, the witty travel writer and raconteur, died Saturday at his Sausalito home. He was 71 and had been suffering from prostate cancer. Kevin, a sweet, funny man, was a fixture at the Washington Square Bar & Grill over the years. He worked with the legendary Chronicle columnist Stanton Delaplane. ... On occasion, he'd do the international legwork for Delaplane. Keating was a disc jockey for the old KSFO -- "when it was a real radio station," said Kevin's friend, Mike Thurston -- and a promoter for the Ice Capades. He became a regular writer for Hemispheres, the magazine for United Airlines. "The magazine is sending me on assignment," Kevin once said to me, "to drive the whole length of Baja in a Hummer. I can tell you one thing, Bruce. Everything in Mexico will stab you." ...
When Diane Weissmuller saw the special section of the Sunday Honolulu Star-Bulletin devoted to the life of the late columnist Dave Donnelly, she remarked wistfully, "He was a legend in his spare time." ... Bill Babbitt wasn't exactly wistful when he saw Sunday's editions of the Sacramento Bee. The paper ran photos on the front page of those who had been executed at San Quentin, including Bill's brother, Manny Babbitt, who died in 1999. "It was my brother's name all right," says Bill, "but it's my picture that's in the paper. I'm afraid to go out of the house." ...
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