Like last week, when I went to the Haight for some record shopping. I was dying to find a copy of Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts' version of "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box." They always play it at Saturday Soul Night at the Elbo Room, and it's a hilarious, raunchy rocking song (it was also featured in John Waters' A Dirty Shame). I figured if anyone would have it on vinyl, it would be Rooky's Records. Same with Vaughn Mason's Roller Boogie classic "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll," KC & the Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes," and, um, Ace Frehley's "New York Groove." (Can you tell I've been hanging out with Roscoe 2000 when he's DJing?)
But not only did they not have any of them, but the very knowledgeable clerk had never even heard of the first two. Heresy! That said, he was probably the nicest record store clerk ever -- I know, I know, that's not really saying a lot, but this guy was like the Mother Theresa of record store clerks. Not to me, exactly, but when dealing with the French dude who was actually buying records. The longer the French guy stayed, the more the clerk offered him. "Are you ready?" he'd ask, and the guy would make no inclination towards leaving, so he'd offer him a free button, a free sticker, and eventually even a free bottle of water. Maybe after I left he offered him the whole store.
I decided to go up to Recycled Records on Upper Haight, because Roscoe swears by them. And that's when I saw that the Lower Haight, my Lower Haight, had changed. Just like the Western Addition, which is now called NOPA by all the finest real estate agents, the LowHate has gotten a serious spit-shine. For one, that futon store off Fillmore has finally, really, truly gone out of business, after about 10 years of going out of business. And in it's place? A superfancy Thai Restaurant, with slanty beams and mood lighting and huge windows -- the kind that no one ever dared put in around there, in case a gangsta or anarchist decided to offer up his brick. RNM is kind of fancy, but they figured out how to be Lower Haight and chic -- you make it look ugly on the outside and don't let people see inside, and you serve fancy White Castle-style burgers.
Next to the Thai place is a boutique that looks like it belongs on Upper Haight. Because it's really roomy and elegant with more moody lighting, whereas the boots down here usually are funky and cool without trying so hard to be exclusive.
Further down the street, An Baudrain or whatever it was called is now Danny Coyle's. Trading Irish bar for Irish bar is good, I guess, and Jake swears by this place. Nearby, though, is Haight Street Dentistry. I mean, come on, what's next? Junkie Daycare?
In another attempt at branding, all the street poles have Lower Haight signs on them, with individual paintings. Some are pretty cool in an Upper Playground-meets-XLR8R hoodie sort of way, but others feature lame-ass bird doodles.
The most disturbing sign of "urban renewal" (aka the rich, white hordes descending), however, was the sign announcing the city's desire to install "safety cameras" on the street corners.
Oh yeah, and Kingfoot Subs has a new, "totally extreme" looking sign. Jeez.
5 comments:
I am jealous you can make comics.
Well, you can grow a mean moustache. And make the ladies swoon. Both are impressive.
Ladies?
My friend Robert wrote and recorded a song called Gentrification that you might enjoy. Maybe Michele or I have a copy of it somewhere. It stars a character called Junkie Pilgin, who is the guy who is having no luck living in San Francisco anymore because of all the jauntrifiCAYshun.
Yeah, there's also that boutique-y store, Doe, down in the lower Haight, where I bought a pair of designer jeans that I spent a really embarassing amount of dough on. Times are a changin' in the Haight.
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