Arts & Culture

JD Doyle's '1981: My Gay American Road Trip'

JD Doyle's '1981: My Gay American Road Trip'

  • BOOKS
  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Oct 31, 2023

"1981: My Gay American Road Trip," a journal of music and queer culture historian JD Doyle's cross-country trip to 29 cities in 24 states, shares a bounty of stories from our collective past, including San Francisco's pre-AIDS heyday.

Becca Mancari on her new music and a new tour

Becca Mancari on her new music and a new tour

  • MUSIC
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 31, 2023

In advance of her Nov. 7 concert at Cafe Du Nord, singer-songwriter Becca Mancari discussed the making of her new album, and the many musicians who helped create and produce it.

Going Out, Oct. 26-Nov. 3, 2023

Going Out, Oct. 26-Nov. 3, 2023

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 26, 2023

Halloween's on Tuesday, but you know there'll be plenty of creepy costumed fun through this weekend. We also have plenty of arts and nightclub events that are a bit less scary, including our Besties winners and runners-up, this week in Going Out.

John Cameron Mitchell on playing 'Cassette Roulette' with Amber Martin

John Cameron Mitchell on playing 'Cassette Roulette' with Amber Martin

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 24, 2023

John Cameron Mitchell takes to the stage on November 4 at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall with multi-talented singer Amber Martin. The duo will play "Cassette Roulette," a fun night of prepared and audience-request songs performed with their band.

Museums, music & more: Besties arts: a winning year in local culture for 2023

Museums, music & more: Besties arts: a winning year in local culture for 2023

  • ART
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 24, 2023

From music to dance and theater, our readers have shared their favorites in the Besties once again. Here's what they have to say this go-round in the performing arts.

Theater Briefs: closing soon and coming soon

Theater Briefs: closing soon and coming soon

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 24, 2023

The fall theater season continues at a fast and furious pace, with plenty of openings still to come. Here are a few productions that should be on your radar.

'The War On Disco' — PBS documentary recalls Disco Demolition Night

'The War On Disco' — PBS documentary recalls Disco Demolition Night

  • MOVIES
  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Oct 24, 2023

What cultural conditions lead to a rock shock jock blowing up disco records and starting a riot at a ballpark? "The War on Disco," the PBS documentary, seeks an answer regarding the "Disco Demolition" at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979.

'My Animal' — a howling good film

'My Animal' — a howling good film

  • MOVIES
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 24, 2023

While there are some vague, yet highly stylized, elements in 'My Animal,' there's nothing ambiguous about the way it equates queerness with supernatural otherness.

Roz Chast: Graphic novelist's dream come true

Roz Chast: Graphic novelist's dream come true

  • BOOKS
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 24, 2023

Roz Chast's new book, the wonderful "I Must Be Dreaming," is as dreamy as the title suggests. Dedicated "to the Dream District of our brains," Chast shares her own dreams — recurring, lucid, cartoon-idea, and body horror, among others.

Ryan Pfluger's 'Holding Space: Life and Love Through a Queer Lens'

Ryan Pfluger's 'Holding Space: Life and Love Through a Queer Lens'

  • BOOKS
  • by Mark William Norby
  • Oct 24, 2023

In Ryan Pfluger's "Holding Space: Life and Love Through a Queer Lens," his series of portraits show how intersectional queer relationships really are and how effective in them we can actually be.

Anne Eekhout's 'Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein'

Anne Eekhout's 'Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein'

  • BOOKS
  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Oct 24, 2023

Against the odds, by concentrating on its author, Anne Eekhout's new novel, "Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein" (translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson), makes Mary Shelley's life story more involving than most revisited novels based on classics.

Witch ways: Christine Cunningham Ashworth's 'Scott Cunningham: The Path Taken'

Witch ways: Christine Cunningham Ashworth's 'Scott Cunningham: The Path Taken'

  • BOOKS
  • by Jim Piechota
  • Oct 24, 2023

Written by his younger sister, Christine, this biography of Wiccan trailblazer Scott Cunningham (1956-1993) is a fitting and loving tribute to a queer man who helped usher witchcraft into the mainstream.

Going Out, Oct. 19-27, 2023

Going Out, Oct. 19-27, 2023

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 19, 2023

From artists showcasing their works at the Shipyard Open Studios, to pre-Halloween weekend revelry, we're sharing a feast of arts and nightclub events in Going Out, this week and every week.

Fortune Feimster — She's queer, she's here, she's hella funny.

Fortune Feimster — She's queer, she's here, she's hella funny.

  • THEATER
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 17, 2023

With two hilarious, full-length Netflix specials to her name, numerous acting roles, and a brand new live stand-up comedy tour, aptly titled "Live, Love, Laugh" (in Oakland Oct. 21), there's plenty of Fortune Feimster to go around.