DEC 03 - JAN 04
FEATURES
NUGGETS
FLASH BROTHERS
18
FAKE HOLIDAY
22
LAUNDERLAND
32
SEGMENTS FASHION
Hoodie Fashion
8
LIFE Yuri Lane
12
SOUND Blackalicious
FILM Year In Horror Films
14 36
STUFF WORTH STEALING
10
M.Y.O.D.T.
15
ONE WINGED ADVICE
38
GIFT GUIDE
39
MUNI HAIKU
43
A DIFFERENT VIEW
44
Reader Letters We were expecting quite a few letters in response to our premiere issue, but never conceived of the overwhelming amount that flooded into our mailbox. Thank you very much to the heaps of people who wrote in. We decided to print both of them. In our own personal experiment, we randomly inserted several $5 bills into our last issue. The finskys were placed in “5 Things To Do With 5 Dollars” and were stapled to a note asking lucky recipients to write back and let us know what they did with their free scrilla’. Result? $200 in 5’s got 1 funny-ass response (Publisher’s note: S.P.E. will no longer be conducting “personal” experiments). $5 THINGS: S.P.E. Magazine, HEY YA! Whats crackin? This is peaches, I was one of the lucky few who got the 5$. It was cool how me and my friends just stumbled onto the alley with all the dancing...lots of hotties! Anyways, with the 5$, we walked over to a super- sketch liquor store in the tenderloin and bought a bottle of vodka and some Capt’n Mo’s. It was quite an experience. Considering the fact that I was wearing a mini-skirt I got such comments from schizo bums like, “Oooh wee wee, look at that white girl with the thick thighs” Me and my 3 friends managed to scurry off with out getting killed. We took the booze and got crunked uppppp! Got retarrrded! And my friend visiting from so cal got some ass! So it’s all gravy! Thank you for contributing to underage drinking and pre-marital sex! Ciao!! - MEGAN P CONSPIRACIES UNCOVERED: S.P.E. Magazine, Y’all mofos are on some sick shit, yo! You’ve somehow managed to captivate some of the most controversial and divisive issues that vex our city. It’s about time we stop turning a blind eye to these concerns, such as PDJE (Poor
DJ Ergonomics) and Marina Gangs, and try to focus more apprehension towards the crux of these matters if we intend to ascertain realistic solutions. As a DJ and a Marina bartender, I know firsthand the despair wrought in the minds of those who are affected by such grave issues; even worse however, I’m equally familiar with the apathy that has cultivated by having an uninformed public. I was beginning to believe these matters were government cover-ups calculated to pacify the populace and to be impossible to resolve, but it’s good to know that somebody is trying to expose this front and blow the lid off this motha’ f*cka! I have high hopes for SPE and will be looking forward to your next issue. Hopefully, you’ll cover where poor, half white/half Mexican boys in their 20’s can score with hot Asian chicks. Thanks dawgs, - THE ANSER p.s. - This is the first time I have written to a magazine, so I hope you’re flattered. p.s.s. - I just quit smoking a couple of days ago so I’m trying to occupy my time with shit that won’t make me think about cigarettes; that’s the only reason I wrote all of this gay ass shit anyways. p.s.s.s. - Maybe it could work out that one day I could be a contributing writer - if I ever think about something cool enough to write about that is. It’s good to be noticed and appreciated, Anser. Protection against the government is dirty work, but we come from dirty families. And dude, you’re a DJ/Bartender working in the Marina…if you need more help than that, pass a stack of these out and tell people you own the magazine, it’s your full time job and you’re super rich because of it - that’s what we do. p.s. - We’re totally flattered. Your letter made our day. p.s.s. – If quitting smoking helped you write this, quit some other shit too. p.s.s.s – Good thinking. Unfortunately, we pay our Contributors in cigarettes. If you take up smoking again and have an idea for a story, email editorial@spemag.com Got something to say? Wanna pick a fight? Email us at letters@spemag.com.
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By Leslie Katz
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FROM YURI LANE PG.12
followed, and eventually he melded his theatrical and beatbox skills to forge a genre he calls “beatbox narrative.” Lane and his wife Rachel Havrelock, who wrote and directed From Tel Aviv to Ramallah, have themselves traversed the path from Israel’s bustling metropolis to the Palestinians’ West Bank cultural and political center. Havrelock speaks both Hebrew and Arabic and the pair talked to people on both sides of the decadesold divide. “I’m not trying to say who’s right,” the beatbox artist stresses. “In many ways, it’s a show about what’s wrong.” Lane, who now lives in Chicago, performed his show at Spanganga in the Mission in November and will return to San Francisco to perform again May 20. In the meantime, locals can catch his rapid rat-tat-tats in the film Compulsory Breathing, a darkly comic beatbox romance scheduled to air Dec. 20 on KQED. They can also rock to his rhythms at www.yurilane.com.
FROM BLACKALISIOUS PG.14
Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc laid it out first. These guys were architects. You have to always give respect and credit to those who created the foundation. KRS-1, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, I could go on forever…my heroes are the architects… anyone in the future who will take hip-hop to that next level is my hero too. What is the proudest moment of your career? Feel free to say this interview. Excel: Every day. Today. We give thanks for so much. I mean, to make a living doing your craft and traveling the world…we feel truly blessed. I’d say the crowning moment though so far was in March when we got to play in South Africa for the first time. Playing Cape Town and Johannesburg was one of the most amazing and emotional experiences of my career.
CONTRIBUTORS Philip Chidel is an independent filmmaker whose feature Far From Bismarck won some awards at some festivals some years back. He currently produces interactive television at TechTV, and spends his free time wondering what happened to all his free time. He also eats paste.
Domini is currently trying to decide whether to live in Tel Aviv or San Francisco because she is tired of taking so many airplanes. She designs clothes, teaches yoga, and has been trying to breakdance now for a year and a half. She also has a friendster profile.
Ariel K. Ford is a California native who enjoys cute things like kittens, hip-hop music and writing about herself in the third person. She is residing in NYC this fall with her foxy husband Durand to gather research for her thesis on why San Francisco rules.
Claudia Goetzelmann, www.claudiagoetzelmann.com, a native German, moved to San Francisco from Singapore three years ago. She has lived in Europe, Africa, and Asia where she worked as a photographer. Claudia has repeatedly gained recognition for her fresh approach and has been awarded several awards in the past year for her extraordinary self promotions.
Andrew Loos’ mission is simple: to put the “real” back into reality programming. His two most recent projects, Motley Stew and Hip Hop Hero, featuring Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples and Blackalicious, will leave you wondering when it all went wrong. www.hiphophero.com
Mark Rutherford’s photography has been seen by millions for much of the last two decades. A pioneer in electronic imaging Mark shoots only in digital mediums. Known for his advertising work, Mark loves editorial photography. “Editorial alludes to a story and has emotional effect. It’s about attitude.” With studios in Oakland and New York, his attitude is always a bit East of center. www.mrutherford.com
Leslie Katz has written for publications including the San Jose MercuryNews, San Francisco Chronicle and Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. She is currently copy chief at TechTV, a national cable television network devoted to the digital lifestyle. Leslie is invisible.
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