Hunter Thompson and Haight-Ashbury on French TV

I was asked to say a few words about Hunter Thompson and Haight-Ashbury for a French television program called "Invitation au Voyage." Many thanks to Romain Thomassin and his crew for making "La San Francisco d'Hunter Thompson," which is playing on ARTE TV. I've only seen a few clips, which my brother-in-law sent along from Paris, but I gather Romain will screen it at GonzoFest in New Orleans next year.

Lowell Bergman on Electronic Communication and the First Amendment

The OLLI program at UC Berkeley asked me to chat with Lowell Bergman about his latest topic, "The First Amendment Is NOT a Suicide Pact." I've been a big fan of Lowell's work for Frontline for many years. Fanatical readers of this blog may recall that Al Pacino played him in The Insider (1999), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Here's the YouTube link for the talk.

Essay on Bob Weir in "Hidden Voices"

I was asked to contribute to "Hidden Voices: Americans with Disabilities in United States History," which was published by the NYC Department of Education this week. It's a resource for K-12 teachers and students in the city's public schools. I focused on Bob Weir, who has spoken about his undiagnosed dyslexia and how it affected his schooling and work over the years. It was an honor to be asked, and I hope the volume will be widely used.

Yet another great class in Berkeley, this time with David Weir. We focused on the Patty Hearst story he wrote with Howard Kohn for Rolling Stone in 1975. That was a blockbuster, but we also learned about Sundance magazine, Salon, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and David's life and times. So glad that worked out. Greil Marcus will visit next week, our final meeting. Pretty cool that these legends live in the area and are willing to share their rich experiences with us. Thanks to the OLLI program at UC Berkeley for making it happen.

Course on Rolling Stone Magazine at UC Berkeley

I'm teaching a course on Rolling Stone magazine at UC Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. So far, so good. I've invited three guests: Ben Fong-Torres, David Weir, and Greil Marcus. Ben's visit last week was a big success.

Review of New Ralph Gleason Bio

I was delighted to review Don Armstrong's new Ralph Gleason bio for Alta. Along with other elders like Bill Graham and Tom Donahue, Gleason lifted the profile of the Bay Area rock scene, but he also covered jazz and other popular forms for many years with great sympathy and insight. Along the way, he cofounded the Monterey Jazz Festival as well as Rolling Stone magazine. Thank you for this labor of love, Don Armstrong.