Tuesday, May 16, 2017

The History of Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Review of Books posted my review of Jerald Podair's City of Dreams: Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles. Sports, history, urban politics ... this book has a little something for everyone. Robert Moses shut down the Dodgers' attempt to build a new stadium in Brooklyn, so the move to Los Angeles seemed to be the best option, but they had a hell of a time getting the green light for the stadium. Highly recommended.

Monday, May 15, 2017

SF State Now Flying Its Freak Flag

The communications folks at SF State have launched a series on the Summer of Love, with special emphasis on the role of the campus, alumni, etc. Was happy to help the reporters, including Jamie Oppenheimer. My advice to Jamie was to focus on the SF State alumni, such as Wes Wilson (poster artist), George Hunter and Dan Hicks (The Charlatans), Peter Coyote (actor), Rock Scully (Grateful Dead manager), and so on. I'm delighted it's coming out now.

David Talbot & the Bay Area Book Festival

I got a little love from David Talbot yesterday. In his Sunday column for the San Francisco Chronicle, I credited Cherilyn Parsons for creating the Bay Area Book Festival, and David was kind enough to mention my books on the Grateful Dead and Ramparts magazine.