San Francisco
SKY TYLER’S BACKGROUND
I came into being on the twentieth day of April, nineteen eighty-nine, at the Mad River Community Hospital in Humboldt County. I had no control over being born on Hitler’s birthday. Had no idea I’d share my day of conception with the Columbine tragedy. I’m born on 420, whatever. It’s not my fault, really. I… »
KEITH S.A.K.E. FEST DAY ONE
Years ago, to celebrate our anniversary, I threw a three-day party for Sky. Only two people were invited, us. I called it the S.A.K.E.—Sky And Keith Everlasting—festival. Even made up a flyer. I mailed it to her and everything. The first day of S.A.K.E. was all about Henna. You know Henna has the power to… »
SKY & THE S.A.K.E. FEST DAY ONE
At the S.A.K.E. festival, with henna in a plastic squeeze bottle applicator, Keith drew outlines of his hand all over my body. In the middle of his outlined hand he pasted an eye. To make sure the designs were perfect, he edited with a toothpick. I was covered in henna hands. All over my body,… »
SKY S.A.K.E. FEST DAYS TWO AND THREE
Day two of the S.A.K.E. fest we danced a lot. We danced to Indian sageet music; beautiful sounds pushed by the seventeen-string sitar and the bell-like tabla drums. I know a little about belly dancing. I had taken a class at the time. We danced and danced, naked of course, covered in Henna. We made… »
KEITH & CRYSTAL CRAPS
I grew up playing craps with crystals. About sixth grade I invented a game. It was played with chunks of green jade, black onyx, orange amber, and the pointy purple amethysts. You’d get a shoebox and toss the four stones. The idea of the game was to keep the onyx away from the amber. You’d… »
HOW KEITH AND SKY MET
Sky was a freshman in high school, a recent transplant from Humboldt. She lived with her mother and younger twin brothers in the Richmond, displaced from her dad in the divorce. She attended George Washington High, the same school as Keith. For social reasons, she joined after-school groups ranging from the Equestrian Club to the… »
SKY’S TRIP TO THE MUSEUM WITH KEITH
Keith and I were at the Legion of Honor museum. We were standing in the Rodin hall in front of The Mighty Hand. That statue says it all. It’s totally gripping. The tensions in every finger. The flex of every fiber of the hand. On one level it’s like the hand is trying so hard… »
MELODY RAIN TALKS ABOUT MEETING SKY
I live in Berkeley Hills with my mom. My mom’s girlfriend lives there too. I’ll move out soon. I only need six more Natural Science credits to get an AA degree in Liberal Arts from Vista Community College. I don’t have to tell you anything, but just cause, this time I will. So it was… »
THELONIOUS COMMENTS ON MELODY RAIN
When I kicked it with Melody Rain she lived in Frisco and still went to community college in the East Bay. That was like two summers ago. Let me tell you something: Melody doesn’t give a fuck about Botany or VCC or the AA degree. She lives her life to a different degree. A degree… »
MELODY’S DAYDREAM ON THE N JUDAH
Look at you, thirty-nine, maybe forty, wrinkled and maternal, I see you taking off your sweatshirt. Your arms stretch over your head, up comes your shirt. I see a bit of your skin cause your T-shirt rises as well. Your lovers past. Back in the day they saw the same spectacle with hella lust, with… »
THELONIOUS TAKES ON SAN FRANCISCO
The fucking cable cars. Nevah stay anywhere near a cable-car line. All day and night. Those fucking tourists, hip-sack, shopping bags, fleece SF sweatshirt, gee, honey—who would’ve thought it gets so cold in California durin the summer. Everyone hangin off cable cars all smilin and wavin. They wave at the locals. What the fuck you… »
