"Literal, symbolic rabbits are petted, mauled."
Of Mice and Men
"Life's not worth it. So what?"
L'Etranger, Camus
"No one misses a charming bootlegger."
The Great Gatsby
--Salon
5.27.2008
Generation Perdue Deux
"Humanity is in a period exactly like 1938-9, he explains, when "we all knew something terrible was going to happen, but didn't know what to do about it". But once the second world war was under way, "everyone got excited, they loved the things they could do, it was one long holiday ... so when I think of the impending crisis now, I think in those terms. A sense of purpose - that's what people want."From an interview with climate science doom theorist James Lovelock
5.21.2008
Bay to Breakers 2008 = Epic
From the Chron: "Indeed, the Park Police Station, which covers the eastern end of Golden Gate Park, got so many complaints that Capt. Teri Barrett sent out an e-mail blast Tuesday asking residents for help in documenting just 'how out of control the Bay to Breakers was this year.'
...
Runner Ryan Cunnane, 28, agreed with officials that Sunday's race was 'by far the booziest' he'd seen in his nine years of racing.
'Once people realized that waiting in line was a death sentence, it became a free-for-all,' Cunnane said. 'The wall of the gas station at Divisadero and Fell turned into a makeshift bathroom, with 10 guys lined up on the wall to relieve themselves.'"
...
Runner Ryan Cunnane, 28, agreed with officials that Sunday's race was 'by far the booziest' he'd seen in his nine years of racing.
'Once people realized that waiting in line was a death sentence, it became a free-for-all,' Cunnane said. 'The wall of the gas station at Divisadero and Fell turned into a makeshift bathroom, with 10 guys lined up on the wall to relieve themselves.'"
5.19.2008
5.08.2008
New Weezer [SNAP JUDGEMENT]
"Troublemaker" aWESOME yet wEIRD."The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variation on a Shaker Hymn)" Epic. Even Stranger. Rivers is feeling it.
5.05.2008
RZA as Bobby Digital on July 2008's “Digi Snacks” [SNAP JUDGEMENT]
Pull-quote: "How can hip-hop be dead if Wu-Tang is forever?"
Knee-jerk: Not groundbreaking, but it's great to hear RZA rapping.
Notably: The chorus on track 2 “Longtime Coming” is sweet and fresh, while the guitar sample used in track 3 “You Can't Stop Me Now” is best known to me from MF Doom on King Geedorah.
Final First Word: Digi Snacks appears delicious when eaten in bite-sized bits, but a three-course meal it is not. Looking forward to the SF date June 21 at 1015 Folsom and the July release.
5.03.2008
D2 C.V.
David Downs
110 Highland Ave.
San Francisco, CA.
94110
415.240.2742 cell
415.525.3493 desk
david.downs@gmail.com
110 Highland Ave.
San Francisco, CA.
94110
415.240.2742 cell
415.525.3493 desk
david.downs@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2004, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL., Medill School of Journalism, Academy of Alternative Journalism, Fellow
1998-2002, University of California Santa Barbara, Bachelor of Arts, English Literature
EMPLOYMENT
2008-Present
Independent Journalist,
San Francisco, CA.
Arts and technology journalism for WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion, San Francisco Chronicle, Billboard Magazine and many other fine publications. Village Voice music critic. East Bay Express columnist. Founding co-editor: Marijuana Business Report.
2007 - 2008
2007 - 2008
Web Music Editor
San Francisco, CA.
Managing a national staff of sixteen including hiring and acquisitions. Digital and print reporting, writing, photography, editing, and production for a national sixteen-paper, alternative newsweekly chain. Doubled SF Weekly.com average monthly page views in eight months.
2006 - 2007
2006 - 2007
Music Editor/Web Editor
Oakland, CA.
Award-winning weekly column writing for 70,000 circulation weekly newspaper. Launched East Bay Express daily web content. Editing a twenty-page weekly print music section with a staff of freelancers across the country.
2004 - 2006
2004 - 2006
Contributing Research Editor
San Francisco, CA.
Writing and fact-checking technology features for top-tier national glossy magazine with a million-plus circulation.
AWARDS
2010 Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism
2008 First Place, Technology Writing, The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club, "The Day The Music Dies"
2006 First Place, Features Writing, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, "Roboscalper"
2006 First Place, Column Writing, the East Bay Press Club, "The War Profiteer"
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
The Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review, The Believer, McSweeney's, BLURT! Magazine, Gelf Magazine, Stanford Magazine, SF Weekly, San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Mental_Floss Magazine, California Magazine, The Bay Citizen, and many, many other fine publications.
2006 First Place, Features Writing, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, "Roboscalper"
2006 First Place, Column Writing, the East Bay Press Club, "The War Profiteer"
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
The Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review, The Believer, McSweeney's, BLURT! Magazine, Gelf Magazine, Stanford Magazine, SF Weekly, San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Mental_Floss Magazine, California Magazine, The Bay Citizen, and many, many other fine publications.
NOTED INTERVIEWEES: Lou Reed, Chuck D, George W. Bush, Matmos, Del the Funkee Homosapien, Dave Eggers, the Rampart Police Department, Steve Winwood, Les Claypool, Ben Folds, Lars Ulrich, Larry and Sergey of Google, Zach Hill, Dan The Automator, Kool Keith, Blackalicious, Amon Tobin, Josh Homme, Girl Talk, The Strokes, Jamie Lidell, Hot Chip, David Hayter, Crow, Joel, Servo, Dalton Caldwell, Chuck Klosterman, Will Franken, Erik Otto, Isaac Brock, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, The Pack, Mike Relm, Greg Werckman, Yo La Tengo, Sufjan Stevens, Massive Attack, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, the cast of The State, Flying Lotus, hundreds of others.
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