Culture
At the Eastside Arts Alliance, historian Robin D. G. Kelley speaks about his new book examining the life of pianist Thelonious Monk, and upends the myth of Monk as a reclusive jazz genius.
The It Costumes this year are scariest not because of gore but because of their powerful soul-sucking properties. Hint: They involve men’s suits, Lucky Strikes, and hair.
Neighbors stock up, and one family gets to work on its pumpkins, as North Oakland’s Lawton Avenue braces for the yearly Oct 31 onslaught of trick-or-treaters from far and wide.
Video report: Michael Jackson devotees dressed as zombies and assembled in North Oakland on Saturday as part of Thrill the World, a yearly event when thousands of people around the world dance to the song “Thriller” at the exact same time.
The unusual fashion show at Jack London Square last night featured discount and second-hand clothing, Willie Brown Jr., and an abundance of pride. A slideshow accompanies the story.
The race, last run in Oakland in 1984, will take marathoners from City Hall through North Oakland, and then all over town.
Oakland Tech’s Homecoming combined the old standards with the new — cheerleaders did their routine to a hip-hop beat and football players listened to iPods to get ready for the game. In this audioslide, ON’s Becky Palmstrom, who’s from Wales, gets a lesson in an American tradition.
At 23rd and Telegraph, inside a storefront/gallery/craft space called Rock Paper Scissors, neatly hung canvas paintings and framed ink drawings lined the walls. Cards below each piece identified the artist: all are prisoners at San Quentin.
The Piedmont Avenue patch is back, even if it’s harder to find than it used to be, and it’s still got the goods: the tongues, the eyeballs, the photos of wicked bulging-eyed children, and Oopy the daschund, who’s in costume too.