Last Saturday night, a few COYOTEs and a couple of our friends took to the stage to share their hot takes in a room full of discerning and curious people. We were there to impart our gripes, rants, and long-held opinions, and the crowd came ready to judge: Who had the spiciest take of the night?
The event was our newsroom’s program for the very beloved and popular LitCrawl, ‘a massive, one-night literary pub crawl’ where fun and think-y talks take place in non-traditional spaces throughout the Mission District. Ours was set in Fingersnaps Media Arts, a very cool community hub where people learn to DJ.
In the mix that night was yours truly, along with my fellow COYOTE co-founders Soleil Ho and Reo Eveleth, as well as San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez and 48 Hills co-founder Marke Bieschke. One by one, we grabbed the mike and tried to convince the audience that our takes were worthy and sound. In the end, there was no clear winner (because measuring by applause volume isn’t scientific enough), so maybe you can help us decide: Who had the spiciest take? Below, read condensed and edited versions of what we shared that night, and let us know what you think!
Marke Bieschke: “Burning Man art in San Francisco is good, actually”
I’ve never actually been to Burning Man, so I refrain from judging anything that happens there, but in our puffy down vest and $120 haircut era, we’ve been inundated with the most watered-down Burning Man art imaginable. Shiny dog and bunny sculptures in Golden Gate Park that uphold creaky gender stereotypes while trying hard to be weird? Check. Huge children’s blocks that spell our L-O-V-E that children can climb onto? Check. A fairy tale dragon in a pond? Check. Whale art? Check.