For years there have been individuals that I’ve seen around town who captured my imagination. This project, Drawn From the City, became an excuse to find out about their lives through interviews, documenting the cultural life-blood of the city.
Neil
Occupation: I'm a writer and impresario. I’m on the board of directors for the Adobe Books & Arts Cooperative. Mainly I put on music shows, about 40-50 shows a year in different venues.
Where do you live? I live in the SOMA, which is kink central of SF, a fun community. I have lived and put on shows at the Vortex Room for the past 10 years and I'm currently spending a lot of time and money fighting an eviction. Eviction is a rite of passage into a part of the adult world I never wanted to join.
Style inspiration: I’ve always liked to wear suits, and as time goes on I get more into velvet three-piece suits. As a kid in the '70s I was mesmerized by the pimp characters on cop TV shows who always wore fabulous suits. I’m also into “power clashing.”
What is your favorite place in the city? I like wandering to a variety of neighborhoods and trying to see the inside of different people’s houses. When I was younger I used to crash fancy adult parties, and dominate the stereo and sometimes cook food. These days I'm more into ingratiating myself and getting invited in. If you see someone with a moving van, you can offer to help carry stuff. There are a lot of techniques.
Check back in next Tuesday for more Drawn from the City.
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