Important Lessons from Muni Diaries Live 4

Photo by Breanna Lambert of Scoutmob

More than 150 of you came out to share a night of good laughs, strong drinks, and general fun at our fourth spoken word party Friday night. We learned a few important things from our stellar storytellers.  If the rain kept you away from the fun on Friday night, let’s review:

1. Never try to skateboard wearing cowboy boots.
2. It takes approximately 12 people to lift a car off of the Muni tracks.
3. Reading a low brow book on Muni can give a certain fellow passenger Lit Rage.
4. Holding onto the handrails with both hands on Muni can have unintended consequences.
5. Muni Interruptus can ruin your dating life.

What else happened on Friday night at Muni Diaries Live? Let’s see…

Isaac Fitzgerald, managing editor at The Rumpus, opened the show with his story of a Muni encounter that ended up with an introduction of his face to the fist of a tall and imposing woman.

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

Then author Andrew Lam explained why it’s a bad idea to stand thusly on a crowded bus, especially when a very handsome man decides to stand behind you. I think at least half the room was blushing while doubling over laughing at Andrew’s deliciously raunchy Muni stories.

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

One of the most heart-warming yet hilarious stories of the night came from Derek Powazek, the editor of Fray, who also happened to live right above the Muni tracks. When a parked car got in the way of a Muni train, Derek saw from his window that the passengers on the bus had decided to take matters into their own hands.

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

Continuing a Muni Diaries Live tradition, our wonderful emcee Suzanne LaGasa explains how she will keep time during the audience story portion of the show. Don’t go over two minutes unless you want to see Suzanne pull out the floss out and take care of her dental hygiene — you’ve seen this on the bus, but we don’t want to see it at the Make-Out Room!

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

Fortunately none of our four audience storytellers (Susan, Janet, Leah, and Michael, below, L-R) got the floss treatment from Suzanne. What they got instead were awesome prizes from our sponsors: Anthony’s Cookies, Chronicle Books, The Summit, Metronome Dance Collective, and Market Street Railway. Many of you also shopped at the adorable merchandise table set up by our sponsor Secession Art and Design. Are those transit baby onesies irresistible or what?

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

We kept the identity of our surprise guest under wraps for weeks, and then unveiled him at the event: Judson True, who, until a few months ago, was the media spokesperson for SFMTA. His frank and hilarious account of Life Interrupted by Muni had the room in stitches. He even showed off a T-shirt that his friends made for him that reads: “We take this incident very seriously.”

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

Back by popular demand, Tara led us in a sing-along of a song about the 9-San Bruno. It felt a little bit like we were in Muni church.

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

To close out the event, comedian Bucky Sinister bravely counted down his top four stories of Muni shame. We also learned from Bucky that dating season is over for 2010 (Halloween being the worst day to find dates, and then Thanksgiving and Christmas take over). Dating season, according to Bucky, will start again on Feb. 15, 2011. Mark your calendars.

Photo by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography

Since our Halloween show coincided with the end of the paper version of the type “A” Fast Pass, Jeff and I thought it was the perfect excuse to goof around a little on stage. Thank you for not throwing tomatoes at me!

Photo by Breanna Lambert of Scoutmob

This is our fourth show, and every time we are amazed that something as simple as telling a Muni story can bring together such a great community. On the web and on the stage, Muni Diaries is built on your stories and your love for this city. We have a lot more in store for you, including an event this month at SOMArts. Stay tuned for that, and keep sending us your Muni stories!

Want more Muni Diaries Live?
Read a recap of the first event.
Read a recap of the second event.
Read a recap of the third event