I had found him online. He was a kooky sketch comedian, and he maintained an incredibly honest, introspective blog littered with cultural references I loved. He was beautiful in a wicked, ethereal way, but he wasn’t beholden to his beauty. His life seemed like one long, fascinating lurch towards the

If you’re a regular at Oakland house shows, you’ve likely shared a room with Nicholas Taplin.  In 2015, Taplin began filming DIY shows and sharing footage under the name Post-Consumer. Feeling “unconditioned socially” given his Quaker boarding school education on the East Coast, Taplin discovered this form of documentation both

As 2024 winds down, we’re reflecting on another incredible year of sharing the stories, art, culture, and nightlife that make the Bay Area so unique. BrokeAssStuart.com wouldn’t be what it is without you—our community of readers, supporters, and believers in independent media. This year, instead of asking you to join Patreon

Housing and food insecurity is nothing new to the Bay Area. From the most densely populated urban corridors to idyllic suburban streets and far flung exurban outskirts, access to nutrients and shelter is increasingly harder to come by for our region’s ever growing homeless population.  Desperate times call for innovative

Oakland is a town filled with opinions. Is Oakland the best, coolest, hippest place on the West Coast? Or is it a dystopian slum with sky high crime and little opportunity? It depends on who you’re talking to. According to the sign telling me to “love life” Oakland has around

From its inception in 1993, Noise Pop has championed independent musicians of all stripes. The annual Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival, once a single night at The Independent (then The Kennel Club), has since become a Bay Area mainstay, featuring an eclectic variety of established and up-and-coming artists. Previous headliners include well-known names

Written by Nelda Kerr In February 2020, students and teachers won a landmark $53 million settlement against the State of California for not teaching kids how to read. At the time, 56% of students in both San Francisco and Alameda counties were meeting state standards for English, with a quarter of all

Frank Somerville has had a pretty shitty year. Even by pandemic standards, fate hasn’t been kind to Frank Somerville.  So, what exactly is up with Frank Somerville? Let’s start from the beginning.  Back in May of 2021, Frank was temporarily suspended after appearing drunk on air. He had a dazed

Although Shannon and the Clams’ new album was completed shortly before COVID-19 seized the globe, it wasn’t forged free of tumult. In 2019, Shannon Shaw, the Clams’ magnetic front woman, was driven from her Oakland apartment by a persistent peeping tom. Later, on the eve of the Clams’ tour with