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Job Interview

Newspaper Man Don't have time to read the paper? Find it a tad boring? For those lucky commuters who get on and off BART at the Embarcadero station, there's Rick Gaub. He not only mans the Chronicle/Examiner stand, but for almost two decades he's also offered his spin on the day's headlines in the form of a 5-foot-high handwritten sign. Recently, associate editor David Boyer caught up with Rick during the evening rush hour (admittedly bad timing) and found out just what makes Ricky run. David: What is your job? Rick: To sell newspapers, but I do the signs on my own to entertain people. Right after the afternoon edition comes out--about three o'clock--I go through the paper. David: How long have you been doing it? Rick: I've been here since '78--20 years--and I've been doing the sign since the early '80s. David: Do you like it? Rick: Oh yeah, it's interesting. And people make lots of comments on [the sign]. David: What's the biggest story of the year? Rick: The biggest thing I can think of right now is the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky thing, and before that it was the Clinton/Paula Jones thing. Before that it was Clinton and Gennifer Flowers, I suppose. David: If you weren't doing this, what might you be doing? Rick: Advertising. I have a lot of commercial ideas, and I'm just kind of sitting on them right now. But when I get everything together I might [work in advertising]. But I've been doing this since I was 12--selling papers--and I'm 45 now. David: Favorite movie you've seen in the last six months? Rick: You know, I haven't seen many movies lately. I haven't seen any new ones because I work a double shift; I work in the morning and the evening so I just don't get a chance to see new movies. [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]