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99 People to Watch in 99

People A-C | People D-G | People H-L People M-P | People Q-S | People T-Z Alan Quismorio New Plays Director, Emerging Playwrights Project Program director of the Emerging Playwrights Project at Artists Alliance Against AIDS, Quismorio is responsible for seeking out new playwrights with unique perspectives on the epidemic. Under his direction the program encourages sassy, smart, sexy and relevant new work about AIDS. In summer '99, expect a series of readings of new work. Those readings that are successful will be fully staged in the fall. (DM) Rink Foto The Rice Girls In 1988, with HIV transmission rates increasing once again, the Center for Disease Control turned to SF's Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center to spice up HIV-prevention efforts among Asians. The response: the Rice Girls, the safe-sex, lip-sync divas for the new millennium. These sassy and sexy drag queens do peer education with wit and style. Catch their raucous, hip-grinding "Rice, Rice Baby Tour" at the InTouch on Polk Street and wherever queer Asians mix and mingle. (DM) Rigo 99 Muralist Portuguese-born but now a San Francisco resident, this hot muralist recently received the 1998 SECA Art Award from SFMOMA. Rigo paints his enormous, hard-to-miss murals directly on the sides of buildings; his works feature one-way signs with his own wry words inserted. See his latest mural adjacent to SFMOMA with his signature directional arrows and the words "Ground" and "Sky." (CB) Jona Frank Dan Rolleri Editor & Publisher, Speak Full disclosure--several Metropolitan writers also contribute to Speak. But that's not why we're hyping it. With its stunning fold-out photo panels and evocative, avant-garde layout, Speak is the most beautifully designed magazine anywhere, with articles that are consistently fascinating and elegantly written. And editor Dan Rolleri is fantastically resistant to celebrity--Speak profiles people because they're intriguing, not famous, and there are never stars on the cover. It's a rebuke to anyone who says great magazines only come out of New York. (MG) Salon Magazine Playfully intellectual, cheeky, sexy and highbrow all at once, Salon's superb writing utterly outshines Bill Gates' drab and wonky Slate. Started by Examiner refugees less than three years ago, Salon has gone on to become the champ of online magazines, proving that the Internet is far from a death knell to good journalism. The magazine was consistently at the forefront of the Clinton sex debacle, challenging Starr's sexual McCarthyism when the rest of the media were busy slobbering over cigars. (MG) Isabel Samaras Painter A San Francisco painter sure to win our hearts, Samaras puts pop icons in unusual situations that are downright comical. Picture Frankenstein and his bride locked in a hot embrace and you get the picture. She uses enamel paint on old metal TV trays to depict the Addams family, Michael Jackson, or Batman, giving the works multiple layers of '70s TV nostalgia. (CB) Jim Schatz Artist, Gallerist & Web Designer A thriving local artist and Web designer by day, Schatz holds happening monthly art events at his unique place in the Mission. After converting the space below his apartment into a gallery called scene/escena, Schatz shows the work of local artists in a party atmosphere that usually features a band. Schatz was also responsible for Sap, the beautifully executed alternative art fair, at the Lanai Motel last fall. (CB) Bridget Schwartz Comedian With Josie's Cabaret and Juice Joint closing, it may be harder to catch the manic, caterwauling comedy of Bridget Schwartz. While she'll be forced to work the more mainstream clubs (Punchline, Cobbs), you can bet she won't be mainstreaming her act. Schwartz shocks the tepid San Francisco comedy scene out of its collective coma. Jumping on yuppie moms, financial district drones, crackwhore winos and Goldie Hawn, Bridget Schwartz' mad rants are savage and hilarious all at once. (DM) Marcus Shelby Jazz Musician & Owner of Noir Records Once a rocket scientist for Get Propulsion Laboratories, stand-up bassist Marcus Shelby is now utilizing the right side of his brain and is quickly becoming a local jazz sensation. Marcus' trio performs nightly at jazz clubs throughout the city, and a new CD, The Sophisticate, came out earlier this month. Recently nominated for a Bammie, Marcus also arranged the soundtrack for Lenny Bruce, a documentary narrated by Robert DeNiro, which will be released early in 1999. (AN) Andrew Smith & Rich Hansen Publisher/Editor & Design Director, XLR8R The high-octane electronic magazine XLR8R started in '93 with 2,000 copies and has become the voice of the West Coast electronic music scene. Today the circulation is 40,000 and climbing. Keeping an eye on what will be breaking in 2000, the XLR8R crew will release original 12-track CDs with every issue until the millennium hits. (DR) Chris Smith Owner of Om Records, DJ & Musician The founder and president of Om Records, one of San Forensics' first electronic music labels, Chris Smith, a.k.a. DJ Fluid Motion, is now also channeling his entrepreneurial spirit into the creation of his own music. Along with wife/Mushroom Jazz records owner Patty Ryan-Smith, Chris recently launched a label, Mephisto, on which he has several new releases. Full of abstract beats, mellow drum 'n' bass and smooth house, the new Om-Lounge compilation also shows the genius of Mr. Smith. (AN) Stuart Smith Chef Since its opening in 1991, McCormick & Kuleto's Seafood Restaurant has flourished under the leadership of executive chef Stuart Smith. With a long, celebrated history of skilled seafood soirees, Smith has gained for McCormick & Kuleto's the coveted Visitor Choice Award from Where magazine for the last four years. He's also a member of the San Francisco Zoological Society, but isn't allowed into the Steinhart Aquarium for security reasons. (CK) Soulstice The cutest foursome on the San Francisco electronica front is about to make it big. And I do mean BIG. The soul-house-jazz fusion band Soulstice, which comprises singer Gina Rene, brother Gabriel Rene, Mei Lwun Yee and Andy Caldwell, was recently signed to Dreamworks. Also Om recording artists, the group will release singles with the label, "Tenderly" and "Knot Alone," later this month. Catch them live while they're still affordable. (AN) Tahnee Stair Politician Even in San Francisco it's hard for a 23-year-old temp campaigning for supervisor under the banner of the Worker's World Party to look credible. But Stair pulled it off with a mixture of sincerity, commitment and plain old cojones that made the other candidates look like classic machine pols. Though her numbers were low, her unique voice was clear--pushing for tenants rights, stopping police brutality, cleaning up conditions in the county jail--and these issues remain after the crush of the campaign. Expect to hear more in '99 from Stair. (DM) Tyler Stone Musician & Producer Currently charting in the Billboard Top 10 club play with her production of Aether's Give Away My Fear, Tyler is getting ready for a January single release on Soda Records, "Dance Shout!" One of the city's few female producers, Tyler has put her remixing skills to work on many big-name acts, including Robin S., Armond Van Helden and Crystal Waters. (AN) Andrew Sullivan Politician With the mayoral election coming in 1999, expect Andrew Sullivan, chair of Rescue MUNI, to be a voice for MUNI riders everywhere. With a tart sense of politics, cutie Andrew Sullivan asks all the right questions: Why won't MUNI run on time? How can we fix it? Who needs to get out of the way to make it work? Watch for an orchestrated campaign to bring real reform to the table that will get MUNI back on track. How do you spell future supervisor? Look up Andrew Sullivan. (DM) John Sweeney Chef As executive chef at the Gold Coast, John Sweeney has scoured the planet in search of the finest culinary creations, developing specialties in Cuban, Thai and Native American cuisine. Since he's also co-director of the South End Rowing and Swimming Club, New York native Sweeney is making a name for himself in San Francisco with both athletics and aperitifs. (CK) People A-C | People D-G | People H-L People M-P | People Q-S | People T-Z [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]