Bob Calhoun

Overall, this is a decent read about a lot of different stories, mostly murders, that have occurred in, and around, the San Francisco Bay Area. As a local resident, I had heard about nearly all of the 'famous' cases, but hadn't heard about the less well known cases, especially the older ones. The author does a good job summarizing the stories, and since it's recently written, it has up-to-date information.

My 'problem' with the book likes in, what I thought, was promised in the title: "How Vigilantes, Hoodlums, Mob Bosses, Serial Killers, and Cult Leaders Built the San Francisco Bay Area". The last four words seem very loosely interpreted by the author. He has stories in here from as far east as Sacramento, and a few from down south in Los Angeles. Hardly what we know as the Bay Area. I guess they are included because they have a connection with the Bay Area. I may be splitting hairs, but I don't think those are the same criteria. Now the first bunch of words in the title, through "Built". I was expecting much more of those type of cases and stories. And I was surprised at how many tales did not fall into any of those categories. I would say there are, for my taste, too many stories that are not about vigilantes, hoodlums, mob bosses, serial killers, OR cult leaders! Again, that may be up to interpretation, but that is my interpretation.… (meer)

Incredibly Strange Wrestling (ISW) was not your average wresting promotion. If you look for some of the strangest gimmicks online you may find references to this group. Started more as performance art in the punk rock tradition it focused on pushing boundaries and aesthetics more than traditional storylines or good wrestling. Most of the talent were untrained and had no other links to wrestling schools or promotions. Some wrestlers were drawn from the local music scene or from the promoter’s burlesque show.

The author began wrestling in an attempt to promote his band, and then shifted to announcing and commentating for the promotion. As such his focus is on the counter-culture of the 1990’s in San Francisco overall. In some ways it is more his personal story and observations than an impartial history and his opinion shine through. However it also shows the allure of wrestling and performing in front of a crowd and how it affected both his life and some of the people he encountered during those years.… (meer)