No shit.

The more I learn about the Bay Area, the more I keep say "No shit" to things the natives tell me offhandedly.

Before I got here, I knew that many famous musicians and bands came from the Bay Area (The Grateful Dead, Tony Tone Tone, Huey Lewis, MC Hammer, Digital Underground, Etta James etc) but to have people go "Yeah, I used to hang with so-and so, we stole cars together, her daddy lives over there and her daughter had a monkey..."

So, a list of folk I said "No shit, I never knew they came from here..."

"Yeah, Green Day is from Vallejo."
"No theyre not, theyre from Berkeley."
"And the Poynter Sisters are from Emeryville, by 43rd and San Pablo."
"Bullshit, June (Poynter) used to stay by me in Oakland by 53rd.."
"Sly and the Family Stone is definitely from Oakland. And Chaka Khan's father is over here in Berkeley."
"Oh, the Doobie Brothers are from San Jose, but back then they had a more mexican style."
"You cant forget The Whispers..."
"And Dawn from En Vogue is from Berkeley."
"So is Club Noveau, although they started off as the Timex Social Club."
"And the boys of Credence Clearwater are from El Cerrito."
"And Metallica is from Berkeley.."
"Although some of them came from Pinole too."
"You cant leave out Tower of Power. Oakland."
"Oh yeah, and Jodi Whatley is from Berkeley. Her sister is a porn star.. ever heard of Midori?"
"That's Berkeley for you."
"And Jefferson Starship is Frisco."
"Yeah, when they started as Jefferson Airplane."
"Of course MC Hammer."
"Yeah, Charlie Finley and some of the Oakland A's gave him the money to press his first albums."
"Cant forget Tupac. Born in Oakland. His mother was a Black Panther, remember - but she was run out of town by the FBI.."
"Oh, and the Escovido family is Oakland. Pete Escovido and his daughter Sheila E."
"Oh yeah, and Pebbles. Remember when she was with 'A.B' "?
"Who's A.B?"
"We aint that cool for me to tell you, man."
"Boz Skaggs is from the Bay too."
"Johnnie Lee Hooker is too."
"Nah, he's from Chicago."
"Man, he's from 76th and MacArthur. When I was in jail in '88, his son was doing 4 years. The guards used to let Junior out of the cell to tell them stories about when he used to tour with his daddy. I gotta admit, I was leaning by the bars listening too..."
"Oh yeah, and Sylvester is from Oakland. He was buried at the church of the Hawkins Family."
"Well, if you including Sylvester, then you gotta include Two Tons of Fun, although they known better as the Weather Girls."
"Joan Baez."
"She aint from here.. she only came to Berkeley for the Love."
"Nah, the Baez family is from Berkeley.."
"Confunkshon was from Vallejo too."
"So was E-40."
"I thought Too Short was too."
"Nah, he's from East Oakland."
"Then you got Master-P."
"Master P is from Louisiana!"
"Yeah, and grew up in Richmond."
"Oh yeah, Santana."
"Santana is from Oakland?"
"Nah, Carlos is San Francisco. So is Matchbox 20, REM, Journey, Eddie Money and Doctor John.."
"And Bruce Hornsby is from Berkeley. I thionk he still stays here."
"Anybody else?"
"All we can think of right now."


That was the verbatim conversation last night as much as I can remember it.

No shit.