It seems to get harder every year, as -- thanks to the internet -- the world becomes smaller and choice becomes more vast. How can you find that perfect gift for someone that not only has everything, but can get whatever they want online in a matter of minutes?
Here's the answer: outsmart them. Use this guide to scoop them on their own desires. They may not yet know they lust after these amazing items, but with the Amoeblog's help, you will reign victorious as this year's King / Queen of Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa / Festivus / Winter Solstice.
For your old school punk:
San Francisco’s seminal punk band Crime was formed in 1976
and ripped post-hippie San Francisco a metaphorical new one when they released their first (and many say Punk’s first) single“Hot Wire My Heart / Baby You're So Repulsive.” They mixed a rebellious and sexually-charged image (they were most often seen flaunting their vampiric, just-outta-rehab good looks in tight leather, regulation police uniforms, or old-time gangster duds) with their unique blend of intellectual and furious lo-fi rock and roll. Crime found local refuge at the now legendary Mabuhay Gardens, but became nationally notorious after playing a gig at San Quentin Penitentiary in full police uniforms. (Read more about them on the Amoeblog.)Now, after many years, you can purchase official Crime merch directly from original member Johnny Strike and his business partner Faustino Mendonça. Bootleggers be damned! Get some stunning shirts, posters, and pins from the source!
Although it is almost forty years old now, the Steve McQueen cops-and-bad-guys thriller Bullitt, featuring its famous San Francisco car-chase scene, is still a true classic, one that I could re-watch a hundred times. The 1968 film, directed by Peter Yates and available on DVD, in which McQueen plays tough SF police lieutenant Frank Bullitt, has not only great car-chase cinematography that makes you really feel like you are riding in the car, but if you are familiar with San Francisco, it is just so much fun to watch and try to figure out exactly which part of the city the cars are racing through (and they cover a lot of territory) or to note the changes in some parts of SF since they shot the film in '68. Check out the nine and a half minute car chase below, but if you want to see the whole movie on the big screen, there is an opportunity to do so tonight at 8PM (Sunday August 5th) at The Cannery in San Francisco at Del Monte Square, 2801 Leavenworth Street -- and the best part -- the tickets are FREE for the showing in the outdoor courtyard by the Fisherman's Wharf. To get further details either call first (415-771-3112) or go online (
