Oxbow's Eugene Robinson chokes rowdy concertgoers

Spicuzza is reaching for the bad boy titillation story and missing much of the point of eugene robinson's oeuvre. why couldn't she have included all that great stuff about beautiful sweaty muscles AND said a little bit more about the actual writing in FIGHT!, too? How about what sets Oxbow apart from other hardcore bands: the lyrics, all by Eugene. It's poetry that doesn't even need the music. I'm so sick of laundry lists of eugene robinson's antics. she really had to dig to find all the shallow facts she came up with, given eugene's obsession with privacy. And why couldn't she have asked him more about his thoughts on "our immediate and ever-present animal?" Aren't you supposed to ask an author what it was like to write the book, the process, etc.? "COFFEE-TABLE BOOK???" Did she even read beyond the first page? let's hope we get some follow-up reviews in SF Weekly, and around town, by people who know how to hold an intelligent conversation with an artist.

Just finished reading your story about Eugene Robinson here in front of
Royal Ground Coffee on this shitty cold dreary day and I just wanted to
email you and say thanks. Thanks for such a great read. VERY
interesting. Now I have a new band to research, a new book to buy and
one intellectual/brutal black man to watch out for!!

Great job.

I loved this article. It addresses the art as well as the artist. I left the story with a sense of knowing Eugene Robinson, despite the fact that I'm not familiar with his work. I'm looking forward to picking up his book. Earlier comments by stackedup&po'd reveal not only an obvious personal attack at the article's author, but sheer ignorance of journalism.

I loved this article. It addresses the art as well as the artist. I left the story with a sense of knowing Eugene Robinson, despite the fact that I'm not familiar with his work. I'm looking forward to picking up his book. Earlier comments by stackedup&po'd reveal not only an obvious personal attack at the article's author, but sheer ignorance of journalism.

stackedup&po'd has a point! Read FIGHT, then you'll see that Ms. Spicuzza barely scratched the surface, gleaning only the top layer of sensationalist passion that is to be found therein. If you're one of the thousands that already read in SFWeekly about Eugene Robinson being named Provacateur of the Year, much of her article will indeed seem old hat. As someone who happened to check the 11-06-07 Great American Music Hall performance of Oxbow, I can say that it wasn't about how many articles of clothing Robinson did or did not shed while on stage, it was about an awesomely mixed "hometown" band making you know why San Francisco still is IT!!!

Hi, Mary;

I'm the guy you saw messing with Eugene at Camera Works. Actually, I *am* a
hypnotist who trains fighters (www.powerhypnosis.com), as well as a pugilist
and creative artist myself, including 2007 winner of the SF Weekly
MasterMinds Award for Literary Arts. However, you're right ‹ I'm older than
Eugene!

One of my toughest boxer clients is Joe Gumina, the current California light
heavyweight champion. Another is Melissa McMorrow, the national flyweight
Golden Gloves champion, a young lady you definitely don't want to annoy.

What I was doing that night was testing Eugene with a light verbal jab, as
anybody would in my profession. I never expected him to get violent at all:
he's too hip ‹ and also originally from NYC, like me. That's how we used to
play back there in the old days.

I loved your piece! Thanks for giving a real fighter the publicity he
deserves.

All the best,

I live in CA but much further south. I love this article! As someone who has only spent some time in the Bay area, I thought the subject was treated with a sense of the bigger picture, beyond SF borders. Thank you for that! It takes great talent to write for a larger audience, as opposed to assuming that your readers are local and/or bear foreknowledge the subject. More pieces like this please! I only wish Mr. Robinson would recognize that there are actors who are artists, too!

I saw Eugene do a reading in Dallas. He was very open to my questions that dealt more with the writing process. He was quite lovely and generous with his responses.

oh.....i think acting's fine. but have you noticed that all of the great ones deride it as a serious artistic pursuit? it's RE-creating. it does not adhere to the ex nihilo principle...out of nothing comes something....no. actors are not creating anything new unless they're improv actors....which the good ones are. but most actors are not good actors. so...my above statement....