Remembering Alice Schenker, whose Print Mint on Telegraph Avenue sparked the 1960s poster revolution
Alice and her husband Don opened the store inside Moe’s Books in 1965, and within a few years were also publishing underground comix.
Tom Dalzell
Tom Dalzell has lived in Berkeley since 1984. After working for Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers for 10 years as a legal worker and then lawyer, he went to work for another labor union in 1981 and has been there since, first as an attorney, and, since 2006, as its elected leader. In his free time he walks the streets of Berkeley, street by street and block by block, recording and photographing the quirky material culture that he finds. Dalzell, who is an expert on slang, writes the Quirky Berkeley blog and contributes to Berkeleyside about his finds, both in the present tense and with an occasional foray into Berkeley’s non-conformist past.
Articles by Tom
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How Quirky was Berkeley: R. Crumb, the underground comix artist, was here
For several years Robert Crumb (better known as R. Crumb) was a central and colorful figure on the Berkeley underground arts scene.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Ask Ophelia and Drac on Virginia Street
Ophelia and Drac live on the front porch at 1616 Virginia St. They have seasonal outfits and often have conversations that are shown in cartoon-type balloon messages on the wall. Â
Many more quirky things at Alan Cohen estate sale, Part 2
The second part of an estate sale “for the quirky ages,” which kicks off Saturday, promises a treasure trove of collectibles for sale.
Quirky Berkeley: Large amounts of quirky things for sale
Alan Cohen’s obsession produced a collection that almost defies description and exceeds anything Quirky Berkeley’s Tom Dalzell has ever seen — and he’s seen a lot. The sale kicks off Friday.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Anachronisms, part 2
Berkeley is full of relics that harken back to an earlier time — such as a police telephone box, community bulletin boards, and storefronts that once held neighborhood grocery stores.
From garden to fenced-in lot to shots fired in Berkeley: People’s Park on May 15, 1969
One bystander was killed, one was permanently blinded, and many others were hurt when police forces used lethal buckshot to corral demonstrators in at the park, newly created on UC Berkeley land, 50 years ago today.
11 years of radical thought and action in Berkeley led to creation of People’s Park
Dozens of protests in support of civil rights, the student movement in France, the Black Panther movement and against the UC Regents set the stage for the creation of the Southside Berkeley park.
Berkeley’s People’s Park was born 50 years ago today
The creation and destruction of People’s Park took 25 days in 1969. April 20 marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the building of the park.
How Quirky is Berkeley? General Wastemoreland
In 1969, Tom Dunphy moved to Berkeley. His nickname and alternative persona was “General Wastemoreland,” alluding to and mocking General William Westmoreland who commanded United States Army forces in South Vietnam.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Elephants!
Join us on a brief exploration of the elephants of Berkeley, both three- and two-dimensional.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Anachronisms
Let us linger on objects in Berkeley belonging, or appropriate to, a period other than today, especially an object that is conspicuously old-fashioned. Know of others? Give us a shout.
How Quirky Is Berkeley? Second time around quirk at 2819 Prince
The family had created a quirky house on Russell Street. Fortunately, when they moved to Prince Street, they added some quirk to their new surroundings.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Susan Brooks and her objects of desire and mirth
To visit the Berkeley studio of Susan Brooks is to step into a world of whim and quirk.
Julia Vinograd, the Berkeley poet known as ‘The Bubble Lady’ dies at 75
Telegraph Avenue was her stomping ground, her nation. She spent her days at the Caffe Med, drinking coffee, watching the world pass by and writing poetry. The City Council gave her a lifetime achievement award.
Barbara Garson’s 7 years in Berkeley: From Cuba to ‘MacBird’
Tom Dalzell talks to the activist and writer who lived in Berkeley at an extraordinary time and was fully engaged in a series of history-changing movements.
