Events
Below are detailed descriptions of many of the events held by the SF Suicide Club. The images are of the original Nooseletters, the monthly newsletter of the club. A more complete listing of events can be found here.
Tri-Annual Initiation into the Suicide Club
April 4, 1981
An outdoors urban adventure in the best SFSC tradition, and a perfect jumping off point for friends & acquaintences who've shown an interest in what we do. In keeping with the tradition of not revealing the nature of the initiation, nothing will be revealed here. However, IT WILL BE LEGAL, though perhaps more vigorous. than our last initiation.
Surprise!!!
April 7, 1981
The attendees will plan surprises for friends of theirs who don't attend (if you're paranoid, you'd therefore better show up, or else run the risk of being plotted against). The surprises can involve most anything—elaborate role-playing by strangers, animal costumes, crazies, mock-kidnappings—as long as no one is being physically hurt and no serious laws are broken. Birthdays are typically an appropriate time for surprises, but think how much more unsuspecting someone will be if you plan a surprise that's nowhere near their birthday?
Star Party
August 7, 1980
Maureen Rowland hosting an informative slide show with John Dobson of the Sidewalk Astronomers. Dobson co-founded the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, an amateur astronomy organization that aims to popularize astronomy among people on the street, along with Bruce Sams and Jeffery Roloff. Dobson designed a large, portable, low-cost reflecting telescope, the "Dobsonian telescope"
Assassins
August 10, 1980
Barry Wolf organized a game of Assassin, where members metaphorically killed each other, until there was only one member left standing.
A Trip to Redwood City Wildlife
May 12, 1980
Barbara Vince organized a trip to the Redwood City bird sanctuary and lunch at the Good Earth cafe in Palo Alto.
Knock Three Times
May 13, 1980
An urban exploration trip, where club members bring brunch and knock on doors of interesting looking houses to see if they will be invited inside.
Lost Beach at the End of the World
May 17, 1980
Bill Kostura organized a coastal walk along Lands End in San Francisco.
Riding the Rails
Riding the Rails
May 9, 1980
The Suicide Club become train-jumping hobos for the day.
Casting the Ruins
May 8, 1980
An evil runestone must be handed off before a demon materializes on May 26th. No one is required to accept the runestone, so trickery may be necessary to hand it off to another player.
Poker Game
May 13, 1980
Bill Kostura hosted a poker game.
The Whole Earth Festival, UC Davis 1980
Whole Earth Festival
May 5, 1980
Club members attended the UC Davis Whole Earth Festival.
And Now for Something Completely Different
May 3, 1980
Members planned unexpected events for other members for a period of one month.
Frog Jump Contest
May 19, 1978
The Calaveras County Frog Jump was made famous by Mark Twain.
Judy Lee first proposed this event in May 78 in nooseletter #5
What ended up happening is that we entered one of our own (JW) as a contestant dressed in a frog suit.
Meanwhile Flamo Le Grand (David Warren) wandered the grounds hawking fresh frog legs.
Ringolevio : A Game Played for Keeps
May 6, 1978
March 1979 Nooseletter
Remembrance of Things Past
March 2, 1979
Initiation
March 3, 1979
3rd Annual Formal Gormet Potluck on the Golden Gate Bridge
March 4, 1979
Mystery Event
March 11, 1979
Past Life Workshops
by Appointment
Cult Adventures of a Third Kind: Trip to Giant Rock
TBA
Ringolevio II : A Game Played for Chickens
August 26, 1978
There are two sides. Each side tries to capture and jail the members of the other side. To arrest someone, you must physically restrain them, not simply tag them. They are free to try to resist capture. Participants are to read the first 37 pages of the book, Ringolevio (the author was the leader of the anarchist group known as the Diggers, who were devoted to street theater, direct action, and distributing free food, and an inspiration to some members of the Suicide Club).
Magical Fantastical Dream Society
March 1978
The SFSC members will stage a fantasy of your choice (at your expense). You just tell them what you want and send in a check, and let the other members make it happen.
Continental Detective Agency vs. The Legion of Crime
December 17, 1977
The Continental Detective Agency vs. The Legion of Crime: And the Same Spade Costume Ball
It’s the 1930’s. Fog-bound San Francisco. Some of the toughest yeggs in the country are hanging out in lowlife dives, waiting to commit the crime of the decade. The Continental ops are ready for them; their gumshoes are polished and their roscoes are oiled. The Action occurs downtown, from the grifter-ridden haunts on Market to the greaser North Beach bars and beyond. Lots of walking happens as operatives shadow thugs, find clues and solve riddles. It takes from three to four hours for the mystery to unravel and the final confrontation to begin.
Pieing!
December 17, 1977
Collaborative Writing Workshop
December 11, 1977
Child’s XMAS in S.F.
December 11, 1977
Sensory Bombardment
December 11, 1977
Bob Campell Note from 2013 I can’t believe the Tactile Dome is still alive and well
Fantasy Film Society Reunion
December 9, 1977
Break Down The Library Doors
December 7, 1977
Suicide for our Ears
December 6, 1977
An Evening with Psychopaths
December 5, 1977
A Walk with Love and Death
December 4, 1977
Show And Tell
December 4, 1977
Star Wars intergalactic Battle or The Capture the Flag of the Future
November 26, 1977
A Star Wars Themed capture the flag game, held at the Oakland cemetery. Click on the image for a full description.
Birds Under the Bridge and Hospital Hangovers
November 17, 1977
Steve Mobia lead a project to build artificial birds close to water level, to be visible by passing ships.
Food Can Be Fun (To Play With)
November 18, 1977
The SFSC heads to McDonalds, with building supplies to contruct things with food, lead by Jason Wechter.
Surrender to Unknown Powers; Insidious Designs #1
November 18, 1977
Twenty-Four Hour Amusement Park
November 12, 1977
A non-stop, whirlwind, kick out the jams assault on our own sensory limits, concepts of time, sensations of self as we explore conceptually, viscerally and emotionally a carnival cosmology. The object of this event is to feel the world as a midway and yourself as am overwhelmed participant on your first carnival ride. I've felt this way the night the club was "born" when 20 ft waves washed over us at Ft Point, the last weekend in Feb when we had dinner on the GG Bridge, the Treasure Hunt on Sat and collapsed into North By Northwest on Sunday at the Fantasy Film Society.
Golden Gate Bridge Climb
September 30, 1977
John Law recalls:
16 people went on this climb. This was way too many. Dmitri said to me at one point: “Gee John. I almost passed out back there.” I reassured him & never got outside of arms reach all night. This was the largest group I ever lead on the Golden Gate Bridge. Plenty of chills!
This climb was long before we got to the top of the tower. For the next year straight we climbed the tower repeatedly, as much as once every week or two searching for a way to get to the top of the tower. These climbs were by invitation and I only asked good climbers. Some of them were: Pierre, Jayson, Randy Raines, Bob C., Peter F., etc. We made it to the level just below the top after a couple of times. It was very difficult, however to find a way into the one shaft that exited into the top beam and this search took almost a year.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
October 1977
The physical act of bodysnatching is simple and (at least in the beginning) will be extremely difficult to defend against. If two people, friends or strangers holding hands and bearing a scarf succeed in encircling you, each with a hand on the opposite end of the scarf, well, you've been podded. Thereafter, you'll be initiated into an alien society and given certain instructions as below. As described, this would be a rather one sided game. In order that non-Pods have an opportunity to defend and possibly attack, the Pods will acquire certain characteristics over the next two months, by which the observant may guess their status and avoid being trapped with two of them. These characteristics may take the form of any minor habits the original Pods care to acquire... chewing bubble gum, whistling Dixie, wearing safety pins through their noses etc. (probably won't go that far) As new Pods are recruited, they will in turn adopt these characteristics. Ultimately, a groupthink will emerge. . . remember the movie?... albiet one confined to trivialities. If someone you think you know gets into bowling or wearing Captain Marvel decoder rings, that information would probably fail to integrate itself within a process of any sort. But if ten people... then twenty. .
Enter The Unknown #2
August 27, 1977
We ascended as a group of nearly 30 folks to a rooftop under a freeway billboard, armed with materials required to modify the billboard. A group brainstorm resulted in a plan, and we created the modifications and applied them. We got arrested. “Free the Max Factor 26″ ! And the Billboard Liberation Front was born.
Exploring a Dead Hospital
August 15, 1977
Harkness Hospital was a former San Francisco hospital located in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where many of us lived. We adopted it as a frequent destination for events such as dart gun games and climbing expeditions. Peter Field rappelling a wall, and Bob Campbell traversing between wings
Play Dead
August 13, 1977
Hosted by Steve Mobia
John Law recalls:
Our first visit to the delectable Mountain View Cemetery in the Piedmont hills high above Oakland. We drove over to East Bay after applying white face and donning all black togs at Circus of the Soul. We parked in a wealthy, tree lined Piedmont neighborhood in our fleet of junk cars. Some wary householder who observed this invasion of low rent ghouls called the Piedmont police, who upon their speedy arrival severely threatened our attempt to de-car and enter the back wood route into the cemetery proper.
While all 40 ghouls cowered inside the cars, Dave Warren dragged himself up onto his cane and clutching a large watermelon to his chest tottered over to the two squad cars in his white deathmask and threadbare all black ensemble.
After a while Dave strolled back to his ghoul packed Galaxy 500 and the half dozen other marginal vehicles as the two prowlers sped off into the night. It seems that the cops were satisfied by Dave’s explanation (augmented, no doubt by the watermelon!) that all 50 of the down at their heels ghouls were on the way to a house party in Piedmont. (This was my first experience of seeing what I came to call the Obe won kanobi move: “…these are not the Droids you are looking for, officer…… you wish to let us pass…” with a little wave of the hand!!! Thanks Dave!- JL).
We snuck in via the beautiful woodland trails at the back of the cemetery and after entering the stunning mausoleum and crypt row at the center of the necropolis, Mobia explained the game. I was transported into a state of almost orgasmic engagement of the senses by the combination of our indescribably strange and beautiful environment and the fabulous game we played several rounds of over the next few hours. I was literally experiencing Gary’s philosophy about living each day as though it were my last through a type of sensory synesthesia that is ever so rare and unforgettable.
At one point after being killed and transforming into one of the Minions of Death, I entered my animal spirit in such a tangible fashion that my conscious, rational mind went away. I was an animal, an undead predator mercilessly stalking the living. While crouching atop a Moorish styled mausoleum, I spied a dark figure creeping among the bushes and angel statuary 10-12 feet below. Reptile brain in charge, I leaped onto the supine figure and after wrestling across the green engaged in an unearthly passionate kiss for an unknown length of time. After, this delectable and never before seen by me succubus pulled ourselves apart snarling and panting, and slowly backed one away from the other until we were obscured from each other’s view by the funereal gloom.
At the regrouping after the event I searched very intently for my erstwhile lover. She was not in the group, no one recognized her description and, I never saw her again. Another brilliant moment during one of the evenings rounds came when I and two other undead crept up from behind low-lying headstones to “kill” two women we detected at the edge of the proscribed playing area. As we got closer, and they finally notice the three ghouls creeping toward them I got a flash that, perhaps they were not with our party and were simply innocent cemetery strolling passer-bys.
Even though silence was required for this game, I in a spasm of uncertainty blurted out: “are you dead yet? Are you dead yet????” The two women it was dawning on me were walking their dog looked at us with a very strange, frozen expression and quite emphatically, almost hysterically said” “..no, no….. we’re NOT dead!!”
Oakland Bay Bridge
August 5, 1977
John Law recalls:
This event was in part (according to Gary) a welcome home to me upon my return from hitchhiking around the country (and Canada). This was the event where we had to threaten the guy (I forget his name) because he refused on principle to ditch his pot. We had to clandestinely park on Yerba Buena Island and sneak past military guards to walk to the raft debarkation point. Gary threatened to drive the guy back to S.F. if he didn’t comply with the events proviso. We rafted out to the 1st Cantilever span stanchion just to the north of Y.B.I. and climbed the tower legs as far as the roadway (160 feet +/-).
Summer of Love Reenactment
July 17, 1977
Many Suicide Club events, particularly the physically dangerous and/or illegal variety were no alcohol, no drugs affairs. Even so, many members would imbibe on occasion. Kathy Hearty’s Summer of Love re-enactment was an event that actually encouraged participants to “get in the spirit” of the original period.
Photographer Greg Mancuso caught the faux-hippies in the act as they wafted and pranced down Haight Street. The genuinely sincere hippies on scene, even at that time venerable Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, welcomed the Suicide Club Flower Children in an act of (to paraphrase the Haight denizens) “hearkening back to a more innocent time.”
Ghiradelli Square Squirt Gun
May 25, 1977
John Law recalls: “Roseanne was dressed as a “cigarette girl” with a chest slung tray from which she dispensed squirt guns to about 20 or so people. She looked pretty cute.”
Patchwork Quilt Adventure
May 25, 1977
This was a repeating event by Peter Field, and featured a collection of mini-events.
Food Fight
May 25, 1977
Photographer Greg Mancuso captured the Suicide Club in a massive food fight that took place in a house rented by Pierre Barral in the Glen Park District of S.F. The house was to be torn down later that week; the opportunity to completely trash a house, Three Stooges style, was simply too great for the Suicide Club to pass up.
Weekend In Hell
May 14, 1977
Be Super, Not Superstitious
May 13, 1977
The Last Supper
May 12, 1977
Santa Cruz Mystery Spot
April 30, 1977
Merry Mouth Mental Health Tour
April 30, 1977
This event took place in April 1977 – led by Ron Unger.
Kennedy Hotel
April 26, 1977
John Law Discusses Building Rope Ladder
The Kennedy Hotel was an abandoned hotel in downtown SF (BC note: I helped make that ladder!) Photo: John testing the ladder at Dave Warren’s apartment building.
Sewers of Oakland
April 23, 1977
John Law recalls:
The first event I organized. Dave remembered some storm tunnels he had explored as a kid. Dave, Gary and I scoped these tunnels one afternoon. We entered upstream at Mills College (all girl) in one of the tunnel inflows that Dave remembered from 35 years before. We went downstream trying to find a good place to bring a group in to the tunnels for an upstream walk culminating at the fenced in and pastoral Mills Campus. Several sections of the waterway further downstream were fenced in troughs running through residential backyards, industrial areas, and school grounds. These stretches would, after a few hundred feet or yards revert back to underground tunnel. A few spots seemed tactically possible for a group entry.
We kept pushing for the bay in order to do a complete survey and perhaps find a better entry point. The closer we got to the bay the deeper the dense silt buildup along the tunnel floor became. We found ourselves in an uncovered section along the freeway, close to sea-level. Dave was 50 feet ahead of us and having a harder go of things due to his gimp leg and the necessity of walking with his cane. Leaning heavily on the cane he turned to look at Gary and me. The cane, with Dave’s full weight bearing down on it started sinking in the silt. We watched as, in slow motion Dave sank, sideways up to his armpit in mud. Gary and I were laughing so hard we were unable, for several minutes to help extricate Dave’s 240lb frame from its deep berth in the mud.
We picked an entry point in a fenced section fully enclosed inside a grade school ballpark/playground near East 14th St and 62nd St in Oakland’s most dangerous black ghetto. The tunnel went underground almost directly under the home plate. The fifty or so explorers parked their motley pack of vehicles along a tree-lined section of the ball diamond on a Saturday night. The neighborhood rarely entertained one white face, much less fifty at once. We were acutely aware of how much we stood out and some of the potential dangers we might encounter before slipping into the safety of the sewers.
We drew the attention of a couple of kids as we furtively shuffled into a dark corner alongside the playing field. We were quite worried that the kids would inadvertently expose us to their older, no doubt armed brothers. I told them exactly what we were doing. “We’re all going into the sewer and walking for miles underground”. I figured their interest in such a bizarre plan might keep them from rushing to find their friends and give us enough time to get underground before further detection. They were very interested in going with us underground. I kept putting them off as we climbed laboriously, one at a time over a fence, down rebar steps into the ankle deep water and into the safety underground. Our entry point was between and very close to two houses directly behind the ball diamond. The possibility of arousing an armed householder was quite real and we were sweating pretty badly.
Gary, Bob and I were helping folks climb over the fence. The kids were going to try to come with us into the sewer. I told the kids that they could come with us if they went and got their parents permission “because of the alligators”. One kid said “there ain’t no alligators in there”. I explained about people flushing gators down the toilets and how they grew in the ideal climate of the sewers, eating rats, etc. I told them they could actually help us fend off the gators (once they had got back from getting parental OK) if they would bring back some big branches or posts to use as clubs. By then we had almost everyone in the trough and were assembling at the tunnel mouth. The kids ran off to get their clubs. We ditched them by speeding the group up into the quiet and enveloping safety of the sewer.
Union Square Stunt
April 1, 1977
John Law recalls:
I think the same day as naked cable car we did the Union Square Stunt. We parked on the bottom level of the parking lot (4th level?) in two or three funky vehicles: Dave’s beanbag seat Ford Galaxy 500 and a hippy type van, maybe Bob C’s.
There are three elevators. [They staged eight scenes in total in the elevators, each described below] The scenes I recall were: 1). Candlelit dinner. Nicely dressed couple, red checked table cloth, Bob Shlesinger (?) in a top hat and tails playing violin. 2). Man in easy chair attended by a boot black, a manicurist and a barber. 3). Shower scene. I was behind the shower curtain (taped across half the elevator car. Jeri Pupos [a Phoenix writer], Ron Del Aquila and a third person were in line waiting to shower. We were all wearing only towels. I had a shower cap on, soap on a rope and a tape recorder playing running water. Two well-dressed elderly women heading for Macy’s got on the car without looking. I peaked over the shower curtain and, as they realized they were surrounded by near naked people, I told them they would have to take their clothes off and get in line if they wanted a shower. They laughed. 4). A car filled with balloons. 5). Three people bound and gagged and held at gun point by a Gorilla. 6). Flammo LeGrande with the beautiful Maureen Rowland (I think) doing the “Fountain of Flame out the elevator doors at each level. This one got the cops called, and we frantically packed everything up downstairs. We were just pulling out as the police arrived.
Naked Cable Car
April 1, 1977
John Law recalls:
The scariest thing I ever did. Many of us spent the night at Nancy Prussia’s apartment. I was dating her at the time. Two months more or less. We got on the very 1st (6 am?) car at the Cable Car Barn. Six to eight blocks later we stripped off all clothing and the grip and brakemen on the cable car just stopped in the intersection until we were done with our photo shoot. Two photographers were waiting for us at the intersection.
One carman was a small, older white guy who was shaking his head, obviously annoyed at our interrupting the even flow of his cars early morning operation. The grip was a portly, good-natured black guy who, to the chagrin of his brittle partner refused to engage the cable and leave until he had had his fill of ogling the bare breasts and asses he was surrounded by. My stomach was tied in knots from the fear of embarrassment and disapproval that public nakedness would no doubt cause. Quite to the contrary, I felt as though a weight had been lifted of me along with my raincoat. I was exhilarated by the experience and came to realize that no one gave much of shit about me being naked. My petty bourgeois fear was conquered.
The Projectionist
March 27, 1977
John Law recalls:
A screening of the movie starring Chuck McCann. Strange flick. One of Gary’s favorite. Ron Unger and I dressed up like McCann: white T-shirts w/smokes in sleeve, black pegged pants, greased hair. We picketed the showing at Circus of the Soul (with signs, chanting, etc.) and turned away patrons saying the movie misrepresented union projectionists. Gary considered it an experiment to see if people actually tried to find out what pickets were about or simply had a knee-jerk reaction to them. Ron and I realized we were actually turning people away; they wouldn’t expend the energy to find out what it was all about. We felt bad and slacked of on the picket. This is a good example of Gary’s aesthetic directly clashing with his business efficiency!!
Golden Hinde
March 12, 1977
John Law recalls:
Roseanne Reynolds (Queens handmaiden at Ren-Faire) had brought a big birthday cake which read: “Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth!” We rowed and I proceeded to climb up the outside of the ship. We were spotted almost immediately by an ancient security guard. He called the cops. They came (several cars as I recall) and drove out onto the piers on both sides shining very bright lights at us. We paddled over to the largest bunch of cops (who seemed pretty irate) and told them we were celebrating the Queen’s B-Day. They obviously thought this was bunk until Gary and Roseanne showed them the cake. They thought that was pretty funny and let us go.
Baby Beautiful Contest
March 11, 1977
John Law recalls:
Entered shill baby: Sweet Pea Sheffield. Ron & Shirley as folks, borrowed a real baby from someone. Dave W. covered in pink Calamine lotion, paper mache head, big lollipop. Gary kept laughing so hard he was almost entirely useless. Adrienne, Bob C., I & others helped Dave (who was almost entirely blinded by his fake head). He tottered out onto the main stage at the War Memorial as Sweet Pee was announced by the elderly gal who was Mc-ing. He came up from behind her and everyone (mostly families) in the audience saw Dave but not the MC. I almost peed I was laughing so hard. Dave toddled past the MC (who’s hands fell to her side and jaw went slack as she comprehended Dave/Sweet Pee. Dave stumbled upstage, bumped into the table with the trophies on it almost knocking it over (a couple actually fell over but not, fortunately to the ground). It looked like he was going to fall off the stage (a drop of 4 feet at least) so we retrieved him and hightailed it out to the lobby where we shot the photos.
Sliding down South SF Letters
February 27, 1977
John Law recalls:
We had refrigerator boxes which we cut up and used as sleds to go down the letters.
This event was the capper of an incredibly arduous and mind bending, adventure weekend. Big fun. This night Gary and Ron showed North by North-West at Circus of the Soul. I experienced an extreme example of a type of synesthesia while watching this film - Hitch’s “final word on the chase film”. Lying on the floor of the bookstore, stuffed into pillows and intertwined with the equally exhausted bodies of my Suicide Club comrades I realized that I was IN the movie we were watching. We had moved in one unified and non-stop comet’s arch from the incredible vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge through the pre-parade rush of China Town, onto the colossal concrete letters of South San Francisco and straight onto the precarious crevasse of Mt. Rushmore with Martin Landau trying to kick us to our death. Wheww! That night and after I felt these people where my family; it was as though I had known them forever. I was already hooked by the Suicide Club but this was the clincher.
Treasure Hunt
February 26, 1977
Rick Lasky recalls:
“I was jogging in the Richmond District near where I lived when I had a flash of inspiration. Wouldn’t it be cool to organize a treasure hunt around the city? I knew just who to take this idea to: Gary Warne. So I went to Gary’s bookstore Circus of the Soul and told him my idea. He said, “Rick, I’ve had the very same fantasy. Let’s do it!”
It was Gary’s crazy idea to hold it the night of the Chinese New Year’s parade in the North Beach/Chinatown area. We agreed to split the writing of the clues. Gary did the first half, I did the second half. It is amazing to me now how much cooperation we got from the businesses then. I asked the folks working at Uncle Gaylord’s ice cream parlor if they would help the week before. I gave the three clues in baggies and explained that next Saturday there would be three different teams from a treasure hunt who would ask for a banana split. They were to put a Baggie with a clue at the bottom of each banana split. To my amazement this came off without a hitch in the treasure hunt a week later. Amazing. Would never happen now.”
John Law recalls:
Small groups with different colored armbands as teams. I remember people in the crowds getting more than a little pissed at us for pushing past them to race across the parade route.
Later at pie fight it was chaotic as hell. Shirley Sheffield, talking to a baby faced MP from her hometown in South Carolina, talks him into pieing her. I was watching this encounter and the chief officer (a lieutenant I believe) was, at that time standing atop a jeep or pick-up surveying the 50 or so pie-covered nuts. He was trying to organize all into groups in some order so he could get everyone’s I.D.
We were trying to be cooperative but were stupid-ineffective and silly. When he saw the young jar head pie Shirley he literally threw his hands up in the air and a few seconds later started shouting over his bullhorn something like: Alright ALL OF YOU. Get your stuff and GET OUT OF HERE. Please leave the Presidio…. Take your stuff and GO!!
Golden Gate Bridge Dinner
February 25, 1977 | By bob
The Golden Gate Bridge Dinner was created by Catherine Baker and became one of signature events that was repeated each year, the other being the Treasure Hunt.
Moonie Dinner
February 21, 1977
In Feb 1977, an event appeared in the first Nooseletter.
Later, this led to a multi-day actual infiltration of a Moonie encampment.
‘Moonies’ were followers of Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church, which was a well-known religious sect of the 1970’s.
First Initiation
February 2, 1977
Certain hands, seemingly familiar with the task at hand, were the hands I felt gently guiding me out of the van that I had occupied for the last hour along with six or seven other similarly blindfolded initiates.
