Marke Bieschke (S3E15)

Photography by Jeff Hunt

Marke Bieschke, who today is a member of the 17-person Stud Collective, which owns San Francisco's oldest gay nightclub, and is the publisher/arts editor of 48 Hills and legacy keeper of the SF Bay Guardian archives, was throwing raves back when they were a novel thing.

In Part 1, Marke traces his early life, from lower Ontario farms and inner-city Detroit abandoned buildings to early techno and house nightclubs. Part 1 ends with a rather auspicious tip from a friend.

Marke arrived in San Francisco in the mid-'90s, got a place to live, and got the first of a couple of dotcom jobs. Those were the days ...

Today, Marke is the publisher and arts editor of 48 Hills (fundraiser here). He's also part of a collective that owns The Stud, San Francisco's oldest gay nightclub (fundraiser here). In Part 2, Marke shares the stories of his two-and-a-half decades in the city. He ends by reflecting on how the community has reacted in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Below are a couple of photos of Marke on Market Street after the Bay Guardian was shut down. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.