Jeremy Fish (S3E41)

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Hip-hop, hills, and art drew Jeremy Fish to San Francisco from 3,000 miles away.

In Part 1, the prolific and iconic SF artist traces his family line back to both grandfathers. One worked with his hands to make art; the other was a salesman. Jeremy sees bits of himself in both ancestors.

He was born in Albany, New York, and spent most of his youth in Saratoga Springs. When it came time to go to college (in 1994), not only was The City less expensive than Boston and New York, but Jeremy also had one hell of a trip out here, which he retells in Part 1.

Follow Jeremy on Twitter and Instagram, and check out his website, Silly Pink Bunnies.

In Part 2, Jeremy talks about the job he got at a skateboarding company that brought him back to San Francisco after a short time on the road. He goes on to catalog the various places in The City where he has lived, including North Beach, the neighborhood Jeremy calls home to this day. The story of his move to that neighborhood includes tips on how to crack the code of Craigslist apartments.

Fast-forward to, well, "now," and Jeremy recounts the stories behind his "Stay Strong" posters, which have been popping up on the fronts of boarded-up bars and also in people's windows all over town for the last eight months. It involves Anchor Brewing and the U.S. Bartenders Guild.

He ends Part 2 talking about the place he's been doing an artist's residency since September—the Doolan-Larson building in the Upper Haight. The residency was made possible with the help of SF Heritage, a rad non-profit working to preserve the history of The City.

We recorded this podcast at the Doolan-Larson building at Haight and Ashbury (photos below) in October 2020. For more info on the building and SF Heritage, go here.