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| Herb Caen |
EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE I HEAR IT. And then I quickly laugh and laugh again and again.
"You kind of remind me of Herb Caen; I mean, what you're doing." It's something like that every now and then.
As I always say to those who have said that to me, Look, thanks, but I'm no Herb Caen. Not in any way shape or form. Not even a molecule of what Herb Caen was.
I can every now dream a bit but that's as far as it goes because there was only one Herb Caen and as far as I'm concerned there will only be one Herb Caen. They have tried to bring in a lot of Herb Caens but no one has even come close and no one probably exists now. Remember they tried to find a new Johnny Carson and that didn't turn out well.
Herb Caen, sure he had a lot of help but he still had to write a column. And six days no less! It was considered an honor to make the Herb Caen column (I got seven mentions); if you got mentioned in Caen's column it was almost like being told by Carson to come on over to the couch. Yes, that big, at least by Bay Area media standards.
Caen was not only the number one attraction in the Chronicle, he was the Chronicle. Damn near everyone I know had the same missive: read Caen, the sports, and then that's your morning Chron for the day. The BART trains were littered with printed Chronicles but Caen was nowhere to be seen, which is why Macys placed its ad on his page and which is why Caen was making over $300K yearly which was good money back then.
I thought Caen was bullet proof which is why when he publicly announced he had cancer I thought he would beat it with his bravado and 24/7 enthusiasm and bluster. He died in February, 1997. Tough day in the Bay.
Caen was the proverbial man about town. He'd be everywhere whether it be the Venetian Room at the Fairmont or a Giants game. Covering the city and its various social and sporting events, I ran into him several times, always a gracious and coolest of all cool guys. He always dressed in a suit and he always would say "hey there, Rich" without the slightest hint of arrogance or disinterest. There were plenty of people who didn't like him; mostly those who were sick of his constant putdowns of Oakland (for a guy who was born in Sacramento) and such and such. The Jerry Brown people (and Brown himself) thought he was a dick because of his "moonbeam" references. Brown was red meat for Herb Caen columns in the 70's and Brown's trip to Africa with Linda Ronstadt inspired many column for Caen. Jerry never forgot. Willie Brown was just being invented. No knocks from Herb on Speaker Brown and that irritated the hell out of everyone from City Hall to Sacramento.
I get a question asked frequently: Would Herb Caen survive in the Internet world today? "Survive?" Hell, he'd thrive. Could you imagine Herb Caen observing Donald Trump? Oh my God. Get out the vitamin V and provide extra ice cubes. Vitamin V stood for "vodka" in case there's a millennial reading. And by the way, Herb Caen and the millennials? God, I could only imagine.
And don't call it Frisco.
I remember seeing him and his wife walking down Van Ness Avenue to one of the auto dealers in the 1990's and I was wearing my cap from my job, The SF Independent newspaper, a local paper whose corporation later bought the SF Examiner and as he got close to me I pointed to the name on the cap and he laughed and kept on walking.
ReplyDeleteRich, don't ever be afraid of running a Sunday "Caen" column, with all the nostalgic references! That us how the SF and Bay Area culture retains some "institutional memory".
ReplyDeleteWinchell used radio, Caen use print, you have the internet. Keep working!
I don't remember reading Mr. Caen's columns, but do remember he was quite renowned/respected in the industry.
ReplyDeleteSidenote, despite some negative comments on this blog, I do/did find his daughter in law, Melissa, attractive, although I believe she married into the name 20 years after Herbs death.
I can't comment on her overall reporting skills otherwise and found this info should anyone be interested:
https://melissacaen.wordpress.com
Herb wouldn't have allowed all the "Blue" language that you do.
ReplyDeleteOf course, times and culture have changed a lot since then.
Many are loose with what is vulgar or profane but cinched drum tight when it comes to real tolerance, humor and forgiveness. Hopefully, this too will pass.
I agree, don't know what it serves to post crude and vulgar remarks, especially since most of the time they are irrelevant, a week ago a racist offensive remark was posted, on what purpose? Not that I'm suggesting that this blog become politically correct, not at all, just keep it relevant, and in somewhat good taste.
DeleteVery true that he could be seen at Giants' games. Saw him many times at "The 'Stick," and he always seemed to be enjoying himself.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about The Chronicle back in Herb's day was true. Read Herb, the sports and forget the rest. Telling back then about how bad the newspaper was then and is today. The daily columns with all of the items were the best. His long form was good, but nothing could beat the wit and knowledge he shared in the 3-Dot Lounge. No one can hold a candle to Herb's writing. Sadly, these days the "journalists" will be measured by their memes and likes on their social media posts. Shallow. Go watch the endless collection of zombie movies. You'll feel right at home.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/10/us/san-francisco-raises-a-day-s-worth-of-toasts-to-honor-herb-caen.html
ReplyDeleteWent to a gathering at a North Beach grill owned by a close friend of Herb's on the evening his death was announced. Everyone, and I mean everyone, raised a glass of Vitamin V at exactly 6pm as the bells of the Ferry building pealed for one minute. Special moment.
Rich, do you think Herb Caen is Mayor Ed Koch's twin?
ReplyDeleteRich, if you had the staff that Caen had even you could come up with something readable once in a while.
ReplyDeleteHerb said something bad about the SFFD. A bunch of firemen were waiting for him outside the Chronicle building and chased him up Mission Street. Good times when SF wasn't a cesspool.
ReplyDelete