Oh hey there, fellow perpetually scrappy humans of the Bay Area. How was your Thanksgiving? Feeling a little drained?
Whether you spent a good chunk of your hard-earned dough on turkey for 12 or you’re just saving your pennies in anticipation of spending $100 at the movie theater to see the new Star Wars on opening night, this season can be tough on the wallet — and you’ll note I haven’t even mentioned holiday shopping yet. (My strategy is sheer avoidance until the very last possible minute. I’ll let you know how it pans out!)
Never fear. Here are six events to reinvigorate your holiday spirit — or help you hide from those who have it in excess — for $20 or under. Here’s this week’s Cheap Date.
Friday, Dec. 4: ‘Janis: Little Girl Blue’ Premiere w/ Ben Fong-Torres and David Getz at the Roxie Theater, San Francisco. Janis Joplin is one of those stars whose life and death still feels personal to music-lovers the world over — but you’ll forgive us if we here in SF have more than a tinge of extra-special regional pride about the singer, who came up in the Haight-Ashbury scene of the ’60s. This screening features a discussion with Big Brother & the Holding Company drummer David Getz and celebrated local rock journo Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone, the San Francisco Chronicle), to boot. $10; details here.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Sister Souljah at Marcus Books, Oakland. This author, activist, and hip-hop artist may be best known for trading controversial barbs with Bill Clinton during his 1992 presidential run, but her legacy stretches far beyond the soundbytes. In recent years, she’s gained a whole new audience as a novelist; A Moment of Silence, her third installment in the series Midnight: A Gangster Love Story, was published last month to overwhelmingly positive reviews. We’d advise showing up early — Marcus Books is pretty small. $5; details here.
