"It's what we listen to
on Saturday mornings in San Francisco. Check it out!"

– The Kitchen Sisters

  • where to hear us: HEAR HERE

  • James Fallows, National Editor of the Atlantic Monthly, wrote about West Coast Live.

    • LIVE SATURDAY May 3rd, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • JIM STEINMEYER, author of The Book of the Damned: The Collected Works of Charles Fort an account of man and the weird supernatural sightings, pre-News of the World
    • ROBERT BLY, and EAVAN BOLAND, poets, (or, as a British Immigration official decided about W.H. Auden on seeing his occupation on his immigration card, crossed out poet and wrote unemployed.
    • ELIZABETH MCKENZIE, author of , MacGregor Tells the World,
    • CLAIRE PEASLEE, naturalist on the nouveau spring.
    • JULIE CUMMINS, talks trash about the Waste Wise efforts at the Farmers Market.
    • CALAVERAS,whose latest recording Green Girl takes the traditional fiddle and fuses with a folk and jazz rhythm section and a strong lead guitar.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his meat from his veg.

    LIVE SATURDAY MAY 10, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • SYLVIA BROWNRIGG, author of Morality Tale a new book about the triangulations of a marriage, mordant, saucy innocence say some. Also, author of the forthcoming The Delivery Room, and the acclaimed and saucy Pages for You.
    • MARY ROACH, author of Bonk: The curious Coupling of Science and Sex, once again takes to place her curiosity leads and we follow.
    • RABIH ALAMEDDINE, author of The Hakawati
    • STAN DEVOTO, of Devoto Gardens, growers in Sebastopol of heirloom apples and flowers.
    • Music from THE BLUEBELLIES, with whom you'll be laughing and dancing.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his meat from his veg.

    LIVE SATURDAY May 17th, 2008 - at the BERKELEY REP THEATRE , 2025 Addison Street near Shattuck in Downtown Berkeley,

  • CARL HIAASEN, author and humorist whose books include Sick Puppy, Native Tongue, Downhill Lie and Hoot
  • ANDREW SEAN GREER, whose new book is The Story of a Marriage
  • JIM SHEELER, author of FINAL SALUTE
  • other music to be announced, too
  • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his left hand from his right.

    • LIVE SATURDAY MAy 24, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' MarketAs for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • ELEANOR COPPOLA, author of Notes on a Life including her work as a filmmaker.
    • JOHN STRALEY, author and private eye in Sitka, Alaska, has a new thriller set in 1935, The Big Both Ways.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his Sitka from his Skagway

    LIVE SATURDAY MAY 31, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • COURTNEY JONES, the singer-songwriter stops in for some songs and tea.
    • other guests TBA.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, a true afficianado of kale.

    LIVE SATURDAY JUNE 7th, 2008 at the Freight and Salvage 1111 Addison, Berkeley, off University and San Pablo....continental snacks and coffee available

    • WILLIAM GIBSON, author of Spook Country , Neuromancer where he coined phrase cyberspace, and many other books. One of the great original thinkers of our time.
      • and in a kind of gnerational mash-up:
    • LISA LUTZ, author of The Spellman Files, and Curse of The Spellmans which share their author's comic audacity.
    • ANDREA ASKOWITZ , author of My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy.
    • ADAIR LARA, author of The Granny Diaries: An Insider's Guide for New Grandmothers ahead of the curve for baby boomers with grand humour and insight.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who plays from all generations.

    LIVE SATURDAY JUNE 14th, 2008 Live show from The Freight and Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison at San Pablo in Berkeley. Morning pastries and coffees available. TODAY, their 40th Anniversary Celebration
  • SEDGE andMIKE GREENSILL, welcome special guests.

    • LIVE SATURDAY JUNE 21st, 2008 Live show from The Freight and Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison at San Pablo in Berkeley. Morning pastries and coffees available.

    • MICHAEL MEYER, author of The Last Days of Old Beijing an account of what is being lost and what is being left in China.
    • Music from piano man MIKE GREENSILL, who used to work the Hong Kong Honky-Tonks.

  • Artisan-made Radio....

    • RESERVATIONS: for your 2 hours of slow-food organic radio with only the freshest conversation, music and play: 415-664-9500, or TICKETWEB Tickets for most shows are $15 when purchased in advance via phone or ticketweb. The walk-up price at the door the day of the show is $18. Children up to 12 $5. Occasionally, special broadcasts have different ticket prices which will be noted.
  • Doors usually open at 9:30AM, the show finishes its set-up as you arrive, then we broadcast live 10am - 11:59am coast-to-coast.. You can hear us, too, on-line via many of the public radio stations that carry West Coast Live both on-the-air and streamed across the globe by Jefferson Public Radio, twice, on their Rhythm and News and their News and Information channels, KALW , KUMD,, KCLU, and many other places, if you're outside one of our broadcast areas. Please see our affiliate page.

  • Some answers to ticket questions you might have if you order tickets at 415-664-9500: Please, we need the date of the show you wish to attend, your name and billing address, the number in your party, credit card number and expiration date, your phone number, and, if you'd like confirmation, an email address. Confirmations are sent after 6 PM on Fridays, but once you've left the necessary information, your tickets are purchased and will be at the door for you on the Saturday morning for which you've booked. Your credit card charge will appear as from "Don't Quit Your Day Job." (Bringing you a smile each month in your statement....) Any other questions, of course, write or call. Whew. lot of stuff, but clear, we hope. So TicketWeb might be just as easy.

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    Recent West Coast Live Shows

    SATURDAY January 12, 2008

    - We start our 15th Year of West Coast Live at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market -- (as will our show be on January 19 and 26th). As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    LIVE SATURDAY January 19, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market -- (as will our show be on January 26th). As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • MICHAEL POLLAN, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma has a new book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.
    • RICKI LAKE, actor, talk show host, filmmaker has a new documentary, The Business of Being Born, about home birth.
    • SOLID AIR, with ALLEGRA BROUGHTON and SAM PAGE.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his meat from his veg.

    LIVE SATURDAY January 26, 2008 - at the San Francisco Ferry Building, site of CUESA's San Francisco Farmers' Market. As for ways to get to the show, here's a map.

    • NILOUFER ICHAPORIA KING, anthropologist, food scholar, author of My Bombay Kitchen which traces three generations of Parsi family.
    • J.T. and the CLOUDS, half-boogie, half-soul, and half-swing. A true 1.5 group!
    • DANA FRANK, author of Local Girl Makes History: Exploring Northern California's Kitsch Monuments, her take on memory and the mysteries of childhood California haunts and why they are important to our national history.
    • ROY FONG, Daoist priest and founder of The Imperial Tea Room in the Ferry Building and Berkeley.
    • BETH LISICK, author and humorist, latest report from her head is of a year spent with 10 self-improvement gurii. How's she fare? See for yourself!
    • KUGELPLEX, Klezmer for a rainy day.
    • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, whose musical roots sprout great sounds

    LIVE SATURDAY February 2nd, 2008 - from New York City at Joe Papp's Public Theater club at 425 Lafayette in NYC: JOE'S PUB

    Two shows: 10AM (doors 9:30a and 1PM (live show-doors 12:30p). Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at door, $12 for kids and seniors. WCL is NOT handling ticketing; use Joe's Pub link above, or call 1-212.967.7555.

    10AM eastern time show (airs February 9th) Guests include

  • KATHA POLLITT author, humorist and political thinker, her latest book is a memoir: Learning to Drive: And other life stories .
  • OMER KLEIN composer and pianist.
  • ROY BLOUNT, JR, president of Authors Guild and he has a new book Long Time Leaving
  • JAMES McBRIDE, author of Color of Water and Song Yet Sung and sax player.
  • REV BILLY and his choir, from his street ministry

    • 1PM eastern time show (airs live 10AM PST this day) guests so far:

  • CALVIN TRILLIN, welcoming us to NYC and giving us street-smart tips..
  • JUDY COLLINS, direct from the Village folk music scene!
  • ALI ESKANDARIAN, Iranian-born singer-songwriter based in NYC.
  • EDITH GROSSMAN, foremost translator of Spanish literature into English, from Garcia Marquez to Cervantes.
  • THE HOLMES BROTHERS, with their music cooking tips
  • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows NY like the tips of his fingers

    • SATURDAY February 9th, 2008 - from Joe's Pub in NYC on Feb 2nd. (Takes a week to cross the country via Pony Express....)

    SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16th (from 11/13/99)

    ARCHIVE CLASSIC show from The Freight and Salvage Coffee House.We've been listening to it this week to make sure it's good enough...We find it, well modesty prevents us from grading it above the A+ we've given it in the office.

    • Actor GENE HACKMAN and underwater archaeologist DANIEL LENIHAN, authors of Wake Of The Perdido Star.
    • ISABEL ALLENDE, author of Daughter Of Fortune.
    • DON WALSER, "The Pavarotti of the Plains" with good ol' down-home Texas music and teller of Alaska-Texas stories.
    • Singer-songwriter LUCY KAPLANSKY, whose latest recording (in 1999 was) Ten Year Night and joins with Don in a duet.
    • And featuring the late, great IRVING KAPLANSKY, Lucy's Dad, as the house pianist.

    SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23rd -- Back Live

    2008 Live show from The Freight and Salvage Coffee House Guests include .

  • ANNE LAMOTT, novelist and essayist
  • APRHODESIA, world music
  • EDNA O'BRIEN, Irish playwright and novelist in San Francisco with a new play
  • STEVE TOLTZ, Australian novelist
  • CLAUDIA RUSSELL, musician
  • MIKE GREENSILL, house pianist

    • SATURDAY MARCH 1st - Live at the Freight

    2008 Live show from The Freight and Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison at San Pablo in Berkeley. Morning pastries and cofees available. Guests include ..

  • CARRIE FISHER, actress, appearing in Wishful Drinking at Berkeley Rep.
  • PEGGY ORENSTEIN, memoirist and fan of the book by BENEDICT and NANCY FREEDMAN Mrs. Mike
  • KILLDEER, musical ensemble with Ashleigh Flynn, jim Brunberg, and Chris Funk
  • MICHAEL KRASNY, memoirist
  • MANIL SURI, novelist The Death of Vishnu and The Age of Shiva
  • MIKE GREENSILL, house pianist

    • SATURDAY MARCH 8th, 2008 (from Feb. 21, 1998)

    From The Great American Music Hall as rain sluiced down that day.

  • MARCH 15:
  • WENDY MERRILL, author, Falling Into Manholes
  • LAURA M. FLYNN, author, Swallows the Ocean
  • J. MICHAEL WALKER, author, All The Saints of the City of Angels
  • Musical guests, The STAIRWELL SISTERS
  • Mike Greensill
  • MARCH 22
  • CAILLE MILLNER, author, The Golden Road
  • LYDIA MILLET, author, How the Dead Dream
  • PROF. RICHARD HAND, who, with a colleague, found an early NOEL COWARD play "lost" in the Lord Chamberlain's Censorship Files, The Better Half, which is now being staged in San Francisco.
  • Musical guests RUPA and THE APRIL FISHES
  • Mike Greensill

  • MARCH 29
  • RICHARD PRICE, author, Lush Life
  • TOBIAS WOLFF, author, Our Story Begins
  • EDWARD DOCX, author, Pravda
  • Musical guests EDMUND WELLES: THE BASS CLARINET QUARTET
  • THE VERY HOT CLUB
  • MIKE GREENSILL

    • SATURDAY APRIL 5th: this Saturday

    at the Freight and Salvage 1111 Addison, Berkeley, off University and San Pablo....continental snacks and coffee available
  • SCOTT SIMON, NPR presenter and author, with his latest: Windy City: A Novel of Politics which is also a comic thriller.
  • SUSAN GRIFFIN, her latest book Wrestling with Angel of Democracy, the Autobiography of an American Citizen explores the state of mind that engenders and sustains democracy.
  • ANDRE LEWIS, author and pilot. His new book for children: I Want to Fly dreams come true through kindness and generosity.
  • MARTIN HAYES and DENNIS CAHILL, Irish fiddle virtuoso and American guitarist with classical, blues and jazz influences. explores the state of mind that engenders and sustains democracy.
  • MIKE GREENSILL, the man who knows where to stash his glass of ale and cast a marvelling eye at our theme today.

    • SATURDAY APRIL 12th

    at the Freight and Salvage 1111 Addison, Berkeley, off University and San Pablo....continental snacks and coffee available
  • SUE MILLER, Her new novel is The Senator's Wife , as "timely as today's headhlines" some might say, but we won't. She also wrote The Good Mother , and several other renowned novels.
  • OMAR SOSA, one of the world's most incredible and profound musicians.
  • KARL and CARL, with timely tips on travel, two folkjs who know their Condé from their Nast
  • J.C. TORBILLION, poet-at-large
  • MARK WILSON, he has a new account of the life of architect JULIA MORGAN
  • Other guests to come.
  • J. RAOUL BRODY , dashingly in for Mike Greensill.

    • SATURDAY APRIL 19th at the Freight and Salvage 1111 Addison, Berkeley, off University and San Pablo....continental snacks and coffee available

  • PATRICK McGRATH, British novelist here with his latest: Trauma
  • NATHANIEL RICH, his latest book The Mayor's Tongue . madness, love, myths, playful language.
  • MELANIE ABRAMS, author. Her new book: I Playing brings passions, a triangle and dark moments of insight and freedom.
  • TIN CUP SERENADE, newses recording: Tin Cup Serenade!
  • MIKE GREENSILL, the man who knows how to clean his keys with gin.

    • APRIL 26th, 2008 -- archive show from June 16th, 2001. Back live next week

    • Wendy Wasserstein, The late, great Pulitzer Prize winning playwright of The Heidi Chronicles and author of Shiksa Goddess, or How I Spent My Forties
    • Bluegrass music from The Waybacks.
    • Peter Nichols, author of A Voyage for Madmen
    • Maestro Tom Torriglia of The Squeegees.
    • Travel tips from KARL and CARL, who are performing LIVE TONIGHT 2008, April 26th, at 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley. Their show: IRRATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!.
    • WAVY GRAVY, founder of Camp Winnarainbow in a special 72nd birthday salute. He's holding another great party benefit on May 15th, also at 142 Throckmorton Theater, Mill Valley.
    • Music from piano player Mike Greensill.

  • Artisan-made Radio....

    • RESERVATIONS: for your 2 hours of slow-food organic radio with only the freshest conversation, music and play: 415-664-9500, or TICKETWEB Tickets for most shows are $15 when purchased in advance via phone or ticketweb. The walk-up price at the door the day of the show is $18. Children up to 12 $5. Occasionally, special broadcasts have different ticket prices which will be noted.
  • Doors usually open at 9:30AM, the show finishes its set-up as you arrive, then we broadcast live 10am - 11:59am coast-to-coast.. You can hear us, too, on-line via many of the public radio stations that carry West Coast Live both on-the-air and streamed across the globe by KSJN, Jefferson Public Radio, KALW, and many other places, if you're outside one of our broadcast areas. Please see our affiliate page.

    • ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  • FOR MORE DETAILS about the 2007-2008 shows, please see SCHEDULE PAGE, or, sign-up for the mailing list. We feature occassional web specials. THANKS!
    • Join the West Coast Live mailing list 
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    West Coast Live Entertains and Enlightens

    West Coast Live is a weekly two-hour radio variety show produced live-to-satellite Saturday mornings in front of San Francisco theater audiences and broadcast around the world. The show entertains and enlightens its audience with music, ideas and humor from a rich mix of writers, thinkers, comedians, and musicians, drawn mostly from the Pacific Rim and the Western United States, but also from further afield as feels right to do. Think Bill Moyers meets David Letterman, according to one reviewer. Our uniquely Western sensibility is conveyed not only by our guests, but also by remote broadcasts from Yosemite to Alaska, and by the sound of Bay water lapping against the piers that begins each show. Imagine the pleasure of watching a radio show come-to-life before your eyes, with the chance to be with world-renowned authors and musicians in an intimate setting of live performance and spontaneous interview.

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    Welcome to West Coast Live's web site - the first and longest running web site in public radio history! The WCL web site launched in 1994. The WCL site is undergoing a major transformation this season, so please look in again from time to time for more information on the show, related events and new features.
    copyright 1994-2007 West Coast Live
    last update: January 5, 2006