Silicon Alleys
Selected Metro Silicon Valley Columns, 2005-2020
In 2005, the editors of Metro Silicon Valley, San Jose’s alternative weekly newspaper, offered Gary Singh his own column, “Silicon Alleys,” to explore the underbelly of San Jose from a perspective only a creative native could offer. To this day, he still writes the column every week. Now a selection of Gary’s greatest hits, nearly 300 columns in chronological order, is available in one mammoth volume, hand-picked by the columnist. Following a gnarly foreword by cyberpunk science fiction pioneer Rudy Rucker, a glorious mishmash of humanity emerges. UFO researchers sit right alongside rock stars, repo men and professional wrestlers. Buddhist scholars hold column space with women’s drinking clubs. Abandoned strip malls return to life. From punk rock to high art, from dive bars to luxury digs, from literary vibes to forgotten history, no other body of work more aptly sorts out the guts of America’s 10th largest city than Gary’s weekly column.
Video trailer by Cotton Stevenson, Pam Kelly and CreaTV.
Press / Interviews / Appearances
for Silicon Alleys
Gary appears on the cover of Metro, November 11, 2020, to tell the story of the Silicon Alleys column, including all the ups, downs and in-betweens throughout 15 years of writing this page every single week.
“I always found material to write about, but I was also always torn. Half of me wanted to leave San Jose forever and the other half wanted to stay, and this schism was a subtext in almost every column I wrote. I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, because almost everyone else told me the same thing. I felt like a true writer in the sense that whatever my problems were in life, writing was a necessary part of the healing process. I had to write my way through it all …”
What a journey it’s been. Read the story here.
Advance Praise for Silicon Alleys
To look at San Jose through Gary’s eyes is an education. He is to San Jose what Herb Caen was to San Francisco—part of the city, part of its vibe. For years he has walked the streets, enjoyed its hot spots and its dives. He is part of the professional sports scene, part of the music scene, part of the bar scene. He loves and understands the history of San Jose better than anyone I have ever met. In these days of cities changing and losing their identities, I am happy that Gary kept the records.
JOHNNY MOORE, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer, former General Manager, San Jose Earthquakes
Gary Singh belongs to a different age, when journalists had lifelong love-hate affairs with their beloved cities. For San Jose he is like heavenly sandpaper, railing against homogenization, celebrating what is uniquely good, and gently challenging his city to become a place that is creative and humane. I’m glad his columns are collected here so that San Jose can remember the past and, perhaps, build a better future.
TIM RITCHIE, President and CEO, The Tech Museum of Innovation (2011-2020)
Gary’s column is the written soundtrack of my life in San Jose. I arrived as a Banda Club kid, a theater kid, a downtown kid, a Could Have Left Town kid, but our Valley of Heart’s Delight transformed and kept me. Gary’s the one who wrote about all of us growing up. He’s the only one who wrote about the Pink Elephant Center—before any need for a “Diversity Column.”
TAMARA ALVARADO, Executive Director, Shortino Foundation
Gary Singh knows San Jose. I have been reading him in Metro for many years, sometimes agreeing, occasionally not, yet always entertained—even sometimes amazed. The successes, the mistakes, the dreams that sometimes happened and often failed, are the essence of this book. Each agony here often leads to some ecstasy. It is all on full display as you go down the illuminated streets and duck into the dark alleys that compose this most amazing city.
TOM McENERY, Mayor of San Jose, 1983-1991
Interview on KFJC 89.7 FM, December 30, 2020
Drop dead gorgeous LO-FI recording of Gary’s one-hour appearance on the air with Ann Arbor, the Wednesday morning-drive goddess of KFJC 89.7 FM. She plays a recording of two Silicon Alleys columns, PLUS, she even reads two of Gary’s columns herself! (Eat your heart out NPR.) In-between it all, the two long-time confidants catch up to contemplate the “San Jose Condition,” as Gary calls it. Listen to the interview or download the whole shebang right here:
Book Launch at the San Jose Museum of Art
with Mighty Mike McGee
Mighty Mike McGee interviews Gary about his book, his column, his writings, SJSU and all things San Jo, including Kerouac’s and Cassady’s histories in San Jose. A fantastic conversation between two native sons. Watch the entire one-hour event right here.
Book Launch with the Center for Literary Arts
and the Steinbeck Center at SJSU
Book launch event hosted by the Center for Literary Arts and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies at SJSU. Director Nicholas Taylor talks with Gary about his book, his columns, his SJSU days and the role Indian mysticism plays in his perspectives on the San Jose condition. Zoom silhouettes aside, you can watch the entire one-hour event here, or definitely enjoy it for the audio. Nothing but gratitude, says Gary.
Celebration of Silicon Alleys by Thollem McDonas and ACVilla
From the creative minds of Thollem McDonas and ACVilla, a ten-minute, spacetime continuum-shattering multimedia collage inspired by Silicon Alleys, replete with pages, texts, visuals, photography, stills and other imagery, all based on the material I’ve written about for the last 15 years of my life. A tribute to the book, the city of San Jose and the WORKS/San Jose gallery in particular. It’s like a hall of mirrors, reflecting back and forth between the city of San Jose and the subjects I cover. Many old and new friends are included here, as are buildings, businesses, landmarks, bars, restaurants, streets, alleys, ideas, contemplations and so much more. I am humbled beyond belief.