Voting Station

Herb Caen

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Commentator

The Resume

    (April 3, 1916-February 1, 1997)
    Born in Sacramento, California
    Wrote the 'It's New To Me' column for the 'San Francisco Chronicle' (1938-50,1958-97)
    Essay collections include 'Baghdad-by-the-Bay' (1949), 'Don't Call It Frisco' (1953) and 'One Man's San Francisco' (1976)
    Received a special Pulitzer Prize for 'his extraordinary and continuing contribution as a voice and conscience of his city' (1996)

Why he might be annoying:

    He wrote a column for his high school newspaper under the byline 'Raisin Caen.'
    He started as a Walter Winchell wannabe.
    He called his shots of vodka 'Vitamin V.'
    He was one of the reporters who outed Oliver Sipple (the Vietnam vet who saved Gerald Ford's life by deflecting the gun of would-be assassin Sarah Jane Moore) as gay.
    He said that he never retired because he had 'too many bills and ex-wives' (three of the latter).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He said he was unaware that Sipple had not come out to his family and that he felt 'a little ashamed' of his role in outing him.
    John Steinbeck wrote, 'He made a many-faceted character out of the city of San Francisco.'
    He was considered as much a San Francisco Landmark as the cable cars and Golden Gate Bridge.
    The eulogies at his funeral were delivered by Mayor Willie Brown, Robin Williams and Strange DeJim, a frequent contributor of oddball items to his column.
    He said, 'One day if I go to heaven, I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying