After years of shunning kitsch, Tom Dalzell recently pivoted and embraced kitsch fully and without qualification as an acceptable manifestation of Quirky Berkeley.
Tom Dalzell
Freelancer Tom Dalzell has lived in Berkeley since 1984. After working for Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers for 10 years as a legal worker and then lawyer, he went to work for another labor union in 1981 and has been there since, first as an attorney, and, since 2006, as its elected leader. In his free time he walks the streets of Berkeley, street by street and block by block, recording and photographing the quirky material culture that he finds. Dalzell, who is an expert on slang, writes the Quirky Berkeley blog and contributes to Berkeleyside about his finds, both in the present tense and with an occasional foray into Berkeley’s non-conformist past.
Posted inCommunity
How Quirky is Berkeley? The safety pin on Page Street
Doug Heine made the safety pin sculpture at 812 Page St. as a symbol of resistance to #45. His own home across the street has an airplane crashing into it.
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Judy Gumbo — Our Yippie Girl at home in Berkeley
The FBI once described hell raiser Judy Gumbo as vicious, anti-American, anti-establishment and dangerous to the internal security of the country.
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How Quirky is Berkeley? Tyler Hoare’s sculpture and collage
For 40 years, Tyler Hoare has been using the Bay as his gallery, gifting us with planes, pirate and Viking ships.
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Quirky Berkeley: Vintage toys and ‘Christmasiana’ sale
A person who wants a little more quirk in their home couldn’t do better this weekend than visiting the sale. Same for a person who wants a lot more quirk in their home.
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Dick and Beany’s last hurrah: Extensive collection of ethnic arts for sale
It’s an understatement to say Dick and Beany Wezelman have a passionate love for Africa. After years of traveling there, their numerous collectibles bought there are up for grabs.
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Fans mourn the loss of Darwin, the Retriever Cat of North Berkeley
A sweet North Berkeley cat with a habit for retrieving things — lots of things — had many fans. His death by speeding car came as a shock to his many Facebook followers.
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How Quirky is Berkeley? Doors
You will see far more fancifully painted doors in Berkeley than in most cities. Here are just a few of them.
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How quirky is Berkeley? Sheri Tharp’s carved picket fence
In the 1990s, Sheri Tharp saw a wooden picket designed by Charles Sayers in 1942. She liked it so much she and her students carved a few, and now her house has a fence.
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Quirky Berkeley: Ron Morgan’s extraordinary Christmas ornament collection is for sale
Ron Morgan, an antique dealer and master flower arranger, has spent 50 years collecting a wide variety of Christmas ornaments and figurines.
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How Quirky was Berkeley? The Artistic Legacy of Martin Metal
Glimpses of the magnificent sculptures and metal pieces can still be glimpsed around Berkeley.
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How Quirky is Berkeley? Lasher’s Electronics
Al Lasher’s Electronics on University Ave. is more than 50 years. The family-owned company offers every electronic part a customer could want, making the interior a visual wonder.
