The Purple Onion
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The Purple Onion is a celebrated cellar club in the North Beach area of San Francisco, California located at 140 Columbus (between Jackson and Pacific). The club offers an intimate, 80-person setting and was a popular influence in local music and entertainment during the Beat era. Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Maya Angelou, Phyllis Diller, the Kingston Trio, and the Smothers Brothers (who recorded their first album, Live at the Purple Onion there) all played the club in the 1950s and 1960s. Richard Pryor has also performed at The Purple Onion.
In the early 1990s, owner Tom Guido made the club the center of San Francisco's garage rock scene, featuring such bands as The Trashwomen, The Phantom Surfers, The 5.6.7.8's, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Groovie Ghoulies, The Go-Nuts, Guitar Wolf and many others. Although almost always packed, Guido's mismanagement and penchant for giving away free beer doomed the future of the club.
In 2004, the club returned to its comedy roots. Photographer and booker Dan Dion started a weekly comedy night that featured comedians such as Robin Williams, Paul Krassner, Jim Short and Tom Rhodes. David Owen presented the Purple Onion debut of Mort Sahl in June of 2005 as well as engagements by Greg Proops, Zach Galifianakis, Todd Barry, Dan Piraro and Judah Friedlander. Currently, the club's weekly comedy nights are produced by Bay Area comedy legend Doug Ferrari, who produces shows featuring other local veterans such as Will Durst, Mark Pitta and Johnny Steele, with the periodic drop-in spots by Robin Williams and Dana Carvey.
