Movie “Freaky Tales” Is a Love Letter to 1980s Oakland

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Oakland in ‘87 was hella wild.” So begins the new movie “Freaky Tales,” which establishes its bonafides by having rap legend Too $hort as its narrator. Told in four chapters, the film weaves together punks, rappers, Nazis, and the Warriors, with clutch cameos from local legends. We’ll talk to its director and some of the people whose wild stories inspired the movie. Prepare yourself, we’re popping in the cassette tape and readying the time machine. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture Tamra Goins, talent agent, Innovative Artists; Goins performed as Entice in the rap duo Dangerzone, which is featured in the movie "Freaky Tales" Too $hort, Oakland-based West Coast rap legend, producer and founder of OG records; Too $hort is the narrator and executive producer of the movie "Freaky Tales," a love letter to late 1980s Oakland Ryan Fleck, filmmaker and co-director of the movie "Freaky Tales," Fleck and his co-director Anna Boden's credits include "Captain Marvel," "Half Nelson," "Sugar" and "It's Kind of a Funny Story," among other films; Fleck grew up in Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort on 4,000 acres in the mountains of Baja, California, just 45 minutes from San Diego.
0:09.4	Family owned and operated since 1940, Rancho La Pueerta offers adult summer camp-like vacations for anyone who enjoys hiking, mindfulness, and fitness classes.
0:19.8	Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and
0:23.3	first-time guests. Learn more at Rancho LePuerta.com. Support for Forum comes from Broadway
0:29.4	SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story. From three-time Tony-winning composer
0:36.8	Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank, a new story. From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and
0:39.9	Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is accused
0:46.6	of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice,
0:53.6	and devotion. The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade
0:57.8	plays the Orphium Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th. Tickets on sale now
1:04.6	at Broadwaysf.com.
1:08.2	From KQED.
1:09.8	Music From KQED.
1:18.4	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:20.5	The year is 1987.
1:22.2	The city is Oakland.
1:25.0	Sleepy Floyd is the best player on the Warriors.
1:27.4	Sweet Jimmy's is the hottest spot in town. Too Short is rising
1:29.1	to stardom and punks are building Gilman, the famous All-Volunteer Punk Club. This is the setting
1:35.3	for the new movie Freaky Tales starring Pedro Pescal with cameos from a whole bunch of East
1:41.6	Bay legends. We'll talk with the director,
1:44.6	some of the people who inspired the movie's plot lines,
	...

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