Falco finally honored in San Francisco with "sister stairs"

Following up on a pair (1, 2) of Boing Boing tv episodes in which monochrom explores the posthumous legacy of '80s pop icon Falco, who is memorialized in Austria with honorific stairs, Jacob Appelbaum says:

Some anonymous fans of both Vienna, San Francisco and Falco appear to have taken their love to the stairs. Specifically the Coit Tower stairs! Snip:
"The original Falco staircase (or Falcostiege) in Vienna was dedicated after the Musician's death in 1998. The staircase is quite small and unimpressive. Apparently the city was unable to find a street or bridge named after a dead fascist which could be rededicated. As of this week, San Francsico honors Falco with a plaque on the stairs leading to Coit Tower. At last, a fitting tribute!"

Link. Huh, I wonder who did this! Monochrom has more: Link 1, Link 2.

Previously:

* BBtv: Falco Stairs/Fuji Apple (monochrom)
* BBtv: Bar code artist Scott Blake / Falco stencil memorial (monochrom)

UPDATE: Tony says,

The new Falco Stairs were done as part of a task on SF0.org, and you can see the task "proof" here.
I don't know how familiar you are with SF0 (I'm sure BoingBoing has done stuff on it) but we are doing all sorts of things like this. SF0 was responsible for Doorhenge in the park last year (I and my daughter got to add my own piece to that wickedcool story, actually). Anyway, it is worth your time for the Falco thing specifically and for a whole lot more, including some damn wonderful creative people (Jane McGonigal and Chicken John are both members).

Discussion

Take a look at this

#1 posted by reviewstew , January 30, 2008 7:35 PM

whoever did it thought carefully about the wording "most recognized," so nobody would get their nose bent out of shape by saying that he somehow outshined Mahler, Strauss, Schoenberg, et al.

#2 posted by Cpt. Tim , January 30, 2008 7:42 PM

I love the stairs around telegraph hill and coit tower. Its thanks to them that i don't need a gym membership.

#3 posted by Wickedashtray , January 30, 2008 7:44 PM

I had no idea that Falco even died.

RIP you wonderful madman.

#4 posted by Wingo , January 30, 2008 7:52 PM

Yeah, Schoenberg would be rolling in his grave if he heard that. Christ, the music building at UCLA is named after him. Although, it is also henceforthto be known as the 'Herb Alpert School of Music'. Which is telling, I suppose...

And sure, I love Mahler, but I usually think of him as a 19th century guy. Although one of my favorites of his, the 10th Symphony (unfinished) was written in the early 20th, just before he died... I would certainly choose to listen to him over Falco anyday.

Isn't Strauss German? At least the one I'm thinking of is...

Rock me Amadeus.

#5 posted by sonny p fontaine , January 30, 2008 8:11 PM

the plaque seems crooked. does the city (office)of san franciso even know about this? not that they should, it doesn't look official is all. who is this jenny girl anyway?

#6 posted by Man On Pink Corner , January 30, 2008 8:21 PM

That's cool of SF to do this. Einzelhaft is still one of my all-time favorite albums. Way, way ahead of its time.

#7 posted by MB

, January 30, 2008 8:39 PM

Oh oh oh.

#8 posted by ioerror , January 30, 2008 8:56 PM

I'm glad San Francisco has finally paid Falco the honor he so richly deserves.

#9 posted by Rich Gibson , January 30, 2008 9:55 PM

It is clear that San Francisco has entered the top tier of World Cities in proper recognition of the contributions of artists, musicians, visionaries, and those few, those Falcos, who combine all three characteristics into being artists and musicians and visionaries, along with being dead.

Thank you San Francisco.

#10 posted by Bonnie

, January 30, 2008 10:37 PM

i blame Jenny for this.

#11 posted by andrewm , January 30, 2008 11:08 PM

Is that plaque "typeset" in Times New Roman? Yuck!

#12 posted by NikFromNYC , January 30, 2008 11:27 PM

If you're blue and have no one to turn you: dress up like a million dollar trooper.

A plastic plaque is all he gets for popularizing the wisdom of the ages? Better than nothing. Besides, plastic lasts longer than brass. Let's just pretend we never heard of bronze.

"I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until I finally became that person. Or he became me." - Cary Grant

#13 posted by sonny p fontaine , January 30, 2008 11:38 PM

#12 nik
you seem to be referring to the taco cover of the irving berlin song... and you're reminding me of someone. no one of any interest or merit of course. time will tell.

#14 posted by Xenu , January 31, 2008 1:22 AM

Es war um 1780
Und es war in Wien
No plastic money anymore
Die Banken gegen ihn
Woher die Schulden kamen
War wohl jedermann bekannt
Er war ein Mann der Frauen
Frauen liebten seinen Punk

#15 posted by sonny p fontaine , January 31, 2008 2:04 AM

bonnie, is it right to blame jenny for falcos feelings? ok, so she did kill herself. but that was her business. can any of us legitimitely blame anyone else for our feelings?

#16 posted by elNico , January 31, 2008 3:22 AM

Dammit...it's not JENNY....it's JEAAAAAAANNY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84VMVakGBIg

He didn't quite beat Klaus Kinski as my favourite talk show participant, but sometimes he was pretty close...

#17 posted by sonny p fontaine , January 31, 2008 5:14 AM

whoa...ok, everything's ok...we're all good here, right? it's just an oft forgotten 80's song...put down the gun elnico...that's right...we're all friends here...you're cool.

#18 posted by Moon , January 31, 2008 6:29 AM

Falco? The Disco guy? Hahahahahaha! They are wacky out there in SF!

#19 posted by Andrew Malcovsky , January 31, 2008 9:24 AM

Wow, I've seen the original Falcostiege. Or at least a sign pointing in their general direction. By some weird flea-marketty end of the Naschmarkt.

Never thought they'd be mirroring it.

#20 posted by Dillenger69

, January 31, 2008 9:35 AM

They must be talking about a different Falco ... the only one I've ever heard of is the "Rock me Amadeus" guy.

Or this is some kind of joke.

#21 posted by bopo

, January 31, 2008 9:36 AM

Vaguely related: My girlfriend and I were in Austria last fall and there was a cafe near our hotel named Amadeus. Their decorating sense was pretty great.

#22 posted by William Joseph Dunn , January 31, 2008 9:42 AM

Can't wait for his new biopic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_yg_e9mTks

#23 posted by Bazilisk

, January 31, 2008 12:41 PM

Holy crap is there something like SFo in NYC? Please tell me, oh please..., it's incredible.

(I live on the Wrong coast, as always.)

#24 posted by thegonzalez , January 31, 2008 5:58 PM

@BAZILIZK

Don't sweat your location. We've got several players from as far as the UK, Korea and Australia. Me, I'm in L.A.

Fortune favors the bold!

#25 posted by Noelegy , February 1, 2008 5:24 PM