04/18/04 00:00 | 218 W Day 6: Santa Cruz
We awoke to some exciting news: The Exception to the Rulers had shot up to #7 on the San Francisco Chronicle bestseller list — and that was based on sales before we arrived in California!We arrived at the 700-seat Rio Theater in Santa Cruz to see a line of people stretching around the block beneath a lighted marquee that blared AMY GOODMAN — SOLD OUT. But there was another odd site: police cars parked all around the historic theater. We were quickly informed that there had been a bomb threat called in to the theater. It all seemed out of place: here in one of California's most progressive cities, home to three stations that air Democracy Now! — KUSP, pirate station KFSC, and the local public access TV station — was a chilling sign of intolerance. But the event organizers seemed unfazed. They said the police had combed the theater and found nothing, and the Rio owner told us, “We're going to search people's bags as they enter — just like we do at the premiere of any surfer movie.” With that, the show went on without a hitch, and it was a great evening — with Santa Cruz locals snapping up more books than even the record crowds in New York City!