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Courtesy photo. |
The
Space Lady is San Francisco's most enchanting street musician. Whether
on keyboard or accordion, her music stops sidewalk traffic even in this
multi-task town. The Space Lady usually performs wearing a whimsical steel
helmet with angel wings, which makes her easy to recognize but belies the
credibility of her haunting vocal interpretations of well known songs. Mister
SF always requests Time After Time or Spanish Harlem. A San Francisco favorite
is Over the Rainbow, .of course. The Space
Lady, whose real name is Susan Dietrich, made only a full length CD of San
Francisco sessions for sale. The disc features Susan performing live on
Casio with effects You haven't heard Ghost Riders in the Sky until
you've heard the Space Lady sing it. A few of her tracks, including her
underground hit version of Major Tom, are also featured on some compilations.
Listen to this sample of Radar Love.
The Space Lady is the only performer ever who made me wish I were an agent, and not just because her lilting sounds provide a soundtrack for my memories of San Francisco. Her transcendent quality is obvious. I've played her CD and actually had neighbors come to my door begging to know, "Who's making that incredible music?" After she was featured here in 2001, Susan Dietrich wrote to say she was inspired by this show of support to focus again on her music. Three years later, the Space Lady released an EP on the online music archive, Comfort Stand. The new recordings on "Street-level Superstar" find the Space Lady as haunting, humorous, and ethereal as ever. On behalf of her fans from Liverpool to Birmingham, Mister SF says, "Welcome back!" - HD |
Copyright 2001-2004 Hank Donat |