If a messenger bothered to spend ten minutes listening to him patiently, after explaining what delivery company they ride for, they’d learn a short history of San Francisco’s bicycling past. He held specific, quirky opinions on everything cycling related, from how to change a flat to what type of wool underwear is best to beat the cold during a rainy ride.
Zo’s son, Eric, was another local myth whose stories Malcolm passed on to me. According to Malcolm, he was a legendary stoner who designed and produced the courier bags of choice for local messengers. But finding the bags was half the battle. I only knew of two places that actually stocked the indestructible nylon and waterproof vinyl bags, equipped with quick-fasten shoulder strap and reflective strip. The way the most messengers acquired a new bag, however, was by being at the Zeitgeist or another messenger bar on a night when he happened to be cruising through.
One time, Eric Zo stopped by at the Shack and somehow Malcolm got a bag off him for free, a trade or maybe he was initially just supposed to borrow the bag. From the outside, the bag looked the same as any other Zo Bag, the standard one color nylon, and corresponding colored strap, and bright vinyl inside. But instead of the usual strip of black Velcro to hold the bag’s flap down, inside there were five velcro strips that were each a different color: red, blue, yellow, turquoise and green.
“Dude, I don’t have a Zo Bag. I have Zo’s Bag,” Malcolm joked in fake stoner California-ese.
There are two media references people always use when I mention I was an SF messenger. First they ask if I’ve seen the movie Quicksilver, a Hollywood flick based on messenger life. Then they ask me about Puck, the messenger punk who angered everyone on one of the early Real World MTV reality series. The Zo’s appear in both, referentially. Watching The Real World reunion after I’d begun messengering, I carefully scanned Puck’s messenger bag as he walked on the set to a shower of boos and hisses. Sure enough, he wore a Zo bag. Malcolm said he knew Puck, said he was a nice guy in person but a real ass in a crowd. According to another former messenger, Holland Zo is who the crusty mechanic in Quicksilver is based on, but I’ve never seen the movie to confirm that rumor.
Another time, Holland Zo was finishing fixing my bike