Mr. Floppy's Flophouse

Mr. Floppy's Flophouse was a mansion in East Oakland that at one time housed a bordello frequented by writer Jack London. In fact a picture of Mr. London hung behind the elegant long bar. In the early 1990s it was also the home to San Francisco's most wild underground party and rave. Mr. Floppy himself was said to be an elusive archeologist from Finland who while not excavating an inverted pyramid that is thought to house the knowledge of all mankind, was hosting late night events in the bowels of one of Oakland's most notorious districts.

The flophouse had around 15-20 different rooms, something different going on in all of them. There was the main ballroom where DJ's and acts such as Olli Wisdom or Psychic TV would play. Upstairs would be any variety of things to behold ranging from a naked man playing sitar, to freestyle deep house, to a black light mushroom garden paradise.

The only rule was: Don't do anything to interfere with anyone else's good time, including your own. Booze flowed from the antique mahogany bar, with guests stayed through the night, and maintaining the correct chemistry was paramount.

At dawn it was not uncommon for George, the owner of the property to appear in a wizard cape serving shrimp cup of noodle soups from behind his piano.

External links

• SF Weekly article
• SF Bay Guardian article