The group’s debut, Album, landed on Pitchfork and Spin’s year-end Top 10 lists, and Stereogum named its follow-up LP, Father, Son, Holy Ghost 2011’s album of the year. It is a sad, disheartening tale - a kind that has become unfortunately familiar for the guy who might just be the most accomplished musician living in San Francisco.Īs the frontman and creative force behind Girls, Owens presided over one of the most beloved and critically revered bands of the past decade. It was only after he broke down and cried that someone finally offered to help. Bewildered people reacted to his pleas with ridicule. On a warm sunny afternoon, when fortuitous winds have blown the noxious smoke of the North Bay fires far from the city limits, Christopher Owens ambles into Golden Gate Park, looking downbeat and dejected.Ĭlad in an outfit of black shit-kicker boots, green shorts, a brightly colored flannel shirt, and a beige fly-fishing cap, Owens has spent the past hour wandering aimlessly through the Sunset District, asking strangers for help charging his dead phone.

Cafe of broken dreams