Back in 1997 Anthony Lovett and Matt Maranian wrote and published what eventually became my favorite Los Angeles guidebook. That book’s name was (and is) LA Bizarro. A few years ago on this website I talked to Matt about the original book’s undertaking (fun interview with Matt here). Since that time the two authors have now revised, updated and significantly expanded that original tome, and their collective output was published by Chronicle Books just this fall. In the 2009 updated edition of LA Bizarro (available at the time of this writing and sitting right up there at #2 on the LA Times nonfiction bestseller list this week, no less) they talk about the new, they talk about what was, they elaborate on the “merits” of the Orange County-based Viacom/ Paramount/ Rusty Pelican Restaurants, Inc. international chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in sordid detail. (Write San Clemente today to find out how to open your own Bubba Gump!)
Alongside pearls of Los Angeles wisdom and hilarious anecdotes, the 1997 edition of the fabled book offered to the casual reader severe eye strain by way of its off-kilter typesetting and color palette (black-on-green, white-on-black). And, though that incomparable strained-eye feeling was perhaps a part of the appeal of the original volume due to the fact that full passages were on occasion very difficult to read – almost as if the authors didn’t really want to tell you what they were in fact telling you at the time – my aging, internet-scarred eyes are oh-so-thankful for the the cozy, old-fashioned, black-text-on-white-background legibility of the 2009 edition. I’m also thrilled because these guys clearly share our sensibilities, and vice-versa: numerous joints we’ve mentioned over the years here and there on our site also appear in this new book (Norwood Young’s House of Davids and the downtown Piñata District, to name but two); inversely, countless joints that first appeared in the original edition of LA Bizarro eventually showed up on our website a decade later, come to think of it. Guys, let it be known: You have an open invitation to blog, right here to our seven readers, any time you desire. Victor’s setting up your logins; your password is the two-word title of LA Bizarro, page 142, new edition.
Today we chat with both authors – nay, tastemakers – about the book’s recently-released revised edition and Los Angeles in general. In the below conversation, Tony’s answers follow the initials “ARL” (”A” as in Anthony, get it?) and Matt’s answers follow the initials “MM”.
Neither of you live in Los Angeles now (Simi’s close; Vermont may as well be Indonesia) and yet you felt compelled to return, research and release an updated guidebook about Los Angeles. Without repeating the intro to the new book verbatim…why is this?
Billy Shire Fine Arts
Exhibition: November 14, 2009 – December 5, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 14th, 7-10 pm
We would love nothing more than to purchase this painting at next weekend’s opening and proudly hang it in the alcove at the far end of the Sandalwood Conference Room, Marina del Rey Courtyard Marriott. $6k is a little steep, perhaps, but that shit’s just lovely.
Did You Know?
As of Autumn ‘09, the Oki-Dog (Fairfax@Willoughby) LA County Public Health Score is back down to a bright red 73 “C” rating, thanks to:
Great documentary that finally sees a proper release by MVD Group just this year: Flyin’ Cut Sleeves is a 60-minute portrait of gang life in the Bronx in the 1970s, with a follow-up view of the gang leaders in the 1990s and a discussion as to how their lives have been shaped as a result of their past activities. Completed in 1993, the footage jumps from 1989 to the 1970s, back to 1989, right on up to 1992, back down to 1974…you get the idea. This is from the same team that brought you Style Wars.
Send me an e-mail with your first and last name and mailing address for a shot at the DVD; contest closes end of day.
I speak Urdu, Tagalog, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Esperanto, Mandarin, Norwegian, C++, Java, HTML, Snark, Blog, Quechua and North Korean, but not French. We get about 50,000 music press releases per day and even though this one originated from Hudson Street, New York, NY, I will be goddamned if I know what’s going on other than I dig the photo. “En concert blah blah blah, tck tck tck” indeed. Please, somebody help me (and Dan Black Sound) so that I can determine if I should post it, add one or more of his shows to our concert calendar, delete it or just what the hell, here.
Direction, analog synths and miscellany by Brian LeBarton (Beck)
Percussion by Carla Azar (Autolux)
Cello by Vanessa Freebairn-Smith
Over the course of 90 minutes in a darkened room under Disney Hall last night Brian LeBarton, clad in a fur-and-rubber wolf mask, made enough improvised bleeps, blurps and flatulent noises to equal the output of six men with an array of vintage synths surrounding his workspace. Supporting musicians Carla and Vanessa were tastefully subdued, never at the forefront for any extended period of time. Nothing was rehearsed beforehand.
Golem, the movie itself, 90+ minutes of shadowy lighting and fantastic 1920 surrealist sets by Hans Poelzig (playbook of which Theodore Geisel must surely have taken a page from), has been scored a variety of ways over the ages (fun and notable example: dig the brief death metal montage by Mike Patton’s Fantomas, here). I’m not exactly sure the reason, but spacey free jazz and analog sounds lend themselves to silent German Expressionist films quite well, and last night’s performance was well-executed and no exception, drawing parallels for myself to the scoring of Murnau’s Nosferatu by the venerable Tortiose a couple of years ago up in Chicago.
Creepy German Expressionism at its finest: The Golem: How He Came Into the World gets the musical treatment it deserves this evening and tomorrow, downtown ‘neath the Disney Hall. These two screenings will feature a live score by Brian LeBarton (Beck’s music director and keyboardist) with special guest Carla Azar (Autolux) and more. Personally I’m stoked; these shows have been on the calendar ever since Brian told us about them! If you have no plans for Halloween, or your plans run on the late side Saturday, why not enter to win a pair of tickets to the Saturday screening by sending me your first and last name right here. Winner will be notified EOD; the film starts promptly at 830pm both nights. I’ll be there as well, so come say hello and if you’re in costume, go ahead, see if you can earn one of five existing pieces of our beyond-limited-edition-at-this-point Losanjealous 2009 OkiTaffy. Huzzah!
Olympic Gold Medalist and ten-time World Champion Fighter Oscar de la Hoya officially cut the ribbon on the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School in Boyle Heights today, the first public high school built in Boyle Heights in 80 years. The school is situated at the location of de la Hoya’s former boxing gym. Big congrats and thanks to Oscar; full press release and more photos by Nicholas Alan Cope after the jump.
Hat tip to Ice Cream Man for sending this our way; this is pretty cool. In the above video Glen Hansard decides to entertain the people who are waiting in line in order to hear him play inside the store. He ends by grinning and saying, “See you all inside.” The outside, cars-driving-by aspect of the impromptu performance reminds me a bit of that video we shot for John Vanderslice a while back, wherein John was chased away from the hour-plus line outside Pink’s hot dogs.
File under shame they can’t keep it going. Following Sunday if you want to check out the Knitting Factory you’ll need to be in Boise, Spokane, Brooklyn or, coming soon, Reno. Join us as we bid farewell to the venue and its three stages in the heart of Hollywood.
We have a few pairs of tickets to hand out at this time – and one grand prize winner will win a pair of tickets, free Hit The Lights merch and get to meet and greet the band if so desired (note: hitting the actual lights as you exit the Knitting Factory not included, though who’s to say that doesn’t happen as well). Simply put, if you’ve never been to the Knitting Factory over the last decade, this is your final opportunity. Entry instructions after the jump.
Los Angeles, Tenacious D is playing Culver City tomorrow and we’ve got your tickets covered. The duo will perform tomorrow as part of a multi-month-long series of events and performances intended to buck the slumping economy, cumulatively titled the WTF?! Festival at the Actors’ Gang space; said fest is curated by nonprofit gang founder Tim Robbins.
This is your chance to see The D in a small, intimate venue (100 seats). But wait! Your free tickets also allow you unfettered access to the comedic stylings of Sarah Silverman and surprise guests. Doors at 7, cocktails at 7:01, show at 8:30pm. Don’t snooze on this one. For those readers averse to gambling, a very small handful of tickets are still available here at $150/seat at press time. Remember: The Actor’s Gang is a nonprofit organization. These shows benefit children’s outreach programs; nobody is taking a dime. Entry instructions after the jump.
Forget Adam and Jimmy’s recent San Gennaro cheese party. Six days and nights of Italian culture in Los Angeles begin today and in the interest of keeping everyone felice e soddisfatto, we have free passes to hand out at this time:
Los Angeles – The first edition of (H)ITWEEK L.A, a celebration of Made in Italy: Music, Art, Poetry, Literature and Cinema, will be featured in a series of events throughout Los Angeles from October 13 through October 18. Leading Italian acts will appear at the Music Box (Henry Fonda Theatre) on October 16 and October 17 culminating on October 18 with a performance by the Italian art-rock legend Franco Battiato at the Broad Stage. The three shows are presented by 89.9 KCRW.
Attention, comedy fans and denizens of Los Angeles at large: LA’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre is taking over the Solvang area this weekend, and we have a fun getaway in store for you at this time:
You’ll travel up to Solvang on Saturday (on your own dime)
Maybe you will enjoy some local grape (on your own dime)
You might enjoy a bit of food (again, on your own dime)
And then you will laugh! (On our dime)
The laugh will most likely be caused by something witnessed or heard during the back-to-back afternoon UCB Theatre shows you will waltz into, free of charge, up in old Solvang. Following this laugh, whether or not you stay in Solvang, journey farther north to The Madonna Inn, get sidetracked by a steaming bowl of pea soup in Buellton, stop in at the Hitching Post for a glass of red with Thomas Haden Church or end up at Neverland…well, those are all options once you find yourself north of Santa Barbara. Good luck and may you return in one piece.
The Dodgers may currently be unable to win one single crummy game in order to clinch the National League West title, but that all changes when we collectively use the force this Saturday night to guide the team to victory over the Rockies (90% sure it won’t happen tonight). Fans who forked over the $50 for the yoda t-shirt and a seat in the now-sold-out special Lower Reserve area will also enjoy mask-wearing privileges and a menu consisting of Cloneburgers with cheese, R2-BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and Ice Sabers (popsicles) (no, I did not make those up). Jim Rome may have said it best some time back:
Those of you who were hoping to hit next month’s Staples show in order to have Kanye enlighten you on various things best-of-all-time will have to wait, apparently, as CNN’s reporting Live Nation just announced the tour has already been canceled (we’re told nobody interrupted the announcement):
Concert promoter Live Nation said Thursday that West’s concert tour with Lady Gaga — titled “Fame Kills” — has been canceled just two weeks after it was announced.
The reason for the cancellation was not revealed, but West told NBC’s Jay Leno last month — before the tour was officially announced — that he planned “to take some time off” in the aftermath of his MTV awards show embarrassment.
This is a rare opportunity to catch Marianne in person, belting out some tunes from that last album (featuring Decemberists covers, among other things), at Royce Hall no less, and I’ve got a few pairs of tickets to give away at this time. Don’t snooze; e-mail me here with your first and last name for a chance at a pair now. Winners will be notified EOD Thursday.
Believe it: Dublab has been webcasting quality programming, throwing killer events and spinning wax all over town for ten years now. Big thanks to the entire crew for keeping things beyond bearable here in Los Angeles during that time.
To celebrate this watershed moment, the group is hosting ten glorious back-to-back anniversary events all over town over the course of ten days, beginning October 1. Said events include art shows, DJ nights, screenings, and special broadcasts. (By contrast, when Losanjealous turned four last spring, we ate a bowl of stale pretzels and read Victor’s post out loud in the Sandalwood conference room of the Marina del Rey Courtyard Marriott.) The full 10-day Dublab anniversary schedule is over on their their site and the final event threatens to be huge:
On the day after Christmas, 2006, veteran alternative musician Richie Hass was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. He had no insurance and no “medical home.” His cancer was “staged” at end-stage. His colleagues organized “Friends of Richie,” a benefit concert intended to raise money to pay Richie’s medical bills. Because Richie was being qualified for MediCal and had been admitted to treatment at the City of Hope National Medical Center, Friends Of Richie I became a fundraiser for the International Myeloma Foundation and the City of Hope.
The treatment Richie received at City of Hope was second to none, and he had a complete remission that lasted from June 2007 to the resurgence of his cancer in early 2008. However, the cancer roared back, and on March 20th, 2008, on a quiet afternoon, Richie lay down for a nap and never woke up. He went out peacefully and without suffering. In April 2008 Friends Of Richie II: A Celebration Of A Life, took place, benefiting the International Myeloma Foundation once again. $1,000 was raised for the IMF, providing comfort to Richie’s family and contributing to the progress of science in finding effective treatments and an eventual cure.
Back in 1997 Anthony Lovett and Matt Maranian wrote and published what eventually became my favorite Los Angeles guidebook. That book’s name was (and is) LA Bizarro. A few years ago on this website I talked to Matt about the original book’s undertaking (fun interview with Matt here). Since that time the two authors have now revised, updated and significantly expanded that original tome, and their collective output was published by Chronicle Books just this fall. In the 2009 updated edition of LA Bizarro (available at the time of this writing and sitting right up there at #2 on the LA Times nonfiction bestseller list this week, no less) they talk about the new, they talk about what was, they elaborate on the “merits” of the Orange County-based Viacom/ Paramount/ Rusty Pelican Restaurants, Inc. international chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in sordid detail. (Write San Clemente today to find out how to open your own Bubba Gump!) 
2009 edition. I’m also thrilled because these guys clearly share our sensibilities, and vice-versa: numerous joints we’ve mentioned over the years here and there on our site also appear in this new book (Norwood Young’s House of Davids and the downtown Piñata District, to name but two); inversely, countless joints that first appeared in the original edition of LA Bizarro eventually showed up on our website a decade later, come to think of it. Guys, let it be known: You have an open invitation to blog, right here to our seven readers, any time you desire. Victor’s setting up your logins; your password is the two-word title of LA Bizarro, page 142, new edition.
Great documentary that finally sees a proper release by MVD Group just this year: Flyin’ Cut Sleeves is a 60-minute portrait of gang life in the Bronx in the 1970s, with a follow-up view of the gang leaders in the 1990s and a discussion as to how their lives have been shaped as a result of their past activities. Completed in 1993, the footage jumps from 1989 to the 1970s, back to 1989, right on up to 1992, back down to 1974…you get the idea. This is from the same team that brought you Style Wars. 
Der Golem, Wie Er In Eie Welt Kam
HEADS UP
HEADS UP
The Dodgers may currently be unable to win one single crummy game in order to clinch the National League West title, but that all changes when we collectively use the force this Saturday night to guide the team to victory over the Rockies (90% sure it won’t happen tonight). Fans who forked over the $50 for the yoda t-shirt and a seat in the 
HEADS UP
Believe it: 
HEADS UP
