In case you missed the news this morning, Californians have thrown in the proverbial towel.

As we all brace for draconian cuts and pray for somebody to save us from ourselves, I’ll take comfort in this late ’90s Shawn Mullins ditty.

Come to think of it, I wonder why this tune didn’t appear on our recent Songs about Los Angeles project?

Oh, yeah, because it sucks.

[UPDATE: Apparently, embedding the video has been disabled by request. So to take it's visual place, here's a pic of the next Supreme Chancellor of
California using some of his new executive powers.]

1.  What is a lesbian ?

Soon after I came out, I rattled off a list of lesbians for my mom, to help her – us – understand that history has benefited immensely from my kind. I started with Emily Dickinson and was starting to make my way up to Eleanor Roosevelt when my mom cut me off. “Emily Dickinson? Are you sure? No, I don’t think so,” she said. Sensing the direction of our conversation, I skipped Eleanor and cited Ellen, the Universally Appreciated Lesbian, Thanks to Finding Nemo. My mom said, “Ellen! Yes, Ellen. Ha ha, she is so funny!” And this was the instant when I knew that being gay was O.K. (Thank you, Ellen.)

For my part, I’m not sure when I was exposed to the concept of lesbianism. Growing up in a little bubble of a community near Orange County, I didn’t have the requisite language to describe such relationships between women.   I’m slightly ashamed to admit that my recognition came so late, but it really wasn’t until Ellen came out in “The Puppy Episode” that I really understood the term “lesbian” (sure, I saw Ellen on Time’s groundbreaking cover at the market, but even that “shocking” headline – “Yep, I’m Gay” – held back the L-word). And then I faced the confusing struggle to scream my presence in a culture that blissfully hummed along as it denied the morality of my existence: was I a dyke, lipstick lesbian (no), boi, baby butch? And how do I translate these needs for definition to those who view gender as equivalent to sex, self-expression as synonymous to experimentation?

“GenderPlay in Lesbian Culture”, an exhibit at the ONE Archives in West Hollywood, invites the lesbian community and the general public to explore these issues of identity.  Analyzing lesbian culture from a distinctly lesbian point of view, co-curator and predominant lesbian rights activist Jeanne Cordova hopes that the exhibit will “teach our community, all the generations, about our own history and culture, and show what a unique culture it is that must be preserved.”

Jeanne Cordova, co-curator Lynn Ballen, and the lesbians guerillas in the midst of cultural re-education, after the jump.

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Could happen if the rumor phoned into Josh from Joshcar.com holds true.  In short Daimler Benz is buying 10% of Bay Area based Tesla Motors.  This will provide them with the operating capital needed to start up production of their all electric Tesla S sports sedan.  The rumored location of this production will be the old GM Van Nuys plant shuttered some 20 years ago when Camaro production was shifted elsewhere.

I have found confirmation regarding the purchase of Tesla stock over at Edmonds.com.

Good news for the Valley and LA in general if this holds true.

We gave away tickets to a couple lucky winners last week, and I followed hot on their heels to the Mogwai show downtown.

With all the wild boosterism I supply for the Orpheum, you’d think I’d have been there, but this was my first time. The semi-baroque, semi-neoclassical performance hall did not disappoint. It was strange but appropriate to see Mogwai there–such a stark, spare, deconstructed-and-reconstructed sound amidst the architectural equivalent of an Italian opera.

I wish I knew the titles of each song they played, but alas, I do not. I reluctantly hand back my membership in the Music Geek Club.

Nonetheless, the show was an aural assault that soothed you into a calm complacency as Stuart Braithwaite noodled somnolently away at his guitar, then let loose with a massive wall of sound that set the subwoofers beneath my feet (as I took pictures from the pit) thrumming, fit to rattle down the gold-leafed ceiling.

Amen to Mogwai, and a sound so wide and deep it can’t fit in words. Thanks for bringing the sublime to downtown LA.

More pics behind the jump and on flickr.

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I want to tell you a little bit about a tall young man I know (pictured at right during the Midnight Ridazz’ “Saftey Ride” of April 2007) who goes by the nom du bicyclette of Roadblock, but has also given other names both real and fictional to various civic committees, law enforcement personnel, census takers, and telemarketers.

Roadblock has been with Midnight Ridazz since the beginning — and I mean that very first 18-mile nightride by the eight original “mommas and the papas” way back in February 2004. He rode his skateboard the entire way.

When Midnight Ridazz blew up huge a couple years later with rides at times drawing more than a thousand cyclists, the founders decided to step back and give the once-a-month phenomenon over to the bike community. From there Roadblock opened up midnightridazz.com as something of a portal and incubator in which people could hatch and grow and celebrate their own rides. Genius.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that in this ephemeral shapeshifting storm known as L.A.’s “bike culture” Roadblock has a place in its center not just for how long he’s been involved in it, but also for his contributions to bettering and broadening it — although he would probably be the first one to roll his eyes and dismiss such a statement as ridiculous.

What I’m also trying to say is we came close to losing him to a hit-and-run motorist early this morning.

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I didn’t feel this one, but I keep getting IMed about it.

A light earthquake occurred at 3:49:11 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, May 19, 2009.
The magnitude 4.1 event occurred 2 km (1 miles) NE of Hawthorne, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 12 km ( 8 miles).

Did you feel it? Fill out the survey

See the Shake map

Everyone’s favorite proto-punk semi-glam totally rad band the New York Dolls are back in LA for a triumphant show at the Fonda this Thursday. I had the privelege of seeing them a few months ago at Club Nokia and the show blew me away: rollicking, funny, explosive and occasionally elegiac, the Dolls are not a novelty retread. Chops & cred ooze off them. This is a don’t-miss show.

Wanna go? Tell me your favorite New York Dolls story or song. We’ll choose a few winners & send you on your merry way.

Show info is here.

Saturday June 13 at 3pm we will commence the Classic Eats Event you have all been waiting for–HOT DOG DEATH MARCH!

The March begins at Pinks where we will have trivia contests and other fun things to do and discuss. Step two on our journey will be Oki-Dog. You’ve secretly wanted to go here ever since you read Jonathan Gold’s take on it in his book Counter Intelligence. You haven’t read it? Click here. Okay, now you are ready to try it. Last but never least we will wind up at Skooby’s on Hollywood Blvd. If there were ever a more appropriate place to throw up, Hollywood Blvd seems like it. But no one is going to hurl, I know you are all better than that.

Part of the conversation will be about Pink’s Vs. Skooby’s. This turf war is almost as hot and fiery as “where does the East/West side start” debate. Will the issue be resolved on June 13? You’ll have to join us to find out.

Oh and there will be t-shirts.

Pink’s
Oki-Dog (via Yelp)
Skooby’s

Grab your Tums and tighten up your panties. This is Hot Dog Death March.

Fire in Culver City / Drew Tewksbury

At about 7:15pm a fire broke out in the dried out brush adjacent to the concrete corridor of the Ballona Creek near La Cienega in Culver City. Witnesses say that the fire was started by a young man who they described as Latino. Two young girls reported that the man left his bike behind and walked up the side of the brush. “We thought that he was just going to start tagging,” one young person said, “but then he started the fire and threw his backpack into it.”

Police and firefighters responded to the scene, cutting through a fence with an electric saw and dousing the flames after the fire had consumed a palm tree and an area of about 50 feet. By 8:15pm the firefighters contained the fire.

According to Wikipedia:

On the afternoon of May 18th Roderick Anthony Burton II, professionally known as Dolla was shot and killed shortly after 3:00 PM near the La Cienga Boulevard entrance of the Beverly Center in Beverly Hills, after a fight between a group of individuals broke out. Witnesses report that a woman was seen firing a handgun. Another source said a male suspect was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a flight.

His MySpace page has no more info than that and the most recent entry notes that he had just signed up for Twitter earlier today, about 7 hours ago from right now. I’m not certain, but I don’t recall there ever being a shooting at The Beverly Center that I’ve been aware of so this might be a first in that respect. Unfortunately, rappers getting shot and killed in LA is far from unusual. Dolla was 21.

The LA Times Blog has more info including a photo of flip-flop clad women who are clearly distressed that their shopping experience was interrupted exiting the building.

There are at least three decent outdoor flea markets in Silver Lake, central to Sunset Junction and conveniently located near quite a few delicious brunch options, allowing for the perfect afternoon of mimosas and thrifty shopping.

Saturday is really the only day you can hit all of these, since two of the three are not there on Sundays. Just park your bike or car around Sunset and Maltman and you will be central to all three of these outdoor shopping options:

1. Silver Lake Farmer’s Market (produce, jewelery, clothing, vintage, etc.)

2. Silver Lake Art Craft and Vintage

3. Don’t know the name, but it’s next to the Jiffy Lube and Kelly Green (Santa Monica at Sunset)

As seen on YouTube, I found this great lampshade yesterday at the smaller of the three flea markets, located behind Kelly Green on Santa Monica Blvd. This vintage lampshade also doubles as a fancy hat that I later wore to The Eagle for afternoon cocktails with some leather-lovin’ (and now lampshade lovin’) gays.

(video courtesy of Mark Hayward)

Silver Lake Farmer’s Market is located at 3700 Sunset Blvd, between Edgecliffe and Maltman (at the intersection of Griffith Park Blvd), 90026. Read the rest of this entry →

Watch this video carefully and you’re bound to learn something about the fine art of legislation.

Stick around to the very end to see somebody’s head get bonked!

It’s the little things that make life sweet or living hell.  So when just parking your car turns into a major stress point in daily life, you start thinking about who made all these rules that make life way more difficult than it should be in Los Angeles.

Oh!  That’s right!  It was our very own Mayor  Villaraigosa and the esteemed City Council Members.  They needed money for the city,  so they  recently raised the parking meter rates in LA from $1.00 to $2.00 per hour.  Got it.  Times are tough all over.  It’s irritating, but now I just carry around a roll of quarters so I don’t get hit with a $45 fine 1 minute after my meter expires (what?  No grace period?)

Now I’m reading that the Mayor is proposing privatizing all the meters and many of the publicly owned parking garages around town.  And you know where that leads.  Yes, my friends, the rates will be jacked up even more!  In Chicago, where the meters have been taken over by private companies, it costs $3.50 per hour to park and believe me, those meter maids lay in wait for the errant parker.

Funny, I remember a couple of years ago when the Hollywood Redevelopment scheme was being promoted by Councilman Garcetti and others, one of the pluses to making Hollywood more urban would be the plethora of cheap, public parking.   Now that all those dense, hi-rise buildings are about ready to be opened,  gouging the public with even higher parking rates for anyone visiting the shops, restaurants, clubs and theaters in the area seems to be the idea.  Forget all those promises made a couple of years ago.  This is a new financial dawn.

Way to go!  Way to promote more business.  Promote more consumer spending.  Way to build a loyal constituency.  Just make it even MORE expensive to go out on the town.

I, for one, know who I won’t be voting for when the new Governor election rolls around.  And here’s a note to the City Councilmembers.  Remember, we’re all in this together.  Most voters actually do remember how you supported various issues that cost them money.  And then, there’s always the internet, which never forgets

From the inbox:

Solair added you as a friend on Facebook. We need to confirm that you know Solair in order for you to be friends on Facebook.

Actually, I don’t know Solair. In fact, there are very few buildings in Los Angeles that I consider friends. Do I accept the request, or ignore? This is a decision not to be taken lightly, as I do not want to hurt Solair’s feelings.

What would you do?

Looking for a brutal relationship comedy? Well, you’re going to have to travel to Rantoul, IL to get it.

Actually you can get it right here at the Lillian Theater, if you’re seeing the new play RANTOUL AND DIE. Brought to you by the writer and producer of tv’s Two and a Half Men, this play really raises the bar on 99-seat theater in LA.

(Being from Chicago, I’m more than acquainted with Rantoul: It’s where you pee when you’re traveling from Chicago down to the lower parts of the state for the universities. But this play has nothing to do with that; it’s set there and boy do you ever get the feel for it. Job security means the local DQ fer chrissakes.)

Without divulging too much, they’re calling this “a romantic comedy wrapped in razor wire” and it can be brutal at times. But it’s also tightly written and beautifully (and intensely) acted. Cynthia Ettinger is utterly amazing.

It’s a short run and tickets are cheap, so there’s no excuse to miss this.

LA Times infoblurb is here. Kenneth Jones Playbill online is here.