Blog is a Mix Tape

song for sunday: laredo 77

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:23:51 -0800

Brownout

I've recently been enjoying the sounds of Brownout, a Latin funk outfit out of Austin, Texas. They've been around for a minute in the form of Grupo Fantasma except here, they're strictly instrumental. What I like about these guys is not only that they have their chops down but rather than following a strict revivalist route, their sound has a clear Latin influence but isn't holden to simply trying to sound like it's East Harlem 1968 again.

- Rolling Brownout Hits LA by Oliver Wang, Soul Sides, 01.23.08

That smoothed out Latin Funk has given way this morning to the Samba. Bah Samba to be exact. But this post isn't about the spontaneous dance party in my apartment early this Sunday. No, I've been thinking a lot about public spaces, particularly, the differences between those in LA and SF.

A week ago, I was in San Francisco for the long weekend. Every time I'm up there, I do so much more than I do here. We traveled the city by bus! by muni! by cab! by foot! by BART! We went in search of giant donuts and art spaces and street art and drinks and delectables! I went to a random hippie party! We spent long swaths of time in Dolores and Golden Gate parks and at the de Young and in each instance I was struck by the vibe of the city and the timbre of the people. There's a rhythm. I felt immediately connected and, as Felicia remarks often, delighted by it.

At the de Young, for example, after taking the bus the wrong way--and figuring that misstep out by the GPS in our phones because, hello, nerds--we found our way into the museum's fountain area where a local artists' bazaar was taking place. We found ourselves a bench and people watched for awhile. We remarked on everyone's unique styles (particularly the comfortable yet stylish shoes that adorned everyone) and the smiles on their faces and the diversity, not just of ethnicity, but of age and sexuality and economy. Then we finally went inside and checked out the Gilbert & George exhibit where my mind was blown.

As I remarked to Lauren yesterday as we walked through the new BCAM building at LACMA, I never took art history. I don't really know how to parse contemporary art but what the Gilbert & George exhibit showcased was their ability to shine a light on their current affairs through photography and paint and their own beings and all in these giant set pieces that take minutes to take in. San Francisco is like that for me. I need more than the fleeting moments I get with that town and it's people. It's why I visit monthly now. My mind and heart are tugged there in an attempt to soak it all up.

Cut to yesterday's afternoon. It started with a car ride. Obviously. And a haircut. And traffic. And dodging award ceremonies. And a wonderful 90 minutes at LACMA with a good friend. It also included parking woes. And a trip to The Grove. And a celebrity sighting--Rebecca De Mornay enjoying the Transform exhibit alone--and none of that rhythm or sense of interconnectedness that I felt just a week prior doing similar things. Nor any of that sense of wonder.

There's a great view from the top floor of BCAM. You can see much of Hollywood and Beverly Hills but what we noticed was the 99 Cent store. "I've never seen it from this high, " she said.

"Neither have I," I agreed. We ~~marveled~~ ~~examined~~ ~~looked~~ stared for a moment and then moved on. We wanted to avoid the tour group, the yellow shirted school group, the old ladies with umbrellas, and the sometime stars who didn't get an invite to either the Independent Spirit Awards or the Razzies.

We had fun, sure. We laughed at the Giant Balloon dog, discussed Damien Hirst in depth, were awed by Cindy Sherman, became kids again with the oversized kitchen table, and got vertigo in the first floor maze. We also rapped Mama Said Knock You Out and spent too much money in the Apple Store. It was enjoyable but it was fun we shared only with each other. In LA, in our public spaces, our rhythm is our own. It's one of the reasons people love Los Angeles. It's often one of the reasons I love it.

Lately, though, I'm hungry for that shared movement.

Samba!

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VOTD: Testin' Me

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:50:12 -0700

Dudley Perkins - Testin' Me

This is also LA. Get familiar.

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VOTD: L.A.

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 13:37:28 -0800

Murs - L.A.

It's been a Murs heavy week as I'm sure my last.fm charts will show on Sunday. Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.

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Getting Green: Pooping For the Future

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 09:03:41 -0800

My favorite project concerns "bio solids" (a.k.a. crap). When you flush your toilet, your feces is diverted to an old oil chamber where it is left to decompose. As this happens, the shit lets off a bunch of methane which is then converted into energy for the city. (Don't worry - it's clean by then.) How cool is that? Apparently, we're the first city to really do this on a large scale.

- Los Angeles is green!, apophenia, 02.06.07

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When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate...

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:41:00 -0800

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES/OXNARD HAS ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING.WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PST WEDNESDAY.

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE MID 20S TO AROUND 30 DEGREES LATE TONIGHT BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT FREEZE TO THE AREA.

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES BELOW 28 DEGREES FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS ARE IMMINENT OR HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION.

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Mood Music: Season's Change

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:44:48 -0800

Season's Change

King Britt Presents Sylk 130

Sweaters and Fuzzy socks. Coats and Jackets. Gray skies. Chicken Soup. Methinks Winter has finally set up shop in Southern California.

This week's forecast. (Yes, I know. It's much colder where you are. But here, last week at this time, it was about 85 degrees. Let us have our winter.)

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New to the Neighborhood: SouthlandVox

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:36:37 -0800

SouthlandVox

For all my LA peoples.

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Vox Hunt: Autumn Where I Live

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 13:23:15 -0800

Show us what autumn looks like where you live.
Submitted by Miss Parker.

Autumn Foliage

This is the view directly outside my apartment patio. It's an uncommon LA apartment view.

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Go Here: uWink

nobody@vox.com(Jason) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:54:54 -0800

This is just geeky and weird enough to get me to venture to Woodland Hills:

uWink is a self described “Media Bar”, the first of a grand global project. Tables are equipped with touch screen monitors for ordering up drinks, food and games. Nolan Bushnell hopes to network all the franchises once they are established, enabling the customer to play against costumers [sic] on the other side of the globe.
uWink
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

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