With bicycles, buses, ferries, planes, rideshares, sidewalks, subways, taxis, and trains at Angelenos’ disposal, why would any sane person choose car-dependency? Nobody Drives in LA celebrates sense and sensibility in transportation. ***** Tomorrow, 22 March, from 9am and 4pm, a stretch of Lankershim and Ventura boulevards will be closed to motorized traffic for CicLAvia - The Valley. At just 8.85 … Continue reading The Nobody Drives in LA Guide to CicLAvia — The Valley
Author: Eric Brightwell
Eric Brightwell is an essayist, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener. He lives in Los Angeles, not because he was born here, but because he chose to... for all of the things for which its famous: its verticality, its mass transit, its diversity, its schools, its liminal spaces, its architecture, its wildlife, its museums, its night markets, its cinemas, its theaters, its enclaves, its restaurants, its bars, its libraries, &c
Female Experimental Filmmakers: A Noncomprehensive A-Z
There are almost as many types of experimental films as there are experimental filmmakers. Many of them come to film from different directions than conventional filmmakers -- weaving together psychology, painting, dance, poetry, literature, theater, sculpture, and other fields. This being Women's History Month, I thought I'd have a crack at compiling a list of … Continue reading Female Experimental Filmmakers: A Noncomprehensive A-Z
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Southland Parks — Visiting Los Angeles High Memorial Park
Parks comprise more than 14% of Los Angeles’s landscape and the city is home to hundreds of these cherished public spaces. From the largest park within any American city (Topanga State Park) to the smallest pocket parks and parklets, I hope to showcase them one park at a time, in the series Southland Parks. ***** Yesterday, whilst … Continue reading Southland Parks — Visiting Los Angeles High Memorial Park
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An Interview with Karie Bible for Women’s History Month
In the past most of my posts for Women’s History Month have focused on historical figures. This year I decided to instead focus on living breathing women who’re contributing to the vibrant cultural landscape of Los Angeles. This week’s subject is Karie Bible, an independent contractor who maintains Film Radar, volunteers for the American Cinematheque in … Continue reading An Interview with Karie Bible for Women’s History Month
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All-Female Bands of the 1970s — Happy Women’s History Month!
I wrote a post on all-female bands from the 1910s-1950s, and a post covering all-female bands of the 1960s -- here's my attempt at a conclusive A-Z (and other alphabets) of all-female bands of the 1970s. Details are often sketchy or non-existent and as always corrections and contributions are appreciated! DIE ÄTZTUSSIS Die Ätztussis were an anarcho-punk … Continue reading All-Female Bands of the 1970s — Happy Women’s History Month!
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Greater Streets — Exploring Yosemite Drive
Los Angeles has more streets than any other city in the US, about 12,000 kilometers of roadway, the surface of which covers approximately 15% of that of the entire cityscape. New bicycle lanes, reconfigured road diets, pedestrian advocacy, the rediscovery of public stairways, open streets events, and government programs like Great Streets have gone a long way … Continue reading Greater Streets — Exploring Yosemite Drive
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Mini-Mallism — Visiting 2829 Hyperion Avenue
Strip malls (also called mini-malls, pod malls, power centers, retail parks, shopping centers, and shopping plazas) and malls in general are symbols of suburbia that although overabundant are rarely paid much attention. I find them interesting, however, mainly because I’m amused by their often pretentious names and ornamentation which I guess is designed to elevate … Continue reading Mini-Mallism — Visiting 2829 Hyperion Avenue
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15 American Pop Hits That Aren’t in English
In the United States there is no official language and in roughly 18% of American homes, one of hundreds of languages other than English is primarily spoken -- all of which, unless they're indigenous, should be considered "foreign languages." In Los Angeles, everyday you can hear pop songs on the radio in Cantonese, English, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, … Continue reading 15 American Pop Hits That Aren’t in English
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Dirty Roots: Southern Hip-Hop Part I — The 12″ Era (1979-1983)
As far as my ears can tell, pretty near every rapper from Inglewood to Plumstead nowadays owes more than a little something to the rise of the Dirty South sound that pretty much took over hip-hop in the late 1990s. As anyone with more than a passing familiarity with the genre knows, however, southern hip-hop was … Continue reading Dirty Roots: Southern Hip-Hop Part I — The 12″ Era (1979-1983)
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Black Hillbilly
The first non-Native American settlers of Appalachia and later, the Ozarks, were of primarily of three ethnicities: Scots-Irish, English, and German. These hard-working farmers and craftsmen created a distinct culture which in the 19th Century came to be named “hillbilly.” Although the Northern European roots of hillbilly are routinely acknowledged, even scholars on the culture … Continue reading Black Hillbilly
Eric Brightwell 