Diversity has long been part of the fabric of Los Angeles and Southern California. Humans first arrived here at least 13,000 years ago and more than twenty Native American nations made their home here before the Spanish Conquest. The Spanish pueblo of Los Angeles was itself founded by people of Native, African, European, and mixed ancestries and … Continue reading No Enclave — An Overview of Black Los Angeles
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
Those only live to get radical – or – Little hand says it’s time to rock and roll
A new compilation of SoCal bands titled Who invented the Mirror has just been released and is available exclusively at Amoeba. One of the bands featured thereon, Those, recently released their debut, We Cure Nothing, just before Christmas. The name of the band, Those (assuming it's the plural pronoun of "that" and not the village … Continue reading Those only live to get radical – or – Little hand says it’s time to rock and roll
Share this:
Happy MLK Day – Yo, whatever happened to peace?
Today the USA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we all know, Dr. King preached nonviolent activism in the global civil rights movement. Ironically, the other two persons honored with national holidays are Christopher Columbus and George Washington, two powerful slaveowners who advocated (and in Washington's case, waged) genocidal violence against people who fought for … Continue reading Happy MLK Day – Yo, whatever happened to peace?
Share this:
Happy Birthday, The Life of Riley! – or – What a revoltin’ development this is!
On 16 January1944, The Life of Riley, premiered on the Blue Network (later ABC). The Life of Riley began with an audition taping on 25 July 1943 after its creation by Irving Brecher. Over the course of roughly 320 episodes, it established itself as one of the most enduringly funny sitcoms on Old Time Radio. … Continue reading Happy Birthday, The Life of Riley! – or – What a revoltin’ development this is!
Share this:
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pasadena, The Crown City of Roses
INTRODUCTION TO PASADENA The Pasadena skyline from the San Rafael Hills Well, I can now admit (now that I'm finally done with it) that I honestly waited and prayed that another neighborhood or community would pass Pasadena in the polls. At the time of writing, Bunker Hill (in Downtown Los Angeles), El Monte (in the … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pasadena, The Crown City of Roses
Share this:
My Reawakened Love of Christmas Carols and this Year’s Top Ten
"That's someone shooting Tiny Tim for his PS3" Of Christmas, the wise Ebenezer Scrooge cynically but rather sensibly wondered, "What was Christmas but a time for running into debt and getting one year older without getting even one hour richer?" That was 1843 and not even the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come could foresee … Continue reading My Reawakened Love of Christmas Carols and this Year’s Top Ten
Share this:
Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Cabo San Lucas Snapshot
CABOHOLICS, CABO WABO, AND CABO RULES!!! So I recently went on a much-needed vacation to Cabo San Lucas with a motley assortment of friends. Cabo San Lucas was chosen because it was a friend's birthday, a friend whose father owns a bar, Happy Ending Cantina. To be completely forthcoming, Cabo San Lucas has never … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Cabo San Lucas Snapshot
Share this:
California Fool’s Gold — A South Los Angeles Westside Primer
LETS SHOW THESE FOOLS HOW WE DO THIS ON THAT WESTSIDE Just as Los Angeles has two Eastsides (one being the largely Latino enclave east of the LA River and the other being South Los Angeles east of the 110 and/or Main St) it also has two Westsides. One Westside is a collection of LA's westernmost … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A South Los Angeles Westside Primer
Share this:
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring San Gabriel, A City with a Mission
INTRODUCTION TO SAN GABRIEL For this blog entry, I ventured to the city of San Gabriel. Accompanying me were veteran three traveling companions. Cheryl Anne, a designer, hadn't appeared since her Season 4, episode 10 debut, "Gardena - The South Bay's city of opportunity." Artist Chris Urias made his debut appearance and regular audiences are … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring San Gabriel, A City with a Mission
Share this:
The Spooky Show & a Monster Party
On 15 October, 2011 (this Saturday if you're reading this in a timely fashion), the very cool indie toy store & gallery, Monkeyhouse Toys and Gallery (for kids whose sensibility is more Roald Dahl/Tim Burton than Bratz/Hannah Montana) is opening an art exhibit, The Spooky Show. It's curated by Terri "Tooter" Berman and features Halloween-appropriate works … Continue reading The Spooky Show & a Monster Party
Eric Brightwell 