INTRODUCTION I recently explored Downtown's Historic Core neighborhood. The exploration was undertaken in two parts. I first began exploring the district a few days before Christmas. Thus the days were short and the sun set when I was only halfway done. The distractions of the holidays caused me to forget about finishing the task for … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring the Historic Core
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Angeleno Stories — Mountain Lion Man
Hello readers, a few weeks ago filmmaker Anna Dale posted the first episode of something we're calling Angeleno Stories. I posted it on several social media platforms but it didn't dawn on me until a couple of days ago that I should probably post it here, on my website. So here it is! "Intrepid cougar … Continue reading Angeleno Stories — Mountain Lion Man
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California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego Neighborhoods Primer
INTRODUCTION 2019 is the sestercentennial of San Diego's founding. It's also the vigintennial of my moving to Southern California -- and yet, in those twenty years, I've probably visited San Diego no more than a dozen times. Why haven't I visited California's second-largest city more often? Certainly not out of any of the sort of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego Neighborhoods Primer
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Khรกnh Ly
Today is the birthday ofย Khรกnh Ly, the legendary Vietnamese singer who rose to fame in the 1960s with her interpretations of songs by Trแปnh Cรดng Sฦกn and who later found sustained success in Japan. She fled Vietnam in 1975 and for many years now has made her home in Cerritos. Khรกnh Ly is a stage … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Khรกnh Ly
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — The Art of the Benshi/ๅผๅฃซใฎ่ธ่ก
From 1 March through 3 March, theย Tadashi Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japaneseย Humanities and theย UCLA Film & Television Archiveย (with support from the National Film Archive of Japan) a three-day program titled "The Art of the Benshi." Benshi (ๅผๅฃซ; also known as katsudล-benshi/ๆดปๅๅผๅฃซ or katsuben/ๆดปๅผ) are live performers who accompanied silent films of Japan as well as … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — The Art of the Benshi/ๅผๅฃซใฎ่ธ่ก
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — ็ด ้ฃๅคๅธๅฐๅๅ้ๆ Happy Lantern Green Night Market
The other day, Una and I went to theย ็ด ้ฃๅคๅธๅฐๅๅ้ๆ Happy Lantern Green Night Marketย -- a 100% vegetarian (and mostly vegan) Taiwanese street food festival which took place in Alhambra. If that sounds on the surface impossibly niche, consider the following. Taiwan is the cradle of the night market. Taiwan is, after India, likely the second … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — ็ด ้ฃๅคๅธๅฐๅๅ้ๆ Happy Lantern Green Night Market
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Swinging Doors — The Stardust Club
The other night I went to the Stardust Clubย in Downey to see San Francisco Bay Area band, Starry Eyed Cadet. Before leaving home, I was fairly sure that I'd been to the Stardust before previously to see Zip Code play there.ย As I got closer, heading down Firestone Boulevard, I was certain that this was … Continue reading Swinging Doors — The Stardust Club
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Sandberg
One of the pleasing ironies of Los Angeles County is that even though it's the most populous county in the US as well as the core of the nation's most densely populated metropolis -- it is also a region so vast and varied that it supports dozens of hamlets, ghost towns, and de-populated places which … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Sandberg
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Thiรชn Hฦฐฦกng (aka “Tiny Yong”)
Thiรชn Hฦฐฦกng -- better known as "Tiny Yong" is a French singer associated with the yรฉ-yรฉ scene of the 1950s and '60s. In fact, she was a pioneer on the scene, releasing yรฉ-yรฉ music before notable singers like France Gall and Jacqueline Taรฏeb. She was born Tรดn Nแปฏ Thแป Thiรชn Hฦฐฦกng on 8 February 1944 … Continue reading Thiรชn Hฦฐฦกng (aka “Tiny Yong”)
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Thanksgiving II; or, a Super Bowl Party for people who hate the Super Bowl
Last Sunday, the Super Bowl took place. For the 98.7% of the world's population who didn't watch this televised spectacle; it featured billionaire Enos Stanley Kroenke's Rams in competition with billionaire Robert Kraft's Patriots; the musical stylings of the Empress of Soul (Gladys Knight), Proactiv's Maroon 5, Kardashian rapper Travis Scott, and Big Boi; as … Continue reading Thanksgiving II; or, a Super Bowl Party for people who hate the Super Bowl
Eric Brightwell 