Tomorrow I'm dining at the Tam o' Shanter Inn in the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Atwater Village. I needed to write about something and haven't yet been able to finish my piece about Irvine so here you go... A tam o' shanter is a 19th century nickname for a traditional sort of brimless, usually wool, … Continue reading And drouthy neibors, neibors meet – Drinking and dining and drinking at the Tam o’ Shanter Inn
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Happy birthday, Edvard Munch
Today is the 149th birthday of Norwegian painter and printmaker, Edvard Munch. Munch was born 12 December in the village of Ådalsbruk in Løten, in 1863. His father was a doctor named Christian Munch and his mother was Laura Catherine Bjølstad. He was often ill as a child and reportedly drew to occupy his considerable … Continue reading Happy birthday, Edvard Munch
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Piko Piko – A look at Picopop on the 34th birthday of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s debut
Back in 1978, on 25 November, pioneering Japanese group, Yellow Magic Orchestra released their influential, eponymous, debut full-length. The album and group are widely credited with being very influential on the development of several music genres, including ambient, chiptune, electro, hip hop, house, J-pop, synthpop, and techno, to name a few. The band (also known as YMO) were … Continue reading Piko Piko – A look at Picopop on the 34th birthday of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s debut
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Nature’s a language, can’t you read? — Seasons in the Southland
A FEW GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT ANGELENOS While I caution anyone attempting to make generalizations about a group as diverse and large as the 13 million or so people known as “Angelenos,” I have nonetheless made a couple of observations about a much smaller subsection, my Los Angeles friends, that I have to assume share more widely-held views with … Continue reading Nature’s a language, can’t you read? — Seasons in the Southland
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My maiden voyage on the RMS Queen Mary
The other day I went to the RMS Queen Mary for birthday drinks for Lynn Garrett’s birthday. Lynn is the founder and head honcho at Hidden Los Angeles. As the name suggests, Hidden Los Angeles is a highly useful guide to Los Angeles for Angelenos and visitors who presumably have no interest in (or interests … Continue reading My maiden voyage on the RMS Queen Mary
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Happy birthday, Hokusai!
This post originally appeared on the Amoeblog. Today is the date traditionally recognized as the birthday of one of my favorite Japanese artists, 葛飾 北斎 (Katsushika Hokusai). Without a doubt, he is one of (if not the) most famous Japanese artists of all time. His best-known work is the ukiyo-e woodblock print series 富嶽三十六景 (Thirty-six … Continue reading Happy birthday, Hokusai!
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Gower Gulch and the sort of beginning of Hollywood
The Hollywood neighborhood emerged as a small village in the late 19th century and was incorporated as its own municipality in 1903. But for most people in the world, “Hollywood” is synonymous with the commercial American film, which established itself there first in an area that came to be known as "Gower Gulch." Before Hollywood … Continue reading Gower Gulch and the sort of beginning of Hollywood
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Krazy Kat – One of the kolossal komics in the kontinuum debuted 13 October 1913
INTRO TO KRAZY KAT On 15 October, Google paid tribute to Winsor McCay's comic, Little Nemo in Slumberland, which debuted on that date in 1905. It was a beautiful tribute to one of the greatest comic strips of all time. Just two days earlier, though not celebrated by Google (I don't expect them to honor … Continue reading Krazy Kat – One of the kolossal komics in the kontinuum debuted 13 October 1913
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Happy Birthday, Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon was a Jewish Pre-Raphaelite painter. He was born 9 October, 1840 at No. 3 Sandys Street, Bishopsgate, London, England. Were he alive today he'd be turning 172. Solomon was the eighth and last child Michael (Meyer) Solomon, manufacturer of Leghorn hats, and artist Catherine Levy. Two of his older siblings, Abraham and Rebecca, were … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Simeon Solomon
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What a wild, wild scene – A look back at Ditch Parties for Hispanic Heritage Month
INTRODUCTION TO DPS Truancy is presumably exactly as old as education. Some 800,000 years ago in the Middle East, people learned how to start fires. Though an important skill and an entertaining subject, I’m sure that some frustrated student thought to her or his self, “Lame. I’m outta here.” Later truants organized parties during school … Continue reading What a wild, wild scene – A look back at Ditch Parties for Hispanic Heritage Month
Eric Brightwell 