Venice Beach

Ok, Metbloggers and Metblogs readers, get off your bikes and get ready for the Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 this Saturday, November 21.  This annual walk to celebrate Los Angeles has been taking place since 2006.  Here’s Will Campbell’s preview of last year’s walk. This year, over 300 feet are expected to join in.

Who
Great Los Angeles Walk is the brainchild of Mike and Maria, purveyors of the Franklin Avenue blog, and no doubt passionate readers of Los Angeles Metblogs.

What

A 13.5 mile walk from the Shrine Auditorium to Venice Beach, taking in the sights along Figueroa, Adams, Washington, the Mid-City, and Culver City on the way.
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LAist’s Emily Lerman royal we’s her enjoyment of  the visually stunning new video titled “The Ride,” inspired by the song “Kings + Queens” from 30 Seconds To Mars. Me, not so much.

The 8.5-minute short (the last 2-plus minutes of which are the credits) centers around a Midnight Ridazz-esque group night ride featuring Jared Leto and his band pedaling along with a purported group of actual Ridazz — I say “purported” because individual close-ups reveal them all to be far too sullenly sans FUN as they journey glumly in the dark across and under the requisite downtown locations such as the 6th Street Bridge, the Second Street tunnel, and Grand Street. Seriously: Why so serious?

But everything’s great eye candy and otherwise going mostly awesome and only threatening to be hugely overwrought and ultra-serious like the song until the video’s director, Bartholomew Cubbins, decides to have a paid-actor/stuntperson get fatally creamed on his bike by a motorist near Pershing Square. Then, while everyone stands dumbly around by the body like powered-down replicants, poor Cubbins couldn’t help but trot out a hornless unicorn galloping in slo-mo up a dark street. Of course, with a visual like that the dead ridah can’t help but awaken refreshed from his unplanned road nap, and  just get up on his undamaged bike to ride away.

After that there’s more of Leto singing, then a critical mass-style “circle of death” at an ironically traffic-less intersection. Then all the still way-too-bummed cyclists start wailing like a giant gruff chorus along with Leto until they magically arrive at the Santa Monica Pier where they disappear. Fade to black.

Your mileage may vary from my curmudgeonly take.

PS. If the embed’s dead up there, here’s the video’s URL:

• http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=100601596

My boy is back after a week away shooting music and art in Vegas, and boy are his arms tired! Um…sorry. Yes. Anyway, CuriousJosh is here with your to-do list of this week’s weird and wonderful underground events. -Lucinda.

Hello Los Angeles! I’m CuriousJosh, happily here on loan courtesy of LA Weekly. Read on for vampires, live art, Miss Jackson–if you’re nasty–Hello Kitty, underground DJs, and wig socialization opportunities.

Downtown Artwalk (Thursday)
Thousands converge for this culture crawl through Los Angeles’ downtown art district. Visit an array of galleries, speckled with live music, wine, craft sales, and more. FREE

I AM A LASER (Thursday)
When artwalk dies down, the culture continues. DJs and Live art highlight the new monthly I AM A LASER artwalk afterparty at Club Nokia. This month features DJ Take (Dublab/Alpha Pup/Los Angeles), R/D (The Designed Disorder), LC (Cannibal Flower/Think Space), live artwork by Hans Haveron, live painting by John Park, and roving photography by Curious Josh.  $10.

Wig Out! (Thursday)
Get your wig out, and join this offbeat crowds monthly themed wig party. This month DJ My Little Pony, DJ Spinny, and performance art troupe Art of Bleeding spearheads the medical themed health care night. Tonight’s a perfect opportunity to use that Halloween naughty nurse outfit you thought would stay in the closet until next year. $8 with wig/ $10 without. At Bordello. (Great parking and safe!) 901 E 1st St, 90012.

Click thru for vamps, tribal DJ parties, one spooky Kitty, and wardrobe malfunctions en masse.

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According to Skylight Books, Gay LA is its bestselling GLBT title since 1996.  And, really, LA was pretty gay at some point.  To remind us about gay LA, Roots of Equality organized LAvender Los Angeles, a two-week long celebration and analysis of LGBT history and culture in our city.  The exhibit currently is open at The Exchange which, conveniently, also will be open during tonight’s monthly (and free!) Downtown Artwalk.  Just off of 5th and Main, right next to the Must Bar, the exhibit highlights LA gay, bisexual, and transgender culture from the 1880s to the present.  And by “LA,” I don’t mean “West Hollywood” – I’m talking about Pershing Square, bars along Main, and Le Barcita, endpoint of last week’s protest and rally.  After you’re done taking in a little local pride color, join the other hipsters, yuppies, artists, “artists,” loft dwellers, and their lovely dogs as they roam the streets in search of other open galleries in the gentrified sections of the Historic Core.

If you miss the walk, the exhibit is open until November 20 and has fairly generous hours.  There are other LAvender Los Angeles events at the space, including a walking tour of prominent gay locales on Saturday.  The full schedule can be found here.

The LAvender Los Angeles exhibit is located at The Exchange, 114 W. 5th Street (between Spring and Main), and will be open today from 12pm-9:30pm. Other galleries on the Artwalk have their own operating hours, and, judging from past experience, the streets really crawl after 7ish.

Pretty nifty A R T photo taken by Sean_Yoda_Rouse via the Metblogs Flickr pool.

My work took me past Jeremy Swan’s Broken Art Tattoo shop on Hyperion today, to shoot some photos for our website. When I realized what a nice, cool guy he is, I decided I had to help however I could. You see, Friday is the day–that’s 24 hours, there–that Jeremy tattoos over 801 people.

Well, that’s the plan, at least (info). Here’s the man in his own words: “November, Friday the 13th, I will attempt to beat the world record of ‘most tattoos done in 24 hours.’  I have learned that the actual number to beat is 801 tattoos set on Nov. 17, 2008 by Hollis Cantrell.  That is an incredible amount of tattoos to do in 24 hours. I began to wonder if I should still do this…This is twice the amount of tattooing I had anticipated.”

But he’s got a lot in his favor: he’s a great artist, as you can see by the photos, and he’s offering four designs to keep the process streamlined: one, a cute little bat; two, the classic “LA”; third, a heart with wings; and fourth, lucky number 13–since it’ll be Friday the 13th when he does this. And you can’t argue with the price: $20 for the first, $10 for each additional one. You can check out Jeremy’s blog here.

Stop by even if you’re an indecisive wuss like me and not gonna get ink done: they’re gonna have live music, tasty food, booze, t-shirts with a custom design you can see in this photoset I just made, and a raffle for cool stuff.

This friendly gasoline machine has been dispensing sage advice for over ten years now.

I used to work at the nearby mall–there’s an afterschool art-education program there, and I used to teach art to kids there. Whenever I could, I’d go here for gasoline. You can find it at the corner of Woodman and Riverside Drive in Sherman Oaks (map).

It’s not the cheapest gas in town, but it’s clearly the most articulate.

Read the rest of its sagacious advice after the jump…

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There is a distinct breed of family restaurant founded in spades across the nation between the 40s and the 50s, few of which survive, that provided a Disneyana environment where the family could dine surrounded by a Yogi Bear-era “outdoor” look: faux trees, the occasional water feature, “log cabin” woodwork, abundant taxidermy. Clearman’s North Woods Inn, in San Gabriel, is one such institution.

I happened to be passing there the other day while spending quality time with the Mom. I went to Clearman’s only once, long ago, when I was in junior high school. For reasons that will forever remain elusive I had developed a passion for miniatures, along with another girl in my class, and the two of us made plans to go–or rather, made plans for our moms to drive us–down to San Gabriel where a miniature store sold itty-bitty pieces of handpainted china for lilliputian table settings to be set in itty bitty houses. Clearman’s happened to be right next door.

My friend had been there before. “You have to get the potato with the cheese butter,” she announced. Her mom, petite as a chihuahua and as perky, leaned over the table toward my mother and I. ‘CHEESE BUTTER,” she said in a low whisper… (more…)

CuriousJosh pic, Halloween 2008

Big ups yet again to Mr. Curious for the info. I’m so lazy I hadn’t planned anything for tomorrow yet–not even a costume. Josh, this is my cheat sheet for tomorrow! You’ve made my social life SO much easier.  -Lucinda.

Hello Los Angeles! Looking for something different?

I’m CuriousJosh, once again happily here courtesy of LA Weekly, to let you in on everything from partying in an old church to burlesque queens to costumes amidst the hallowed halls of world-class LA museums. There’s also one post-ghost highlight where House music legend John Tejada plays the intimate Zanzibar next Wednesday. After the weekend, I’ll return with photos from the events, plus some secret happenings I habituate throughout LA’s underground nightlife.

Danse Macabre (Friday)
Visit Danse Macabre for hip haunts in an off-beat venue. An old church provides perfect haunting grounds for the hip and energetic crowd brought together by Shits & Giggles and Jelly Roll. Special performance by host The Lady Tigra. The werewolves will be howling along with DJs Christine Renee, Travis TK Disco (Hot Biscuit), Aaron Castle (A Club Called), Chris Bowen, and Victor Rodriguez. 10p-5a. The Church, 606 E. 6th Street. Limited pre-sale tix for $10. $15 at the door. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/86732

Miss Kitty’s Parlor (Friday and Saturday)
Miss Kitty’s Parlor presents dual debauchery for Friday and Saturday. Expect an alternative crowd enjoying go-go dancers of all genders, combined with provocative burlesque… (more…)

So last week we introduced you to our intrepid photographic correspondent, CuriousJosh, and he gave you his list of destinations for the weekend…here’s the recap, in photos!

I myself was at the “Thrill the World” event at LA Live (the video I shot is here), where a zombie army over 6000 strong assembled to dance the “Thriller” dance–all in unison, all at once. It was epic. Great seeing you there, Josh! (His pics are here at the Weekly.)

Also, he swung by Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery…the full gallery is at the LA Weekly in all its gory glory! All photos shared with LA Metblogs courtesy of CuriousJosh & the LA Weekly.

…and all weekend. LA Weekly photog-about-town and now LA Metblogs correspondent CuriousJosh has a list of stuff for you to do for the next four days. Pound a triple espresso and get on your dancing shoes…you’ll need ‘em both. Mr. Curious, take it away:

Hello Los Angeles,
Are you looking for something new and interesting?

I’m CuriousJosh, happily here on loan courtesy of LA Weekly. As a photographer covering underground culture, each week I’ll let you in on a few upcoming offbeat, fun, and weird events that truly make LA interesting. Then after the weekend, I’ll return with photo selections from a few of the events featured here, and even some of the secret events I habituate throughout LA’s underground nightlife.

A taste of the events we’ll be visiting can be seen in the photos on my website, and in this week’s LA Weekly CuriousJosh Column.

Read on for eclectic music, thousands of people doing the Thriller dance, puppets of all sizes, various celebratory skeletons, and at least one ape driving an ambulance!

Thursday: The Do Lab presents Beats Antique.
The Do Lab combines creative environment fabrication, with an ability to showcase music and artists. Known for Coachella’s Misting Oasis, outlandish event facades, and enormous art installations, The Do Lab has recently expanded to featuring artists in above ground Los Angeles venues.

Note: Apparently presale tickets have sold out for Thursday’s Beats Antique show, with guests Deru and Jupiter. There are a few tickets available at the door, so here’s your tip to arrive very early to attempt purchasing one of the few remaining door tickets. Avoid missing the next show by joining The Do Lab’s mailing list.

The Wandering Marionettes

Thursday: Kabinet Theater with the Wandering Marionettes.
Life-size interactive puppet personae, DJs, and dance performances highlight this monthly residency by Cirque Berzerk alumni, The Wandering Marionettes…. (more…)