How To LA

Episodes

Listen • 50:06

Listen • 50:06

This Old House Radio Hour: Designing for Disaster: How Los Angeles Builds Back Smarter + Saving The Outsider’s House + Four DIY Fixes: Chimneys, Circuits, Ceilings, and Steam

This week on This Old House Radio Hour—what does it mean to rebuild not just homes, but entire communities?

Sunset Magazine editor-in-chief Hugh Garvey joins us to discuss the magazine’s special issue devoted to the rebuilding of Altadena and Pacific Palisades in the wake of January’s devastating wildfires. Sunset, a voice in California architecture for over 125 years, has assembled an extraordinary coalition of architects, planners, artists, and historians. Together, they offer not just a plan, but a call to action—for fire-resilient homes, culturally grounded design, and a West that can weather what’s coming.

Then we travel from the hills of Los Angeles to the streets of Tulsa, where Danny Boy O’Connor—from House of Pain—takes us inside his remarkable second act. After bottoming out, he bought a run-down house for $15,000... and it just happened to be the house from The Outsiders. What followed was a full restoration, a pilgrimage, and a new life. We take a tour of the Outsiders Museum and meet the community that made it possible.

Later, Cheap Old Houses is back—Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein spotlight a dreamy 1870s Victorian in Fredonia, Kentucky and an off-the-grid cabin on federal forest land in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, both for under $100,000.

Plus, another round of House Rules, our listener-powered game that tests your home renovation know-how. And in The Simple Fix, we show you how to find a stud in your baseboard—without breaking the wall.

And as always, we’re taking your calls. Got a house problem, project hurdle, or just need a little advice? Call us at (877) 864-7460.

All that and more, coming up on This Old House Radio Hour.

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Listen • 10:21

Listen • 10:21

Where To Get Outside, Pt. 2

#134: The great thing about Los Angeles is that you can do the urban thing – go to museums, clubs, concerts and eat at good restaurants – and you can get out in nature whenever you want... or need.

There are ton a beautiful parks, sunset spots and hiking trails right in the middle of the city. Or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can venture out to farther flung places across the county.

Last fall we asked our listeners for their favorite places to get outdoors and we turned it into an episode. This summer, we did it again. Here are some of their suggestions. Enjoy – and get outside!
Listen • 24:57

Listen • 24:57

West Coast Hip Hop's Roots In Revolution

#133: We're staying on the hip hop beat in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the genre! (Check out our first episode on the origins of the West Coast sound with the Godfather of West Coast hip hop, Alonzo Williams).

Today, How To LA speaks to historian, hip hop fanatic, and expert on Black culture from the millennial vantage point: Tyree Boyd Pates. We dive deeper into the impact and evolution of west coast hip hop, the power of speaking truth to power with a beat, its roots in Black America and its spread to global pop domination.

CLARIFICATION: This episode makes a reference to the influence of the Last Poets. The contributor meant to point to the influence of the Watts Prophets. We regret the oversight.

Guest: Tyree Boyd Pates, history curator, professor, writer, and speaker on Black culture.
Listen • 19:58

Listen • 19:58

When Writers And Actors Strike, We ALL Feel It

#131: The double strike of SAG and WGA is rippling through the L.A. economy, affecting everyone from the creatives on the picket line to below-the-line workers to every business that all these folks rely on. From coffee shop owners to estheticians, we hear from a handful of people that have been impacted.

Guests:

Susanna Boney, art/construction department worker turned lifeguard trainee

Sharōn, Esthetician, From Head to Toe, Los Angeles

Pam Elyea, History For Hire

Ames Miyako, actor and Everybody trainer

Sean Casey, owner of the Lyric Hyperion
Listen • 12:08

Listen • 12:08

Taylormania is Here. Is LA Ready?

#130: Taylor Swift is coming to LA for an unprecedented SIX nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood... and she's bringing about half a million fans with her.

That's a ton of people — and money — pouring into Inglewood, but it's also a ton of traffic, infrastructure headaches, and more. So today we're going to SoFi with one question: Is LA ready for Miss Swift?

If you are going to the Eras Concert, here's how LA Metro is trying to get you there: https://laist.com/brief/news/arts-and-entertainment/taylor-swift-fans-heres-how-to-get-to-sofi-stadium-by-metro

Guests: Inglewood Mayor James T Butts Jr. and Stephen Tu, Senior Director within the Service Development unit for LA Metro, Taylor Swift fans + Inglewood residents
Listen • 21:54

Listen • 21:54

How West Coast Hip Hop Got Its Sound

#132: Hip Hop officially turns 50 this weekend - Aug. 11th to be exact. As we all know by now, its roots are in New York. The west coast sound developed later but, when it finally hit, LA made Hip Hop its own.

It's the late 1970s, disco is dead and funk is hitting the clubs in LA. Alonzo "Lonzo" Williams is at the center of it all — DJing, producing and bringing acts at his club, Eve After Dark in Compton.

As a new genre borne out of funk and disco – hip hop – is taking over the East Coast, Williams wants to make sure his dance floor is packed. Run DMC performed there, the crowd went wild, and it clicked for him: bring hip hop into the L.A. club and music scene. He then started World Class Wreckin' Cru, and the West Coast hip hop sound took off.

How to LA speaks to Williams, known as the "Godfather" of West Coast hip hop, about the beginnings of the sound. We sat down with him in his Gardena studio, where many of the greatest hip hop hits were recorded.
Listen • 17:33

Listen • 17:33

Are Hollywood's Strikes A Remake Or A Sequel?

#129: Today's dual strike of WGA & SAG-AFTRA bears a striking similarity to the last time both unions joined on the picket lines: 1960. In both contract disputes, the main concern for writers and actors revolved around emerging technologies. Where today's union members are concerned about streaming residuals and AI, their forebears were concerned about their movies being rebroadcast on TV. The major studios may have changed, but in both cases workers are saying they are not receiving their fair share of the profits.

So today we're checking in with LAist's favorite history journalist, Hadley Meares, to talk about what we can learn from past strikes, and how 1960's echoes can still be felt today.

Check out Hadley's article on LAist.com: https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/how-the-sag-strike-of-1960-foreshadowed-hollywoods-current-battle

Music in this episode composed by: Mort Garson, indiegamemusic.com, Maston, Moon Mullins, Macabre Plaza, Mamman Sanni, Dexter Thomas, Woo
Listen • 21:32

Listen • 21:32

The Best Places To Find A Good Concha In LA

#128: Everyone loves a fresh concha – that warm, doughy center with the crunchy cookie shell on the top could send any Angeleno's heart a'flutter. Today, Brian's taking LAist food editor Gab Chabran on a concha crawl. We're exploring the history of this famous Mexican treat, and checking out Brian & Gab's favorite spots across LA.

For more sweet-breaded goodness, check out Gab's article over on LAist.com

Panaderias visited: Panaderia Coatzingo in South LA, Vallarta, y Gusto Bread in Long Beach.

Got a favorite we didn't mention? Send us a DM! instagram.com/LAistofficial

Music in this episode composed by: Aaron Copland, Austin Cross, Haruomi Hosono, Radio Jarocho, Quetzal, Masayoshi Takanaka, The ModArchive, Dexter Thomas, Woo, Yeahman
Listen • 12:34
Listen • 12:34

Self-Tapes, Streaming Residuals: What Some Actors Are Striking For
#127: Hollywood is at a standstill right now, with first screenwriters — and now actors — out on strike. SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, is calling for a number of changes in their now stalled contract negotiations with the AMPTP, the organization that represents studios and streamers. They include inflation-based wage increases, protections against artificial intelligence, and a share in revenue for streaming content. Another contentious issue? Self-taped auditions, which became the norm during the pandemic.

The amount of time and resources actors are now expected to spend recording themselves for auditions is a big issue for many actors, including Sarah Ramos (Parenthood, The Bear), who spoke with us about why the practice has become "untenable." Ramos is also on SAG-AFTRA's negotiating committee.
- Read SAG-AFTRA’s summary of negotiation points, including on the self-tape issue
- And what the AMPTP has to say about the negotiations

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Credits

Victoria Alejandro

Former Producer, How to L.A. and LAist Studios

Megan Botel

Producer, How to L.A.

Monica Bushman

Producer, LAist Studios

Brian De Los Santos

Former Host, How To L.A., social

Megan Larson

Fromer executive Producer, How To L.A. and Take Two

Evan Jacoby

Former producer for "How to LA" and on-call

Aaricka Washington

Former Associate Editor, How To L.A.

About the Show

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