Sanden Totten meets the mother of all potholes ... John Frame explains his new Huntington exhibit ... Nick Waterhouse's music ... Dinner Party Download ... Gary Leonard turns 60 with a big sale ... Passover in the Desert ...
John Frame Came Down from the Mountain with a Dream
The artist John Frame has come down from the mountains with a new exhibit that came out of a dream. “Three Fragments of a Lost Tale” is at the Huntington in San Marino until June 27th. It blends found objects, dozens of eerie hand-carved mannequins, stop-motion animation, and the sets the movie was filmed on. Off-Ramp host John Rabe met Frame at the Huntington.
CLICK THROUGH to watch Frame's movie, “Three Fragments of a Lost Dream."
Gary Leonard Turning 60 - to "Hold Selling Out at 60" sale
Gary Leonard, the ubiquitous freelance photographer who's been covering LA for decades, is bracing for his milestone 60th birthday. He doesn't mind turning 60, he says, but he hates parties. However, his family and friends prevailed on him to throw a big party and sale at his downtown LA gallery. CLICK THROUGH for all the details of the April 22d event. And listen to our interview, done a couple years ago, when he opened his downtown LA gallery, "Take My Picture Gary Leonard," on Broadway at 9th.
Typically, when I ran into him this morning outside his gallery - Take My Picture Gary Leonard - Gary was off to cover something. A groundbreaking. Who covers groundbreakings, and ribbon cuttings, and topping-off ceremonies (below) anymore? Gary does.
(Image: John Rabe)
I maintain that in the next century, Gary will be recognized as the most city's important photographer, because he documented everything from the Dodgers to the Punk scene to the riots to the raising of the LA Live tower (above). You only need browse the LA Public Library's online photo archive, searching under "Gary Leonard," to see how much he's done.
To celebrate his 60th birthday, on April 22 from 7-11pm, Gary is throwing what he calls his "Selling Out at Sixty" sale. Every thing at Take My Picture Gary Leonard, in downtown LA at the corner of Broadway and Ninth, will be 50% off. And for the first fifty people with cash, he'll be selling the big stuff - Crash, Warhol, etc. - for crazy cheap.
There will be cake. And possibly edible insects, if his daughter has her way.
Passover in the Desert
UPDATE: This piece is from the 2010 Off-Ramp archive
KPCC's John Rabe talks with two men who will be spending Passover -- which starts Monday evening -- in the desert.
To get back to their religious roots, Michael Chusid and Marc Weigensberg and up to forty other Jews will gather at a spot somewhere in the Mojave for several days. Away from the distractions of the modern world, they'll experience a Passover much more as their spiritual ancestors did, and not incidentally get closer to the earth. COME INSIDE for a link to their group's website, and an explanation of the tent, above.
Michael Chusid writes: "Dwelling in tents helps reconnect us to our 40 years in the desert. This community tent serves as our Sanctuary in the desert. Erecting it is a group effort that helps the individuals bond as a community. We decorate the inside with flags with the colors associated with the 12 tribes of Israel, and you can see four colored flags outside that indicate the cardinal directions. The board over the entry to the tent is painted to symbolize the blood that we put on the doorposts of our homes in Egypt the night that the Angel of Death passed over our homes. The rocks, the sky, the plants, and the critters that attend us are full of mystery and the Divine."
Nick Waterhouse goes "Pre-Beatles" with style, substance and sincerity
Nick Waterhouse is a twenty-five year old San Francisco-based musician and producer from Huntington Beach who makes R&B records that sound like they’re straight out of the 60s. He’s got a real love and understanding of analog production and the success of his first single led to several other California bands asking him to produce their records. Off-Ramp’s Lainna Fader talked with Nick on his most recent trip to Los Angeles.
Dinner Party Download talks enlightment with Vera Farmiga
Dinner Party Download does drinks, history, jokes, and movie culture. All to help win your dinner party in under 10 minutes.
John Rabe and KPCC's Nick Roman: Can Dodger Stadium Be Pleasant Again?
The Dodgers are back in town for their first home stand after their horrific opening day. Off-Ramp host John Rabe talks with KPCC Managing Editor Nick Roman about how the Dodgers are handling the fallout.
LA's Mann Bros - Thomas and Heinrich
Off-Ramp Literary Commentator Marc Haefele tells about two Mann's who lived in LA: the famous Thomas Mann (left), and his better angel and brother, Heinrich.