RH Greene celebrates iconic director Paul Mazursky ... Kevin Ferguson remembers Captain Beefheart ... Mark Peel says, "skip culinary school and work" and Dale Hoppert says, "put down that snow and step away from the vehicle" ... And Then I Wrote: Mac Davis sings "In The Ghetto," "Memories," and "A Little Less Conversation" ...
Mac Davis: Easy to be Humble*
When the Grammy Museum hosted a group of songwriters to inaugurate its new Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, bringing in Hal "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" David, Ashford and Simpson ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Paul "Love Boat" Williams, and Lamont "How Sweet It Is" Dozier, Mac Davis said he felt like mudflaps on a Cadillac.
Pshaw. With songs like "In The Ghetto" and "Memories," Davis is right up there with the greats, and courtesy of The Grammy Museum at LA Live, you can hear the performance he gave that night.
By the way, Mac Davis's gorgeous wife Lise is a huge KPCC and Off-Ramp fan.
* A reference to Mac Davis' 1978 hit.
Paul Mazursky, 84. Director of 'Harry & Tonto' & 'Down & Out in Beverly Hills'
7/1/2014: UPDATE: Paul Mazursky died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to his spokeswoman. He was 84 and died of pulmonary cardiac arrest. Here is Off-Ramp contributor R.H. Greene's appreciation of Mazursky, filed in 2011.
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Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Alex in Wonderland (1970), Blume in Love (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), An Unmarried Woman (1978), Willie & Phil (1980), Tempest (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Moon Over Parador (1988), Enemies, a Love Story (1989), Scenes from a Mall (1991) ... these are most of the films of Paul Mazursky, who turns 81 in April.
Next Saturday, the LA Film Critics Association is giving director Paul Mazursky its lifetime achievement award, which is often a bellwether for an Honorary Oscar. As part of the celebration, LACMA is screening “Harry and Tonto” on Thursday, January 13, and Off-Ramp contributor RH Greene has the honor of hosting Mazursky for the Q and A. But Greene did his own interview with Mazursky for this special Off-Ramp appreciation of the great director.
CLICK THROUGH for the "Harry and Tonto" trailer.
Gary Lucas' upcoming Captain Beefheart Symposium
Just last month, America mourned the loss of performer and painter Don Van Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart.
Off-Ramp's Kevin Ferguson talked with former Beefheart guitarist and manager Gary Lucas, who has been doing Captain Beefheart symposiums all over the nation for months now. With the tragic passing of the man himself, Lucas' upcoming presentation at the Echoplex January 13 is all the more poignant and important.
OCMA Biennial Artists Who Say, "Touch My Art!"
In most museums, guards with machetes stand ready in case you step too close to the art. But two artists featured in the Orange County Museum of Art's 2010 California Biennial think that's hogwash. Sherin Guirguis, who built the giant Weeble-Wobble you can see and hear about if you CLICK THROUGH; and Zlatan Vukosavljevic, who made a cool plastic house.
Also CLICK THROUGH for a link to our OCMA Biennial extravaganza, including interviews with a dozen artists.
Dale Hoppert says "Give me back my snow!"
Back in February 2008, Off-Ramp engineer and commentator Dale Hoppert, who lives on Mt Baldy, filed this commentary about Southlanders' reaction to snow. It's snowing again, so here are his wintery thoughts.
Mark Peel: Skip Culinary School and Work Instead!
In the latest installment of his exclusive looks inside the world of restaurants, Mark Peel, chef/owner of Campanile, says aspiring chefs would be better served by "taking the worst job at the best place" than dropping $40,000 for tuition at a cooking school.
Hmong hero General Vang Pao to be honored in Fresno
His story isn't often told, but for the international Hmong refugee community, General Vang Pao was a father figure. Pao led the Southeast Asian Hmong people in a CIA-backed battle against communists in the Vietnam war and joined the refugee community in 1975 when Laos fell to communist hands.
After enduring house arrest, and then exhoneration by the US Government, Pao died January 6. Efforts are underway to get him buried at Arlington, but meantime, tens of thousands are expected to honor him for funeral services in Fresno from Friday, February 4, through Wednesday, February 9. The six days of mourning include Hmong and Buddhist ceremonies, plus speeches and presentations by organizations and dignitaries. (CLICK THROUGH for details.)
In 2008, we ran a profile of Vang Pao produced by his great niece, then-KPCC reporter Doualy Xaykaothao, which we now present again.
Pasadena's Ecole de Cuisine shows you how the sausage is made
...literally. Join chef and Ecole de Cuisine co-owner Farid Zadi as he demonstrates to John how traditional merguez sausage is made.
Want to try chef Zadi's famous merguez? You can head over to Silverlake's Cafe Stella, where they're cooked fresh.