Why did he dig a cavern under his house? ... Mac Davis: "And then I wrote..." ... Making Merguez with Farid Zadi ... Graham Moore, 28-year old author of "The Sherlockian" ... Dale Hoppert: "Leave the snow where it is!" ... Two OCMA artists who say "Touch my art!" ... Steve Lopez and the real lesson of the Arizona rampage ...
The Sterling Oak: six years of digging over 1 million pounds of dirt
Off-Ramp's Kevin Ferguson goes underneath the home of Jeffrey Hildreth, where he's been digging underground for over six years. CLICK THROUGH for Kevin Ferguson's photos of the project!
The Hildreth's Sierra Madre home when they moved in.
The Hildreth residence today.
Jeff Hildreth standing at the front yard entrance of the Sterling Oak with Jack, his great dane.
Jeff Hildreth with neighbor Dave Kepple.
The Hildreth's kitchen, converted to be commercial grade.
The cavern's backyard entrance.
Inside the hole, looking at the backyard entrance.
A shot of the inside of the Sterling Oak project consisting of steel reinforced concrete. Eventually, Jeffrey hopes to reinforce the entire structure in the same fashion.
One of the mysterious elixir bottles found by Jeff Hildreth underneath his house.
Graham Moore, The (Young) Sherlockian
The book reads like it was crafted by a seasoned pro, an old hand in the world of Conan Doyle, Sherlockians, and mystery stories. But it's the debut novel of 28-year old Graham Moore.
In this special podcast, Off-Ramp host John Rabe, a Sherlockian himself, talks with Moore about "The Sherlockian."
CLICK THROUGH to buy the book and have the proceeds benefit KPCC ... and to see John's portrait of Moore among the flowers of Cypress Park.
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.
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.
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.
Artist Edward Walton Wilcox -- a "Fanatic" about faith, doom, beauty.
UPDATE: Edward Walton Wilcox, profiled with a studio visit on Off-Ramp last year, will be painting in public at the LA Art Show from January 19-23. It's worth a visit: Edward is a warm and engaging man, and we think his art is pretty phenomenal. This is a rare chance to see a potentially great work in the making. CLICK THROUGH for details and an exclusive Off-Ramp video of his work ... FROM THE ARCHIVE:
In his new exhibit, "Fanatic," at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Edward Walton Wilcox asks, "How do we transform the horrifying realities of this world into something beautiful?" And there is something beautiful in his images of burning windmills, Death at the tiller, hollow-eyed women ... something -- as he told Off-Ramp host John Rabe -- that comes from Wilcox's reverence for the art of the Middle Ages and a trip to Notre Dame many years ago. The LA Art Show news release: (Los Angeles, CA--January 2011) The Los Angeles Art Show will present Vox Humana a live art performance by celebrated international street artists and muralists Andrew Hem, Shark Toof and Edward Walton Wilcox. Organized by the L.A. ART MACHINE and curated by Bryson Strauss, the art performance will take place during the Los Angeles Art Show from January 19 - 23, 2011. Working on large-scale canvases, the artists will begin their work on January 19 and will paint live each day from noon to 5:30 PM and from 4:00 pm to 10:00pm at the Opening Night Premiere Party. Using acrylic paint and bitumen, the artists will work on more than 500 square feet of canvas. These artists have been selected for their creative talent and unique visual language, which they draw from both their cultural heritage and their experience with the urban environs of the west coast metropolis. Los Angeles Art Show attendees are invited to witness the completion of the works on Sunday, January 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM. The Los Angeles Art Show takes place from January 19-23, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015.
Edward Walton Wilcox lives with his family in the Hollywood Hills in a Tudor style 1920s house.
(Credit: John Rabe)
His studio is a comfortably cramped 2-Model-T garage, filled with painting and sculpting materials, woodworking tools, and the detritus and ephemera of decades as an artist.
(Credit: John Rabe)
Edward Walton Wilcox’s new show, “Fanatic,” opens May 15th and is at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery, at 170 South La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90036. There will be an opening reception for the artist on Saturday May 15 from 8-11pm.
Steve Lopez: What the Arizona Rampage Really Tells Us
... is that mental health needs to become a much bigger priority in America. Off-Ramp host John Rabe talks with LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, who knows from experience -- his five years with Nathaniel Ayers, a musician and formerly homeless man now getting the help he needs -- what works and how badly the system is broken.
DPD: Paul Giamatti is Tall and More
Dinner Party Download - a 9-minute booster shot of history, culture, food, and more.