HERE'S ONE OF OFF-RAMP'S FAVORITE PIECES FROM 2010: Bobbie Gentry is perhaps best known for the song "Ode to Billy Joe," which earned Gentry two Grammys in 1968. She landed her own act in Las Vegas, and a TV show on CBS. But in 1978, after appearing on The Tonight Show, Bobbie Gentry disappeared. KPCC's Alex Cohen reports that a Gentry fan discovered tantalizing traces of Gentry's early life, including tapes Gentry seems to have made before she hit it big. Listen to Alex's piece to hear those tapes, and come inside for Super-8 Gentry home movies and more! By the way, if Bobbie Gentry is reading this right now: Off-Ramp would love to talk with you and would pledge to preserve your privacy. Just shoot an email to offramp@kpcc.org.

Jon Regardie, executive editor of the "Los Angeles Downtown News," tells the sad story of a love affair that died. Come inside, for John's personal lament for the newspaper.

Off-Ramp producer Queena Kim was at the LA Convention Center last week for the opening night of the LA Art Show, where street artists “El Mac” and “Retna” were painting a mural of a woman.

A Martian could take one look at our infrastructure and know Los Angeles has historically had big flooding problems. “Hmm, they paved over the river. It must flood here. But I wonder why they have so many flat roofs?” Come inside for some of that history, in archival photos.

Long Beach resident Steve Davey tells Queena Kim how he had to jump into a kayak to move his car.

KPCC’s Brian Watt was on the beaches of Santa Monica last week, monitoring the storms when he ran into two surfers and a Russian Muslim who was there to perform a religious ritual… one that required him to dive into the ocean.

The storm knocked down trees and cut power across Southern California. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze spoke with Bernard Friedman in the Hollywood Hills, where a giant Monterey pine blew down and cut off access to his house.

Dinner Party Download, with Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam. This week: Rock band Midlake gets medieval on Brendan... America's 1st female senator is silently defiant... and Rico learns why, in restaurants, silence is not an option.