The other MIA

Yesterday, original OC punk Mike Conley was found murdered in Chicago. He used to sing for MIA, a band that I saw once at Fender's Ballroom in Long Beach. It was the last show of the Descendents' "FinALL" tour (before Milo went back to college) and the supporting acts included Social Unrest and Conley's band. I think Plain Wrap might have been on the bill, too.


I was exposed to MIA through its contribution "New Left" on MRR's Not So Quiet on the Western Front comp back in 1982, and the group went on to release 7" singles and albums on Bomp!, Alternative Tentacles, and Flipside.

They transitioned from playing Reagan-era topical political punk ("Gas Crisis," "Murder in a Foreign Place," "All the Presidents Skin") to pioneering the Socal pop-punk sound, even covering "California Dreaming" on their After the Fact LP, which featured Frank Daly and Mark Arnold, who went on to form Big Drill Car. Conley went on to form the post-punk band Naked Soul.


Most recently, Conley was probably better known for owning the Avalon Bar in Costa Mesa, but his old band will always remind me of being a awkward teenager in Orange County being drawn to the then-underground, scary, and powerful world of punk rock.

Coffee and soundtracks

This morning I made a stop at Fairfax and 3rd to visit my friend Judy. Did you know that Farmer's Market has a Starbucks and a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf? Whichever side of the fence you're on, I suggest browsing the sort-of-new Taschen book stand--and then make your purchases at GR.

At the offices of Block Korenbrot, where Judy works, I picked up a couple soundtracks to movies they've promoted--not CJ7, but excellent films nonetheless.


Persepolis got shafted by the recent awards shows but it's still in theaters and you should support it. The animated treatment of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novels is not eye-popping CG but a stylized, understated work that is true to her stark (yet loving) graphic novels. Olivier Bernet's score is the same way--formal, classy, and nonetheless emotional. It swells, surges, and crashes in a powerful-but-not-manipulative manner like effective scores are supposed to, and also has a "Shout to the Top!" style dancefloor thumper titled "Téhéran Disco." (The only thing that would make it better would be the inclusion of something by Iggy Pop, who provided the uncle's voice in the English version.)

Satoshi Kon's Paprika came out a couple years ago, but I'm sure that anyone who caught it on the big screen still recalls its mind-blowing, dream-state psychedelic parade scenes (among other powerful imagery). This soundtrack starts off with the "Parade" score--a mixture of military march, electronic disco, and Cirque du Soleil synth. The CD goes on to fragment into those musical styles as well as others, venturing into some lounge and straight-up "chase scene" soundtrack music. It's an encyclopedic listen, bookended by an instrumental version of the "Parade" theme and including an appropriately dreamy short movie by the composer, Susumu Hirasawa. Hardcore fans of Kon's work know that music plays a big part in his movies, and will want this.

I didn't get The Future Is Unwritten CD from BK PR--I bought it at Amoeba--but it's been in my car forever and I've been listening to it a lot. The musical accompaniment to Julian Temple's documentary on Joe Strummer is part mixtape and part radio show, with clips from the iconic punk singer's BBC World Service program. In addition to his own songs (unreleased versions by The Clash as well as songs from the 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, and The Mescaleros) there are cuts by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Ernest Ranglin, U-Roy, and Andres Landeros, which pretty much outline his musical education and experience. It's a strong collection made essential by the much-loved and much-missed punker's introductory comments, recollections, and raves.

Break down the wall

Imagine a signature run of football, baseball, or basketball gear dedicated to the photographers who make the respective pro sports popular. It will never happen because they're star-based systems in which an army of minions is groomed to toil, promote, and fawn over the elite faces. That's not a bad thing; that's just how it is.

Skateboarding is different. Because it remains a culture--and not an industry--people behind the scenes can be as well known as the pros. (For example, artists like Pushead, designers like David Carson, and directors like Spike Jonze.) So it's no surprise that the DVS shoe company would devote special runs of footwear to the photographers who capture the feats of skateboarding, ignite the imaginations of skaters around the world, and evolve the tricks, style, and art. It's not shocking, but it is a very cool gesture to the folks on the other side of the camera lens.

The shot above looks like a photography exhibit but it's really shoe boxes from the Photographer Series. (Each photographer's imagery wraps around to cover the sides of the boxes, and can be found on his signature shoe's insoles, too.)


Michael Burnett's shoe has the most obvious ties to photography. Not only does the tongue have his "fill the frame" mantra, but the exterior side of the Gavin Classic shoe is actually emblazoned with a shot by the Thrasher staffer.


Somewhere under the laces you can find Jake Phelps. Despite the busy imagery, the actual shoe design is quite simple, streamlined, and based on function with tons of padding and an extra-thick tongue.


Dave Swift's tasteful version of the Munition has a natural-tone look that reminds me of those fisherman-style vests that traditional photo journalists wear--you know, the ones with all those mesh compartments and pockets for film, batteries, flashes, cables, lenses, and whatnot. The Skateboard Mag's chosen shoe has a load of functional elements in that spirit.


The stripe along the sides matches the sole. Red is the color pedestrians will see on your front foot if you're doing a judo air or on your pushing food if you've just blown by.


DVS's Doze model is as primal as a skate shoe can be, but Skin Phillips' version ups the ante with rich green suede. Lightweight and simple but classy, too.


Check out the TWS editor's logo on the back. It simultaneously pays tribute to the Van Doren Rubber Company and his home country of Wales. He knows his history like he knows his craft.


All of the previous shoes range from durable to casual, but I'll probably wear J. Grant Brittain's slippers most often. Not only because JGB's a legendary photographer who has helped or influenced the aforementioned F-stoppers, but because (1) he's super cool to me each time I re-introduce myself to him and (2) I live in a home with a no-shoes policy.


Much cozier than kung-fu shoes, with more subtle details to boot. Mr. Rogers may have had more cardigans than I do, but his slippers were never this comfy.


I love skateboarding and I love shoes, and I also value limited-edition photography books. Balancing tack-sharp skate shots with grainy slices of life, this square-bound publication printed in conjunction with the photographer-related footwear not only captures the feeling of skateboarding but also celebrates the skills of the four photographers. It will make you want to skate and it will also make you want to generate, control, and capture precious moments--the underlying goal and thrill of skateboarding, photography, and life itself.

Ugly betty

Today, I was mistaken for a girl. It's not the first time for that to happen; the previous occasion must have been more than 15 years ago when I had hair that went down my back. Think Soundgarden, Redd Kross, the Chili Peppers, and even Eric Nakamura. Yeah, back then. I'm pretty sure it was at a supermarket check stand in Los Feliz.


I'm not offended by being thought of as a woman. Females can be awesome, smart, and talented people. Some of my best friends have breasts. But all I could think was that the person who called me "she" must have deemed me a really ugly chick. At least that was my impression when I arrived at the office and looked in a mirror.

It's a weird feeling. The closest experience I can compare it to is when I accompanied my friend to a gay bar when she was researching a newspaper article. At first, I was slightly freaked out about getting scooped. By the end of the evening, I felt somewhat rejected because none of the dudes paid attention to me.

Time for a haircut--and maybe some Korean man makeup.

Ed and Geoff at REDCAT

We broke out of the house to check out the Ed Fella/Geoff McFetridge art show at REDCAT. It was Eloise's first art show and she did all right. A little breakdown, but nothing a bottle and new diaper couldn't fix. We ran into Eric as well as Steve from the Crypt (Vienna), too.


Oh yeah, the art show. Most of you are probably familiar with Geoff's bold graphics work and effortless hand-drawn illustrations, which have been showcased by everyone from Burton to Pepsi to The Virgin Suicides. His side of the building was huge, with an installment you could walk through as well as a section devoted to his commercial work. This half of the room was both playful yet inspiring.

Fella also has a commercial background, coming from the world of advertising agencies and going to art school and joining academia. His hyper organic and prolific work, which is famously made with those four-color Bic pens, is overwhelming, with open sketchbooks whose interiors one can only dream about--unless you buy the nice book--and an entire wall of fliers that provides not only an overview of Fella's own work but a cursory history of graphic design as well.

The artists' styles complemented each other really well--one mostly clean, the other mostly sketchy. One big installations, the other small sketches and fliers. Of course, it's more complicated than that, and it deserves another visit. Maybe one sans the baby sling, for more careful inspection.

Hecox at GR2 pics

More pics from tonight's Evan Hecox book signing at GR2. I was the first person in line because I wanted him to sign my book before his hands got too tired! That type of precision line work can't be easy to maintain for two hours straight.


By the time he was done signing for me, there was a pretty big line--a combination of his appeal and him taking his time with each book.


Tomorrow night, he has an art show at Kinsey/Deforges Gallery in Culver City. Check it out. If you can't make it, get the book at GR2. We might have some extra signed copies...

GR eats

I think Dan Wu sent a bunch of these banana cases to us as a joke, but I've actually been using mine for the last few days. Maybe it's the monkey in me?


It turns out that the shape actually fits most bananas and does indeed protect them from bruising. I wonder how the inventor determined the curve?

Not too long ago, the gr/eats dry-erase board got a face-lift: "Come in & try our delicious food!" I think that slogan is great--so simple and true, just like the menu that Eric, Eric's mom, and Chef Nelson created. It emphasizes health, balance, and taste over sauces, dressings, or frills, and it evolves all the time. (I think the tofu "meatballs" have changed at least three or four times over the years.) Whenever I go to or take out from gr/eats, I am left with a good feeling, never overstuffed, bloated, or wracked with guilt over what I just consumed.


But sometimes a dude needs a chili burger and fries from Ketchy's II. That's what Aaron and Chris were chowing down on when I dropped by GR1 today.

Onstage with Stephen Chow

Last night I was privileged to handle the Q&A session with Stephen Chow and Xu Jiao after GR's private advance screening of CJ7--a family flick with heart, an alien dog, and some kung fu. The session lasted around 30 minutes and was a lot of fun. After I warmed up with a few questions, we opened it up to the crowd and there were very few lame queries. Even those were met with honest and respectful responses. Not only was Stephen Chow his usual kind, thoughtful self, but Xu Jiao turned out to have detailed, charming, and funny answers, as well! (A lot of cute child actors can be cloying and Xu is not even close to being one of them.)


This is what the stage looked like from my folding chair. The dude on the right is translator Michael Berry. He also translates and writes books. You can tell he takes his job seriously because he takes notes and provides lengthy answers--not like those lazy hacks who will reduce an emotional 2-minute answer into "yes" or "no." A real pro, and a real nice guy.


I took this photo and showed it to Jiao after I noticed her squinting and struggling to see past the stage lights. The crowd consisted of roughly 400 GR readers, staffers, loungers, and friends. Just about every seat was packed; the first two rows were merely added for spillover. After the Q&A, we held a raffle to (1) reward the audience that came out and (2) allow Chow to get away without being mobbed. Highlights included Eric throwing T-shirts into the crowd and three lucky winners picking up CJ7 plushes signed by the filmmaker.


This is Judy, the BK PR ace who made the screening possible in conjunction with Sony Pictures Classics. She was a pleasure to work with, and also helped us arrange a lengthy, one-on-one interview with Chow for our magazine (most journalists had to settle for roundtables). Judy knows what she's doing.


I didn't have time to say hi to everyone I knew in the crowd, but I couldn't miss Luis and Oscar, hardcore readers who attend every GR event. I see these brothers everywhere, and I appreciate their loyalty, energy, and outstanding taste.


Jennifer works at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and took a day off to drive down to L.A. with her roommate to attend the event. If she called in sick, I hope I'm not getting her busted by posting this photo.


Even better were our friends who brought their kids. (Parents, too.) CJ7 is Stephen Chow's first family film, and he did an amazing job by not only retaining but growing his comic and artistic style while crafting entertainment that generations of moviegoers can enjoy. The crowd laughed, cried, and bonded–and will hopefully drag their friends to see it again when it opens on March 7 in LA and NYC.


Sometime around God of Cookery or King of Comedy, Stephen Chow made the jump from incredibly likable, funny, and gifted actor to world-class filmmaker with a unique vision. His current run of movies is as consistent, stylized, and personal as the canons of Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers, or Wong Kar-Wai are. There are so many crummy movies out in the multiplexes--especially when it comes to family fare--and it's an honor for us to help expose a brilliant filmmaker like Chow and an excellent movie like CJ7.

Baby steps

Two landmark events happened on Monday. First, I made a facon and egg sandwich for Wendy. When is the last time I did anything close to cooking?

The reason I was home was because I had to be there when the cable guy came to install internet. Since moving in in 1996 or so, I've been living without it because (1) I've never been around and (2) DSL isn't available on our block. Now that Wendy is home on maternity leave, I had to bite the bullet. Turns out that it costs only 30 bucks a month with no contract. Not so bad!


To get us going, the cable guy had to crawl under the house and up a telephone pole (look out the window in the pic). Somehow, I rigged up Wendy's silver laptop and everything was good. I gave him a banana and glass of water, but didn't get free cable TV. Oh well. Later on, Wendy's cousin came by with wireless router and hooked up my handed-down G3, too. Thanks, Mike!

From massive cleaning to giving/throwing away a ton of stuff to getting internet installed, this homemaking concept is growing on me. Not exactly Dwell magazine material, but baby steps are not inappropriate for the situation.

Pure joy

One of the best things about the Giant Robot stores is that they are an entry drug for art collecting. For 50 or 60 bucks or even less, you can buy a really nice original piece to hang on your wall. There's no velvet rope, VIP list, or barriers. It's pretty much first come, first serve--unless one of us staffers wants it first!

But now that I think about it, I got my first piece of art long before the original GR shop opened or even before Eric and I made the first issue. In the early-ish '90s, my friend Joy Aoki, who had attended Art Center and worked in the art department of Epitaph Records, was moving and didn't have space for her all her canvases. I ended up with the painting above--part of her "PMS" series (called that for somewhat obvious reasons). The model was her roommate Mike, a nice guy who I used to see when I'd pick her up and go Kings hockey games with her in Section 12 at the Forum.

If the piece looks familiar, maybe it's because you've seen the album cover art below, which Joy painted and designed. I saw the band's first show at the Anti-Club, when at the end of a Chemical People set, Dave Smalley came out to preview a few songs with them as backup. "This is the future of punk rock," he said. This was for Down By Law's first album--perhaps their best. (Note: I'm biased because I was a big fan of the Chems. That being said, the lineups with Clawhammer Chris, Colin Sears from Dag Nasty, Mark Phillips from That's it, and toy otaku Hunter Oswald were exceptionally solid, too.)


Joy also did artwork for Bad Religion's Generator and No Control albums, as well as the Epitaph debuts of The Offspring and Coffin Break. She painted the famous NOFX condom package cover, too. I recall her telling me that she had a room full of condoms and that she and Mike were throwing them at each other for days. You know that Epitaph "E" that looks like a tombstone? Joy made that.

She also booked key punk shows at Godzilla's, wrote and made cover art for Flipside mag and record label, and had tons of bands stay at her house. She has great stories about the Warlock Pinchers (when they were homesick, they went to a generic mall), Pegboy (big sci-fi and hockey fans), and Green Day (were jealous of me when Joy invited me to to use Greg Hetson's Kings season seats with her while Bad Religion was on tour).

That last paragraph makes it sound like Joy is dead, but she's very much alive still making art. If you go to the horse races, you might have seen her horse portraiture on calendars! (She's been a fan of horses since I met her.)

In my opinion, Joy has an amazing portfolio that ties her unique interests to her masterful brush skills. I've asked her multiple times if she'd allow me to interview her for GR, but she always declines, saying, "I'm not interesting!" As the illustration wave seems to be calming down, perhaps this is her time. Maybe if I offer some good Indian food, she'll finally acquiesce.

Big dogs

Everyone gets a little bigger with age. Even Michael Jordan was noticeably thicker towards the end of his NBA career. And, sure, men start to grow hair out of their ears and nostrils, too. But do feet grow as well?

I've been bummed to find out that some of my favorite old shoes no longer fit. Is that what happens over time or is it just me? As part of the house-cleaning process, I decided to get rid of a bunch. Some I'll donate, but others are too good to just give away. Luckily, I have a twin brother who can still wear those. Whew.

Yes, every pair of shoes has a story (the ones on the bottom row were all purchased from the stand-alone outlet in front of the old Vans plant on Batavia in the cit of Orange) and I'm sad to see them go but I also feel cleansed. Plus, there's a chance that some of the shoes were a bit stinky.

Detox

Gradually, I've been debachelorizing my house. After a dozen years of being a dude who likes to collect stuff but is never home to organize or take care of things, it got out of control. Two Saturdays ago, I decided to take a bunch of old paints, motor oils, used batters, and broken electronic goods to the local toxic waste station.


It's located in an industrial part of Glendale, right next to some train tracks. Is that a coincidence? They probably get buried in New Mexico or somewhere like that, but I suppose that's better than just chucking my stuff into the trash.


When you drive in, there's plastic covering the floor and everyone is wearing popsicle suits--kind of like in Repo Man.


On the way home, I dropped by the janitorial supply store in Los Feliz (right next to the Vista movie theater) to rent a carpet cleaner. My friend Ken was cool enough to help out. I asked him to help me move some furniture, but he wound up staying all afternoon and helping out with cleaning the bedroom carpet.


Below, you can see what the sucked-up water looked like. I think the foam was from the soap--not industrial byproducts, radioactive waste, or bodily fluids.


I dumped it on the grass. I wonder if it will kill or fertilize the lawn?



As the carpet was drying, Wendy's water broke and that's when we had Eloise. Crap! The house was a total mess, with boxes, furniture, and crap all over the place from the carpet cleaning. The two nights after we got back from the hospital, we stayed up late to nurse Eloise and in between feedings, and I busted ass on cleaning up the house past 3:00 a.m. Below, you can see how the living room started out.


Holy crap! Actually, everything was already boxed and once I shaped up the extra room, which is used for storage, a lot of space opened up.


You can actually hang out in the living room now. See the sofa? It used to be in the kitchen because there was no space for it in the living room. Now we can use the kitchen, too.


This is what the storage room looked like. Yikes! It looks like tetanus waiting to happen. Unfortunately, I never got to clean the carpet because there was no place to move its contents while the bedroom was drying.


This is what it looks like now--hopefully more like the last scene from the first Raiders of the Last Ark movie, and less like a junkyard. On the left is CDs and LPs. On the back wall is books with tubs of my non-rotation T-shirts in front of them. The right side has DVDs and Wendy's non-pregnancy clothing. The snowboards/surfboard/sports gear is obvious. (My current skateboards are still by the front door.)



Finally, the bedroom. The bed-sheet curtains are temporary since we're renovating the house sooner than later. Until then, the house is safe for new mother and newborn child, with just a few corners and rooms full of stuff (to move to the storage room) left to work on.

Did I mention that we're going to have a Giant Robot garage sale in the somewhat near future?

Scraps

I came across some interesting scraps of paper while cleaning up my house... This one is high school paper I wrote on vegetarianism. My teacher, Mr. Mcoun said, "It made me think." That really blew me away.


This letter is a remnant from my past life at Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. I showed my editor Deborah a contribution that I wrote for Dirt (Sassy for boys), and she said that writing was my future! I didn't take that seriously, but obviously she knew something.

It probably took seconds for each of them to scribble these notes, but they made a big impression on me--and still do

Hotbox

I swear this isn't going to become a baby blog. I just had to post this picture because I thought it was cool.

A lot of preemie and Asian babies have jaundice, so Eloise was doomed with the double whammy. It was severe enough that the baby docs decided it was best to keep her under lamps for two more nights after Wendy was discharged.

It was really hard to leave the little one at the hospital that first night. Wendy had to struggle with her maternal instinct and separate from her cub after a midnight feeding. It was pretty late and quite depressing when she was rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair at the hospital's insistence.

Arriving early the next morning, we just missed a feeding and were told to roam around. We killed some time at the cafeteria then looked for seats in the waiting room. The head nurse saw how thrashed Wendy looked, leaning on my shoulder and sobbing amongst the visitors, and found us some curtained off space in the area where babies are kept, washed, and observed. What a lifesaver.

It was kind of funny how they insisted that Wendy be rolled out upon discharge but not 12 hours later suggested that we walk around and "have fun" in between feedings. My wife could barely walk!

Eloise has busted out but the battle with jaundice isn't over. We're feeding her all the time in an effort to shit out the bilirubin and lamps are being sent to our home as I type...

Back to normal blogging soon.

Where do babies come from?

When Eloise asks, I'm going to show her these pictures. First, the outside.


Then, the inside.


(Thanks to Kumquat for the gear. Eloise is a sponsored baby. Thanks to Dr. Brock for help with the pics. He delivers with high energy at Cedars Sinai.)

Meet Eloise

I haven't blogged in almost a week. Here's why: Wendy and I had our first baby on Sunday, February 10 at 12:20. After only 35 weeks and 2 days in the womb, Eloise Alice weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 18 inches.

Everything happened really fast. Wendy woke up around 2:30, informing me that she couldn't sleep and was going to read. Fifteen minutes later, she felt a pop in her stomach. We paged one of the doctors at he OB's practice, who said it was probably nothing but to come in anyway.


When we arrived it was about 4:10. Wendy was already at 3 cm. Not more than 8 hours later, Eloise was out. I shot this pic right after the little one was measured, bathed, and tagged--maybe 30 minutes after the event itself. Wendy looked pretty good and so did Eloise. Some newborns look like pruny old men.


Here's the Lojack that our hospital puts on every baby. Wendy and I got tags that matched her ID ankle bracelet. I hope she doesn't become a henna-fied hippy after wearing it for so long.


Our room was nice but claustrophobic. Sometimes we went for walks around the floor. Wendy was pretty mobile for someone who just got worked.


We had some visitors! Although Eric could probably run for office some day, he is not a baby-holding guy. Nonetheless, he made the effort for Eloise and I think she appreciated it.


Here she is with my brother-in-law/GR softball slugger Carlos, his daughter Lucia, my brother/GR contributor Greg, and his daughter Saoirse. (Look for Greg and Saoirse in GR52's article about shave ice...)


Wendy's mom and dad were pretty stoked about their first grandkid, even if she was a girl.


Wendy's family friend/current GR softball co-skipper Chi made the trip, too. He's going to be her bodyguard/our enforcer.


GR editorial/production assistant Brian brought lemon meringue pie from MC (pie month!). Ken helped me shampoo the carpet/move furniture the day before Eloise was born. Perfect timing for both.

GR contributor/Zurik Robot artist/long-suffering L.A. Kings hockey fan Martin Cendreda.


A rat and a monkey. Who looks more tired?

Take it, Ceci

I had lunch at gr/eats with my friend Ceci today. I know her from punk rock shows at UCLA, Jabberjaw, and a ton of other places back in the early '90s, but you might remember her from the article on Thai fruit carving in GR11 (Summer 1998, a decade before that Edible Arrangement chain opened).


That particular article came about because I saw a class on the subject in the L.A. City College catalog, and arranged for a personal class at home. I think there were seven or eight of us. The instructor brought the fruits and vegetables, and we bought custom knives from her.


Here's a closeup of Ceci back then. She's hardly changed. Back then, she was working with kids. Today, she's a lawyer using her powers to protect the people down in San Diego. We caught up on work, but also shared info on old friends. Did you know Carlos from the Peechees is teaching Tango in NYC now? Tango to the people!


Now that we're back in touch, you'll probably see Ceci in this blog again.

Super furry animals

I went to the Super Furry Animals in-store at Amoeba last night. The band from Cardiff, Wales was trimmed down to a two guitarists, but they compensated for the loss of members and instruments with pre-programmed keyboard rhythms, a metronome, a glockenspiel, scissors, and The Pelvis. Maybe the effect was less like a cosmic Beach Boys and more a like an arty Elvis Costello with harmonies (their albums sometimes suggest both vibes to me).


The duo played a really loose set for about 40 minutes, with lots of funny chit-chat between songs (mostly new ones). They needed help for one song, which required not only singing along but a posture (see wide pic). This tune went over so well they played it three times, including the encore.

No, they didn't break out the furry suits or Pete Fowler videos, but Gruff Rhys had an armful of acoustic guitars with the Welsh artist's scribblings on them. They'll probably go all out at tonight's sold-out show at The Echo.

I could have shopped for an hour afterward, but Wendy and I arrived straight from work and desperately needed food.


So we rounded up friends and went to Chinatown. Here's Brian, who's been helping out the mag with just about everything (editorial, production, dark-chocolate M&M's) and Pryor (GR's Minister of Color and art show contributor).


Ken has contributed a few articles to the mag, including a report from the Milan Furniture Fair and interviews with artists and designers. Behind him, you can see the staff chowing down. I guess it was kind of late.

BTW, if you ever go to Golden City, try the black mushrooms with spicy salt. It's a great dish.


Chinatown is going through this weird identity shift from old people and immigrants to hipsters and artists, but I still like going there for late-night meals. I prefer the evening because there's more parking and fewer sketchy drivers!


Super Furry Animals and Chinatown--an unplanned but perfect pairing to usher in the Lunar New Year.

Advance screening of CJ7!

Just confirmed that GR is going to host an advance screening of Stephen Chow's latest flick, CJ7, in L.A. The family movie, which is said to have elements of E.T. as well as some kung-fu and plenty of heart, just opened a couple weeks ago in Hong Kong and China, and has been breaking records.

Long established as one of the funniest actors in Hong Kong (God of Cookery, Love on Delivery, Justice My Foot!), Chow has been on a roll with his last few projects, proving himself to be a topnotch director and visionary filmmaker with releases like Shaolin Soccer and Kung-Fu Hustle.

Not only will a bunch of you get to see the movie on the big screen before its American release, but the director and star will be in attendance for a Q&A session afterwards.

And if that's not enough, we're going to give away some stuffed animals signed by the director/actor/genius as well.

More details to come... If you're not on the GR mailing list, this might be a good time to join.

What will you do for $16.78?

Mountain Dew can't be stopped, and has unleashed even more designer containers. Considering their snazzy output, the marketing department must actually be drinking the super-caffeinated soft drink. This bottle is designed by Eric Haze! It comes in a tall, clear, triangular container with his bio on the back. Great timing, too, because I was thirsty, and...


...after months of collecting bottles, cans, and water jugs, I visited the recycling center near GR. No, I'm not spending it all in one place. When I cashed in the credit voucher at Vons, I picked up some cereal, soy milk, and veggie corn dogs. Going to Amoeba for the "free" Super Furry Animals show should take care of the balance.


A better view of the goods. The beer bottles were the aftermath of my friend Ken's house party--and I didn't even attend it! Most of the water bottles are emptied by Wendy, who brings home them home after work. I was most likely responsible for the Gatorade bottles (from the last two seasons' softball games) and some Mtn. Dew containers (!).

Gung hay fat choy

Thursday is Chinese New Year. If you're Chinese, you probably had a family dinner last weekend to bid farewell to the Golden Pig and look forward to another meal to bring in the Year of the Rat. Contrary to popular belief, rats aren't so bad.


Take Bob Geldof. The Boomtown Rats singer didn't really pen that many great songs (although "Up All Night" has been bumper music from Jim Rome since he was a scrub and "I Don't Like Mondays" was ahead of its time in its coverage of school shootings--and is a great karaoke song, too!), yet he provided job modeling for Bono with "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and Live Aid.


And then there's Disney. It's true that the rodent's newer rides--I mean attractions--lack the superior aesthetics and attention to detail of the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, or It's a Small World, and for a company founded on cartoons and amusement parks it's famously unable to take a joke (such as the Air Pirates comics, above and below), but I hear Pixar movies can be pretty good.


So Happy New Year to everyone--not just the rats--and I hope you unmarried folks get some fat red envelopes. Don't pass up this excuse for poor hygiene, a vegetarian feast, and firecrackers, either!

Book club

I got my Awakening book in the mail yesterday. You probably read about it in Dan's blog (where I ripped this pic from), and remember how it was published in conjunction with an art show put up by friends to raise money for HK photographer JC's cancer treatment. The 34-year-old portrait shooter lost the battle, and book profits are now being given to his family.

I don't know if Dan accurately conveyed how incredible the book or JC's work is. Many of the portraits are larger than life, and you actually have to step back to recognize who they are: Tony Leung, Chang Chen, and, yes, Dan. You see pores, tiny hairs, wrinkles, and soul. I like those the best. I'm not usually a fan of posed photos, but even those are nice, with stars such Andy Lau or Maggie Cheung captured in human moments. Even Edison isn't posturing, which is a miracle.

The volume itself is printed on heavy, glossy stock and bound in a material that feels like velour. The slipcase has the same material. This is one of the nicer books on my shelf, and if you have the liquid assets and are into HK movies or culture, you might consider purchasing it for a good cause.

Here are some other prized books with fancy sleeves that sit on the same shelf (figuratively since some of them are too big)...


For a time, this was the most expensive book in my collection. I think I paid about $140 for it online, and got one for Eric, too. It was not easy to pull the trigger on this one--I had to get a cashier's check and do all sorts of other nonsense since this was before PayPal days--but I didn't regret it. The book is not large, but it's thick with tons arty photos shot by Christopher Doyle on the set of Happy Together. It has several types of paper stock as well as surprise inserts including a film clipping and an unrolled condom! I think there's a ball-point pen floating around the hand-bound spine.

As is often the case, Eric found a way to stock these at the GR store but they're long gone and this book remains special to me. I was collecting everything related to WKW for a while, and this might be the prize. (Well, actually that would be the Wing Shya poster remix set, but that's another blog. Also, there's an In The Mood For Love counterpart that's pretty good but not nearly as deluxe.)


I bought this book after hearing photographer Kate Simon talk about it on the Jonesy's Jukebox radio program. This large photo book comes in a silkscreened wooden sleeve and each edition was signed by Simon. The classy, oversize, hardbound book is from England, and blew the lid off my typically miserly budget. I guess I skimp so I can get stuff like this. The photographer, best known for shooting the cover of London Calling, spent a lot of time in Jamaica during its key musical era, and seems to have an anecdote for every killer concert and candid photo of her friends, who included not only Bob Marley, but Peter Tosh, Lee Perry, Burning Spear, and others.

I hate going to the Genesis Publications site because I totally want the Bowie books, but could never justify spending that type of money on a book ever again--even an amazing one that is a true, collectible art object and historical document.


Here's another example of an amazing book (limited to 2,000) that I found online, ordered two copies for me and Eric (straight from Jet Tone), and then Eric found a way to get it and sell it at the GR store for about half the price. When I saw one at GR on Sawtelle yesterday, I felt like the sushi chef who sets aside a fresh shipment of fish and says, "Too good for the customers."

Inside the huge cardboard slipcase is a nice 96-page paperback that documents the filming of Hero as well as showcases Christopher Doyle's experimentation with color. As a bonus, there are four poster sets: red, green, blue, yellow. And then there's Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, and Jet Li.

This is another part of my WKW obsession/collection which ended after 2046. (I recently pre-ordered My Blueberry Nights, but think I have things under control now.)


The Complete Far Side is the only two-volume edition in this post, and it's a monster. You could pull a muscle or sink a boat with the set, which contains every strip from 1980-1994. Many of them appear in color for the first time, and there are some extra tidbits from Gary Larson's personal archives: hate mail, form letters, and other stuff to add context to the already incredible strips.

Eric gave this to me for Christmas a few years ago, and I still flip it open to random pages all the time. Not to disrespect the current cartoonists, but today's funnies are a sad afterthought to an era when geniuses like Larson, Watterson, and Schulz were at the top of their game. This book really drives that home.

Gggggood enough!

Today, the L.A. Kings probably have their biggest audience over the airwaves ever--not because they're playing the "Original 6" New York Rangers (with ex-Kings rabble rouser Sean Avery) but because they are on KTLK, the Socal "progressive talk" radio station. Listeners who tune in to hear the latest on Barack, Hillary, and the various propositions on Super Tuesday are hearing Nick Nickson talk puck.


On that note, here's an artifact that I didn't donate to Goodwill after cleaning out my kitchen over the weekend. It's the Frosted Flakes box made in honor of the Kings' 92-93 Stanley Cup run. It's hard to believe that such a product was made; who ever gets remembered for being number two? (They fell short to the Habs, who were backstopped by the red-hot Patrick Roy.)


But it was an amazing run, and Wayne Gretzky (below, next to Lucky Luc and under current radio color guy Daryl Evans, the original "Finnish Flash" Jari Kurri--I think--and Tony "Cammy's brother" Granato) still says that fueling hockey's popularity in L.A. is one of his proudest accomplishments. Yes, the box is impressive. Too bad the Kings' rivals, The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, have rendered it irrelevant by by becoming the champs last year.


Nonetheless, the continually rebuilding Kings are still my team, and right now they are beating the Rangers 2-0 in the first period. Oops, make that 2-1 at the first intermission. Crap!

Just got lucky

Some more pics and comments from last night's Nada Surf show last night at the Gibson showroom. I think it was filled with industry types--not just "journalists" like us but movies and licensing people. Singer Matthew Caws sheepishly introduced "Unpopular" (the only song in the set not from the new Lucky album) by pointing out that it was not licensed (heeding the urges of the band's manager).


In this picture, you can kind of see the box that drummer Ira Eliot was sitting on/using for percussion. It actually sounded pretty good. He had a tambourine on his foot, too. The cellist's instrument was like a stick with no body! It sounded fine, though.


This pic gives a better idea of the room's size--literally a showroom, where I imagine big-time rock stars can pull an axe off the wall, step on the stage, and take the instrument for a test ride. On a flatscreen, a loop showed famous musicians playing Gibsons (Madonna, Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, etc.) in concert, on TV shows, and at the spot where we were standing. Nonetheless, Daniel Lorca was handling a Fender bass.

It was a pleasure to see the band in an intimate, nearly uncomfortable setting and pulling off their delicately layered harmonies on super catchy indie rock songs like "Whose Authority" and "Weightless" with some acoustic instruments and no problems at all. No luck for anyone else, though. The band has two sold-out hometown shows in NYC and then take off to Europe for a string of gigs...

Push the button (new colorway)

I'm not going to get on a soapbox or pretend to know everything about politics. However, I feel compelled to state that not only do I agree with Obama's stances on reproductive rights, arms control, the war, health care, education, and a sane global policy, but I actually believe in the actual person. His record as a senator and difference-maker speak volumes, and I'd be lying I didn't mention his time spent in Hawaii and Indonesia didn't have some sort of appeal, too. (He is cross-cultural and in ways that Tiger Woods can only pretend.)

I'm rambling and will sum up with an analogy that's imperfect but should illustrate my opinion: Obama is to Trader Joe's as Clinton is to Whole Foods and the Republicans are to Walmart.

See you at the polls tomorrow.

Face off

Cleaning up the office means we unearth a lot of neat stuff. This is one of the cooler pieces of junk. Where it was on Halloween, I don't know, but it perfectly conveys the Japanese swords-and-sandals epic about a warrior who wakes up with no memory and a leopard face. I hate it when that happens.

Since 1979, Kaoru Kurimoto has written nearly 120 installments of the saga, and Vertical has just begun to translate them into English. I inquired about interviewing the prolific writer, Kaoru Kurimoto, but she was too busy to answer my questions!

Lwife gwoes won...

Whenever a mag goes to the printer, I get a little depressed. The issue fills just about every waking moment--and a lot of the sleeping ones, too--and then we're lefting hanging. Not so this time around. Too much stuff going on:

1. Office cleaning. Besides wrapping up things like the comp list, the office is a total mess and I have to do something about it. Honestly, we're embarrassed when people come over to help.

2. House cleaning. I dropped off two carloads of stuff at the Goodwill drop-off center in Los Feliz over the weekend. Some of it was pretty good! But don't start lining up at the location just yet. I've been filling boxes of the primo stuff for a GR garage sale that's in the works.

2. Free shows. There are a couple free shows this week that I want to check out. Nada Surf tonight at some guitar showroom in Beverly Hills and then Super Furry Animals at Amoeba in Hollywood on Thursday night. I think you have to be on a list for the former, but maybe I'll see you at the latter. It's an acoustic set, so don't expect any Pete Fowler animation, though.

4. Night Marchers. John Reis from RFTC/Drive Like Jehu/Hot Snakes has formed a new band and they're playing four nights in a row starting on Friday night. The Sunday night show in Long Beach sounds good to me. Any other takers or do I have to go solo?

5. Super Tuesday. I'm voting no on S and yes on Obama. How about you?

Push the button

What are you doing on Tuesday?

GR52 sneak peek

If you're hardcore, you can tell what some of the upcoming articles are from this pic. On a first-name basis, there's Albert, Kevlin, Vladimir, Minase, Mick, Tony, Danny, Jill... Gotta stop. Too much information already.

Home stretch

We're in the home stretch for GR52. Had to re-calibrate the printer to make proofs, but they're all done. Now it's time to look over the printouts one more time for errors. In the old days (a couple issues ago) the printer would make the proofs, we'd request changes, and they'd run corrections for a price. Now we do all that on our end, which saves us money and buys us time. Imagine all those FedEx packages that have been cut out...


Can't wait for the mag to go to press and get in your hands because it's solid. Can't wait to get some decent sleep, go running, and clean up the house, too.

(Thanks to Brian for Snoopy!)