In one of those "you had to be there" events that happen all over Los Angeles, Crewest(http://www.crewest.com/) was the place to be this past Saturday night. "L.A. <3" featured Mark Ferem signing and promoting his new book "Bathroom Graffti."(www.myspace.com/latrinalia) With live performances by legendary L.A. street artist "mear one" (www.mearone.com) and spoken poetry by Mike Sonksen "Mike The Poet"(www.myspace.com/mikethepoet) who has been gaining a following. If that wasn't enough Overton Loyd (http://www.overtonloyd.com/) was doing live sketches of Mike and mear as they did work. Ferems book consist of shit house poetry from the bathrooms all over L.A. and the U.S. Mark was selling and signing the book for 15$ which was as he said himself a steal. The book is a great piece of work that is chronocaling another type of graphitti art. The entire night was stolen by Sonksen and Mear as the crowd young and old was mesmarized and captivated by them as Sonksen recited his poems with a passion that Mear matched in his painting. Sonksens poetry went down a roll call of who's who in L.A. history from Ray Bradbury to our current mayor Antonio Vigarrosa. His poems took you from Watts and Echo Park to Downtown reflecting on the people that make up these cities. His poems themed from the racial tensions past and present, politics and everything else in between. All the while Mear was in the back going crazy like a man possed painting the city that he has lived in and loves. At the same time Loyd effortlessly sketched each of the artist so perferctly that one would think he spent hours, not minutes sketching. I could tell the night was a success because of the youngsters that attend the show and the look they had in their eyes. They saw me and my skate deck tricked out with stickers that they thought I was a slapper, not yet anyways. I passed them on to sticky rick as they wanted to start doing their own thing and making their mark on the world just like Senkson and Mear have done. However the entire night didn't belong to them, knowing he had the audiance with him, Sonksen took a break to let his prodiche who's name I forgot to get follow in his footsteps. With his mother and younger brother looking on giving him inspiration, he quickly got over his stage fright and layid it down. Senkson met him when he spoke at Hollywood High if I'm not mistaken and since then has seen him as a little brother. Senkson made it a point to encourage all the youngsters at the show too keep on doing their thing, doing what they love and never stopping. The whole even couldn't have been made possible with out the man that is know as Man One (http://www.manone.com/). Man one has had a long history of putting his work up all over L.A. and know in his older age he's become a business man providing services to corparations looking for some street style. He now curates crewest here in L.A.
For me this even was another evening that would have never happened had it all gome as planned. My intentions were to go to the "yo ! what happened to peace ?" (yoart.org)My brother in arms ranked out on me so I decided to stop by after work and still check it out. On my way there I passed a cute girl who once inside introduced herself as Diane. She's a street artist herself and after being looky-lous I asked her if she wanted to check out Crewest. From there on it was out of my hands as another random evening that I was blessed to be a part of. I met great artist and networked with them as this is what I want to write about, L.A. life and event's. Now I'm just waiting to see if Diane will look me up on myspace
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Dream Act
Well all have moments in which we make connections and realize certain things. A couple of days ago I had one of those realizations on my way to work. It was six in the morning and I was going to my local donut shop to buy a donut/coffee to wake up. As I'm crossing the street I see my friend/exgirlfriend(x) come up the hill. She compliments me on my new hair colour and greats me with a huge hug. She was on her way to school and her mom, who was with her was going to work up in the hills of hollywood if I'm not mistaken. I talk to them and make the small catch up chit chat, but once she left I still talked to her mother. She toldme that for the last 27 years she has dedicated her life to cleaning houses for the finacially secure. As she told me this I could tell that she wished that she couldlive in the homes she cleaned. Her face had such a look of longing and hope, but at the same time she had the look of a mother who has spent everything she has for her family giving life and spirit.I shouldmention that she was an immigrant who miragted here and had two daughters. One who is 35 doesn't speak to her anymore because somewhere along the way she pushed her away, so I'm told by her other daughter. X told me how strict her parents were with her and that they were also praticing mormons. That being said it explained a lo of her actions and interest but her desire to help illegal immigrants never really fell into place till I met her mother. Like most of the first generation children of immigrants she wants to accomplish the things her parents never did and sacraficed their lives for. She goes to a great university and is some what politically active but her energy and focus are misguided. This is because her desire to help other's from the life her parents live clouds her judgment. She falls into to the catagory of activist who want equal rights for the 12million + immigrants that reside in the united states. Since this whole "immigration war", as it's called, started people choosen their side not really thinking about their desicions. It's impossible to accept 12 +million people into the U.S. even if it was possible such a system and service would take years to establish, tax payers money and other valuable resources. In stories that I have read immigration officials say they arrrest and deport honost hard working people on the basis that they willingly broke immigration laws when coming to this country. I agree with their logil 100 % percent because they knew the risk they were taking and the problems that would come with them. Only problem is that people have forgetten about the children they brought with them. Children that had no choice in coming to a country they never knew of, children like me. I have spent the last 15 years of my life here and know nothing else. everyday I face the fact that if caught or arrested I qualify for deportation. I'm going to school and I never had a criminal record outside of a ticket that I never payed for. My only choice is to continue living in the shadows keeping quite waiting for legislation to do something about the 360,000 students like me who have graduated or are in insitutions of higher learning. Propostions like the dream act that would give us a path to legalization aren't receiving the attention they deserve. The dream act requires that people be in good moral standings, enrolled in a school of higher education for more than two years, no criminal record and excellent character. Pretty much the same qualifications other immigrants must fufill to become americans. Until something happens I'll just keep going to school bettering myself waiting to find an american girl to marry.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Krazy for Cult Show Opening
Today was what it was all about. Kiss My Booty and I went to an gallery on Melrose called Gallerry 1988 for the show "Krazy for Cult." Artist know and unknow interprited cult movies like Dogma, Donny Darko, The Big Lebowskie in their own way making for some great paintings. It was hosted by Kevin Smith and other cult movie guys where there but no one would recognize them if I told you, however Craig From "Malcom in The Middle" was there. The experience started out right on our way to the bus stop we met and talked to David Boreanous, Angel, Buffy and Bones. We got there waited in line with all the other early birds an just chilled getting to know each other. The show started at seven and the line went around the block of course. Inside it was hot, smeally and I was sweaty as crap. All the works were amazing, clever and insightful, pictures coming soon. Goldel Apple Comics which is next door was giving away free snacks and they where showing said cult movies in the parking lot on a 35mm film projector. Of course there was free boose so I wet my whistle and took a drink. Once we did and saw everything like talking to Jason Mews and other B-level celebs there we took off and headed for home with some tortas that we bought at the plasita Olvera. Not bad for a tuesday night hahahah....
Monday, July 16, 2007
Lost Dog
We all have certain responsibilities that we cannot deny in our everyday lives. One of my responsibilities is to help animals and people in need, today it was a black and white pit bull. He followed me from Cesar Chavez and Soto, if you're geographically inclined, to 1st and Chicago at the Ben Franklin Library. There he ran around with the sprinklers cooling off and drinking water. I noticed he was nuetered so I check if he had any tags and he did. No name or anything but a city dog lincence that would identify him. I get my phone and for 15 minutes I'm on hold trying to talk to an oporator. I hung up and called again so I can be transfered to the North Central animal shelter. I told them I found the dog and looked him up so he won't leave. She tells me they'll come in an hour so I wait. After the hour I let him go even though I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. I called and tried to help him because the owners are resposible enough to nueter him and get him a licence and if I lost my dog I would want someone to report her so she can be returened to me. The thing that pissed me of is that I was on hold for so long and that animal control never came. Either way I did what I could.
Friday, July 13, 2007
New Plan To Be Awsome
So it was brought to my attention yesterday that what Rudy, my heterasexual life mate and I do for fun can be turned into something constructive. Since returning to L.A. in March I have been more out of my shell buildings conections with people at the art galleries and random people I meet and talk to who turn out to be writers and journalist themselves. Take for example the city of Los Angeles town crier Don Garza who I happened to meet on a whim passing by the offices of the downtown L.A. city council I think. Wih him was Ed Fuentes who's also some what know in the Downtown scene, mostly because he's that old. Talking to them they were impressed by the fact that Rudy and I get around to the art galleries. All we mentioned was the I am 8-bit show at gallery 1988 and the Dangerous curves show where Paris Patton took a sledge hammer and blow torch to a frozen Piano. Which now inretro spect would have made bad ass blogs by I fell asleep at the wheel and not having a personal computer of my own hurts me, but that's all going to change. Rudy told them about freeway watching and I realized that we are doing something and we could be doing something WAY more if we streached ourselves. I want to be a writer of sorts and seriously doing a coherent, organized blog makes a ton of sence. Looking around Ed's blog, www.viewfromaloft.typepad.com I skimmed through his links and found some great stuff. All of it doing what a million other sites, blogs and mags do but still great. The one that hit me in a sweet spot was www.labusgirl.blogspot.com. It's a personal blog of course but her comments on the bus system, stories ralated to the transit system made me realize that I have to do this. So here we go again, another transition that will take me to new places, meet new people and best of of build my writing skillz biatch !!! I know I have gramatical errors problems up the ass on the basis that I don't take the time to carrect myself, study and fix my errors and until recently I just realized that my my brain thinks faster than my body can react. With school comensing in September I need to bone up on my writing skills again to prove myself worthy of running the school newspaper. Writing is a part of who I am an even though I have been putting of I have found the inspiration to change that. I may not post here on myspace or my blogspot everyday but that sure as hell doesn't mean I wont write for that day. I have a bunch of stories about our random adventures going to galleries and getting lost, talking to strangers and finding kick ass stores and restaraunts all over L.A. One the the randomest things to happen to us is when we were getting on the redline and a Mexican metal head comes up to me and witha deep voice goes to my face and tells me "Black Metal Muther Fucker !!!" I replied by saying "damn straight." Shit like that happens all the time I just gotta find an angle to make it readable and most importantly readable to others.
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