Insomnia

13 May

It is well past midnight and I’m walking down Beverly Boulevard to grab a cup of Joe. This is fairly rare. I should be sleeping. I treasure my down time.

So imagine this…a long room (more long than wide anyway) drenched in sepia tones, dimly lit by two dusty 1940’s vintage crystal chandeliers, furnished with small wooden tables, soiled velvet couches, a smattering of laptop power plugs lining the walls at waist height, and a waitstaff demonstrating their best night-of-the-living-dead impression while asking you what you want with a hint of denigration. They don’t serve decaf here(I tried that). It’s Insomnia cafe people and it’s well past midnight.

Come ready to party, this cafe is a grunge fest, complete with out of work artists, actors and writers working away on their little mac laptops. Take a hint from the name, this cafe is for the hard-working and ambitious. These patrons are so consciously self-unaware the stench of pretension is a little thick.

Onwards….

If you want a late night snack and a quiet place to work, this cafe should be your destination; but here’s hoping you sleep well.

Tags:

Tokyo Pop

13 May

It just so happened that L.A. is now officially Japan-infused. With Japanophiles popping up across the city’s landscape, and since L.A. is a bonified hub of the cutting-edge, welcome Royal/T cafe; a capitalization on the maid cafe trend of Tokyo’s Akihabara district. Although the little cafe off of Washington Boulevard is a bit more art gallery oriented, its novelty is enough to bring an influx of curious patrons and manga maniacs alike. However, nothing can replace the original design. See Here…STOP THE MAIDS!!

Modeled after cafes in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, Royal/T garnered a lot of attention, as it is the first of it’s kind in this big city.

Travel + Leisure reports, “One of the quirkiest phenomena in Japan has come to L.A. with the opening of Royal/T in Culver City (8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City; 310/599-6300; royal-t.org). The 10,000-square-foot, Japanese-themed space houses a contemporary art gallery, a shop with artist-designed toys and clothing—and a café where the waitresses are dressed up as French maids. ROYAL/T, owned by Whitney Museum Council member Susan Hancock, was conceived as a 21st-century “guerrilla” version of a traditional museum. None of the art in the gallery is for sale, and the café features Japanese comfort-food dishes such as tomato-rice omelets and macha milk. The debut installation, “Just Love Me,” includes works by Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami, from Hancock’s private collection.”

Tags: , , ,

Geisha, Interrupted

8 May

Bar Flower, a novel written by Lea Jacobson, now takes a place among my stash of favored literature. Her writing is eloquent and intelligent, thoughtful and easy-to-read, otherwise described as straight forward – with no guessing at metaphors and vocabulary. All in all, a very skilled artist. In the wake of my increasing thirst for all things Japanese and the country’s darker underpinnings – including those of hostess clubs and virulent prostitution – Bar Flower emerged at precisely the right time. Lea keeps a blog called Geisha, Interrupted that is equally engulfing for the reader. A homage to her life in Tokyo, Japan.

My thoughts today have nothing to do with her book and the world of hostess clubs, but rather Haruki Murakami, who writes in his latest book After Dark this poignant paragraph, chosen by Lea and advocated by myself…

Archetype and Octopus

The following is a passage from page 92 of After Dark, the latest Haruki Murakami novel in English translation. For some reason I found it so brilliant, and, so perfectly bizarre!

* * *

Takahashi: “As I sat in court, though, and listened to the testimonies of the witnesses and the speeches of the prosecuters and the arguments of the defense attorneys and the statements of the defendants, I became a lot less sure of myself. …To my eyes, this system I was observing, this ‘trial’ thing itself, began to take on the appearance of some special, weird creature.”

Mari: “Weird creature?”

Takahashi: “Like, say, an octopus. A giant octopus living way down deep at the bottom of the ocean. It has this tremendously powerful life force, a bunch of long, undulating legs, and it’s heading somewhere, moving through the darkness of the ocean. I’m sitting there listening to these trials, and all I can see in my head is this creature. It takes on all kinds of different shapes- sometimes it’s ‘the nation,’ and sometimes it’s ‘the law,’ and sometimes it takes on shapes that are more difficult and dangerous than that. You can try cutting off its legs, but they just keep growing back. Nobody can kill it. It’s too strong, and it lives too far down in the ocean. Nobody knows where its heart is. What I felt then was a deep terror. And a kind of hopelessness, a feeling that I could never run away from this thing, no matter how far I went. And this creature, this thing doesn’t give a damn that I’m me or you’re you. In its presence, all human beings lose their names and faces. We all turn into signs, into numbers….What I want to say is probably something like this: any single human being, no matter what kind of person he or she may be, is all caught up in the tentacles of this animal like a giant octopus, and getting sucked into the darkness. You can put any kind of spin on it you like, but you end up with the same unbearable spectacle.”

Tags:

Design Sponge

29 Apr

Los Angeles is no doubt the mother of many a creative inspiration, so it’s no wonder that L.A. has become a Disneyland for home decoration. It’s unenviable traffic packed roads are lined with countless facets of innovative home design. So how do you navigate 30 miles of lusty home furnishings? Enter Grace Bonney. A gift to home design enthusiasts everywhere, she gives back to the world with her blog called Design Sponge. This little gem in the World Wide Web offers tidbits of information from all over the U.S. and beyond, offering guides, Do-It-Yourself and before and after shots of others homes; giving those with no idea what to do with their living spaces plenty of ideas to make their home comfortable and unique to them. Likewise, Grace, along with several colleagues, has compiled a list for cities across the U.S. to show off their best stores and native-known-only hot spots to visit if you’re in the mood to decorate. For L.A. dwellers, here’s a list of stores that might make you forget that IKEA exists altogether.

Tags:

Moshi, Moshi Foreigner

29 Apr

The dream: to know a foreign language yet not to understand it: to perceive the difference in it without that difference ever being recuperated by the superficial sociality of discourse, communication or vulgarity…to undo our own “reality” under the effect of other forumulations, other syntaxes…in a word, to descend into the untranslatable.

-Roland Barthes, Empire of Signs
Lea Jacobson, Bar Flower

I experience a certain anxious ecstasy in anticipation of learning a new language. I am not frustrated with grammatics or limited vocabulary, but rather, simply salivating to speak aloud the alluringly foreign, lusty new words. The newest (and always easiest sentences) I learn, roll off my tongue and curl in my mouth. I am in heaven in my ignorance of the future. Too soon, pronunciation becomes embarrassing, and I fear any native would cringe to listen. This is xenocentrism at its worst, as I am morbidly fearsome of what the natives will think; my world now revolves around theirs and my self-awareness culminates in terror – cutting me off at the throat. I will never learn like this. And sometimes, I simply cannot bear it anymore, and my only action is to put the reference book back on the shelf. However, my new obsession will not allow such submissive action. So, I took one Sunday afternoon and drove to downtown L.A. with a singular stop in mind – to find inspiration.

Little Tokyo provides an expanse of opportunities to speak with Japanese, the limits of which I will (in all likelihood) never test. I can see my future: it is a breeding ground for my now insatiable appetite for all things related to modern Japan and it’s pop culture, including red bean Mochi and Death Note Manga.

I ended up here one Sunday afternoon, trying to search out the origin of my favorite Mochi brand, Mikawaya. Thinking I would discover a costco of a mochi manufacturing plant, I was happily disappointed to find the shop to be a small, almost empty confection store. Offering different Mochi flavors I hadn’t discovered, alongside additional confections similar in texture to the rice covering of Mochi. Once satisfied with 6 pieces and coconut ChiChi, I left the shop to explore the town.

Little Tokyo is exactly that, little. The surrounding apartments and housing stretches further than I can see or know, but the “cultural” center, most likely dedicated to serving tourists than the actual residents, is fairly small, seeing as how a 10 minute walk takes you through most of the shops and two levels of related stores (assuming you’re not doing much shopping). However, I find that this superficial Tokyo offers a Japanese video store and many a small eateries offering Japanese cuisine unrelated to Sushi. This place is not solely a tourist trap. Still, my suspicions that the center is more of a tourist shop than real cultural experience are somewhat confirmed, as the first store I enter sells cheap but beautiful chopsticks and small sake sets alongside Hello kitty pencil sharpeners and Totoro aprons.

Mystery breeds creativity, and mystery awakens the imagination. ~Lea Jacobson, Bar Flower

This exploration will or must culminate in the commencement of learning and tedious study of the minutiae that is the Japanese language. Listening to the language is fun in itself; hearing the girls voices especially – talking quickly in high voices, giggly and cute-as-a-button adorable in their fashionable clothing and brand name bags. The language manages to sound elegant and delicate.

I have yet to forgive myself for not property devoting myself to learning the French language, so the responsibility of learning another looms ahead; intimidating but still enthralling, the love affair having just begun.

Tags: ,

Dov Charney Hates L.A.

15 Apr

The class act that is Dov Charney, the child porn photographer and all-around sleaze, continues to be his offensive self. As you can see, in the front yard of his porn emporium, aka Charney’s L.A. home, sits a bronze statue giving the bird to downtown L.A. To a city that’s given him so much – naive girls, factory workers to sexually harass and a tolerant advertisment policy – you’d think that hand would be a little more welcoming.

I’m confused, are the girls of L.A. not so agreeable lately? Did he run out of parting gifts?

Tags: ,

Starbucks, Only Better?

4 Apr

A friend of mine once woke from a dream in which she opened up a Starbucks in the jungles of Paraguay. Granted, she worked at Starbucks at the time, the dream certainly wasn’t uninspired. Although she never advocated it’s existence, she certainly didn’t oppose it (after all, she worked at one of the newest Starbucks music stores off Lincoln Road in Miami Beach; and they wanted to promote her – that was one thing she didn’t want and she turned them down). There’s no denying that pretty much everyone in the world coffee drinking age has tried Starbucks self-promoted ‘premier’ coffee, and subsequently been exposed to its’ Baristas and cornucopia of merchandise (did anyone see the coffee cups shaped like a to go mug? I admit – I think they’re cute). However, the prices of their coffee have gone up without quality to match, and I often find the long lines and cookie-cutter atmosphere has cheapened the experience.

How lucky was I to find a blurb in New York magazine about how Starbucks should wise up and take a gander at the newbie coffee houses slowly whittling away their profits and producing Mochas and Lattes that justify the price and a true gourmet reputation. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a true coffee house in L.A. and it’s name is Intelligentsia. Known to many SilverLake dwellers, their L.A. location exists on a small section off Sunset, where some of the more interesting culinary treats of Silverlake exist.

Why comes to L.A.? If you go to the site, it’s slightly reminiscent of the Starbucks mantra, however, “Along with introducing Los Angeles to Intelligentsia’s understanding that responsible business practices create the finest coffees, the Silver Lake store will showcase the seasonality of the fine coffees. An agricultural product, coffee can be grown and harvested with the same care and commitment local artisanal farmers have for heirloom vegetables. And like heirloom vegetables, coffee varietals, such as the famed Geisha bean, each have a season when they are at their peak. The new Silver Lake store will showcase these finer, heirloom-grown coffees by offering coffees only during their specific season, when their stunning aromas and flavors elevate it from commodity crop to an elegant foodstuff to be savored.”

So where does that leave Starbucks, leader of the coffee biz? Danny Meyer, a restauranteur, believes that since Starbucks has “put an entire adult population through Coffee University,” it must now prepare its own generations of “stores run by passionate coffee geeks,” after taking a cue from “four of the smaller, elite players from across the world who are doing it right.” Drumroll please, these are: Monmouth Coffee (London), Blue Bottle (San Francisco-Oakland), Intelligentsia (Chicago/Note* L.A. is their newest location), and Joe the art of Coffee (New York). L.A. certainly doesn’t need another superficial anecdote in the daily grind; but can Angelenos sacrifice their time for a good cup of Joe? After all, I don’t want to see Starbucks in the middle of the jungle.

Intelligentsia
Coffee sommelier, pastries, Clover
3922 W. Sunset Blvd., 323.663.6173
Daily 6am-11pm

Tags: , ,

Hazed Horizon

3 Apr

Tonight it’s cool, the city enveloped in fog. I’ve snaked my way through Pasadena and now head home, back to Hollywood on Highway 101.

As I drive past downtown L.A., I can see the skyscrapers tower above me, advertisements and signs atop the buildings effectively blurred by vapor. The traffic bellows but it’s quiet as I travel, as if the brume submerges the sound.

No one is out, save for a woman with a platinum blond mohawk looking to cross the street at Franklin and Highland. But I am taking side streets. I drive through the dark; and finally, I am home.

Tags:

Roll Credits

1 Apr

A unique L.A. phenomenon: Unlike the rest of the country, much of L.A.’s movie audiences sit through the closing credits; I’m not in the biz, so this stand-still simply gives me time to get out of the parking lot before the masses head out and create a painful parking lot traffic jam.

An LA Observer shows us what’s up: “In L.A., a movie isn’t over at the fadeout; we want to see who was the best boy, who stood in for Julia Roberts and who got the catering gig. For Angelenos, the movie isn’t over until the Dolby Sound System logo has appeared, and the house lights have come on.

I used to believe L.A. movie crowds watch the credits with as much interest as the story action because they want to see how many people they know making below-the-line appearances. To recognize names, to claim relationships, is a gauge of professional status in an industry town; it’s a competition as much as a curiosity satisfier.”

It machine never stops.

Tags: , ,

Megalomaniac: A Religion Is Born

26 Mar

It is no secret that Scientology is an extensively rooted practice in L.A. Increasingly, and under the radar, Scientology continues to build its’ presence and influence in one of the most powerful cities in the U.S. Their freak flag keeps waving (aka Tom Cruise) in an effort to boost good PR, but as John Cook at Radar points out “after an embarrassing string of high-profile defections and leaked videos, Scientology is now under attack from a facelss cabal of online activists.” Will Scientology be declared a cult, as Germany did this past year, or will it rise as a legitimate religion, thanks to their long list of celeb believers? When the line is drawn, where do you stand?

Radar has done its homework. L.A. is nothing like Clearwater, but there are resemblances. Clearwater is the Scientologists’ established ‘spiritual mecca’, denoted as such thanks to a landing (yes, landing) by L. Ron Hubbard back in 1975. The pulp fiction writer and subsequent cult leader led his followers on an eight-year sea voyage throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, finally settling on the coast of Florida and establishing a small town designated to the fine art of achieving a scientologist’s wet dream, the ultimate spiritual state and financially costly highest level. On the day that John Cook of Radar visits, something is clearly wrong, as the streets are empty and soon enough, they’ve got scientologist photogs following them every step of the way. John is informed that 110 cameras survey the downtown area in addition to the new ‘friends’ now tagging along. Clearwater is prepared for its enemies.

Back in L.A., scientology is rapidly taking root, if not already cultivating its chronic infestation. Unbeknownst to many, scientologists are buying up real estate around town, networking contacts and turning many Hollywood power players into devoted followers. An example of what this means is provided by Alexander, a former vice president of Universal Studios, who defected, and says that in his former life, ‘he was so consumed with Scientology that he carried around a Church-issued beeper that alerted him whenever his minders decided he required counseling.’ Around Hollywood, you can spot a Scientologist fairly easily, as they generally wear an issued uniform of khaki pants and a plain navy blue tee, shuffling to the next building with downcast eyes. Driving in front of the Hollywood Scientology buildings and dorms, nary a person can be seen. The dorms almost look deserted, but the contrary is true, they are meant to be inconspicuous. They are, and frighteningly so, as covert operations like, “Operation Freakout” are manifesting in the media. Lives are at stake. Hubbard famously “promulgated what he called the “fair game” policy, whereby anyone judged to be an antagoinist “may be deprived of property, or injured and tricked, sued or lied to, or destroyed.” A statement later withdrawn because it was “bad PR.”

This crazy city of L.A. is filled to the brim of what appears to be a heady concoction of subversive activity a la Scientology. Aside from this, I have a hard time believing that extensive paranoia, described earlier and aptly reported in Cult Friction, is the result of true spiritual freedom and a sound mind. Even John Cook, our unsuspecting reporter, who came to L.A. to watch Scientologist protestors unload their opinion, gets a snapshot of the fear they effect, just read his article. The stories of harassment continue to float to the surface, but I hear nothing from the streets of L.A.; the idea that Scientology is so powerful around town that nary a person will talk for fear of disappering one day is effectively disturbing. I worry about a group who puts so much energy into ‘saving’ the locals, yet does not openly reveal itself; I’m sentient but apprehensive; should I be paranoid of them? Looks like Anonymous already went there.

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →