Mary Anissa Jones and the Obituary Wall

Mary Anissa Jones 1958-1976

In August of 1976 I picked up a newspaper that someone had left behind on the 42 Sunset Blvd bus and read that Mary Anissa Jones, Buffy from the 1960’s CBS sitcom Family Affair, had overdosed in an Oceanside apartment at age 18. I was saddened and in disbelief that this young girl only six years my senior, had succumbed to a much different life from the one she portrayed on television. This event created the clear acknowledgment for me that people in the lime light no matter how bright or for how long, have the same limitations as the rest of us do in the ordinary world. When Elvis died one year later in August of 1977 at age 42, it created a much wider spectrum of this reality ranging from that forgotten child star to "The King" himself and everyone else in between. I promptly tore out the small photo and obituary of Mary Anissa Jones from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner that day and took it home with me, thus starting a life long fascination with obituaries. Coincidentally when Elvis died I also heard about it while riding on that same 42 Sunset Blvd bus through Hollywood by a young man who announced it to everyone as he got the news from his transistor radio.

Throughout most of my working life I have clipped out interesting obituaries from the paper and taped them on to the wall of my office for others to read, creating a kind of tourist attraction wherever I happened to be employed at the time. People from other departments and other buildings would stop by for casual visits to read the “obituary wall” as it has since been named. Although interesting to read about the greats such as Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson or Lucille Ball when their time arrives, I find it even more fascinating to read about the not so famous such as that reclusive 1940's film noir actor, a 1950's roller derby queen from the Olympic Auditorium, the owner of the Los Feliz hipster lounge The Dresden Room, the guitar player from that forgotten 1980’s new wave band or the inventor of that 1960's rice and pasta mix, Rice A Roni. Even more interesting are the obituaries of the everyday people where a long and bountiful life is reduced to a 2 inch by 2 inch section of newsprint. One which stands out the most was that of a WWII veteran named Joe Cool, right after his name it read "Yes, his real name”. I was amused at the thought that Mr. Cool always had a bulletproof retort when someone accused him of trying to be cool, “What are you Joe Cool or something ?” Joe's response would smugly be “As a matter of fact, yes I am.”

Today I have become the "obit guy” amongst my friends and co-workers. When news hits the airwaves about a celebrity‘s passing, I immediately get a text message or an email from friends informing me of the news. Needless to say, this has been a busy week with the passings of Art Linkletter, Gary Coleman, Dennis Hopper and former Dodger Jose Lima. The obit wall gets recycled throughout the year with older ones coming down and newer ones becoming the headliners on my office wall. Over the course of time I started to accumulate boxes of yellowing newsprint with no significant use for them so rather than risk a fire hazard, I recently tossed most of them away. I kept several musicians such as John Entwhistle of The Who, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone of The Ramones and Sandy West of The Runaways so that I could slip their obituary clippings into the record sleeves of their respected albums in my vinyl collection. For some reason I kept a few others; Esther Wong the owner of the 1970’s Chinatown music venue Madam Wong’s, Danny Sugerman the best selling author of No One Here Gets Out Alive (the biography of Jim Morrison of the Doors) and Deirdre O'donoghue the original host of Breakfast with the Beatles now hosted by Chris Carter

As far as that very first obit of Mary Anissa Jones. I placed it in a book aptly titled The Best Short Stories by O. Henry which I was reading at the time of her death in August of 1976. The small clipping remained untouched in the book from that day for the next 31 years until I uncovered it in when I was moving in 2007 and then just as quickly, it disappeared again amongst my belongings once again. Hopefully the yellowish news print of the pig-tailed little girl who left us way too early will resurface again some day.

12 minutes with Sunshine and The Chief

January 2010 - Photos by El Niño Angeleno.

I met Sunshine and The Chief back in January on the Gold Line as they were headed to the Rose Bowl for the BCS Championship game. I misplaced the roll of film along with my notes from that day but recently came across the roll and developed the film and scanned the negatives. As I recall The Chief and Sunshine were working on a film together based on a published book that dealt with being on the road. I enjoyed spending about 12 minutes with them on the Gold Line that afternoon and I promised them these photos once I had them developed. Chief and Sunshine, If you are out there send me an email and I will get these to you.

Former Dodger Jose Lima dies at age 37

photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

I just spoke to Jose Lima last Thursday evening at the local Gold’s gym where we are both members. Always animated and friendly and wearing an Angels or Dodger cap, he was very upbeat about the new youth baseball academy he was starting in Los Angeles. Our conversations were usually short and very casual, a greeting or maybe a quick chat about our workouts but he was always willing to talk with anyone who recognized him at the gym. In his only season playing for Los Angeles, Jose was able to win the first playoff game for the Dodgers in 16 seasons, a shutout over the St. Louis Cardinals in October of 2004.

Last week at Gold’s Gym I wanted to casually tell him what a great game he pitched that night and thank him for finally getting that monkey off the Dodgers back, but I did not want to bother him with a subject he probably frequently addresses so I decided to wait for a more appropriate time. This morning I read in the paper that Jose Lima died early Sunday morning of an apparent cardiac arrest. He was only 37 years old and the father of 5 children.

If you ever feel compelled to express your thoughts to someone about an impact they made on you or clear the air over a misunderstanding from years gone by or maybe tell someone how much you really care about them, then never hesitate for that person may be gone when you are ready to do so. I have spent a lifetime holding back my words in these situations and regretfully so.

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Rest in Peace Jose.

Main Street Los Angeles - The Rolling Stones, The 5 Cent Diner & Metropolis Books

photos courtesy of El Niño Angeleno’s iphone

Earlier this week, a new version of the Rolling Stones masterpiece Exile on Main Street was released on digital media and on classic vinyl. Along with the remastered versions of the original 18 tracks, 10 vintage and alternate tracks were included from that epic 1972 recording session in the South of France. Among these "new yet old" tracks is one titled “Plundered My Soul”, originally recorded in 1972 for the Exile sessions with Mick and Keith adding a crafty 2010 redub of their guitars and vocals, it has already seen heavy rotation on my play list. After 30 years of listening to this record making it part of the soundtrack of my life, I just learned this week that the “Main Street” in the title is actually referring to our own Main Street in downtown Los Angeles, as the band was anxious to return to the City of Angels to mix their masterful record . A little bit embarrassed that I did not know this, but nonetheless not shy to admit my ignorance on this fact about a record that I have listened to hundreds of times while exploring its lyrics as a teenager and as an adult and staring endlessly at the collage of photos by Robert Frank that make up the album cover.

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Coincidentally, today in a rare field assignment for my job I found myself on Main Street in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and had lunch at a new diner located in an old establishment. The 5 Cent Diner located on Main and Sixth has taken roots in an old coffee shop that started serving up breakfast for Angelenos back in the 1940s when gangster Mickey Cohen ruled Los Angeles. The new owners have kept all the great details from the diner's past such as the original advertisements on the inside and have complimented the diner with a contemporary and friendly staff serving up a great menu. I could not help but make the metaphorical comparison of the 5 Cent Diner with “Plundered My Soul”, as it too is a classic establishment with a new modern feel. I had trouble choosing from one of the many great burgers they offered, but finally I settled on the Low Rider Burger and the hydraulics of my taste buds gave the Low Rider Burger and the 5 Cent Diner my “El Niño Angeleno” approval.

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Further down the street I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Metropolis Book Store located at 440 Main Street. Well stocked with great books about Los Angeles, Los Angeles Noir and The L.A. River with classic L.A. authors such as Fante and Bukowski, Metropolis carrys almost any title and subject that any 21st Century Angeleno or book enthusiast might be interested in. The proprietor of the store was very pleasant and friendly and was kept in good company by her trusty Pit Bull/Labrador companion Mr. Lucky. I would definitely return to this gem not only to browse the racks of great books but to be able to greet and pet Mr. Lucky once again.

My impromptu walk down Main Street Los Angeles was a success. There is a song on Exile On Main Street called “Torn and Frayed” :

“And his coat is torn and frayed,

It's seen much better days.

Just as long as the guitar plays

Let it steal your heart away,

Let it steal your heart away.”

Main Street may be a little torn and frayed but the 5 Cent Diner and the Metropolis Book Store definitely did steal my heart away. I will gladly return to this neighborhood to visit these new classic Main Street gems. The new remastered Exile On Main Street is not too shabby either.

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The 5 Cent Diner:

http://nickeldiner.com/

Metropolis Books:

http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/

The Rolling Stones on Main Street:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNP-x94-SE

Homeboy Industries Layoffs

Fall 2007, Opening of the Homeboy Industries Headquarters in Chinatown. Photos by El Niño Angeleno.


Homeboy Industries a gang intervention program and non-profit founded by Father Greg Boyle (Loyola High School class of 1972) has become another casualty of the economic recession juggernaut we are experiencing in California. Private donations, which are a large part of their funding, have slowly dried up thus causing this much needed program to shut down most of the services it offers to former gang members hoping to start a new life.

300 staff and administrators were laid off this week shutting down several of the programs including silk screening and landscaping which helped former gang members with job training and work opportunities. Founded in Boyle Heights East Los Angeles in 1988 by Father Boyle, the program was then called Jobs For The Future (JFF) and its mission was to provide counseling and job training to gang members who were willing to leave the gang life behind and give back to themselves and the communities they came from. JFF was also an opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side which is a tremendous accomplishment within itself.

In 2007 I attended the grand opening of the their new headquarters located on the edge of Chinatown. On many occasions since, I have stopped by the Homeboy Bakery and the Homegirl Café and the staff has always been very pleasant and my experience there always very positive. According to Father Boyle, they will continue to offer tattoo removal and counseling services for those that need them. Hard work, team efforts and a focused vision by Father Boyle, the staff, students and volunteers has helped get the Homeboy Industries Salsa on the shelves of a local supermarket chain.

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We are hoping that someone can step in and save this much needed non-profit organization that is a role model for all gang intervention programs throughout the nation.

Los Angeles Real Estate: "Do You Come Here Often, Baby ?"

Blissful Post War America at home - 811 W. 28th Street, Los Angeles CA - 1948

1264 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles CA - 1949

“For what you are paying in rent you could be owning” is what she said to me. The Real Estate Agent’s equivalent of the used car salesman’s “Are you willing to drive it off the lot today”, this opening line from a real estate agent of the 21st century failed to impress me. “Have you heard the Beatles broke up?” is what I wanted to say in return, but my mother raised a gentleman so I refrained from doing so. I recently visited a development of lofts in my neighborhood that have largely remained vacant since they went on the market over a year ago and I got the cliché opening line by the agent hosting the open house. The puzzling thing was that she did not know who I was, what my income or credit rating was, if I was employed at all, and more importantly what I was paying in rent, but she was willing to make the bold statement to capture my attention. After some small talk I made her a counter offer; if she could get me into this loft for exactly what I was paying in rent, then I would sign on the dotted line right there. The fine print to my counter offer was that my mortgage payment of “equal rent value” would have to include everything from the non-tax deductible home association dues, to the home owner’s insurance to the accrued property taxes, all at a very competitive interest rate. In reality when you add it all up, with a conservative 20% down payment my monthly housing costs would have more than doubled in exchange to live in half the space, without a yard, and share walls with neighbors that I could never get away from if they annoyed me in exchange for a very pricey loft with very little investment potential.

Don’t misunderstand me, selling Real Estate is difficult work and home ownership is very desirable and beneficial under the right personal and economic circumstances but to the millions of “Average Joes” living in Los Angeles, home ownership remains an Elusive Eden. With plummeting home prices, a double digit unemployment rate, and a failing economy straight out of a John Steinbeck novel, home ownership still remains out of reach for millions of Southern California residents. The American Dream was once to own your own home, but nowadays the American Dream is just to be able to sleep in one for the night.

“For what you are paying in rent you could be owning” she said to me, or was it “Do you come here often ?”, “What’s your sign baby ?” or “If I told you that your body is incredible would you hold it against me ?”. Opening lines have their place at work and play, they just need to be rewritten every century or so to keep the chase interesting.

Los Angeles Obscura

1st Street Bridge and LA Skyline, with a home made pinhole camera by El Niño Angeleno

Tonight's presentation on Pinhole Photograhy and the Camera Obscura at the Pasadena City College Photo Department. Even Picasso had his name misspelled once in a while.

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Several years ago I started to get a little uninspired shooting with my 35mm Leica Rangefinder camera so I sought out alternative ways to express creativity through photography. I got involved with pinhole photography (The Camera Obscura) and became enchanted with the surreal and dreamy images that I could create from this process. I soon started building my own cameras from cedar cigar boxes complete with tripod mounts and a slot to house a 4 x 5 film holder for the litho film I used. Eventually I was able to fine tune the process where I became proficient enough to receive compliments and even offers for some of the images I had created. Once a year or so I am invited by one of the Pasadena City College photo instructors to be a guest speaker on this subject at an experimental photography class offered on campus.

Pinhole photography is the oldest form of photography using the basic elements of time and light in a lens-less light-tight box where a tiny “pinhole” projects the scene from the outside as an inverted image inside the box. The image can be captured on photographic paper or film from within the light-tight enclosure with the pinhole serving as the camera’s manually operated aperture. Pinhole/Camera Obscura structures have evolved from prehistoric caves to airplane hangers and everything else in between. Today a simple camera can be made from an oatmeal box or a wood cigar box.

A Camera Obscura is a large external light-tight room which captures this same phenomenon. The room is the size of a large storage shelter and is usually an educational type attraction located in beach and observatory communities. You enter this room and you are physically able to witness the scene happening on the outside as it appears inside of the room, in essence you are inside of a camera. There are a couple of Camera Obscuras in California, the incredible version overlooking the ocean at the Cliff House in San Francisco and one right here in Santa Monica at the Senior Recreation Center at 1450 Ocean Blvd.

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Support your local Camera Obscura.

Greetings from Cypress Park

Cypress Park Neighborhood, 1968

Cypress Park is a century old historic neighborhood located in North East Los Angeles. Situated along the Los Angeles River and the rail road tracks, it is a working class neighborhood originally composed of a large mix of Italian and Eastern European families much like its neighbor to the east, Lincoln Heights.

Today, Cypress Park is a proud Latino neighborhood with a strong ethnic culture that has kept itself under the radar and away from sprawling gentrification for years now. “Gentrification Happens” though and it has finally reached this community. With its close proximity to Downtown, Griffith Park, the Echo Park music scene and the freeways, many who are being forced out of Silverlake, Atwater Village and Echo Park are making Cypress Park a cool alternative place to live. Living in the right location in the hilly streets above Cypress Ave will guarantee you a great view of the urban sunsets and all the fireworks at Dodger Stadium. Cypress Park is a unique community with period craftsman homes, a diversified assortment of ethnic shops, businesses, eateries and a school named after Florence Nightingale, it still has that territorial edge among some of the many proud long time residents. It is also home to the LA River Center which operates Friends of the LA River (FOLAR). An incredible piece of land and architecture located on Avenue 26th and Figueroa, it was once the long time corporate offices and production facilities of the famous Lawry’s spice company and gourmet restaurant.

The original Lawry’s Restaurant is still operating in Beverly Hills and serves up the best prime rib in the city. They also own and operate the Tam O’ Shanter in Atwater Village which I assume shares the same prime rib recipe with its mothership. In the mid 1970’s former Los Angeles County prosecutor Marcia Clark was a waitress at the Beverly Hills establishment working her way through school. Somewhere I remember seeing a photo of a young Marcia Clark waiting on a frequent customer of the restaurant named O.J. Simpson. Twenty years later they were to meet again in a not so culinary setting and the rest of course is Los Angeles circus history.

Check out Cypress Park and The LA River Center and then treat yourself to a nice piece of prime rib in Beverly Hills which is a world away from North East Los Angeles but nonetheless worth the commute. If you would rather stay local on the so called “east side” then dine at the Tam O’ Shanter on Los Feliz Blvd for the equally decadent signature entrée.

I dedicate this post to my old friends Robbie and Nora who would dine and dash on occasion at the Tam O’ Shanter back when they were teenagers.

Posing rather than Running with Scissors

Somewhere in California

Those who never run with scissors are forever destined to pose with scissors. Don’t be a poser, take a risk once in a while. Have a great week from El Niño Angeleno.