John + John's Walmart Intervention

Hello fellow Map Committee members...

I unfortunateky missed last class and the meeting that was held at Tatem so I guess you could say I am somewhat out of the loop as far as our committee goes. If someone could briefly fill me in on what was already discussed that would be great. Also, are we going to meet up sometime over break? If so just keep me posted...my email is Brittany23dc@yahoo.com

thanks alot.
Brittany

Thankful?!

I never thought I would hear a man say he was thankful that someone urinated in his doorway.......until today. Listen for yourself.




This clip includes two short interviews - one with Sharia (late 20's) who works at a clothing store and the other is with Mario (30's), the owner of the King King Cabaret on Hollywood and Hudson. Although they both had a lot of insight about Hollywood Blvd. - I have snipped thier interviews down to a quick, entertaining story from each of them. These stories capture a pattern I noticed in the conversations I had today with a lot of shop workers: the homeless population always brings the unexpected to daily business. Its a constant negotiation between homeless people and business owners/workers - with varying attitudes and results.

I was also lucky enough to talk with a homeless man who has just recently gained employment and a place to live thanks to a local organization - he was enthusiastic about the program and what it has done for him, and I have to admit - I took a moment to savor the sucess of a community outreach that has worked in someone's life.

climate awareness day

hi all

sat april 14th also happens to be the first 'climate awareness day' [i think its also earth day] ... they have over 900 actions in all 50 states happening on that day and it looks like it is giong to be a pretty powerful movement. check it out at www.stepitup2007.org

funds.

i'm going to approach student council this tuesday, but i was already informed that we won't get any more than $125 for the lace bbq/party-type scenario. i'll keep you posted as to how much we actually get, and i'm asking for volunteers to go to their neighboring grocery stories/markets (for tax write-off donations) after we get cleared to be under cal arts' sector. i'm constructing the letter, but it would be helpful to know what the $ is going to go for, so i can break it down in the letter. makes everything more legitimate. food only? also, have we decided if we are going to make this event any kind of fund raiser for, oh, let's say: a los angeles associated non-profit? if so, which one?

Dallas Richardson and John - Hollywood and Orange

This is an excerpt of an interview with two musicians I met last week. They were sitting on the ground playing guitars for people passing by - just outside of the commotion on Hollywood and Highland. Both Dallas and John were upbeat and optimistic about thier music and careers and I wish them the best, but I also couldn't help but be reminded of a conversation I had earlier in the evening with a guy who works in the entertainment industry who said Hollywood was full of delusion. Delusional or not, they struck me as the sort of youthful hope and aspiration that flocks to Hollywood Blvd in search of a break.

Solomon

Here is an interview I did with Solomon, a homeless man on Hollywood Blvd. This is just an audio interview so dont worry - the screen is supposed to be black. Solomon was way out there, but he was also nice enough to talk with me, and his take on Hollywood Blvd was a nice mixture of shocking and refreshing - like jumping into a cold pool for a 7am gym class.

not much on line as far as I could find.

just this.

Check Xtra (offline) for their review.

Typography, a few more pics

Typography and Directory Call-boxes

Last week I visitied Hollywood to take some photos and to get a feel for the place. My most interesting finds were the call boxes with business directories. Many of the businesses were film industry related, mostly agencies and small producing companies, but were not and some I had no idea what they were. One call box had some hair shops, a loan agency, something called 'Adult Supervision,' and something called 'Trulli.' I am wondering what all of these places do, so some further investigation is in store. Other call boxes were for residents, and the mananger's name was John Crawford (which I thought was very appropriate for Hollywood boulevard) for one of the office buildings.
A thought I had concerning this upper level of hollywood that is not seen from street level is somehow making them visible or known. Also the Idea of mapping the 2nd floors interests me, I am not sure where that would go, but it could be interesting.
I was also looking at some of the typography on the shops in hollywood, and to be totally honest, there really was nothing too interesting or special about it. Depending on the type of shop, all of the signs were pretty generic. The lingerie shops mostly had a curvy script sign, the tattoo shops incorperated flames into the text, and the rest of it could have been on any shop. so it was interesting to see the dis-connect between the myth and Idea of Hollywood, and then to see the actual street which really seems to have nothing original, special, or even remotley vital to those who live in the area. which brings me back the the 2nd and 3rd floors. It is more likely that the business that goes on unseen is what actually keeps people besides those involved with the tourist industry on Hollywood boulevard.
I propose a project that collaborates either with the businesses on the upper levels or to somehow address the unseen economy.

Hollywood: What Goes On..What Goes On...

People have stories and I like to hear them. Here is bundle that I picked up today. Ch-ch-ch-check it out!


Dirk Sampson, 19
Smoke Shop – Hollywood and Cherokee

Mid-Day Fight
The fight story has reared its head again, I wonder how often it will come up. A customer comes in at around 3:30pm about a week ago trying to get a pack of $1.00 black and mild cigarettes for 78 cents. Dirk says no go – the customer panhandles in the store – Dirk says stop to the panhandling – then a fight breaks out between Dirk and said customer “for about 3 minutes”. Some of the notable moves were: a slam into the display case, punches to the head and face, a floor roll and a full out choke hold. Cops broke it up. According to Dirk – this sort of thing is uncommon.

Psychology Experiment
Dirk spent some time on Hollywood and Highland doing an experiment. He dressed alternately as a homeless person and a business man and asked for money from people the same way. He got more money as the businessman but less frequently, and less money as the homeless man but more frequently. You figure it out.

Mug
Dirk has been mugged 4 times on and around Hollywood Blvd. He told me about two.

Mugging #1: Dirk is handing a cell phone to his friend. A man asks for a cigarette and Dirk said he didn't have one. Dirk tries to get his cell phone back from his friend and the guy tries to grab the cell phone. Dirk tried to get it back and the guy hit him in the head.
(Note: 2 fights over cigarettes. Cigarettes lead to no good. I’m just sayin.)
The cops see it – get the guy, and it turns out he is wanted for murder. Dirk testifies at a court case against the guy.

Mugging #2: Dirk goes to leave his house to drop something off at Music Institute in his slippers and pajamas. Just “4 steps outside the door” a transvestite pulls a knife out and asks for Dirk’s wallet. Dirk doesn't have it – so he gave the transvestite his slippers.


Feldeman, 25
News Stand, Hollywood and Wilcox (?)

The Listener
Feldeman told me he likes his job because it is quiet. Ironically, he said the most striking feature about his work is all the people who come and talk to him at length. A man recently ranted for 20 mins. to Feldeman about nothing – he later apologized and said he was off his medication. Feldeman said he has 3 regulars who come around to talk to him weekly. One of them reads his fortune by looking at his face. He told Feldeman that the scar on Feldeman’s nose will mean disaster when he turns 46.


James, 28
Corner Drug Store (exact location unknown)

Simulated Fame
James works right next to the Egyptian Theater but he has never encountered any celebrities. He did however, run into YaYa – a man who has met many celebrities. YaYa came into the drug store and showed James a bunch of pictures of himself with celebrities. James liked the picture of YaYa and Ashley Simpson best.



Marvin, 31
Dray’s Clothing Store, Hollywood and Highland


Superheroes Aren't Real
Marvin came to Hollywood from Guatemala when he was 8 years old. He knows Hollywood Blvd. very well. He used to be a guardian angel and his patrol was specifically Hollywood Blvd. He said it was his favorite job – that he felt invincible – that he got to be just like his favorite superhero, Captain America. He knew who all the drug dealers on the blvd. were and he used to pick one a night and follow them around. He has been in fights with the 18th st. gang – and they shot his friend. He has since left the angels, and he talked about how his mentor in the angels – who is still in it – has done so much for the community and yet will get no retirement compensation, no public credit, and will go into old age with an uncertain future. When he said that, it reminded me that Marvel comics killed Captain America this week.


Cormay, 60’s? ( Where I come from, its impolite to ask an elderly woman her age)
Asian Import Shop, Hollywood and Hudson (?)


Business
Earlier in the day, I tried to talk to an older asian woman who was working in a t-shirt shop. She brushed me off and I immediately formed the opinion that it would be a waste of my time to try to talk to any more older asian women – who I noticed in many of the novelty stores. I saw Cormay and wondered if the pattern would hold true. It didn't and I am so happy we talked.

Cormay has run her shop for 20 years. She said its just a business and there is nothing special really for her about Hollywood Blvd. Its not uncommon for her to have celebrities come in and not even know it until they leave and another customer tells her about it. She said last week someone named ‘Master P’ came in (the rapper) – and she still has no idea who that is.


Magdy, 50’s? (I forgot to ask)
Lotus (Egyptian Import Shop), Hollywood and Caheunga (?)

The Questions
Magdy told me he doesn't so much run a shop as answer questions all day. Magdy has had his shop for 9 years – right next to the Scientology testing center. He says they come by 3 times a week to ask him the same questions. He thought I was a Scientologist. I told him I wasn't – then proceeded with my own line of questioning. He jumped into it like a pro. He said the most common question he gets is “Are you a Muslim?” – and he always tells people he isn’t. He then went on to break it down. He said there are two types of businesses – the kind where people know what they want (like a grocery store) and the kind where people don't know what they want (like an Egyptian import store). People come out of curiosity – with a feeling that they might want something and Magdy guides them to their purchase by answering all sorts of questions: who is the person in this statue? What does the Arabic on this ring mean? What do you use these oils for? They are body oils right? I literally watched this take place as a customer came in mid-interview. With each customer Magdy has to take on a role – and give the customer that piece of Egypt they were looking for when they came in. It makes me think his talking to me maybe wasn't much different.

True Hollywood Stories!

I spent a couple of hours on March 7th, walking around talking with people who work on Hollywood Blvd, as research for a map of real life experience on the street. The people have added a whole new, wonderful dimension to my interaction with the Blvd. Here are some highlights:



A Blessed Head Shop

Sam Ammari, owner of the “Smoke Shop” on Hollywood and Wilcox forgot to lock his storefront before going home about a month ago. When he came back the next morning, however, nothing was touched at all. He said “I was shocked, I consider myself very lucky”.


I Just Work at the Sex Store

A female employee of “Bed Behavior” in her mid-20’s told me that she was walking on Hollywood and Highland in what she said was a “big, thick, turtleneck sweater” when what she thought was “a nice normal guy wearing a t-shirt and shorts” pulled up and asked her if she was for sale. She said it was mid-day and that he had no idea she even worked for a sex shop (like that even matters) and she was walking like she had somewhere to go – not the type of walk that says ‘pick me up’.


Fresh Air at a Tobacconist…

Jason, an employee of the tobacco shop on Hollywood and Cahuenga, told me that he walked outside the store one day to get a breath of fresh air and the moment he stepped through the door, someone punched him in the face and broke his nose. He says it was a former employee who was “exiled” from the store because “he was a thief”.


Lemonade?

I met Greg on Hollywood Blvd. – somewhere between Cahuenga and Las Palmas – sitting on a lawn chair with an igloo cooler full of lemonade for anyone passing by who wanted some. He just arrived in Hollywood 4 days ago and was living out of his van until he got on his feet. He had a cup for donations – which he says he was giving to a catholic church. When I asked why he was doing this, he said he had nights free and when he first got here, a homeless man named Abdul shared some food with him from the Catholic shelter and gave him some money, he felt so touched he wanted to give something back. It sounds a little idealistic, but being there listening to his story – I believed him. On a strange note, he made a series of videos in college called “Girls Gone Pie” where he and some friends convinced drunk college girls to take a pie to the face on video – sort of a “Girls Gone Wild” gone wrong (if there is such a thing). He said it was tough but they got 53 girls.


Once A Week

I talked with a tattoo artist at a shop on Hollywood and Las Palmas, the music was so loud and he wasn't the most talkative so I didn't even clearly hear his name. The answers I did get were short and to the point. Here is a brief recount (based on the notes I took):

Me: Anything unusual happen during the night shift?

Tattoo shop employee: Will the stuff I say be censored out?

Me: No, this is not for a magazine or newspaper or anything.

Tattoo: Well then yeah, there’s always stuff.

Me: Like what?

Tattoo: Beat downs on the Boulevard.

Me: Like right out here in front of the shop?

Tattoo: yeah.

Me: Really? Like when does it happen?

Tattoo: Right in the middle of tattooing.

Me: You get up in the middle of working to beat people down? (He Nods ‘Yes’)What kind of people are these? How does this happen?

Tattoo: Just fuckin’ idiots talkin’ shit.

Me: Is this common? How often does this happen?

Tattoo: About once a week.

It was interesting to get this man’s perspective as just half an hour earlier when I talked with Sam – the head shop owner, he talked about how peaceful and safe the entire neighborhood was.

All in all, a great way to spend a couple of hours. I will go back and post more as I get it.