watt’s picture of the week – saturday, march 6, 2021

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Mike Watt

first great blue heron nest I’ve spotted this year, it was near warehouse one in my pedro town this morning!

photo by mike watt

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Celebrate National Absinthe Day with This Classic Cocktail Recipe

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Photo credit: Brian Robinson of Wormwood Society via Creative Commons.

Oscar Wilde famously declared, “A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?” In that spirit, why not celebrate National Absinthe Day today with a classic cocktail incorporating the spirit nicknamed “the green fairy”?

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 dates back to pre-Prohibition times. Invented by Harry Craddock, who ran the bar at the luxurious Savoy Hotel in London in the ‘20s and ‘30s, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 incorporates an absinthe rinse, along with gin, Lillet blanc, an orange liqueur, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

CJ Catalano, Beverage Manager at the Fairmont Century Plaza here in Los Angeles, has kindly shared his bar’s recipe for the potent tipple. See below for CJ’s breakdown. Cheers!

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What to Watch after Becoming Obsessed with the Cecil Hotel

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Elise Thompson

The interwebs have been abuzz with stories of the Cecil Hotel, with both Ghost Adventures: Cecil Hotel on Discovery Plus and Crime Scene: Vanishing at the Cecil on Netflix drawing hordes of obsessed fans. It seems like people have gotten a sudden thirst for supernatural and true crime documentaries. Maybe the quarantine has gotten so boring that we need some thrills, or maybe in the face of something as terrifying as Covid, it’s nice to be frightened in a smaller, more manageable way. Either way, streaming services are bringing them hard and fast. If you are thirsty for more, here are some recommendations for creepy docs you can stream right now:

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10 Great dineL.A. Restaurant Week Deals to Enjoy Through March 14

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Terra at Eataly. Photo credit: Discover Los Angeles

dineL.A. is back! This two-week event featuring well-priced prix-fixe meals from more than 250 Los Angeles restaurants was postponed from January, as restaurant patios were then closed. Now, savor special outdoor dining or takeout meals while supporting our local restaurants during this extremely challenging time for the industry.

Want to have these meals brought to your home? You need to know that Grubhub is the exclusive delivery service of dineL.A. Visit their website or use the Grubhub app to order. 

The current edition of dineL.A. continues through Sunday, March 14. See below for a few of our favorite dineL.A. suggestions.

All Day Baby
The late, great Motorhead lead singer inspired this Silver Lake diner’s lunch offering. The Lemmy Special features a smoked beef and cheese sandwich (with horseradish mayo on a brioche roll), French fries, and your choice of one of three Jack Daniels-based cocktails for $25.

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What A Find – Previously Unseen Pro Footage of Circle Jerks, Saccharine Trust And More From 1981 Rescued From Dumpster And Posted On YouTube

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Bob Lee

Punk fans with an ear to the ground noticed a rather amazing series of posts on Youtube earlier this week – a set of what appear to be professionally filmed videos with audio from the soundboard shot at the Peppermint Lounge in NYC during 1981. Two of LA’s most venerable bands of the era, Saccharine Trust and the Circle Jerks, are shown in the most hi-fidelity captures ever seen from the period. The poster would only comment the tapes were “rescued from a dumpster by a friend of a friend.”

Kudos to this individual for making these historic documents available to the community. This author has spent some time researching old punk videos, and cool things do pop up from time to time, usually home videos of decent quality that were previously uncirculated. But this collection emerging in 2021 is, as one commenter on the Saccharine video describes it, “King Tut level.”

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Despite the Pandemic, Esotouric Still Brings Cultural Vitality to Los Angeles

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Images from Esotouric’s “Weird World of Programmatic Architecture” webinar by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat

 

Esotouric has escorted lovers of Los Angeles history on off-the-beaten-path sightseeing tours since 2007. Focusing on such topics as Charles Bukowski, the Black Dahlia, and other true crime stories, the crime novelists that inspired film noir, sundry grifters, underappreciated architecture, and much more, these passionate historians delve into fascinating, oft-seedy aspects of LA history. 

The pandemic has made bus tours impossible for a while, but Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, the duo behind Esotouric, have gracefully pivoted to another way of sharing their love of overlooked local lore in another way. They now present weekly virtual events using mmhmm. This interactive video presentation tool allows viewers to linger over arresting visuals far more dynamically than allowed by platforms like Zoom. “There’s no way we’re doing live bus tours before the end of 2021,” Richard told me during a recent interview. 

Plus, if you join one of Esotouric’s live webinars, you can participate in the Q&A afterward with like-minded lovers of LA. “We have more people than we could ever have on a single bus tour,” Kim says, “and they talk in the sidebar, so it’s also a social space.” The webinars attract people from around the globe: “If they’re not Angelenos or former Angelenos, they’re honorary Angelenos.” 

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watt’s picture of the week – sunday, february 28, 2021

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Mike Watt

just getting this up now but wednesday I went past guitar safari here in my pedro town and dirk was THERE!

photo by mike watt

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Check out the Trailer for Poly Styrene: I am a Cliche

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Elise Thompson

In my opinion, Germfree Adolescents by the X-Ray Spex was one of the best punk albums to come out of England in the 70s, or maybe ever. Lead singer and songwriter Poly Styrene, with her incomparable air raid siren of a voice shouting out feminist ideals, was a heroine to many a teenage punk girl. Her daughter, Celeste Bell, writer Zoë Howe and director Paul Sng, are now attempting to tell Poly Styrene’s story, using previously unseen footage as well as interviews and new research “to present a thrilling, poetic and at times impressionistic portrait of a singer, seeker, a maverick and a mother.”

“Poly Styrene: I am a Cliche” debuts in the UK on Friday, March 5, 2021 in Virtual Cinemas. The rest of us will have to attend the SXSW Film Festival online March 16-20, 2021 to see the documentary. There is no specific film schedule released yet. Unfortunately, SXSW is all or nothing, so you will have to pony up $325 for the entire festival. Watch for updates on additional showings and releases on Facebook, and the documentary’s official website.

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Movies Till Dawn: International House of Action

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Paul Gaita

“Versus” (2000, Arrow Video) To their chagrin, escaped convict Tak Sakaguchi and his Yakuza confederates discover that the remote location chosen for their meet-up is called the Forest of Resurrection for a reason: it’s a portal of Hell that causes the dead to return to life. A head-swirling Japanese mash-up of horror, “Matrix”-style meta-science fiction, samurai swordplay, and other genres and styles favored by cult film devotees, diehard critics, and teenaged boys (and combinations of all three), all deeply saturated in a broth of French New Wave cool and unchecked overacting, “Versus” might be interminable, were it not for director Ryuhei Kitamura‘s relentless pace and frenetic editing. The technical proficiency lends considerable energy and innovation to the endless battles and bloodshed, which should please fanboy and first-timer alike. Arrow’s 2-Disc special edition Blu-ray offers both the theatrical and expanded “Ultimate” 2004 versions (more blood, more zombies) and bundles them with commentaries by Kitamura and cast and crew, multiple making-of docs, deleted scenes, two short films with characters from “Versus,” and even a 20-minute edit for those who want just the salient points (who kills who).

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The Mysteries and Bonuses of Lent: Fish on Fridays

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Grilled Oysters at Saso, Pasadena. Photo credit: Fried Chicken Sandwich Studios

Most people have heard of Mardi Gras, the last big bash before Lent, but not everybody knows what Lent is really about. Lent is a period of 40 days before Easter when Catholics do penance to purify themselves for the coming of Christ through the resurrection. In the olden days, many foods were forbidden during Lent, including flour, sugar, and dairy, which is why Mardi Gras is sometimes called “Pancake Tuesday.” Pancakes were one way to use up the excess sugar, eggs, butter, and flour.

Nowadays Lent is usually observed by “fasting and abstinence.” The fasting is pretty easy compared to some other religions; it just means no snacking between meals (or for some people a single meal a day). Abstinence refers to abstaining from meat on Fridays and holy days like Ash Wednesday. This practice fostered the rise of Friday fish frys and gave Catholics the nickname “Mackerel Snappers.”

In the spirit of Lent, see below for our list of some standout fish and seafood dishes from LA restaurants.

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