¡Sounds Like Burning: I’ll Put My Foot On The Living Road

when i first heard her music at imix books, i knew she was special. i was given a copy of her first cd by my friend elisa. it was a simple voice, and like some simple things, it meant a lot to me. once i got in the car, i gave it a whirl. most poets offend me with their pathetic arrogance, this poetry was neither pathetic nor arrogant. in the car, the music got me, how could it not? (here, sing along with the video)

mi hija, quédate conmigo un rato
por que andas arrastrando eso desdicha?
espérame un momento y te desato
pero, qué enredo te has puesto, muchachita!

qué amargos son los hechos que adivinas!
qué oscura es la ronda de tu recuerdo!
y en cuanto a tu corona de espinas…
te queda bien, pero la pagarás muy caro…

con tu mirada de fiera ofendida,
con tu vendaja donde herida no hay,
con tus gemidos de madre sufrida,
espantarás a tu última esperanza.

haz de tu puño algo cariñoso
y haz de tu adiós un “Hay mi amor!”
y de tu ceño una sonrisita
y de tu fuga un “Ya voy! Ya voy llegando!”

mi hija, qué pena me da de verte!
dejando olvidado a tu cuerpo
muy lista, pobre boba, a dedicarte
a la eterna disección de un pecadillo.

mujer, desnúdate y estáte quieta
a ti te busca la saeta
y es el hombre, al fin, como sangría
que a veces da salud, a veces mata…
y es el hombre, al fin, como sangría
que a veces da salud, a veces mata

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Bacon wrapped hot dog official L.A. hot dog ?

So let me get this straight, for years the city has fought tooth and nail to condemn these culinary chimeras because of health and safety reasons. Some of the reasons behind this are that the vendors aren’t licensed and governed by the health department, their grills are not safe to cook on and because you can’t be grilling out in the open, they are undermining businesses that pay all kinds of taxes and taking away their business and because it’s just against the law. blah, blah, blah, blah it’s the same rhetoric over and over again. Well, Farmer John is funding a campaign to make the Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog THE OFFICIAL HOT DOG of L.A. Hmm … I’m not sure how this is gonna work, but for every vote they donate a pound of food to a food bank, so I guess that’s a good thing. If the hot dog does become official, I guess we’ll see a “gourmet” lunch truck selling them pretty soon, offering organic hot dogs with bacon. I haven’t been to the art walk in a while, maybe there’s already one out there, who knows. But what I do know is that this isn’t gonna happen and the bacon wrapped hot dog will remain the UNOFFICIAL hot dog of L.A. If the city makes this legit, then they’re full of shit, more so than they already are. It’s just another chapter in the story of how L.A. loves, hates, loves street vendors. Give us your delicious food so when can condemn you later for selling it.

Rambling On My Mind: South American Edition: Medellín, Colombia: Rivals And Departures

busy day, always hectic when taking off. trader joe´s, bank, good-byes. mom always freaks out when i venture out. sis and nephew drop me off at union station to get the flyaway, 7$ to lax. great service, to airport in 30 minutes! too bad they spoiled me by having it at $3.50 when i first used it.
at lax, check-in line was short and fast, but then colombia starts getting crazy on me. i had purchased a one-way to medellín and now spirit air is saying i have to buy a return ticket because they won’t let me in the country without it. shit, i planned to land there and do a slow tour and then decide when i’d return. now i have to throw down 400 $mack$ for a make-believe return. the agent promised i could cancel it before return date and get completely refunded by phone. still…
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Danny Trejo

Machete Star Danny Trejo Mini-Doc by Estevan Oriol from SA Studios Global on Vimeo

I know that everyone is gonna go see the Machete movie when it comes out this weekend. Don’t lie, you know you are. While this may seem like shameless promotion on my part, it’s really not. Well actually it kinda is because I come out in this video 😀 Aside from that, it’s a great little video about Trejo talking about coming full circle not only with the movie, but his career up to this point and how he’s managed to stay down to earth. I met him and talked to him for a second during the Lifestyle Car Club picnic a few weeks ago at Elysian Park. Without a doubt, the man is a class act. One hard ass looking vato, but sweet as a grandpa. Here’s another video of Trejo and Mr. Cartoon talking about low rider life style rollin’ down Whittier Blvd.

The Inside Story of The Night Stalker’s Last Run by Lt. Gil Carrillo

During my research for the 25th Anniversary Night Stalker Walking Tour,I contacted Retired Sheriff’s Homicide Detective, Lt. Gil Carrillo for an interview. He cordially agreed and I arrived at the East L.A. Sheriff’s Station one morning for my highly anticipated meeting. Listening to the man speak about one of the most infamous criminal cases in Los Angeles history was both mesmerized and enlightening. Teamed with Det. Frank Salerno, Carrillo was the lead L.A. County Sheriff’s homicide detective assigned to the Night Stalker case in 1984. During our interview, I saw the human side of a man assigned to track down and capture one evil son of a bitch. This was his job, but it was one assignment that got under his skin like no other. By learning about the evil that men do, I also learned about the sacrifices that men make. I learned what it is to give pieces of yourself away in order for the greater society to not have to. I learned what it means to make a difference in humanity’s never ending struggle against the ebb and flow of good vs. evil.  This was a story of horror and heroism with a happy ending. Another dark player eliminated from society’s sick game. A game that never ends ands picks it’s players randomly every day. I also wondered about some higher powers at work here, and how we, as mere individuals must often find ourselves taking on battles that may seem beyond us and may require us to set aside every natural fear that makes us human. For me,…that is heroic. And it’s those singular acts that define and shape our collective fate in a world that can only hope to contain it’s fear and lust for violence. Hurray for the heroes.

Random’s Rundown: Puro Pinche Pari

Except for my horrible farmers tan, I love summer. Hot days, cold drinks, long evening bike rides through Los Angelestitlan. The electricity in the air, waiting to spark a blaze of social upheaval. You can literally feel it in the air. Social unrest, riots waiting to happen. Not too worry though, we all need to relax and have a good time every once in a while, por que si no, it get’s ugly. So even though the week isn’t over, the weekend is already getting started.

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2 Random Minutes on Brooklyn and Soto

And the accolades just keep pouring in! The 2 random minutes of action on some LA street corner is making a lasting impression on people. Oh, what an impression.

Today we bring you a corner I know very well, having spent many hours waiting for the 251 to take me back home. On this Saturday morning the traffic and peds were light, not the usual crush of humanity that it once was. There used to be much more street vending which made the place lively and interesting, but the bad planning dept has made sure they get their way. With the bad planning.

On this corner I’ve seen many, many checkpoints, where cars get impounded in the middle of the night and a family of 6 has to figure out how to get home to Huntington Park, I’ve had cholos tell me that they used to kill people and take lots of drugs but cuz of Jesus they don’t do that anymore, I’ve battled for sitting space on the window ledge with the nopal vendor, I’ve seen the buses pass us up cuz they don’t want to bother with the large crowd, I’ve seen murals tagged up and sometimes restored, and I’ve heard my fair share of annoying evangelists with a bullhorn.

Since they moved the bus stop to the Payless, its no longer as busy. But still, its a nice corner.

Westside 101: 2 Minutes on Fairfax and 3rd

With the motivating force that is the howling success of our previous 2 minute installations, we go beyond the Eastside to explore the vast worlds within LA that are as equally exciting and intriguing! Today we feature that neighborhood known as the Fairfax District, and we get right close to the heart stopping excitement that is the corner of Fairfax and 3rd! Click play to see what life is like on the action part of town!

Hmm, that seemed a bit boring. Just a bunch of speeding autos. Maybe even very boring. Did the Westside just kill the Random 2 Minutes on some stupid corner?

Stay Tuned!