Radiohead: From The Strings Point of You

ERIC GORFAIN: THE SECTION QUARTET
had an interesting idea; Radiohead's Bends album from the point of you of string instruments, their string instruments. Radiohead has been a vary popular band for the past 10 years with song such as Karma Police, Creep, and Just. That's a BIG responsibility for any band to take on. HUGE! Let alone 3 violinists and a cello player playing at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica. But it is not the first time this quartet has taken on such heavy tasks. They have performed their version's of Coldplay's Yello, The Postal Service's Such Great Heights, and Muse's Time Is Running Out.

Give Me Meat!

UMAMI
From food truck to five fabulous locations Umami Burger has become a stomach teasing activity. They serve you a burger and an hour later you want more. This phenomenon could be because the burger is rich with flavor or because they are the perfect size but regardless be prepared to have a craving soon afterwards. Mine happened in my sleep. This place is not for vegetarians or vegans so don't even consider it. The place smells like fabulous well prepared animal. And not only does the place attract fun crazy hipsters but nice normal people too. Yummy!

Written In Blood

NICK KUSHNER 
With so many artists in the Los Angeles area, inspiration for art can be challenging but not so challenging that one would look past an artist who isn't afraid to work in his own blood. Mr. Kushner does not fain at the sight of his own blood nor does he become light headed as he makes the cut. With pride and purpose he carves into himself, as the audience flinches, to sign a sold piece of work while its new owner stands close by. The dark presence of Marilyn Manson, spinning his new album Born Villain, and Rudy Coby, a professional magician, solidifies his influence as seriously bizarre.

Reger: Exercising Some Chops

ROB REGER 
performs the most important part of his routine; stretching his creative boundaries. Based on his latest show at La Luz de Jesus he is doing just that.
Here are just a few things you may not know about the Emily Strange creator.
1. His middle name is Eugenius
2. He dated Gwen Stefani (hey is she as cute in person as she is in her photos)
3. He listens to Neil Diamond as much as he listens to Diamond David Lee Roth
4. He has double jointed thumbs
5. He is a compulsive liar

A Very Happy Happy Birthday Party

CANNIBAL FLOWER
celebrated its 11th birthday on sat evening in a hotbox on Maple Ave, downtown. This event pioneered the model of taking chances, introducing, and supporting new artists trying to reach professional levels in the art community of LA while simultaneously including a variety of wildly entertaining live performances. One piece of this particular show almost made me sick (for about 5 secs) when one of the performance groups attached large chains to back piercings and pulled. Thank god the art was pleasing and the DJ sets were good because it never came to fruition.

Once There Was Clerks With Jay and Silent Bob, Now There's

TONIGHTLY
a new show in the works hosted by Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman, partners in crime in the podcast Hollywood Babble-On. Is it possible that Jay may be jealous? While Garman goes on about their guest host, who's ass barks, Smith used Matt Damon and Ben Affleck instead of a normal scale system in determining rates of good vs bad; good=Damon and bad=Affleck. When asked which one of his favorite movies he'd remake and with which actors, he said he'd remake Jaws with Affleck as the shark. Ouch! He wasn't interested in taking prisoners.

Another Film Festival With 2 Sets of Wheels And A Taste For Speed

2011 LA MOTO FILM FEST 
There is nothing truly more attractive then a hot man on a vintage bike, the kind with an engine and an exhaust system. But there has to be more than just attraction: an intoxicating rush of adrenaline. I'm sure bike-lovers Tom Laughlin, Ewan McGregor, David Beckham understand this or, at least, have experienced it. They join many others in the world including the attendees of the LA Moto Film Fest in sharing a huge appreciation and respect for what these 2 wheel vehicles can do and trust me they can do a lot! I have a few scars to prove it.

Mad Lighting Skills At Play In LA

LOREN HAMMER
lighting scientist and photographer spent the weekend in Los Angeles teaching others how to recreate Hollywood style lighting. Here is a man who knows what he is talking about because of his up-close-and-personal babysitter: the film industry ala noir. He grew up watching films like Chinatown while his father made a living as a still photographer on sets where as a child he would frequently play. His interpretation of photography is a sexy vintage Stradivarius mixed with a 1960's sense of freedom. The whole time, he makes it look painless; absolutely painless.

Comic Con meet Ritalin. You need each other.

COMIC CON 2011
Over 125,000 people, tons of cute kids, and a lot of  B.O. packed into one place can make for a great summer weekend; if you're into the world of comics and gaming, which I am. Every year, around this same time, San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter  crawls with many comic book characters and their supporters. They come from all over the world and in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The highly anticipated Con is a straight undiluted shot of ADHD; leaving absolutely no prisoners. Everywhere you turn something is strangling your attention; notice me, buy me, play with me

So Much Talent At One Table

SKETCH THEATRE'S BOOK RELEASE
Saturday night Sketch Theatre and Baby Tattoo Books threw a party introducing their recent collaboration; a fascinating collection of various graphic artists who have all participated in the past in Sketch Theatre's video ventures. The videos consist of start to finish sketches done by great artists well regarded in their respective fields. The Gnomon Gallery hosted their art show for the evening while artists like Miss Mindy, Rick O'Brien,Van Arno, Aimée Kuester, and Marc Gabbana graced fans with their John Hancock's.

An Intense Stare at Artist Ty Williams

TY WILLIAMS 

5 Things you may not know about him...

1. Raised in the Virgin Islands until middle school

2. Really enjoys dancing (only under the influence)

3. Wanted to be a paleontologist as a youngster

4. Can't draw well but does it everyday regardless

5. Dreams of owning a sailboat

Check out his show starting July 30th at Insight LA, 1501 Main St. Venice.
"WATER SKIING with DEEPAK"

A Sure Sign of Independence

BEACH ANYONE?
The 4th of July every year draws out the independence stick putting into the hands of children as they wave their sparklers high in the air. The same children who will never know that 20 years earlier their parents sat at these same beaches with more advanced pyrotechnics and the ability to have a bonfire while cooking BBQ and drinking a beer without the hassle or threat of jail time. Guess there must have been too many people blowing their arms off while holding onto an excessive amount of roman candles all at once.
The only solace: Venice Beach 

I Wonder What The French Think About Our

LE MACARON POSSIBILITIES
When the crazy for French macarons started it is hard to say but over the course of the last few years restaurants, specialty stores, and grocery stores have started to carry these delectable delights. Pinks, blues, and many other colors followed by a flavorful assortment of creamy tastes are dropping into the mouths of many Americans redefining the idea of what a macaron (not macaroon) is. At first thought most taste buds salivate at the idea of coconut but are quickly redefining their assumptions with every bite but are they keeping up with French standards?

Practical Diamonds Walk A Fine Line: Art+Phone=

THE ART OF PHONE 
Dangling from white nylon rope and tightly secured between two pieces of plexiglass technology hangs 51/2 ft above a cement floor at the Gallery Knibb, Venice. Who says we have to be practical! Why not a custom iPhone covered in bling or is this to hang on a wall? All anyone needs is a fat wallet and a taste for flair and they could be walking around with an Iphone covered in diamonds, gold, platinum, you name it. JUST DON'T DROP IT! OR LOSE IT! Need I say it is an expensive loss.

For Ink and Iron: Thou Shalt Commit Thyself

INK AND IRON 
Never was there so much colorful, vintage eye candy as there was this particular weekend. The Queen Mary hosts the Ink and Iron Tattoo & Kustom Culture Festival, which happened to be crawling with glamorous, Pop Rock colored haired females, decked out in their 40's/50's best, accompanied by more men with dashing pompadour's covered in gobs of grease. Warning: It's a sticky business. Cars, music, clothes and contests were just some of what inspired visitors to get their hands dirty. Here's another one... Mosh 

What! An Art Walk in Santa Ana

YES and IT'S A TRIP.
Art walks seem to be popping all over the place; downtown Los Angeles, Venice, you name an area and they'll most likely have one but if they don't they will shortly. The first Saturday of every month Santa Ana has their own art walk which, surprisingly, was much bigger than expected and definitely more interesting... Ran around looking at art with a drink in my hand while some good old southern food awaited my return.

A Desiree Day

DESIREE 
Though much of the art created this Memorial Day weekend happened at Lightning in a Bottle I had the rare opportunity to create art photography with Desiree Siahaan. If you have yet to be introduced to her you should. "Desiree this is Pop Culture Taxi's family. Family this is Desiree."
You could say she's a professional actress (which she is) but in my book she's a professional actress with a strong dash of sweetheart... She kissed me on the cheek! Sooo cute.

Yelle! if she wants to

YELLE
Hide and seek!!! WndrWrks threw an underground after-party for French dance-pop group Yelle this weekend at a secret location in Hollywood. She played The Music Box earlier in the evening and was meant to play a DJ set when she arrived at the party, but gods knows if she really turned up.... famine struck before there was any glimpse of her DJing skills.
There was a rumor that she showed up and played around 2 AM. Must have just missed her.

LA Auto Show 2010

LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW 2010 


The LA Auto Show 2010 introduced a couple of crazy new eye-catching automobiles but in this case one of the prettiest cars of the show happened to be older than one of her many admirers. Who says men don't like older women...