Jay Babcock, like Randy Newman, really loves L.A.

So after we posted Jay Babcock's comments on the state of Los Angeles (which a few of you seem to have read yesterday), he wanted to follow up with a thorough list of the many people, places and things the Arthur editor respects, admires and loves about our fair metropolis. He already posted it on the Arthur blog, but we're recapping it in its entirety. After the jump, a People's History of Rad Things About Los Angeles, with a couple of naughty words cut out.

Hey dudes,

I recently talked to an LATimes dude about leaving L.A. for Brooklyn. I brought up that there were a lot of great folks in L.A. who I tip my hat to — the people who are doing great things for each other and for the city in the midst of a devolving economic/cultural/ecological/spiritual landscape — but he left it out of the story and chopped up the other stuff so I sound like even more of a bitter [edit] than usual. Ah well. To try and set the record straight — or straighter — lemme just say I’m really gonna miss a lot that’s going on in L.A. So I wanna SALUTE organizations, nay INSTITUTIONS, like BEYOND BAROQUE in Venice, the LA CONSERVANCY people who are trying to save the good stuff, the wonderful FAMILY store on Fairfax, the absolutely world-class CINEFAMILY operation on Fairfax, MCCABE’S GUITAR SHOP in Santa Monica (50 years old!), the ELF CAFE in Echo Park, the ZIGGURAT THEATRE people, all the wonderful vendors at the local farmers’ markets, FRIENDS OF THE L.A. RIVER, the weekly DUBCLUB (a real accomplishment!), the DUBLAB crew of sweethearts, the L.A. RECORD gang, the valiant folks of SOUTH CENTRAL FARMERS (still going!), the FARMLAB organization, Flea’s SILVERLAKE MUSIC CONSERVANCY, CalArts and REDCAT, the UCLA Live people, whoever’s booking those great shows at the Hollywood Bowl and the Disney Hall, FRITZ HAEG and his visionary projects (although I’m not sure Fritz is really around much anymore), Machine Project (most exciting art space in L.A.), TIM DUNDON (the guru of doo-doo!) in Pasadena, NEW IMAGE ART, OOGA BOOGA, MATRUSHKA, ECHO PARK FILM CENTER, the nice people at ANTI/Epitaph, SOUTHERN LORD and EVERLOVING independent record labels, great independently owned and operated shops like Pull My Daisy (R.I.P. Bingo!), Panty Raid, Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake, Intelligentsia, Amoeba Music, Meltdown, Don’s Records in Eagle Rock… And then there’s Mr. T’s Bowl, the Nuart, the Herbst brothers’ projects, THE SMELL, SELF-HELP GRAPHICS, the L.A. FREE CLINIC folks, the LEGAL AID people, the way-ahead-of-the-game BIKE KITCHEN and BIKE OVEN groups, the masala chai tea at INDIA SWEETS AND SPICES in Atwater, TACOS VILLA CORONA, the people of the canyons, all the ATWATER PAGANS and experimental chefs, CINEFILE, Joe McGraw’s wild bar, the courageous people at SPACELAND PRODUCTIONS who produced three adventurous festivals with Arthur, the overburdened and underpaid TEACHERS of L.A. Unified, the volunteers who keep AMIR’S GARDEN going in Griffith Park, all the lawyers doing PRO BONO work, the possibly revolutionary ECHO PARK TIME BANK, the independent merchants going for it on their own all over town… I am TOTALLY gonna miss IN-N-OUT, esp the weird one in Glendale. Also gonna miss GRIFFITH PARK and beautiful AMIR’S GARDEN. And the GLENDALE NARROWS area of the L.A. RIVER. And Chuck Taggart’s GUMBO show on KCSN. And MAN ONE’s crew of beautiful, inspiring graffiti artists. And PHILIPS BBQ off Crenshaw. Doing C-shots at VIET SOY. And all the great THAI FOOD… And the amazing scene that is TOMMY’S on Temple. And the Farmers Market downtown. And the CARACOL herbal garden in East L.A. And ELYSIAN PARK. And the 2 FREEWAY. And all the great underheard bands and ignored poets and out-of-work journalists and photographers and filmmakers and cartoonists and playwrights and actors and people behind the scenes (the creative talent is so huge in L.A., and yet it’s so *squandered* by the culture). So much good stuff survives, in spite of everything else that’s horrible about L.A. (traffic, closing of MLK, dumbing down of schools, tasteless and foolish overdevelopment, soul-killing ads and billboards for crap everywhere, lack of GOOD parks for everyone, Rick Caruso’s abominations, oblivious rich people, cruel bureaucrats, dumb celebrities and people who care about them, bonehead street gangs killing people over stupid [edit], bad policing, Sam Zell’s ongoing destruction of the LATimes, L.A.’s absolutely disgraceful prison system — I could go on for a long time.) My hat’s off to you all, and I’m really going to miss you, your spirit and your work…

Love,
Jay Babcock

-- August Brown

[Photo: McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica; George Wilhelm / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Katie Smith (aka Bombaycowgirl)]

Now that sounds like the Jay Babcock I know and love. Best to you my friend...

[sisak]

What about Ameoba?

[Chuck]

We're over this turd already.
To quote the estimable Roberto Duran, "No Mas!"

[Janet Steenson]

It'll take just a few years for Jay Babcock to build up a roster of people he isn't speaking to equal to the one he's racked up in L.A. I suspect that when that happens, Brooklyn will appear just as toxic and empty to him, because the one thing that doesn't change with the city is the lens. And Jay's is terminally warped.

[sisak]

what about the Museum of Jurassic Technology?

[soy sauce]

What about Howie Pyro ?