BEACH READ
BEACH READ
“We're here to say independent bookstores are still alive and well and strong in Southern California,” cheers Jennifer Bigelow, executive director of the Southern California Booksellers Association (SBCA). Not only are they community-building, she says, the small guys “give consumers an opportunity to be exposed to books a chain wouldn't pick.”
This Saturday, Bigelow will further her fight against the standardization of literature by offering SBCA's fifth “‘I Feel the Need to Read' Independent Bookstore Tour,” shuttling participants to some of our best retail spots for books outside of Oprah's list. Better still, this tour hits the beach, introducing bibliophiles to stores near the shore from Malibu to San Pedro.
Highlights of this all-day, all-ages tour include a visit to Diesel, A Bookstore in Malibu, where tour-goers will have lunch with Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the woman who inspired the 1957 surf-culture classic Gidget. (The book was reissued in 2001, and Zuckerman, the author's daughter, will sign copies and speak about the iconic film and lit character.) Among other stops will be Village Books in Pacific Palisades – “It's tiny and it's cute and it truly is a neighborhood bookstore,” enthuses Bigelow – and William's Bookstore in San Pedro, in business for 97 years and thus the oldest continuously operating bookstore in L.A.
To accommodate East- and Westsiders, buses will board at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena and Dutton's Brentwood. From these initial pickup points, passengers will be treated to a comfy, air-conditioned ride with a tour guide, plus talks by store owners at each location discussing store history, quirky anecdotes, and special points of interest. (Did you know, for example, that Hennessey + Ingalls, the celeb-frequented art and architecture bookstore in Santa Monica, keeps paparazzi at bay by leasing its sidewalk from the city?)
After making introductions, 30 to 45 minutes of browsing and shopping ensues. “People go home with bags and bags of books,” Bigelow marvels. But she insists that how much they buy isn't the point – it's the access, and for her the essential value of the indie bookseller goes back to the First Amendment. “People should be able to read whatever they darn well want to,” she says.
–Rebecca Epstein
“‘I Feel the Need to Read' Independent Bookstore Tour” feat. beach bookstores. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $50; includes lunch with vegetarian option, and goodie bag. Info and schedule: (626) 793-8435 or Socalbooks.com. Reservations required by Fri., Aug. 18, at 5 p.m.
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THIS WEEK IN THE CITY
Thursday 17
CIRCUS BRUTBrently Heilbron can't stop the insanity. Out of his head comes a litany of modern pop-culture satire, staged in such car-crashing comedy as the improv sensation The Richard Simmons Mysteries and dodgy reenactments of R. Kelly's came-from-outer-space musical, Trapped in the Closet. Tonight, the self-professed “excitable young man with a few crappy ideas” debuts his latest theatrical masterwork, Cirque Du Bastárd, a low-budget spectacle to counter the over-the-big-top sensation Cirque du Soleil. “Release your inner illegitimate child,” implores Heilbron, as he and his clan of musicians and comedians trade acrobatics for acro-brat-ics, pulling you down from the wire with them. 10 p.m. $5. M Bar, 1253 Vine St., L.A., (323) 856-0036.
Friday 18
RECORDED MATTERS
This week, International Documentary Association (IDA) brings its 10th annual “DocuWeek” to ArcLight Cinemas, showcasing some of the past year's best documentaries. Among the festival's dangerous dozen of feature-length films, plus four short nonfiction works, are those in today's program: Black Gold, Nick and Marc Francis's exposé of the multibillion-dollar coffee industry and its exploitation of Ethiopian coffee-growers; and Jesus Camp, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's peek into Pastor Becky Fisher's “Kids on Fire” summer camp in – fittingly – Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where children learn how to be good soldiers in “God's Army” and shape this nation's political future. Ends Aug. 24. Screenings daily, 10 a.m.-midnight. $11; $9 IDA members, seniors, and students; $50 all-day pass. 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-4226. Arclightcinemas.com.
Saturday 19
SERIOUS BANGING
Two music festivals will double your pleasure this weekend, and neither involves an Ozz or palooza. First up, in Echo Park, comes the “Fuck Yeah Fest,” created by Sean Carlson who, through his famous citywide scavenger and treasure hunts, has raised thousands of dollars in material goods for the Union Rescue Mission. This weekend's fest, coproduced by Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag), runs Friday night through Sunday and will be a “big ol' party” of small bands, plus an art exhibition, comedy shows, and film screenings. (Info: Fuckyeahfest.com.) Farther west, at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Renberg Theatre in Hollywood, will be “HoMosaic 2006: A Queercore/Homohop Festival,” featuring a lineup of LGBT-proud rock, pop, and hip-hop artists from around the country, including Jill Sobule, The Ex-Boyfriends, and Shitting Glitter. (Info: Lagaycenter.org.)
Sunday 20
A ROUND WE GO
The folks behind the Velaslavasay Panorama in L.A.'s West Adams Historic District are always good for old-timey treats, and today they're back with a sweet fundraiser. This afternoon, participate in the 19th-century event of the summer as the Panorama hosts an old-fashioned “Ice Cream Social” with games, prizes, music, and Erik “The Reluctant Aviator” Newman performing stunning tricks on his aerial bicycle. There will also be an enormous ice cream float to satisfy your taste buds. All proceeds go toward the restoration of the Union Theatre in downtown L.A., which will soon house the organization's 360-degree painting exhibitions, plus its famously exotic and carnivorous gardens. 4 p.m.-6 p.m. $10. 1122 W. 24th St., L.A., (213) 746-2166. Panoramaonview.org.
Monday 21
MEALY MOUTH
The World's Largest Matzo Ball is not a joke. It is a very serious culinary endeavor, embarked upon by some of L.A.'s most qualified chefs. Think I'm full of bobkes? Stop by Canter's Deli today and witness the historic “meal” yourself as part of a promotion for the DVD release of When Do We Eat?, a feature-length comedy set at a Passover seder. And because the dino-sized dumpling will doubtless make you drool, the good folks in Canter's kitchen will be ladling up free m.b. soup for all who bow down to the beautiful ball. Jewish hip-hop group Chutzpah will further entertain. 10 a.m.-noon. Free. 419 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A., (323) 651-2030. Cantersdeli.com.
Tuesday 22
CREATURE COMFORT
The dog days of summer aren't limited to canines. Neither are humans' most beloved pet companions. Currently at Fahey/Klein Gallery is the fresh and surprisingly provocative group photo exhibition Not All of Man's Best Friends Are Dogs, featuring images that illustrate the depth and curiosity of people's desire to tame, domesticate, and anthropomorphize the animal kingdom. The array of silver gelatin and color photographs includes Richard Avedon's iconic 1981 portrait of Nastassja Kinski with a slithery serpent, plus works by famed clickers Robert Coburn, Phil Stern, and Mary Ellen Mark, whose photo of a hippo and its trainer in an Indian circus will hold you, dear human, captive. Closes Sept. 2. Free. Tues.-Sats. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 148 N. La Brea Ave., L.A., (323) 934-4243. Faheykleingallery.com.
Wednesday 23
VISION QUEST
August is notoriously cold in San Francisco, so if you're jonesin' for the Bay but don't want to shiver, go to the milder climes of Venice Beach instead. Tonight, 7 Dudley Cinema presents the short-film program “Three from the Top of the Bay” – featuring the “lush and dreamy” work of Berkeley filmmaker Alfonso Alvarez. His films will be on a bill with colorful shorts from other Bay Area underground directors (Kerry Laitala and Thad Povey). All use an optical printer to create mesmerizing visual effects and striking meditations on vision, perception, and truth. 8 p.m.; 7 p.m. pre-show. Free. Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave., Venice, (310) 306-7330. 81x.com/7dudley/cinema.
Published: 08/17/2006
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