what i wrote for los angeleno in january 2020

Where Does the Eastside of L.A. Start?

Our Sex Workers and Firefighters are Lending Their Talents to Help Australia

MLK Through the Eyes of Those Living and Working on MLK Blvd.

What It’s Like to Be the Publicist for The Oscars

L.A. Mourns Kobe Bryant

Remembering Kobe Bryant the Oscar Nominee

Tips for Making a Killer Super Bowl Spread

fucking loved the eastside story. very first guy i talk to, homeless, dressed 1,000x better than i am, clean, funny, tells me a few things he asks me to keep off the record. then he tells me exactly which taco stand he was at in east la just yesterday. ended up in a tattoo shop, disturbing two self proclaimed introverts playing a form of Magic the Gathering, met the coolest old guy ever, and barely understood about a half hour of mumbles from two drunk guys who actually had good stories.

for the sex workers it was great to be able to text jeff koga and say, got any pics of riley reid.

mlk was one i did with a photographer i’d never met before. she was really terrific. the funniest was interviewing this rapper whose day job is dressing up as the statue of liberty while spinning a sign for an income tax office. he was all you can take a picture but dont show my face. i was like yr a rapper? he was all yeah. so i go, you’re missing out on your story. countless handsome black guys are rappers. but how many were dressed up as the statue of liberty — willing to do anything for that dream, and then make it to the top? and he let me take his picture.

the oscar publicist interview was great. perfect conversation. warm day. dogs. i ate half of an eggs benedict. at the other half when i got home. who can eat when they’re conducting an interview? on the way there i thought of the perfect studio for a podcast: a mini van. just soundproof it real good, flip one of the rows of seats around. carpet the floors. install the mics. then you can just go wherever they live or work, drive to a park, and chat in the van. always perfect sound.

for the kobe oscar nom piece, i love the photos. the academy photographers were always so easy to work with. and at oscars time, mama mia they had some good stories. some of the older ones have seen it all. like they used to have to rush their film to the developer via a guy waiting on a motorcycle in the middle of oscar night.

and then yesterday we posted my interview with sarah gim who makes the most beautiful images of food and spreads. im working on this long middle class thing or else i would have had more to show.

today i got a job

if you’ve noticed, i havent had a job for going on six months.

that all ended the other day when one thing led to another which led to another which led to an email which led to some paperwork and before you can say

timetostartworking

i had a job.

with cool people. who are just as idealistic as i am. and creative. and fun.

and most importantly, ready to rock.

i dont wanna jinx it – if that’s even possible – but this might just be the perfect fit.

i told them some of the ridiculous things that i aspire to accomplish in the next few years

and whereas others said, yeah no

these people said, yes yes.

i posted it on facebook and all my friends said yes yes too

it was very sweet.

then like a dozen new people followed me on twitter

to be honest, today was a daze just like how you feel when you lose a job

all day i was thinking, is this real? am i getting emotional?

must. keep. it. together.

i had a boss a while back, a genius, she said there are two type of people

builders and maintainers.

builders like to be places where there’s a thing, and it’s sorta new and they like to see if they can help it grow to be something spectacular.

then theres people who like to enter when it’s fully grown and do it’s best to keep it strong and vital.

she said, tony you’re a builder. build your crazy dr seuss kingdoms and get out when it feels like maintaining.

and looking back, all the times when i wasn’t part of giant growth i was trying to find new ways to grow stuff, to make things, to put cool things on the map.

amber has had to ask me twice now to say the website

los angeleno, i said, like you. you are a native los angeleno

and she was all, yes yes

yes yes