because im perfect, people talk to me

actually i dont know why people talk to me, i ask lots of questions.

but sometimes people want their thoughts out there and so they manifest people like me with two turntables and a microphone and boom their tale is out there in the world.

believe it or not, this doesn’t always ring the right way with some people. those people get mad at me for not telling the story the way they would.

a few years ago i wrote about how the biggest church in my neighborhood was taking COVID more seriously than my own church, the Christian church. that article is now being brought up again.

as is normal, if someone tweets at me, i will do them the respect of tweeting back.

heres todays volley:

GenXLdy:

Okay, benefit of the doubt, you are out of touch as you don’t seem to know much about the human trafficking, child abusing, elder neglecting, fair gaming cult you live next door to. Lara – now there’s a story. Let’s see some real journalism.

me: 

I also live close to a Catholic Church. Should I write about mass child abuse, the hiding of priests, their belief that if a priest confesses a sin in the confessional then it’s all good?

I also live near hospitals that turn billions of dollars in profits while underpaying employees and overcharging patients. If I go into that hospital should I also frame each visit with all of their sins?

Here’s how I do things: when I meet someone, I let them talk. I let them show themselves. I have 115 episodes on hearinLA.com including three with one of Scientology’s harshest critic here in LA.

There may be a day when members of lots of churches wants to talk with me, just like how in my most recent episode a 20-year Freemason answered all my questions.

This practice of condemning everyone and anyone who doesn’t 100% echo and march in lockstep with the loudest of protesters and do things exactly as they would is ridiculous and anti-GenX.

Gen X does what we want, gives no shits, and leads by example.

I have been fair to everyone I have encountered in my neighborhood, including Lara, and did not press charges on her for swinging her stick at me because I feel badly for what has happened to her in the past.

I invite you to listen to any of my podcast interviews and you will see the only agenda I have is in helping people of LA a chance to tell their story and to talk about their neighborhoods. I don’t frame it by saying LA is stolen land, that America has been run by white supremacists, or that this planet is a ticking time bomb of climate change.

Likewise when I talk about churches or businesses I don’t frame those the way you believe “real journalism” should be presented. I get to the point and tell the story at hand.

If you want to do it differently, be my guest.

 

i was published in a bunch of Black newspapers this month

hows that for Black History Month?

the first was about the issue of Beyonce not winning Album of the Year Grammy even though she has more Grammys than anyone

What Does Beyonce Have To Do To Win Album of the Year?

it was in the Sacramento Observer and others

and yes i answered the question. of course i did.

then right before the Super Bowl I wrote

Will The NFL Get More Black Head Coaches? Don’t Bet On It

my beloved Chicago Defender carried it, which was great because Da Bears was one of my prime examples because

they have only had 1 Black head coach in their 105-year history

and that one got fired after a 10-7 season.

so yeah, on top of the world.

if i only wrote for Black newspapers id be the happiest man alive.

but i also love writing about music

and my Usher Super Bowl Special on setlist was so fun to make.

today i gave Beyonce advice on Word in Black

the other day at the Grammys Jay-Z noted that his wife Beyonce has more Grammys than anyone (32) but hasn’t won any for Album of the Year.

So I spell out the situation, who she lost to, what people like Adele and Harry Styles has said, and what I am pretty sure she can do to win it.

What Does Beyonce Have to Do to Win Album of the Year?

it’s my first time writing for Word in Black, which I am extremely excited about.

on Friday I will have something up there about Black NFL Head Coaches.

things i’ve written in the first half of September for Setlist

Five Amy Winehouse Great Performances

Hozier Plays “First Time” For The First Time in Show Me State

Lynyrd Skynyrd Saves Venue and Records Live LP

Beyoncé ‘Mute Challenge’ Has a Much Longer Predecessor

Five Beautiful Neil Peart Drumming Moments

Eagles Kick Off First Leg of Long Goodbye Tour in NYC

Papa Roach, Shinedown, Oliver Anthony Serenade Fans in Campground

Gwen Stefani Returns to Anaheim to Celebrate Honda Center’s 30th

Five Opening Acts Who Would Become Perennial Headliners

Setlist History: Blues Brothers Record Live Show That Goes #1

Busted Greatest Hits Tour Now With Hanson

Chart History: Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ Album Debuts at #1

Bruce Springsteen Postpones September Shows Due To Ulcer

Setlist History: R.E.M. Debuts 9 Songs In Pageantry Kick-off

Aerosmith Kicks Off Peace Out… Farewell Tour in Philly

First Time, Last Time: Steve Harwell Sings “All Star”

Sting Kicks Off North American Tour With Pair In Vegas

Pearl Jam Kicks Off North American Mini Tour With Rarities

First Time, Last Time: Jimmy Buffett Sings “Margaritaville”

Chart History: BTS Becomes First All-Korean Group To Go #1

Janelle Monáe Brings Pleasure & Live Debuts to Tour Kickoff

 

every time i take this adhd pill

i wanna write her the most inappropriate email

why her?

who knows?

why anything.

sometimes the body just goes where it shouldnt be

sometimes a body doesnt wanna be where it should.

if Should ran my life id be as boring as those who i lash out at

i lash because i know thats my fate one day

i know i will become fat and happy because running from that world is hopeless

its coming for me.

it’ll get me like it got the others

but imma fight before it does

and think about her for 40 minutes until the pill wears off

and think about how i should just write what i want and tuck it away somewhere

and leave it for the college boys of the future to discover

and say omg really?

this blog rarely lets me in to type so hi!

ive been super busy with so many things: uber, podcasting, and writing for Setlist.FM

here’s the Setlist things I’ve done lately.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ Is The Hit That Wouldn’t Die 

MTV’s Best Gift May Have Been MTV Unplugged

Setlist History: Prince Begins 21 Sold Out Nights in London’s O2

Setlist History: White Stripes’ Last Full Concert

Artists We’d Love To See Touring Right Now

Adele’s Best Cover Songs We Hope She Brings Back to Vegas

Setlist History: Billy Joel Rocks Russia

Sinéad O’Connor Dies at 56, Music World Mourns

Lollapalooza ’91: Where Are They Playing Now

Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” Dropped This Week in 1987 

Setlist History: Bob Dylan Booed For Playing Electric

Setlist History: Kiss’ First Show Without Peter Criss

Setlist History: Pat Benatar Debuts “Hell is for Children” in NYC

Harry Styles Ends Two-Year Love Tour Emotionally In Italy

Setlist History: The Police Kick Off of the Synchronicity Tour 

It’s been an absolute joy to do these, and i am learning tons about these shows while doing the research.

ok gotta go drive for 8 hours byeeee

ive been writing a lot – here’s a summary

A former colleague from the LA Times recommended that I reach out to a friend of his who runs a Green website about electric vehicles. The pay was fine but I don’t have an EV!

No problem for the first story I borrowed my brother’s Kia EV (pictured above) and went hotel hopping around Santa Monica

Cruising in a Kia Niro in Santa Monica

For the next piece I rented a low price LA EV car and tooled around Hollywood including the cemetery and brought along the best Hollywood tour guide Brian Donnelly.

Hollywood Sight-Seeing without the Carbon Footprint

My friend Bree hires me a few times a week to write about concerts and rock history for Setlist.FM. Here’s a few I’ve done for her over the last lil while

Foo Fighters hire former Replacements drummer for replacement for their drummer
https://www.setlist.fm/news/05-23/foo-fighters-announce-new-drummer-before-tour-7bd6aaec

34 years ago Metallica rocked the Troubadour in preperation for Monsters of Rock
https://www.setlist.fm/news/05-23/setlist-history-metallica-warms-up-at-la-club-before-monsters-73d6aaed

Beyonce earned $230,000 a minute for this performance in Dubai
https://www.setlist.fm/news/05-23/beyonce-kicks-off-renaissance-tour-with-debuts-covers-tude-63d6aaf7

The Cure kick off their tour with rarely-played gems
https://www.setlist.fm/news/05-23/the-cure-kick-off-north-american-tour-w-rarely-played-gems-7bd6aafc

AC/DC hasn’t played their biggest charting single since last century, they should at Power Trip
https://www.setlist.fm/news/05-23/powertrip-could-make-news-if-acdc-plays-some-of-these-hits-63d6aaff

Janet Jackson starts off tour with a 40-song set
https://www.setlist.fm/news/04-23/janet-jackson-kicks-off-together-again-tour-with-40-song-set-7bd6aa10

 

 

almost every week i get to write about rock shows

thanks to my pal Bree, once or twice a week I get to write about either upcoming rock shows, recent gigs, or in today’s case, a classic show.

Joy Division / New Order were not bands I loved because they were post punk, dreary, with drum machines. But over time I have warmed to them.

Today I was asked to write about their final show which happened on this day in 1980.

One reason I like to write about these shows is because I learn so much. Also because Bree is encouraging and so nice to work with.

Looking at the stats, I’ve done 50 pieces for her.

Recently I did stories about Metallica in Holland, Weezer in Pomona, and Janet Jackson in Florida.

a few times a year i suck it up and my housekeeper comes

so i skedaddle

today i went to venice beach, which has been near and dear to me since i first moved here in the early 1700s.

it’s weird, im weird, we get each other.

i haven’t smoked weed in a while so smelling the second hand smoke was so nice.

there were a lot of aromas i smelt, but did not dealt.

one was the scent of da club. not sure how that wafted, but it did.

on the way over i stopped off at this japanese market place called Mitsuwa and picked up a Bento Box

ate it while i watched 5×5 street ball on the venice courts

they were so bad i was thinking about going out there but ive had my day

these seagulls were hovering around me because someone left a half a plate of french fries but i was too near them so they hovered, squawking at each other

be cool, hes leaving, I SAID BE COOL

but i wasnt leaving.

drank my water, watched them play. there was a young lady out there. she wasnt bad. they didnt talk trash to her. but they did put their worst guy on her.

so many mistakes.

one guy could dunk.

gave $5 to this dude who plays the piano. he smelled of piss. like real bad. hes homeless.

tunes his piano and plays really fast, missing lots of notes, adding a few to even it out.

hes half deaf.

hung out with this south american dude who sells dollar cokes

we bumped fists. somehow he remembered me from the last time i was there, months ago.

had this awesome flashback when i passed the post office that it used to be a safeway in the ’80s.

LA has been so good to me, you have no idea.

me.

stranger in a strange land.

me. fucking nobody with three cents to my name.

driving home took forever. west side. like what are people doing?

ohio, santa monica, wilshire. all jammed even at 4pm. no way around it. nearly got on the 10. next time i’ll try my luck with olympic. west siders dont wanna go through the hood so maybe Adams.

on the way in i had to write a piece for Los Angeleno.

they hit me up last night about a piece about Angelenos nominated for the Oscars.

right up my alley. i was honored theyd even think of me.

so i drove to Culver City and asked Waze where the nearest public library was.

turned out it was 3 blocks away. such a nice little library. everything was clean and nice.

but then one little girl kept repeating the same phrase over and over in the childrens section.

i was trying to do my magic AND I WAS SOMEHOW but this lil angel kept with her bullshit

i turned around to give her the evil eye but neither her hot mom nor she picked up on it.

how am i gonna fertilize an egg if i cant put up with that, i thought?

she soon left and i got back to my masterpiece.

then a different little girl ran over to this wooden kitchen and opened and slammed the doors over and over and over

why is there a kitchen in a library? i wanted to say as loud as humanly possible.

but childhood is precious so i kept my trap shut as this 2 year old banged away as her mom browsed her phone.

the old man sleeping in the chair next to me did not wake up.

the librarians, of which there were far too many for this little place did not shush her.

i was clearly the asshole, once again.

but heres the crazy thing, i got my work done.

i wanted out of there, i wanted to be at the beach, i wanted this assignment behind me, i wanted food, i wanted the boardwalk.

it was a great motivation. and im telling you i knocked that article out faster than i have done in a very very long time.

maybe ever.

weed is not the reason im a professional writer.

the angels who whisper funny jokes in my ears are.

and they wanted to go soak in the 75 degree temps on 2/10/22 too.