Southland

(Click image for supersize.) © William Anthony

“I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.” - Andy Warhol

Dad's '57 Pontiac

Shot in Aledo, TX (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

This was the first car my father bought in the United States, brand new in 1957, in Austin, TX. It's a '57 Pontiac Chieftain 2-door sedan. This behemoth spent most of my life draped in blankets in our garage. Every once in a long while, my Dad would uncover it, re-inflate the tires and start up the V8 beast. We'd drive around the neighborhood a few times just to keep everything running. I used to love these drives. My Dad loved these drives. We'd chug along at a comfortable 35 mph while we'd wave to the neighbors. Unfortunately, as quickly as he brought it out of the garage, we'd be pulling back into it. I'd help my Dad cover it up again with the blankets and start dreaming about someday being the guy driving and waving myself.

My brother is now the steward of this great old automobile. When I was in Texas visiting him in '05, we re-lived the ritual. Only this time it was my brother's garage and I actually got to drive it. (And wave. Though this time to an audience of dairy cows.) Since my Dad has such a fondness for his former state of Texas, and it's where he bought the car, we decided to take it out to the wooded back roads and get a nice, proud large format photograph of the Chieftain for him.


Framing up with the 4x5 (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony


My Texas fan base (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Last week, while in an antique store, I found this old ad for Pontiac. Very cool.


Pontiac advertisement dated Feb. 16, 1957. (Click image for full size.)

By the way, my Dad loved the photo.

Bye bye Biscuit

#309 (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

After nearly two years, we've decided to not renew our lease at the Biscuit Company Lofts. It's been a great experience and we could not have picked a better first residence here in Los Angeles. We're going to miss this old building and the friends we've made here.

We've chosen to move on to greener pastures. (Literally, our new place has a yard.) WAP, Inc. is still going strong, just with a new footprint and mailing address.


NW stairwell. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

We feel fortunate to have experienced all the interesting people, places and things we did while here. The 90021 Project is a testament to that. The Arts District is a truly unique place even in a city as diverse and unique as L.A. 90021 is a body of work I am extremely proud of. It's now time to move on and start a new chapter.

From now on, every time I drive down the 5, 101 or 110 and see this majestic masonry fortress standing proud on the Eastern edge of downtown as it has for over 80 years, I'll smile.


Archive photo. Circa 1926. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Six Feet Under House

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Oh how I miss the Fishers.

I was perusing YouTube last week and came across some clips from the epic HBO series Six Feet Under. Ruth, Claire, David, Nate, Brenda, Federico, George—it all came back. I didn't have HBO when it was on the air. I rented DVDs. I figured I'd watch the pilot first because everyone WOULDN'T SHUT UP ABOUT THIS SHOW. I wanted to not like it because of the hype. I almost watched it out of spite. After the final scene of the pilot, when the bus pulls away from Nate, I was emotionally exhausted and totally committed to the Fishers. From then on the routine was simple, rent a DVD, return it and get the next one. I think I watched the entire series in a two weeks.

After moving to Los Angeles, I decided to investigate if the Fisher & Sons Funeral Home was an actual building or just a set. To my glee, I discovered it is a real house. And not five minutes from where I live.

So last night I took the 'ol 4x5 out to it and snapped this photo not far from where Claire took her last photo.

Now I need to buy the box set. Unless, of course, there's someone out there who wants to gift it to me...

Ma vie en rose

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Your life in pink
It goes deeper than you think
It goes deeper than I go
Deeper than you know

An F for freak
And D for dog
Lost in the fog ?
Your life in pink

You know it's never gonna stop
You know it's never gonna end
Your life in pink

Yeah, I'm like a disco ball
Crashing down your head
But somehow I don't fall

To your life you got to sink
To your heart you got to drink
Your life in pink

It's always high and not low
It's always bright and not dull
Your life in pink

Yeah, I'll never let you go
It goes deeper than you know

PDN Photo of the Day

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

My image of the Cirque du Soleil tent in Santa Monica was chosen by the editors of Photo District News (PDN) for their Photo of the Day feature.

The image below was another frame taken that evening, but on Ilford 400 black and white film.


(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

DTLA by 4x5

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

The clearest days in Los Angeles are immediately after rain showers.

It rained yesterday.

Cirque du Santa Monica

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Cirque du Soleil is currently in Santa Monica. The tent is adjacent to the pier, on the North side.

The first time I saw the chapiteau was in 1986, when it suddenly appeared in the parking lot of the old Navy Hospital in Balboa Park in San Diego. I was in high school and my only exposure to the circus was the kind that smelled like elephant poop.

I remember walking up to the tent, nearly 25 years ago, to inspect the odd behemoth. I circled it like it was a beached whale, or an asteroid that just landed in a corn field, trying to figure out what it was and why it was there. At the time, no one had heard of this French circus with an unpronounceable name. It was early in the day, so no one was there yet. Even the ticket trailer was closed. But the price list was in the window. I remember saying out loud, "Fifteen dollars?! For a circus ticket? Yeah... right. Good luck with that here in the U.S."

Last night, I approached a very similar tent again—with the same sense of awe. Music pounded inside the tent as I looked through the ground glass, sea air blowing under the focusing cloth. A show was in progress.

A lot has changed in the years since. Not least of which is the ticket price.

Lisa Solberg live painting at Andaz Opening

(Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Our good friend and neighbor Lisa Solberg was featured at the Andaz Grand Opening and Vanity Fair Domino Benefit in West Hollywood on February 20. She performed a live painting in the lobby while guests mingled. Guests included Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Prince among many others.

I brought my 4x5 camera to get a nice big portrait of the Lisa and her work. Moments after setting up the camera, I was informed by the head of the hotel's security that someone on the mezzanine was nervous about my camera. I looked up to see Prince's security detail giving me stink eye. Unbeknownst to me, and by no effort on my part, I am the world's first and only large format paparazzi.

90021

TOY and Biscuit in same frame. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

I live in an extremely famous neighborhood in Los Angeles. But you'd never know it by driving around. I don't live in Hollywood, or Beverly Hills, or Malibu. You'll never see landmarks from here in postcards or visitor's guides. But chances are, you see my neighborhood every day on television. I live in the "Industrial District," where thousands of commercials, television shows and movies are filmed every year. You can't walk two blocks in any direction without seeing the ubiquitous "NOTICE OF FILMING" labels adhered to a random wall, door or gate. It's the prototypical "urban landscape."

The race sequence in the movie Grease? It's the LA River under the Sixth St. bridge. The cheesy projected background whizzing behind William Shatner as he rides a motorcycle in that Priceline commercial? Santa Fe St. All within walking distance.

I've taken to riding my bike around here at dusk, when the light is best, and snapping photos with one camera or another.

I figured the best place to start was my front door. The photo above is one third (the middle third) of the TOY loft building directly across from my front door. You can also see it way in the background at the end of this Saturn commercial. Look for the enormous letters spelling "TOY."

Expect more musings from 90021.

Palm beach.

Santa Monica. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Thank you random stranger guy.

Santa Monica Pier at Magic Hour. (Click image for full size.) © William Anthony

Thank you random stranger guy. Thank you for unknowingly walking into frame and bringing life to a very still photograph.

I don't know who you are, but I hope you got your shot. I got mine.

Thank you.