Made In Venice Out Now - On The Venice Skatepark's 8th Birthday!

On Tuesday, I was standing on the street corner talking to a former neighbor when a car drove by and someone yelled, "Nice hat!" I was wearing my Made In Venice baseball hat, and the yeller was one of the stars of that excellent documentary, Jesse Martinez. It was fitting that I would run into him on that day, as it was both the release date on DVD and online for the film, and also the 8th birthday of the Venice Skatepark - cause for much celebration!

This story had to lag a couple days as Martinez is not the easiest cat to get a hold of, and I wanted to talk to him about the State of the Skatepark today at eight years old, and we got to have a good chat about it all just this morning. Now that the movie is available for all to see, everyone will have a better idea about what all went into making the dream of a world class Skatepark in Venice become a reality. It was a years long effort by many, many people, and Made In Venice tells it exactly as it went down. 

The hope with telling this story is that audiences will know how much the park means to the people of Venice, and by sharing the story, garner more support for the people that continue to make it all happen ... especially Jesse Martinez. Though everyone knows Martinez as the Dogtown icon that he is, I'm not sure everyone knows how hard he works every day to maintain the park, and how little he gets in return. He has been there nearly every day of its 8 year existence, usually at about 4 a.m., making sure the Skatepark is clean and safe for everyone to use. He does it because it means the world to him, not because he's paid - because he's not. Martinez goes out of pocket for cleaning supplies, donates his time and labor, and put his own skating career on hold to see that the park is well maintained ... and it truly seems that the City of L.A. just doesn't care.

The city makes a lot of money off of that park, with filming fees, rentals, and tourist dollars, and none of it comes back to the park. Zero of it goes to Martinez and his cleaning crew (friends and skaters that just volunteer), not even for supplies. And it's just not right. There has been nothing but a run-around from the city, and Councilman Mike Bonin. Bonin promised to push through a contract for Martinez to be an official member of City staff to maintain the park ... well, that was three years ago, and nothing has happened. Nada. They won't offer a Skatepark budget of any kind, though Martinez has saved the city an astronomical amount of money by doing the work himself. The contract they would offer was so unfair that everyone urged Martinez not to sign it, and the City replied that it was that or nothing. Martinez thought about walking away, and did so for a couple of weeks, only to return to find the Skatepark in the absolute worst condition of its relatively young life. Which is dangerous for skaters, and bad for everyone. The park is a major tourist attraction, "the most commercialized Skatepark in the history of Skateparks," according to Martinez, and it's high time the City of L.A. recognizes the massive worth of both the park and Martinez.

"It's like they were kids that were bullied, and now they're trying to get back at us," said Martinez about the suits that make these kinds of decisions. Which is about the only thing that makes sense, as anyone who hears about the way Martinez is treated by the City finds it completely outrageous. Including the Pacific Division cops, who routinely stop and thank Martinez for the work he does, and for keeping all of those kids out of trouble while skating. Parents thank him for the same thing. Skaters hold him in the very highest regard, and follow his example of respecting those around them, as well as the park itself. "It's not a Me, it's a We," says Martinez. "It's a community that does this."

A community that Councilman Bonin and his cronies need to also respect, or soon find themselves out of their jobs. We're supposed to be talking about how great a film Made In Venice is, and how much it can help Martinez out (after paying back the investors, especially the mother of its director, Jonathan Penson), as he will see monies from the film returned back to helping maintain the park - but Bonin never even attended a screening. They've sent hundreds of emails to the Mayor of L.A. requesting a little help, without a single one being returned. "Everything changed once Bill Rosendahl died. He was such a Venice local, and such a good man ... everything was great when he was alive," Martinez explained to me. And I'm sure Councilman Rosendahl would be rolling over in his grave if he now knew how his friends at the Skatepark (that he greatly helped with bringing to life) were being dismissed. If you know anything about the history of Venice, you know it's not real wise to become the villian to Dogtown ... just saying. Especially when their backs are against the wall, which Martinez feels they now are. He can come with an army of skaters over 18 to protest all of this, and you can be sure that none of them will be voting to re-elect Bonin (who everyone knows can use all the support he can get these days).

To look at the positive side of things, I asked Martinez about the current generation of Dogtown skaters. "I'm more than proud to call these kids Dogtown boys {and girls}, I couldn't be any happier with them. My main goal was to assure that there would be a third generation {at least} of Venice skaters, and the new age of Venice skaters is out there just DESTROYING that park. Everything I've been working for, there it is! It's WHY I've been doing this for 38 years, why I put my own career on hold, why I've given EVERYTHING to that park ... but the financial hardship is too much, and I've gotta draw the line. I'd love to stay on at the Skatepark for the next 20 years, and then pass the torch to someone younger, but I don't know. The City has completely let me down. I'm a skateboarder, so I might move on ...". And no one could blame him.

Watch Made In Venice and you'll realize how much Martinez has given of his life to this wonderful Skatepark, but he certainly hasn't done it for the money - or the glory. Martinez has carried the weight of all of this around for years, but now says, "I'm beyond proud of how this movie came out. A lot of good has come out of it. I was worried because people take Venice very seriously, and I didn't want to disgrace the neighborhood. And it's a real story, with less tricks and things than your typical skate film, so I wasn't sure how skaters would react, but I've traveled all around the country to screenings, and the reaction has been nothing but good. There's not one bad review. I just wish Jay Adams and Shogo Kubo could have seen it, but their sons are around, so they're still here."

It's a great film, and really provides a wonderful insight about what it means to be from, or live in, or simply love Venice, California. "I hope it inspires kids long after I'm gone to be proud of Venice. Dogtown will never die, it's worldwide. I love Venice, I just wish I could live there." It's a very sad thing (which I totally get and am also dealing with) when someone like Martinez - born, raised, and a true legend of Venice - can no longer afford to live here, especially considering how much of his life he has dedicated to this town, in every way. People trying to just make bank off of this very special place simply don't get it. And never will.

Please support Venice, its Skatepark, and its champion, Martinez by purchasing Made In Venice (and its merch!) to ensure that future generations will indeed be able to proudly call themselves Dogtown skaters.

Made In Venice is available now everywhere.

Venice Pride - Rainbow Bright!

When The Roosterfish very sadly closed last month, it left a very large void. Not only for cool dive bars in Venice, but really for any other gay venue on the West side. That all changes tonight, when Venice Pride kicks off with a rainbow lighting of the Venice sign and a dance party in the street on Windward Avenue!

Danny's Deli owner, Daniel Samakow, long an social justice activist and champion of Venice, realized that something had to happen, or all of the gay West side would essentially be "forced on to the internet and back in the closet," without a venue designated as for the LGBTQ community. Grant Turck, another major champion of Venice, did a bunch of research about declaring The Roosterfish as a historical monument, but that didn't get very far, and he agreed with Samakow that something new had to be created.

With help from Councilman Mike Bonin and George Francisco, they began with the idea to close off Windward for a Venice Pride dance party (TONIGHT! 7-9:30!) in the street with D.J. Victor Rodriguez (a popular spinner at Akbar in Silver Lake), and a changing of the Venice sign lightbulbs to rainbow colors in honor of our diversity. "Venice has been a center for diversity - ALWAYS," Samakow explained. "Venice has always had the spirit of bringing people together, and that's what we're going to do." That's right. Oh, AND there's going to be RAINBOW GRILLED CHEESES served up in the street tonight, courtesy of Chomp Eatery. Cool. The entire night will also serve as a fundraiser for the Trevor Project, and will honor both transgender youth organizer, Shear Avory, and the late Venice Councilman (and openly gay), Bill Rosendahl.

But the fun doesn't stop there, or tonight. The new venue for the LGBTQ community (and friends! All are welcome!) will be Danny's Deli, who will be happily accepting the torch on behalf of The Roosterfish. Danny's will host tonight's official after-party (with D.J. Jason Strommer), but also will host former Roosterfish customers on Margarita Wednesdays (featuring the famous Roosterfish $4.00 Margarita!) and Surf's Up Fridays with both live music (Miss Jessica! Suzy Williams!), hot D.J.'s,  With live music, it might actually wind up being, dare I say, BETTER than the Roosterfish - and right at the beach!

Speaking of the beach, there's a gay beach in the works too, just like the old days when the gay (and nude) beach was open for fun in the 1970's. The new LGBTQ beach will kick off this Saturday and Sunday, between the Breakwater and Tower 21. Look for the rainbows out on the sand from 11 am - 8 pm/sunset. The hope is that it will catch on and once again be a destination for this community at the beach, and that the entire event "will inspire other people to come and help fill the void," said Turck, who has really spearheaded the whole thing. His enthusiasm is infectious, as he went on to say that, "Venice has always been known for acceptance, and this is a celebration of equality and inclusiveness for everyone." Amen! Awomen! Aeveryone!

So, tonight the Venice Sign will be rainbow bright (and will be all month long!) and the whole world will see what the Venice community is all about. Turck told me that he's been quoting Kinky Boots as a way of explaining what both Venice Pride, and Venice itself, are all about, and I think it's a great summation:

One: Pursue the truth
Two: Learn something new
Three: Accept yourself and you'll accept others too!
Four: Let love shine
Five: Let pride be your guide
Six: Change the world when you change your mind!
Just be. Who you wanna be.
Never let them tell you who you ought to be.
Just be. With dignity.
Celebrate your life triumphantly.
You'll see.
Its beautiful.
You'll see

Its beautiful.

Cheers to Venice Pride! It's beautiful.

A Venice Christmas

I didn't get to go home for the holidays this year, for a bunch of reasons I won't bore you with, but I wasn't that thrilled about not being in the snow with my family and loved ones back in Minnesota. It just doesn't feel that much like Christmas in California, if you come from the Great White North, you know?

But then I accepted invitations that I haven't been able to in past years as I'm never here in Venice at the holidays ... and then it started to feel a LOT like Christmas.

The fun started with a party at Councilman Bill Rosendahl's home that he shares with Swami X, Venice's favorite guru. Swami really wanted to live to see December 21, 2012 and its dawn of a "new day of consciousness," and he made it, so they threw a party for all of Venice, it seemed. The driveway was lined with LAPD, prompting me to ask if they were the Carolers. They were not.  It turned out they were there because so was Mayor Villaraigosa, who was happy to sit on the floor at Bill and Swami's feet, listening to them both speechify. Swami did so during the moment of silence for the Newtown, Connecticut shooting victims, but it gave him the floor to be heard. Highlights from Swami: "You're not a body, you're a soul."  "There is no Hell, just different levels of Heaven." And the most important, "Love is the essence of the Universe." Amen to all that, and Cheers to Bill and Swami (and to the world not ending this day)!

Then it was on to the Ugly Sweater Party at Canal Club, where owner Danny Samakow turned us on to Candycane Martinis - and made me wear one of his loaner ugly sweaters. Fa la la!

Christmas Eve was a night of pure loveliness at the Ellis yard, where it was just warm enough to eat our feast outside under the stars and ornaments hanging from the tree.

And a feast it was!

Everyone chipped in to weigh the table down with too much goodness, but the piece de resistance was the seabass baked in a bread/salt crust, executed by Miss Vavine. I mean, Wow.

 Tales were told around the fire, where it felt old fashioned as we sipped Matt's Old Fashioneds.

There were brand new friends this year, two pigs called Georgia and Paloma. They join the Penmar neighborhood chickens in what is turning into a true urban farm. Coolness.

We ate and drank and ate some more, all wearing our silver crowns that came in the crackers at each place setting.

We called our families, and maybe did feel a little homesick, but as I looked around at my fun, smart, thoughtful, talented, sweet and dear friends, I really did feel home, and really did feel that I was with family. None of that feeling is about geography, and really IS about love - the essence of the Universe after all.

Merry Venice Christmas, and so many thanks to everyone who shared it with me! It was truly beautiful, with snow or not.

*Ugly Sweater photo courtesy of Venice Papparazzi

** Group dinner photo by Miss Emma Leslie

Venice Sign Lights Up The Holidays!

Friday night was exactly what Venice needed ... a good, old fashioned community event. It seemed like most of town was gathered on Windward to behold the lighting of the Venice sign for the holidays. The mood was festive, especially because everyone had been holed up inside all rainy day, but the skies cleared just in time for this fun, and the almost full moon lit up the evening too.

We spent our pre-show time at The Townhouse happy hour, complimenting the night with good, old fashioned drinks ... like Old Fashioneds. That warmed the insides as my gang headed out to the stage to hear Suzy Williams and Brad Kay belt out their holiday tunes. The band Venice took over next, warming the crowd up for the sign lighting. (The booth serving hot chocolate, courtesy of The Townhouse, also helped a lot with the crowd warming).

In true Venice fashion, it was a little disorganized, with a lot of behind the scenes talking into live mics, and that type of thing, which kind of made it all even more endearing.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl and actor Robert Downey, Jr. (shouts of "IRON MAN!" from the crowd) had the honor of flipping the switch. 

Downey, Jr. gave a surprisingly sweet speech about wanting to be a part of Venice, and its community, and something about this is where the weirdos live so he wanted to live here too (the Old Fashioneds prohibited exact verbatim recall), something along those lines anyway, and he impressed me with what I felt was genuine community spirit. Which is exactly what we need in these times of luxury gentrification and splintering views on all of that ... I just didn't expect to hear it from a massive celebrity. I'm a bigger fan now, for sure.

With all the ado of a town-sponsored event (lots of thanking of people and businesses that helped to put this together ... like The Townhouse, Danny's Deli, Venice Paparazzi, etc ...), it was time to turn on the lights...

The Venice sign came to life in its holiday outfit of red and green lights, and the crowd oohed and aahed appropriately. It was all perfectly adorable.

Firehouse 63 showed up in the big ladder truck with Santa on top waving to the kids, and the Holiday Season was officially opened.

The crowd around Windward dispersed to get into their night's fun, and for us that meant heading back to The Townhouse.  After more of those hijinks, we realized we were starving, and headed next door to Cairo Cowboy, where we got in line behind this Santa Dog. Nobody batted an eyelash inside.

As we waited (and waited ...) for our food, we were charmed to find a group of Christmas Carolers lined up outside to serenade the diners and people gathered on the sidewalk outside. 

Suzy and Katherine and Mark Lennon and friends all sang the holiday standards with gusto, and everyone in ear shot joined in ... even the Tree Man!

I was so happy to have these feelings and fun times in our Venice, and thank all the people that have such beautiful spirit living inside of them, to put on things like this for the friends and neighbors in Venice, to celebrate this special and unique and weirdo place we live.

HAPPY Holidays, dear Venice!!! May they be merry and bright for everyone!!!

* Video courtesy of Dan St. Pierre (guy squeezed in next to me at Danny's Deli)