Jason Hill's Venice Stories

I've enjoyed the comic book style interviews of local characters in Venice Stories featured in both The Free Venice Beachhead and The Argonaut in the past few years, so sat down with its author, Jason Hill, to hear more about him and them, since we both clearly love our Venice tales.

We met up at Abbot's Habit (now rumored to be closing in not December, but June) to be in one of the spots that has been a second home to so many Venice characters over the years. Hill told me that he's a native Californian, where he lived until he was 10, and then it was up to Oregon, where he attended college and started his career in graphic design. He worked with companies like Nike, and got into computer graphics up there too. He met his girlfriend, Cary Lopiccolo, up there as well, and the two of them decided to head to Phoenix for a scene. They were there for ten years, and there Hill got more into the fine art arena, having shows of his works of painted photographs.

Phoenix got old and Hill and Lopiccolo were looking to get back to California, but somewhere with more of a small town feel. They thought Santa Monica, until they realized all the cool people (my editorial slant) were in Venice, as were the skaters and artists - and The Doors were here! - and the correct choice was made. They found a spot on Lincoln in 2012, and within a month of living here, considered it HOME, which they didn't expect, but were happy to feel. "People here tend to follow their dreams and reinvent themselves, and I was struck by how friendly and positive everyone is ... it's almost disarming. There's just a general optimism here." That is true, even though they got here kind of right in the midst of the big changes going on here and missed what we maybe consider the halcyon days of Venice, but still. The good vibes do persist.

While getting his design business (Jason Hill Design) up and running in Venice, Hill had the idea to interview some of the locals he'd met and been impressed by, and do them up in a comic book look and submit it to the local paper, The Beachhead. His first one was about the paddle out for Venice skate legend Shogo Kubo, and Venice Stories was born. Then it was one about Touch Of Evil being shot here, then one about the Gas House beat meeting spot, then he started doing interviews of local legends with one on Earl Newman. Hill has now completed 25 stories, which are collected in his new anthology, Venice Stories, Volume One.

Hill self-published the collection, with the idea that there will be 4 volumes, for 100 stories. There are just a few copies left of this first edition printing, and they can be found at In Heroes We Trust, or on Hill's website. There was an opening party at Danny's Deli that I had to miss, but most of the copies were snatched up there, though there will be more printings, and more volumes to come! Plus there is a new edition of Venice Stories in each first Argonaut of the month. Venice is also showing up in Hill's recent fine art, all of which can also be seen at his website, as well as work with branding companies like Sweetfin Poké. Nice.

"I get so much from the people of Venice, and living here, that I wanted to give back and do something FOR Venice," explains Hill (echoing pretty much exactly how I feel). Hill and Lopiccolo (who also documents Venice with her photography that you can see on her Facebook page, Venice California Photos Then and Now) love all the things about Venice that we all do ... the beach, the Boardwalk, the skaters, the Beat history, the global focal point, the fashion (you do tend to see things here first), and how there's a little bit of everything in the world right here. They love getting coffee at Deus, getting burgers at Hinano's, listening to Brad Kay's speakeasy era music at a real speakeasy era bar at The Townhouse, and kicking it outside at the Venice Ale House, where you've probably all seen them.

Hill has learned about Venice fast ... "You can't judge a book by its cover here. Someone could be a millionaire or homeless, but I think everyone is here for the beach town friendliness." Magical connections are made here every day, and you never know what may come from just starting up a conversation with a neighbor or passerby, and that's a hugely wonderful part of living here. Next time you see Jason Hill out and about, have a chat, and maybe you'll find yourself starring in one of his future Venice stories.

Hill's art will next be featured at the Venice Art Crawl mixer at The Lincoln on October 20th.

Vivianne Robinson - A True Venice Icon (Who Will Put Your Name On Rice)

We all love Venice, but nobody wears it on their sleeves like Vivianne Robinson. She can be seen most every day on the Venice Boardwalk at her booth Name On Rice, with her top hat and technicolor dream coat brightening the day of everyone passing by. Robinson has been out there writing names on rice since 1994, but it was only yesterday that I finally got to sit down with her and watch her spin her Venice magic.

Robinson was born in Venice, and lived in a house that was torn down to make way for Westminster School. She used to hang out at The Gashouse with her beatnik parents, and loved the Venice Pavilion covered in graffiti, and was sad to see that go ("That should've been a historical landmark." Totally true and agree.). Her love for Venice is palpable, and she retains a sense of wonder that she lives and works here, even though she has for all of her life. "Who would think I'd end up working right where I started?", mused Robinson, but I can't imagine her anywhere else.

But that would be wrong. Robinson's favorite thing to do - aside from charming all the tourists that come to the Boardwalk - is travel. She has worked hard all of her life to be able to see the world, and is and has always been attracted to the places and events that involve the entire world. Things like the Oscars, where Robinson can be found on the red carpet in full Oscar memorabilia regalia, posing with tourists and celebrities alike. Things like the Olympics, which Robinson loves, and makes plans to attend every four years (in full USA Uncle Sam gear). She already has her event tickets for Rio this Summer, and I was getting Olympic fever just listening to her talk about it. "It's all about the whole world," she explained. Exactly.

That's why her job writing names on rice at the beach and taking photos of people with her aliens and cut-outs (and owning the stall shop across the way that sells toys, skateboards, jewelry, and all the beachy Boardwalk stuff) is perfect for Robinson - the whole world comes to her. Sitting with her in the fresh air and sunshine, watching all the people come up and talk to her, you get the idea that Robinson really has it about all figured out. She's so welcoming, so positive, and so lovely, each person left their interaction with her with an extra spring in their step, as she smiled and said, "You gotta give people good memories of Venice Beach ... that's what I want when I travel." And really, that's how you get world peace, if you want to get macro about it (and I tend to).

Robinson went to SaMo High, and majored in Recreation at Cal State Long Beach. She took odd jobs doing anything she could to satisfy her travel bug, and soon took off to traipse all over Europe. While in Portugal, she came across a man from India writing tourists' names on tiny grains of rice.

He showed her how to do this ancient art, and after about a year of practicing, Robinson got it down. She thought it would be the perfect way to be outside, visiting with people from all over the world, and give them something that would bring them both good luck and a happy memory of their time in Venice.

It was a hit, and soon Robinson was putting her own flourish on it, putting the little grains of rice in little bottles adorned with a flower, a shark tooth, a little something to brighten up the necklaces that the people leave proudly wearing. She uses regular old Uncle Ben's long grain rice, because as the girl waiting to have five names written on rice said, "Uncle Ben's is the best." Robinson uses a tiny fine point marker and a super practiced hand to write the names, and it's pretty impressive. She even gets orders online (Nameonrice.com), and was about to ship one off to Louisiana as we spoke. She's probably more famous than the famous people that impress her.

"Look at all the famous people that come to Venice," said Robinson as she proudly showed me her photo album full of her with various celebs that have come by and posed with her - and it's pretty much everyone (though her favorite is Andrea Bocelli). Some of them might be cool, but none of them are featured on the big Rip Cronk mural on Speedway, where Robinson permanently stands vending her good vibes. (She can also be seen featured on Modern Marvels on The History Channel). "Yeah, people like to take my picture," she says casually, adding that she also has a YouTube channel, where "Anything that happens in Venice is on there."

Robinson really is nothing but good vibes. A guy named Junior sat with us and kept repeating, "She's a really good lady" over and over. He was totally right about this sort of Godmother to all the Boardwalk vendors and performers. Every word out of her mouth was so positive and grateful and all delivered with a real sense of a kind of awe that she lives her life here - even though she always has. "Just look around, how lucky we are!", exclaimed Robinson. "There's not many places in L.A. for people to walk and enjoy themselves ... and maybe buy something," she said with a laugh, but that's also true. This is her living, though one that she has recently had to supplement with additional part-time hours bagging groceries at Gelson's in Santa Monica to make the ends meet, which she says is a workout. "Change is a part of life, you gotta go with the flow. Be flexible, be positive, and just enjoy everything you can out of life. The last few years there have been more changes here than I've seen in my entire life. I've never seen stores go out of business or people having to move away. But you have a choice, you can be happy or you can be depressed." Robinson very clearly chooses to be happy.

"I just love to be outside. At the Boardwalk everyone dresses the way they want to be. Everybody's happy, you just watch the world go by. Every week I take a new picture of the art walls, I love doing that. I love art and all the murals. I love to paint. I love colors and to be colorful. It's all a learning process in life, and we all learn from each other. It's all about fun!" We sat and thought on that for a moment, really just enjoying being exactly where we were, when Robinson said, "Oh, there's my Mom!" and here came her adorable Mom, Odile Robinson - the Beatnik! Odile was all decked out in green for St. Patrick's Day, carrying a shamrock-festooned cake, which she proceeded to cut and deliver on little holiday plates and napkins to all the vendor friends that surround her daughter's Boardwalk Empire.

"Vivianne is unique, one of a kind. There's nobody like Vivianne," Odile told me, while beaming with pride. Just like Venice - unique, one of a kind, no place like it. Golden hour was setting in, and all of us sitting there just felt so lucky in the moment. "It's the best place on Earth, isn't it?", said Vivian. Odile chimed in with, "And she knows, because she's been everywhere!" So that's settled. Venice is the best place on Earth, and Vivianne Robinson is about the best ambassador we could hope to have, as she spreads the good vibes and positivity here and everywhere she goes in this whole world that she loves.

Check out wonderful Vivianne and Nameonrice.com most every day on the Boardwalk between Windward and Market - or online anywhere. And look for her in Rio!