Enjoy Your Venice Weekend!

Everyone has been focused all week on what's wrong with Venice, so I urge us all to take this weekend to instead really zero in on what's awesome about the real deal Venice. I've already started.

It's unseasonably warm, making for perfect beach days in October (we're not talking about climate change right now, though we should be). It's all blue skies and sunshine. Surf's up (chest high)! The Farmer's Market had an over-abundance of wonderful home-grown fruits and vegetables and flowers and friends. Strangers are smiling and saying "Good Morning!". The Boardwalk is packed with visitors from all over the globe who love being here - as well as those of us who never take the views and fun for granted. There are art shows and house parties happening all weekend. It's Venice High's Homecoming tonight, AND the annual Grease viewing/singalong, also at Venice High (in its acting role as Rydell High!) on Saturday. Things are good - great, even! - if you allow yourself to have that mindset.

So, have at it, Friends! Get the most you can out of your beautiful weekend in Venice! I'll hope to see you out there, and we'll make it even better. Solidarity forever.

A Venice Saturday With Bikers And Burners!

It would be great if someone was visiting Venice for the first time this past Saturday, because they would have walked into what felt like good old Venice ... with fun and festivities for everyone - for free!

Clear blue skies and bright sunshine set the tone for the day. The roar of motorcycles woke the town early as the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club had their rally set for that afternoon, and they always kick it off with a group ride up the PCH, leaving bright and early - and loudly.

The rally itself felt a bit more sparsely attended than most years, with less bikes ... and for sure less babes, as there was no Miss Venice Vintage contest this year, so the venue was pretty dude heavy. I got there just in time to hear National Anthem rock the place, and split during the Cougar Getting, Jr. band that sounded a whole lot like AC/DC. People enjoyed checking out all the bikes, and the beer lines were well-attended. All looked to be a success ... but the beach was beckoning.

The Rayfield siblings (Dakota and Jackson) were tending bar together at Surfside, so we killed some time there until the sun started to set on the Venice Art Crawl Afterburn edition, which is when it got really spectacular to look at. The Burning Man burners brought a whole bunch of art installations to the beach at Windward Plaza, so the rest of us could get a little piece of desert Playa. The dragon was most impressive.

The Boardwalk was packed with partiers, and locals kept bumping into each other and couldn't stop smiling, because THIS is how we like to think of our Venice. Fun. Creative. Dancing. Art focused. Awesome, really. And PROUD - proud that visitors could be with us and see how Venice is supposed to be.

There was a big music box flame-thrower that served as headquarters for a Karaoke set, where someone was singing some buzzkill Adele when I walked by ... and quickly split down the way where more upbeat jams were being blasted.

There was a little pop up version of the great Rohitash Rao fake album covers show work.

If you needed some psychiatric help - you were covered.

If you felt like dancing in a big electric pineapple - no problem.

If you simply needed a hug - any variety of hug at all - someone would hook you up.

Of course, there were plenty of unofficial hugs to go around also, as every two feet you would bump into someone from Venice that you knew and loved ... even the Kosmick Krusader (Harry Perry) himself was there, looking right at home in front of a spaceship.

Several attractions had platforms for dancing on them, and one had to squeeze in real tight to get some dance partying in ... and it was a blast.

There were several things going on all over town Saturday night, but the more you hung out at the Afterburn, the more you realized you were staying put in Venice (Sorry, Bart Saric/Skatermade! Really wanted to be at the Everything Went Skate film release party ... but downtown!!). Moments like these, with the whole community dancing outside together under a huge moon surrounded by glowing art, are all too rare these days, and you have to stay put and soak them up!

There were little places to chill (inside the Yellow Submarine ... in a "Snailoon" ... on little hovercrafts), but most people were busy rocking out, many in their outfits leftover from Burning Man - only minus the dust. To glance around in any direction rewarded you with views of total and absolute fun.

There was a drum circle keeping time of it all, and that encouraged even more dancing around. Nights like this (and it was on all weekend long!) are truly why we live and love here in Venice, California.

A big bunch of Venice folks wrapped up the evening back at Surfside, with a performance from Jake Klassman, son of Bagel. RAD. Thank you to the V.A.C. and everyone involved with creating this wonderful gift to our Community! LOVE!

Guerilla In The Mist

Today was one of those days when Dogtown is Fogtown ... and that's when my friend Edgar from Costa Rica was coming for his first visit to California ever. It was not at all the stereotypical bright sunshine and blue skies kind of day that those who have only ever seen Venice on t.v. or in movies have come to expect. You could barely SEE the water from the Boardwalk, but you knew it was there.

The good thing about Venice is that it's cool no matter what the weather. We walked the Boardwalk, as you must, and I was happy to see the fog hadn't dampened any spirits. The street performers and vendors - and their attendant crowds -  were still out in force. I particularly liked this guerilla Venice sculpture put up by a creative soul down there. We ducked into Hinano's to show the Costa Rican boy a true Venice experience, and by the time we came back outside, the sun had peeked through very far off over the ocean's horizon, turning the water all silvery. The beauty is always there ... sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it ... and then it's even more worth it. Good life lessons ... for a Pura Vida!

The Venice Tourist Trap

It's always so nice to come back to Venice after being away anywhere ... the familiar sights and sounds, the community of wonderful, generally like-minded people here in our little bubble, the possibility of absolutely anything at all happening ... I love it. And so do a lot of visitors to our little beach town, and who can blame them? But ... I was coming back from my first beach walk of the year, and I was waiting at a stoplight next to a bunch of people on a bike sightseeing tour. The tour guide had on a Madonna-like headset microphone, and was broadcasting his little tour tidbits (that anyone could read on any brochure about Venice) over a little amplifier that must have really pleased the Canal residents whose window they were right outside of. The guy was telling them how he was about to lead them to the shopping street called Abbot Kinney, named after the founder of Venice. Deep, insightful stuff. Why anyone needs a tour guide to check out a shopping street is beyond me, but there they all were, in their dorky helmets, single file riding up Venice Boulevard all nervously (I guess I should just be happy it wasn't a Segway tour. Ugh). It took everything I had to not kidnap them all and take them to some REAL Venice spots, with REAL Venice people, with actual REAL stories behind them that are actually interesting.

I kept catching up to them at the next light, and each time resisted the urge to school the guy in front of his Millenial-looking charges. But I'm trying to be a good Ambassador. We parted ways as I headed off for the French Market for a coffee (where you will still see REAL Venice residents), and was immediately met by this Jules Muck art car ... dubbed "Tourist Trap". I believe I actually laughed out loud at the timing.

Look, I know we're a tourist trap here in Venice, and I may have even contributed to it being so by telling all of our great stories that make people want to visit (Sorry, not sorry). It would just be cool if the people (Gentrifiers) making money off of our beloved town (and there are many) would first be cool, for sure be accurate, definitely not annoying, and absolutely give back to the community in some way. We know Venice is the second biggest tourist attraction in Southern California after Disneyland, so why does the City of Los Angeles not repay the favor with merely a FRACTION of what they make off of us, and put it back here (E.g. - Clean beach bathrooms. Paying Jesse Martinez for his daily skatepark cleaning. A ton of other things ...). I guess I'm saying if we're going to be such a tourist trap, let's be a City of our own, and rule it ourselves. And I KNOW I'm saying - and will continue to say throughout this incoming Administration - POWER TO THE PEOPLE. (Including Tourists).

Venice - A Great Place To Come Home To

I just got back from a whole bunch of adventures on the road ... Home to Minnesota, the MONSTER EPIC Lollapalooza, and going along on the road with the Jane's Addiction's Summer Tour. If you've read any of my stories while I was away, you know that it might be a drag to come back.  But not if you live in Venice.

My first stop was to baptize myself in the waters of Ocean Pacific off of Playa de Los Amigos. I swam all the way out to the red flags by the end of the Venice Pier, and then just floated there to soak up how absolutely beautiful it is, and how warm the water got while I was away!

Then, smack in the middle of Shark Week, I walked by an old man who just caught a baby leopard shark with his fishing pole right from the shore! (A great white shark was also spotted off of Venice - I saw and learned all of this AFTER my swim. I remain undaunted.) After being a bit of a tourist myself out there in the American summer, it was much easier to appreciate the gorgeous place I live, the perfect weather and sea breeze, and the tourists that want to visit here. An young Australian boy swam out to the flag with me, and I asked him if he liked living here after moving from so far away. He answered, "It's the best place in the world, in my opinion." Looking around at all the sunshine and blue skies and friendly faces waving and welcoming me back, it was hard to disagree.

Thanks, Venice, for making it so easy (excited even!) to come home after such a whirlwind of rock and roll fun. Ahhhhhh.

Jane's Addiction Tea Party - Boston in Brief

Phhheeeew! Jane's Addiction's stop in Boston, Massachusetts was a whirlwind of historical sites, great food, and lots of family and friends. And a day off!

We stayed at a hotel right across from a cemetery that dates back to 1660, and it felt a little ghosty around there, if I'm honest.

Hot summer days had the streets choked with tourists, which was a little daunting, but I did make a wish (why?) on Paul Revere's grave ...

And his house ...

... Saluted old Ben Franklin ...

... peaced out in a little peace garden ...

and generally soaked it all in. Literally, as it was so extra hot. And stormy.

I had perhaps the best oysters of my life with the Farrell family at the delicious Little Creek Oyster Bar, and the "Best Cannoli in Boston 2012" at darling little Cafe Paradiso. Wow. Yum.

The Jane's show was at the Bank of America Pavilion, an outdoor venue next to the harbor that was breezy - thankfully - and fun.

The show was all kind of a blur, as there were a lot of visitors at this show, and a lot to keep track of. Once again, the fans were INTO it, and it's so inspiring to see this troupe of performers (Band, Dancers, Crew!) out there, night after night, giving it their absolute ALL.

From "Underground" to "Mountain Song", from "Jane Says" to "3 Days", people were pumping their fists throughout, all the way to the back row. It's just so rock and roll! From old fans from day one, to people just learning Jane's Addiction's epic music now, it doesn't really matter, because the minute they start a show ... it's ON.

"Splash A Little Water On It" had the band on fire, and Bubba Carr putting it out with his clay man splashing antics. This production is definitely a SHOW - and it's hard sometimes to even know where to look, as so much is going on, but it always comes back to the band.

Perry was very into the fact that Boston had their tea party, and rebelled against the man waaaay back in the day ... "You threw that shit into the sea and didn't take no shit!", he yelled, and though today's audience probably had nothing to do with that whole uprising, they were happy to yell for themselves anyway. Kind of like Celtics fans. (Just kidding).

After a massive singalong to "Stop", the band left the stage to thrilled screaming. A little visiting with people backstage, and then it was time for the overnight bus trip to NYC.

We'll see you again, Boston!  - Perry Farrell

* George W. and Cemetery photos by Bubba Carr
** Crowd and band shot by Casey Riddles