Issue No. 24 | Wanderlust
19 March 2010 4:00pm PST
19 March 2010 4:00pm PST
Echo Park Folk
Editorial
***
Welcome to the neighborhood of Echo Park. A visual reference point for consciously clad hipsters, flanneled Cholos with a penchant for paint markers and at large, a time-honored melting pot of social and economic backgrounds. It is precisely this unique makeup of inhabitants that embodies Los Angeles’ ‘niche culture,’ a boundless phenomenon that thrives in this horizontal metropolis, cross-sectioned by serpentine freeways.
While the neighborhood is centrally located (a heartbeat away from Downtown) it still manages to retain its geographical personality bordered on the east by Elysian Park (home to Dodger Stadium) and on the west by Silverlake. The seclusion afforded by steep roads and hillside chaparral is further obscured by an irrational transportation system that never fully updated with the rest of the city. More than two dozen goliath concrete stairways climb ad infinitum up precipitous hills, offering a panoramic view of the Griffith Park Observatory and the skyscrapers of Downtown. Turn-of-the-century Victorians and sprawling Craftsmans are newly restored and gentrified. Yet wedged in between lay squat one-bedroom bungalows occupied by the lower-incomes. A string of mom-and-pop stores run by Latinos line the bustling boulevard on Sunset as a hipster oasis thrives along Echo Park Avenue.
By the early 1990s, its more visible neighbor, Silverlake, had placed itself squarely on the map due to its indie-rock scene and as a result enjoyed steep hikes in real estate value. At first glance, Echo Park’s urban development seems to follow a similar logic; however, its only the tip of the iceberg to justify the neighborhood’s artistic and multiethnic panoply as a result of recent gentrification. Echo Park’s folk has a history that delves far deeper than the eponymous lake that marks its region. Nearly a century before, this small town had undergone various incarnations and became one of the longest-standing bastions of iconoclasm, a history that undulated through generations of artists, ethnic minorities, and freethinkers.
A passionate quest that would eventually develop Los Angeles into the film capital of the nation. Located on Glendale Boulevard, Mack Sennett’s legendary Keystone Studio brought the American public the mischievous antics of Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle. During the height of the Silent Film era, images of the neighborhood became a flickering celluloid backdrop for such memorable comedic episodes as those featured on the Three Stooges, Our Gang, and Laurel & Hardy.
Yet the nation was on the brink of WWI and the Los Angeles film industry made the pivotal decision to lumber westward and sink its roots into the Hollywood Hills. As the film community parted ways, a significant influx of Communists and Progressives entered Echo Park, earning it the maligned moniker, “Red Gulch.” Due to its tolerant political clime, several blacklisted filmmakers and actors took refuge in the hills in the late 40’s to escape the persecution of McCarthyism. A young John Huston was rumored to have bought his home around that time, while political activists claimed the streets, espousing incendiary statements against the prevailing conservatism.
As sudden as the bright flare of a matchstick, the socialist movement burned out with the mid-century postwar exodus. Droves of middle-class families began migrating to suburban enclaves, far from the epicenter of Los Angeles, and assumed new identities of glorified banality; left in their wake was a densely packed Latino population.
Largely marginalized, the youth from the poorer Latino families fell to the wayside and consequently joined the local gangs; the most prominent of these was the Echo Park Cholos (a generational ‘band of outsiders’ which actually extended back to the 30’s). They militantly patrolled the streets and tagged on abandoned and occupied buildings alike — ubiquitous “EXP”s scrawled in metallic shades of black and silver. Despite this violent backlash, Latino entrepreneurship persevered as colorful panaderias , pupuserias and mobile taco trucks popped up along the crowded streets, institutions that exist to this day. The Spanish-speaking community still remains the most prominent ethnic group in the neighborhood. Their cultural significance continues to be an important aspect of Echo Park’s political consciousness.
Then the freewheeling age of the 60’s counterculture bled into the receptive neighborhood, generating yet another resurgence of creative energy. Concentrated groups of musicians, craftsmen, poets and writers ushered into the scene. Some of the town’s most famous residents included Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, and Frank Zappa. The neighborhood of Echo Park even lured Charles Bukowski from the blue-collared beachside of San Pedro to its dive bars and side street cafes.
These time-wearied streets oversaw the errant childhood of a young boy who would later grow up to be famed painter Jackson Pollack; and also bore witness to the death of tortured musician, Elliott Smith, tragically discovered with mortal stab wounds to his heart. Thus concluding another chapter of Echo Park’s profound folk history.
EVIL MONITO FOLK:
Evil Monito (EM) established its studio in 2007 in a space which formerly operated as a carnicería (a Mexican butcher shop). We never intended to open up a physical space, yet we were immediately attracted to the quaint charm of Echo Park. It only made sense for EM to lay down it roots in a location heavily steeped in cultural history yet relatively young in its creative commercial niche.
Now that EM has made this neighborhood its home, we want to take pause and reflect on our role as an editorial/design studio within this community. What does a true neighborhood entail in this day and age? When dealing with this question, we find ourselves closely examining the ever-evolving relationship between the local and global spheres. Its imaginary line is further blurred by technology, rendered indistinguishable. We are also aware of how transient communities truly are, evidenced by the multitudes of cultural movements that spawn and die in the virtual realm overnight. It no longer makes sense to fix our neighborhoods within static zip codes; so we discarded such dated tools and sought other means of understanding our place within the growing global community. The updated concept of neighborhood constitutes a collective state of mind, a mental geography, if you will — whose boundaries shift like the sea currents, contingent upon the information we choose to consume online.
After a three-year editorial hiatus, EM Magazine, through Issue No. 22, continues the folk tradition by representing not only our home turf in Echo Park but recounting the stories of disparate neighborhoods from all over the world that mirror the collective consciousness of the EM community. Among the stories featured in the month of May is an interview with T. C. Boyle, one of the most prolific writers on the West Coast, as well an intimate conversation with Mulatu Astatke, the master of Ethio-Jazz, among others.
Hope you enjoy!
Published on 1 May 2008 | 39
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| Comments:
Great Job Guys it looks great, Great writing Sly!
Great job Sly!!!
Finally…waited a long time for the relaunch. This piece was greatly written. Although I am unfamiliar with Los Angeles, is definitely fascinating to read so much about a small town’s cultural history.
I’m eager to observe how EM balances its on-line community and physical – person to person – community as both “neighborhood folk” on a global scale and within its 2 mile radius. This simultaneous presence is interesting. I’m SO excited to see this grow…and to participate. The site looks so sharp, clean…to the top o my bookmarks baby!!! BELLISSIMO.
great website rickey !!
Thankyou Rickey.
awesome!!!
Great new look to the site the site, and I’m looking forward to reading more from the EM fam.
Hey fellas,
You guys at Evil Monito can never be accused of standing still; you are always on the move, from changing locations to revamping evilmonito.com.
What made you make such visual change?
I do like the format for your online magazine. I was still searching through the archives of your old issues, reading about Saul Williams and enjoying the typographic layout and photography.
I’m already struggling to keep up with you guys and Mr.Kimsays.com, do my own graphic design and photography, write a blog, and have some kind of life. Now I have to read a whole new online mag? Thanks alot.
Keep up the good work fellas
Welcome back EM! Congratulations in full force. I love love LOVE the new layout of the site and the vision y’all have for the neighborhood closest to my heart. Looking forward.
once again mr kim has done it again! and on and on and on mr chief rocka! keeping it real … keeping it live!
Thank you Evil Monito for coming back online! I love the site, it’s clean and layout is nice. Also, the illustrations by Daniel Park are great.
Sylvia this article truly captures the timeless spirit of Echo Park!!! Seriously a great introduction to EM’s revival. The drawings by Daniel are stellar- it compliments the new aesthetic!
Good job little sister. Can’t wait till the carne later today.
Thanks for this wonderful Echo Park entity, Sylvia. More substance to love on the internet.
Good stuff!
ECHOPARQUE
I call Echo park home. My eyes and ears are on those dark stairways and back streets. Keep your eye out for The battles above between the Crows and Redtail Hawk.
Knowngallery.com
evil monito makes me hot. hey rickey, if we were in prison, i would protect you in the showers.
Hey Stanly
Um thanks for your protection….er…ok awkwardness.
Nice background on Echo Parrque’ as the locals would say, but you didn’t mention anything about the gentrification process going on there, the music scene going on there and how if it goes down anything like the way it did in Silverlake from when I lived there in the early 90’s to the way it is now (having moved back) y’all are missing the dynamic. There was also as far as I can tell no mention of the actual park or neighboring Fillipinotown. If you want more info, or a tour, come by and I’ll meet up with you or hit me back at feloniusmonk@gmail.com
Hey Mark:
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I was cognizant of the fact that Echo Parrque’ has a dynamic history as it developed to what it was in the 90s and the current situation of the neighborhood today. So I appreciate that you opened up the dialogue in that direction.
However, the point I was making with this editorial was to draw upon the town’s older history as an allegory. Its not supposed to be only about the literal take of the town’s ENTIRE folk history, I wanted to reflect upon particular moments to raise questions about geographical identity and what it means to be a Los Angelean. I wanted to emphasize how the cultural diversity and artistic community is constantly shifting and rearranging itself and Echo Park gives us a good example of that complex pattern. If I’ve excluded a portion of the history (such as Filipinotown, or the Lotus Festival, or the music scene, among others) it doesn’t mean that I’m diminishing the value of those parts. The beauty and diversity that Echo Park has to offer extends to all. The parts I touched upon in this editorial is merely one of many stories that this multi-faceted town has to offer.
Thank you again, Mark, for being conscious of that fact.
NICE.
Great writing, yet I am eager to see where you will find the balance between an intelligent report with a blatant overuse of vocabulary skills (which would normally be an A+ on any campus around the country), and an easy flowing, enjoyable read with just as much useful information.
HR
Your commentary of Echo Park really brought me back in time. I was Googling “Jackson Browne and his association with Echo Park” (I already knew he lived there at one time) after reading a Rolling Stones article this morning about Jackson, which led me to your article. I was raised during the 60’s and 70’s near the intersection Effie and Lemoyne streets. I spent hundreds of hours fishing in Echo Park Lake. My neighbor’s were Puerto Rican, Hawaiian, 4th and 5th generation Mexican American families, Salvadorenos (can’t tilde) and Columbianos. I was one of two anglo boys in Logan Street elementary school; I wouldn’t change that for a minute. It taught me at an early age about culture, humanity and respect for others; about poverty, about how to survive the gang filled neighborhoods, and the drug filled streets of LA (I nearly survived the latter). During my teenage years I worked at Echo Park liquor store. This was on Echo Park Blvd, just across the lot which used to exist Pioneer Chicken and Pioneer Market. I worked behind the counter at the store and was translator. I frequently made money orders for men sending money home to their native lands South of the border. What a vibrant, alive place to grow up!
Hello PuroGuero
Thank you so much for your kind words. The Evil Monito studio is located at Vega’s Carniceria. We decided to keep the sign intact when we moved into the space for our forum for social gathering. As residents and workers of this neighborhood we felt the story had to be told and we feel honored to let the world know of its histories. We thank you for your support. There is much more to come!
Echo Park is the ideal place for a writer. Its quaint and there are three coffee shops on this street alone! I invite the curious to visit our studio during the weekends.
echo park rules.
echo park is amazing. all these hip people and gangs too. what more can you ask for. the local dive bars really add to the flavor and you’re sure to meet just about every poser who ever worked on a film set. of course most of these posers go slumming around every now and again in southeast asia or some such place but they make sure to come back with a load of photos because they appreciate the culture and they should their whole artistic agenda consists of this kind of dillitantish fetishization and co opting. this cartoonish kitschy and smugly self satisfied but minimally intelligent appropriation of something that someone actually invented once. maybe they can sell it back to them. good times. i think awhile back they used to drag echo park lake and find dead bodies. now they don’t even have to drag the lake anymore. they’re walking around every little nook and cranny, every dimly lit broken bottled glass strewn alley and every dingy underpass of the serpentine freeways that wrap around the area like venomous snakes of death. this place is a hub got it? a hub of culture and artistry and the people here are very sensitive also. like tom waits. like the beats. it’s very quaint too. once the beastie boys used to live there and play funk music that blared out from an alley off of sunset and out into the thick night air, dipping down a bit before finally wafting up and in through the cracked window of an old victorian home on lovely carroll street. elliott smith lived here also…and killed himself here too. cool. you should come. it’s great. it’s a virtual enclave. On any given wednesday afternoon you can walk into just about any sidestreet cafe, buy a iced latte and look at the spot on the floor where charles bukowski once puked. if you sniff real hard maybe you can even smell the remants of his carne asada burritto…
more feeling, less scrabble words
oh yeah…i almost forgot…..minutiae, hub, epicenter, eponymous, sphincter…. ad infinitum
I think your mouth spewed out this string of comments like a suppurating “sphincter”…and I certainly do hope its not…ad infinitum. Could get rather messy. But I do know one thing…that there’s a lot of ugliness in this world–but it was important for me to take pause and celebrate the diversity that makes LA great. Take it for whatever you want. Its so damn easy for anybody to be biting and negative and equally hard for someone to talk positively about one whit of what’s going on. I don’t mind so much that you are trying to tell me you don’t like my writing style–hell I’m self-deprecating enough. But diction aside, Echo Park has been a home to me and my friends for several years and quite frankly I’m not afraid to show that. Regardless of all the pseudo-intellectual diatribe that’s spewed around by people in attempt to diminish my pride for this quaint community, but I actually grew up here. There is the dark side of gentrification and gang violence as well, but quite frankly it deserves a more focused approach in a separate story altogether. Sometimes its alright to leave the irony at the door. Just sometimes…
as writers i think it’s important that we number one study the dictionary and number two utilize every cliche we can feasibly muster to deliver absolutely no useful information. this serves a number of purposes simultaneously, firstly and most importantly it disguises the fact that we actually have nothing whatsoever to say and shields us from our own emptiness. secondly, it impresses the hell out of the managing editor of spin magazine so hopefully(fingers crossed) we can articulate more banalities for bigger paychecks and thirdly it gets us a gold star from all the wonderfully original people we surround ourselves who have supplied us with our own sense of self. it’s also wonderful when rather than come up with any original or personal observations about where we live(feelings) we can use a celebrities suicide to paint a picture and stress the importance of our slipshod pulp. could it all be possible that this is why people kill themselves in the first place? because of this infantile noise and utter and complete callousness. quite a few people go to college and learn how to write term papers. not to many people ever have an original thought in there head. if they do, we usually laugh at them. that doesn’t make us smart that just means we probably live in echo park…
i mean that as an allegory
Talk about being smug! Firstly I have not meant to use a celebrity’s death to prove anything. It actually meant something to me! Words are nothing more than artificial constructs that get in the way of real, human feelings. Which you are guilty of as well, even the words you used to fight against my so-called “cliches” are something that was taught, imprinted, and the origin discarded. Who’s to say that you are realer than me–I certainly don’t have the hubris to judge you in the same manner. Ha, you clearly don’t know anything about me, if you think that Spin Magazine is the crowning achievement of my goal–or any other silly ulterior motive you can drudge up at this ungodly hour. You are entitled to your opinions and I don’t mind that you attack my writing, but attacking me as a person is a bit much, don’t you think? And I’m sorry that you really have to diminish my pride of Echo Park and reduce me into a cultural stereotype of the pedantic writer to prove a point and make yourself feel better, your arguments actually carry with it the faint odor of self-righteousness. Quite frankly this bores me.
i’m not painting a portrait of you as a anything, i don’t even know how to paint. all i’m saying is your echo park is a generalized and impersonal place and i thought YOU were being ironic. i also feel it’s lazy to resort to morbid sensationalism and i didn’t understand half the words you used. is echo park really important because jackson pollack was born there? that’s what I got from the piece. I’m sure you have ample experience of echo park but how would I know from reading this? anyway, there’s plenty of hubris and self righteousness to go around apparently. that’s what i’m responding to at least in the piece. so you started it. i’m sure you have no problem reducing people or their work to stereotypes either way….
I’ll tell ya’ what. i’ll rewrite it for you. i actually started already.
Please stop being petty. This has become enormously boring. Sigh…
How tiresome it must be to go on this long…we certainly can’t all be perfect like you.
i’m far from perfect obviously or i wouldn’t be induldging in this. what can i tell you i’m a petty person..but something about the piece really hurt my feelings. i generally just like to make people laugh.
anyway, nite…nite
just thought i’d point out also that the premminent echo park gang was called the boogaloos not the cholos. i know because that because i was in it….