January 2008 – Ocean Front Walk Ordinance Still Being Debated

There is no ordinance regulating the west side of Ocean Front Walk. The old ordinance was thrown out by the Los Angeles City Council as the result of a lawsuit brought by ACLU Attorney Carol Sobel on behalf of Venice vendors and activists, including Food not Bombs.

At a court hearing last month, the judge told the city to draft a new ordinance that does not conflict with the U.S. Constitution. 
The draft ordinance under consideration (LAMC 42.15) would divide the OFW into two sections, a P-Zone, for free speech activities, and an I-Zone, for vending. 

According to the draft, the I-Zone would allow vending, as follows:

Any person may vend the following items: expressive items which have been created, written or composed by the person, or are inextricably intertwined with the message of the person vending the items.  Such items may include, but are not limited to, books, cassettes tapes, compact discs, video digital discs, paintings, photographs and sculptures.  For purposes of this paragraph, expressive items shall be deemed to have been created by the vendor only if they have been predominantly authored, performed, recorded, filmed, or otherwise made or assembled by the vendor.       

The draft ordinance may be read at http://www.freevenice.org.

January 2008 – And Still They Come – Poems for Philomene Long

• My Dear Lady Nite – S.A. Griffin

• poem for philomene long - John Dorsey

Philomene Long’s death in August triggered an outpouring of tributes, sympathy, sorrow and creativity sent to the Beachhead from throughout the country. This month is no exception. This month’s contributions come from S.A. Griffin, contributing editor of The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry and John Dorsey, a poet in Toledo, Ohio. 

My Dear Lady Nite
~ for Philomene Long

within that exalted dance of
time without time
do stars break &
churn inside of you
like Debussy’s sonic sketches
curling into the sand?

cold crashes into shadow

barking gulls dive
for bits of poetry
like bread dotting the once
bohemian beach

bruised thoughts circle the sun

Lady Philomene,
within your book of sleep
does the word vibrate ecstatic 
like a shivering rose
tipped with virgin dewdrop
celebrating the unimaginable lite of
your golden eternity?

is it written that the gift of genius
comes wrapped in madness
or that every good thing has at its
heart the seed of something sinister?

that sadness is a blessing & an art?

we continue living rear view
as we look out 
    grassy eyed

at all that is left of what 
begins & ends
as a dream

– S.A. Griffin

————

poem for philomene long

in a past life
the sun invented dance
was hunted down and
made to suffer the
pleasures of women the
muse drunk on words

while you sister philomene
sang with beauty
drank cheap wine with
pride and invented the
outline of god

tonight the roman dead
stand sentry on the boardwalk
while you blow one last
cotton candy kiss to
your city now being
washed out into a
sea of dreams and ruins

they pray silently
may you join the
ghosts of venice west
for a pint of holy water
and a nugget of dank zen

a
feminine flower set on
fire

the only god
some angels have ever known

- John Dorsey

January 2008 – The Venice Beat Poets – The Great River Outside The Mainstream – Frank T. Rios

By Hillary Kaye

Frank T. Rios is a man who lives consciously in a world not only inhabited by form but by spirit. He makes it clear that his life is not his own, it is given over to the muse who speaks through him.

The path to his muse was not his choosing. He was first “guided” when he was studying acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. American poetry rather than the usual classic soliloquies attracted his attention. It was his reading of  Edwin Markham’s “The Man with the Hoe” that inspired him to be a poet. 

In 1954 to escape the street drug scene he was  involved with in New York, he hitchhiked “On the Road” style across the country to Venice and immediately fell in love with it. When he returned in ‘59 everything seemed to fall into place at Venice West Cafe. 

Frank Rios, Stuart Perkoff and Tony Scibella became “The Holy Three,” a trio of poet seekers on the boardwalk. They were “broken wide open” and totally dedicated to poetry. A mystical realization of this came in Topanga Canyon when the muse appeared to Frank, touched him on the tongue and ordained him a poet. A ritual offering of a poem which was written for the muse was then burnt, finishing the ordination. 

Frank  has written 11 books of poetry including the following poem from “The Kid in the Woods” which is available at Beyond Baroque.

An Interview with Frank T. Rios appears on page 5.

————

The sun is all things
lighting its way
burning flesh
separating the bark
from the tree

the Kid must
write
on wood
put his naked hand
to its naked face
            
             they threaten
to put it all on the Internet
sun & moon
man & woman
the giant oak
the poem is spattered against

              O Lady
of the woods
give me power
to keep the poem
human
& the hands naked
against the giant oak

- Frank T. Rios

January 2008 – Beachhead Poll

What should be done with the Venice Circle?

Mark as many choices as you like.
__ Fill with water
__ Leave the Circle as it is
__ Closed to traffic
__ Add a fountain
__ Add more statues
__ Remove the present statue
__ Other:  __________________     

To vote, go to http://www.freevenice.org. If you don’t have internet access, clip this form and mail it to POB 2, Venice 90294.

Voting ends Jan. 25.

January 2008 – An RV Fairytale

By Erica Snowlake

Against my friend’s better judgment, I don’t drive, have never owned and am loathe to even entering nasty, metal, polluting obsessions in which one miraculously floats while seated above asphalted earth at high speeds weaving humanity’s frenzied chaos group mind death wish, blithely deluded about the importance of getting somewhere, no thank-you, I AM honing my skills for a spaceship and a road with no lines, i.e. a garden, nevertheless, I recently accepted a gift, a godsend I thought at the time, the temporary loan of a 1985 Chevy truck/camper.

You see I was planning on heading up north to work in the seasonal harvest trade, puffpuff, and wanted to provide a place for my now very ex to crash in if he found himself on the street. Note to self: never underestimate certain people’s charmed capacity for attracting serial bleeding hearts! ……Nonetheless, this is a city of angels and doing unto  others is a noble and natural endeavor, giving one a chance to embody true Compassion, and, despite financial backfires, substantially frees up one’s karma all around. This tale, however, is an oddball mix, demonstrating not only the vast, portenous holes in my rationality,  puffpuff, but exactly how magickal thinking can fuck you right up the jimmy as well.

Allow me to dig….grass……hmmm, living in an RV in Venice is certainly a timely….controversy. Why? It could be all wine and roses, a cozy home on wheels, takes us back to the original ROM people, wandering together in horse-drawn gypsy caravans, gracefully putting to pasture in idyllic meadows outside town, setting up camps, harkening strange enchanted music, offering tinkerer’s trades, exotic gemstones, fortune telling, bizarre yogic feats of skill, hey, sounds just like the Venice boardwalk on a good day without an ordinance!

The truth is, people in Venice, locals and visitors alike, are being downright persecuted and systematically harassed for choosing to live in their RVs, and are being methodically run outta town.

Again, Why? Zero Tolerance? Complaints based on Fear? Grumpiness? Envy? Status? What exactly is so wrong?

Disregard for personal effects? Based on what? the smell of piss? I honestly believe given current statistics most people living in RV’s are law-abiding, mind-their-own-business, honest and responsible folks. Does their homes being mobile entitle their fellow kind to forfeit their rights or to withhold their respect?

I am all for simplifying Life, downsizing possessions, and hitting the road in wanderlust, even if all one can swing these days happens to be parking curbside until things perk up……so where exactly is that affordable Venice-by-the-sea RV park hook-up facility with supervised maintenance, hot showers, clean public washrooms, and campfire sing-alongs?

Meantime, back to my story. My x nixes the RV, passes it to Mark, a mechanic acquaintance currently living in his jammed-full truck on 4th and Rose. He “needs more space”, promises he’ll move it on street cleaning days. I head off, his number becomes unreachable, i can only pray…..two moons later, i’m searching up the proverbial Rose,….. nothing on 4th, panic, loan, remember? On 5th i spot the white elephant, parked, looming, all wobbly-like, yes, i admit, a megalith of an eyesore in the neighborhood. A ventured knock is opened by two fine gentlemen, whom: a) make their dough recycling and b) happen to enjoy being typsy ALOT. Introducing Ron Garcia and Ezekiel. Ron i’ve seen plenty on the boardwalk waving giant old glory weaving dandy dance improv, Zeke’s a lion-like master of many trades…… PEACE!

Assuring me they love me they launch into the unknown whereabouts of Mark, on a bit of a lam, conveniently taking the one ignition key with him. Handing over a parking ticket, they swear it’s the only one. The smashed windshield and triangular side window are explained in more tales, involving bricks, and being chased and beat up by a big, scary skinhead with spiderweb tattoos. Don’t get me wrong, i already love these guys, immensely relieved and grateful the truck is even there, glad they’ve had shelter for a few, but it’s obviously gonna cost me……(and guys? why’d you send me on that wild goose chase?)

So follows a two-week long saga of repair, i call in Elisabeth, the owner of the truck, a sweetly angelic lady who doesn’t bite my head off, or the guys. Together we get a new key made, (TripleA), replace the dead battery, fix the broken starter motor, spend hours going downtown with my friend Rippley to find a $35 windshield at U-pick autoparts, climaxing in an exciting just-beating-the-rains-coming grande finale in the 99 Cent Store parking lot securing the fit of the lockbead seal.

Total value of my freak lesson in misguided divine providence? 300 bucks, a mere monetary output paling in comparison to the sum total of all our love and energy, the feeling of completing a herculean-like task with the true camraderie of total strangers, the jokes, the bible quotes, the cantankerous b.s., gads of useful? truck lore, our precious time and emotions turning to silly putty….. The CARING! the SHARING! meeting the homeless, limping, shot up in nam sarge-friend of the guys, who, between laudable john wayne impressions, relived the moment he brought home ALIVE! all seven men of his company to their families

waiting at the San Diego air force base, aaaiiiyyyeee! That was a tear jerker.

And who can forget the sound, Praise Jesus!, of the motor finally turning, and yes, adding yet another gas-guzzling stinkbomb on the road but now this one felt kinda sentient-like from its journey, like it grew a heart there on fifth and Rose, transforming itself into a heavenly metaphysical  home for us angels/freaks. Then, suddenly like the wind, without getting too overly sentimental, the best ephemeral gypsies in town all got their groove on moving on.

Moral of the story? Everybody – HAVE SOME RESPECT! RV Dwellers – Keep circulatin’, park in less residential sites, above all DO NOT PISS on thy exorbitant rent/mortgage-paying “neighbor’s” daisies. The rest of you? Meditate on Compassion while driving. Me – I’m walking, (following the Pied Piper).

January 2008 – Impeaching The Vice President – A Congressional View

By Robert Wexler (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) 

On November 7, the House of Representatives voted to send a resolution of impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee. As Members of the House Judiciary Committee, we strongly believe these important hearings should begin.

The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our constitution. The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens. 

Now that former White House press secretary Scott McClellan has indicated that the Vice President and his staff purposefully gave him false information about the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert agent to report to the American people, it is even more important for Congress to investigate what may have been an intentional obstruction of justice. Congress should call Mr. McClellan to testify about what he described as being asked to “unknowingly [pass] along false information.” In addition, recent revelations have shown that the Administration including Vice President Cheney may have again manipulated and exaggerated evidence about weapons of mass destruction — this time about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Some of us were in Congress during the impeachment hearings of President Clinton. We spent a year and a half listening to testimony about President Clinton’s personal relations. This must not be the model for impeachment inquiries. A Democratic Congress can show that it takes its constitutional authority seriously and hold a sober investigation, which will stand in stark contrast to the kangaroo court convened by Republicans for President Clinton. In fact, the worst legacy of the Clinton impeachment – where the GOP pursued trumped up and insignificant allegations – would be that it discourages future Congresses from examining credible and significant allegations of a constitutional nature when they arise.

The charges against Vice President Cheney are not personal. They go to the core of the actions of this Administration, and deserve consideration in a way the Clinton scandal never did. The American people understand this, and a majority support hearings according to a November 13 poll by the American Research Group. In fact, 70 percent of voters say that Vice President Cheney has abused his powers and 43 percent say that he should be removed from office right now. The American people understand the magnitude of what has been done and what is at stake if we fail to act. It is time for Congress to catch up.

Some people argue that the Judiciary Committee can not proceed with impeachment hearings because it would distract Congress from passing important legislative initiatives. We disagree. First, hearings need not tie up Congress for a year and shut down the nation. 

Second, hearings will not prevent Congress from completing its other business. These hearings involve the possible impeachment of the Vice President – not our “commander in chief” – and the resulting impact on the nation’s business and attention would be significantly less than the Clinton Presidential impeachment hearings. 

Also, despite the fact that President Bush has thwarted moderate Democratic policies that are supported by a vast majority of Americans — including children’s health care, stem cell research, and bringing our troops home from Iraq — the Democratic Congress has already managed to deliver a minimum wage hike, an energy bill to address the climate crisis and bring us closer to energy independence, assistance for college tuition, and other legislative successes. We can continue to deliver on more of our agenda in the coming year while simultaneously fulfilling our constitutional duty by investigating and publicly revealing whether or not Vice President Cheney has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.

Holding hearings would put the evidence on the table, and the evidence – not politics – should determine the outcome. Even if the hearings do not lead to removal from office, putting these grievous abuses on the record is important for the sake of history. For an Administration that has consistently skirted the constitution and asserted that it is above the law, it is imperative for Congress to make clear that we do not accept this dangerous precedent. Our Founding Fathers provided Congress the power of impeachment for just this reason, and we must now at least consider using it.

To sign the nationwide petition to hold hearings, go to: http://www.WexlerWantsHearings.com

January 2008 – Impeachment Resolution From Rep. Dennis Kucinich

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. 

In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States… has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests…Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. 

Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

January 2008 – Beachhead Readings Bring Back The Venice West

A packed house at Sponto Gallery (aka: Venice West Coffee House), Dec. 15, turned out to support the Beachhead and hear readings by Collective and former Collective members.

The evening got started with a reading of Philomene Long poems by her twin sister, Pegarty Long. She also showed a video of Philomene reading America last year. 

Long was followed by Erica Snowlake, Hillary Kaye, Jim Smith, Yolanda Miranda, Karl Abrams, Lynne Bronstein and Sherman Pearl. 

After the reading, Eric Ahlberg and friends Phil Garaway, Freddie Ginn and Sam Clay cut loose with some great folk rock.

A video of the event should appear on Google Video shortly.

January 2008 – Interview with Venice Poet Frank T. Rios, Part 1

By Hillary Kaye

Beachhead:  I’m nervous.

Frank T. Frank T. Rios: Of  course you are, you care.

Beachhead: Thank you for saying that Frankie. O.K. This is the Frank T. Rios interview. I’m in his home. Thank you Frankie for doing this interview.

Frank T. Frank T. Rios: You’re very welcome.

Beachhead: I wanted to ask you how you discovered Venice?

Frank T. Frank T. Rios: Well I hitchhiked here in  54 from New York. …..on the road type thing…. and came to Venice and spent a year. I really loved it. In January of 59 I hopped a plane and came out here. And I think part of it in truth I was trying to escape.

Beachhead: Escape your past, your history?

Frank T. Rios: Well I was involved in a lot of gangster stuff. You know stick ups, that kind of stuff.

Beachhead: What area of New York were you from?

Frank T. Rios: The Bronx. But see I studied acting. And from acting one of the classes I had was doing the monologue and everybody was doing the classic monologue. But I found American poetry and within it I found “The Man with the Hoe” by Edwin Markham. And I had a really good memory. And I memorized the poem and it hit me like whoah so I started to write.

Beachhead: That’s when you began writing?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah and the first poem I ever wrote was the “Ball” poem which is a beautiful poem. I mean it’s right there. I don’t think I changed anything. It just came out.

Beachhead: That’s cool.

Frank T. Rios: So inside I knew, I didn’t think that I was a poet but something had started to shift. So when I got out here—

Beachhead: So where did you study acting?

Frank T. Rios: Neighborhood playhouse.

Beachhead: With Sanford Meisner?

Frank T. Rios: Yes. I did some plays Tennessee Williams …those kind of things.And I was pretty good.

Beachhead: You have a lot of presence.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I had stage presence. And I had a really good memory so I could play with it. And when I got out here in 59. You know I feel I was being guided. It couldn’t be any other way because it’s not like I’m thinking I need to go here or I need to do this.

Beachhead: I’ve always felt that about my life too, that I had no choice that I was being guided.

Frank T. Rios: Right guided. I was guided to Venice West. And it’s a poetry reading.

Beachhead: That’s when you first got there?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah. It’s a poetry reading, and who’s reading Stuart Perkoff. He’s reading and I’m like, I know exactly what he’s doing.

Beachhead: Yeah you’re right with him.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I’m right with him. So the next day I’m walking down the beach and I meet Stuart.. And we start talking, you know, and it was instant, the connection. So then I’m thinking I’m going to do a reading here. So I sat down and wrote about 50 poems.

Beachhead: It  just came right out?

Frank T. Rios: Well it took me 4 months. And 90% of those stand up today. I was really receiving it.

Beachhead: That’s great!

Frank T. Rios:  And then of course I met Tony and it was the Holy Three.

Beachhead: The Holy Three! How interesting.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah we got a little scared about that.

Beachhead: Because.

Frank T. Rios: Well —

Beachhead: Right.

(Rios laughs and then Hillary laughs)

Frank T. Rios: Yeah and then The Holy Barbarians came out by Lawrence Lipton.

Beachhead: What did you think of Lawrence Lipton?

Frank T. Rios: I never had any beef with him. He was scared of me. He thought I was a gangster and drug dealer.(laughs) Which I was, but not when I got to LA.

Beachhead: Right.

Frank T. Rios: And I moved to Venice. Cause I hung everything up.

Beachhead: You did?

Frank T. Rios: But I was still using. We all were.

Beachhead: Everybody was using heroin?

Frank T. Rios: No.

Beachhead: You were using heroin?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I mean. I hung up the bag for a while,  and got out here, you know kicked, start taking bennies and smoking grass.

Beachhead: Right.

Frank T. Rios: You know downers. You know what was there. I wasn’t running anything. I wasn’t –

Beachhead: What was available.

Frank T. Rios: What was available, right. Tussar. We took Tussar.

Beachhead: Right.

Frank T. Rios: The whole thing then wasn’t so much the drugs, it was the creative act. You know we were all totally broken open. I was ordained, in 1959 in Topanga Canyon by the Muse, the lady, by the poem.

Beachhead: Could you explain a little about that?

Frank T. Rios: Yes. I was sitting in this beautiful pad in Topanga Canyon where Aya was living.

I was blowing. We had our stuff, crayons, pens and notebooks. Anywhere we’d go we had our stuff. Of course we moved around like that. And I’m blowing and blowing and like it’s a beautiful. I get chills now just thinking about it. And I go outside and it’s a beautiful night, like I’m there and I, I’ve found my path. And I’m elated.  She comes to me, she comes right up to me and touches my tongue, and I burst into flames. And she tells me I’m ordaining you a poet and I’m giving you the ritual of the poem burning to honor me which is the invocation to the muse. So I fall back inside and  I write this invocation. Oh God Lady Mother of the Poem, it’s coming out that way because she touched me. And I burned it.

Beachhead: You burned it?

Frank T. Rios: Oh yeah.

Beachhead: So you don’t have a copy of that?

Frank T. Rios: No I burned it for her. It was just for her. All the poems I burn for her. No one else sees it. And I’m watching the poem burn down, burn down into a tiny black ash and the ash blows over me. And there I am on kind of a tongue of a mountain You know it’s a mountain but there’s this kind of a tongue coming out and I’m standing on the tongue and I’m an old man now and I’ve got the book under my arm. So for her after that anytime I do a reading, anytime I do marriages, anytime I bless a house. I do it through the poem, the ritual of the poem burning.

Beachhead: That’s why you burned the poems at the Philomene Long and Tony Schbella memorials?

Frank T. Rios: Right.  Nice, huh.

Beachhead: It is. I mean it’s powerful.

Frank T. Rios: Yes you’re really receiving it.

Beachhead: I see.

Frank T. Rios: It’s elating, it’s magical.

Beachhead: Right. It’s all pretty clear.

Frank T. Rios: Very clear. So when I’m writing that before I become ordained, I’m finally writing it. Being a throwaway and all that stuff. I mean being alone and outside, and no mother, no father because she threw me away, it’s like the tears, but I’m getting it out for the first time in my life.

Beachhead: That’s very moving.

Frank T. Rios: So after that then I get ordained and the cleansing happens and she’s able to touch me. Yeah that’s why I still do it.

Beachhead: Are you still writing?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I started a new book. I write at night.

Beachhead: Are you a night owl?

Frank T. Rios: No I’m up till 11.  I’m up at seven, work out.

Beachhead: You keep in good shape

Frank T. Rios: I try. I’m 72 you know.

Beachhead: When did you meet Philomene?

Frank T. Rios: I met Philomene when Stuart died. She was with Stuart.

Beachhead: At the end?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah. I was in Denver.

Beachhead: You had left Venice.

Frank T. Rios: We all were in Denver. Stuart came too, but his parole officer wouldn’t let him stay and he had to come back.

Beachhead: How did you happen to go to Denver?

Frank T. Rios: Well Jimmy Marrios was the first one who went to Denver.

Beachhead: And you all followed?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah he started the Mile High Underground. Denver was virgin territory.  We stepped in and took over. Real poets.  So we had the bookstores, recordstores, and we were hooked into the theatres.

Beachhead: What a great scene.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah, we had a really beautiful scene . We had the bar. The Lido lounge. We gathered

and we would get insane and write poetry.

Beachhead: How many years was it that you were in that scene that went from Venice to Denver and then back to Venice again?

Frank T. Rios: There’s no break. I’m still doing it, the location doesn’t matter. Like that picture there was Denver, I mean it was an apex of it. There was a Venice apex and then a Denver apex and then Venice again.

Beachhead: But when did that Venice scene –

Frank T. Rios: That original Venice scene broke around 63.

Beachhead: So you were aware at the time what an ephemeral and magical situation you were in.

Frank T. Rios: Oh yeah.

Beachhead: And you all were?

Frank T. Rios: Oh yeah. There was no doubt. The three of us were in the throws of magic. And ritual and a certain kind of illusion, of course embodied with the creative act.

Beachhead: Right.

Frank T. Rios: You see we were madly just receiving it.. And some great stuff came from there.

Beachhead: Now in terms of women was Philomene the only female present?

Frank T. Rios: Philomene wasn’t there yet.

Beachhead: She wasn’t there yet. So it was all men.

Frank T. Rios: No there were women.

Beachhead: I mean there were women, but were there women poets?

Frank T. Rios: Yeah, oh yeah. Of course there wasn’t just a circle in Venice, you see it was America, because actually the circle wasn’t that big, so we were connected to San Francisco with all those guys and then we had Wally Berman and George Herms, John Altoon. It goes on and on. Everyone’s connected. Cause you wind up anywhere, any day. You know what I mean. You wake up in the morning and you got no idea how it’s going to unfold. We ain’t got no money. It’s not like we got plans. The only plan I’ve got is I’ve got my notebook and my stuff. I ain’t looking out see, I’m looking in.

Beachhead: Right. So is that how your life is today? Are you still in that state, or are you more engaged in the world?

Frank T. Rios: No, more engaged in my recovery and my relationship and my relationships. I mean everybody knows I’m a poet, Frankie the poet. I write and do my thing. That’s just automatic. What’s different today is I’m not pressed against it. I don’t got to write. You know what I mean.

Beachhead: Yes I know what you mean. Is that your painting ?

Frank T. Rios: No, that’s Bryden’s, he lives in Taos.

Beachhead: Interesting painting.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah he’s a good friend. I once shot him. He was across the room, it was a long room. And I had a piece under my pillow and he wanted something, he wanted a bag, a bag of heroin. He kept bugging me and bugging me and there’s this huge painting on the wall. C’mon Frankie give me something, and I just (blam) and the bullet went right above his head.

Beachhead: That was close.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I missed him by that much (indicating an inch).  We made amends. And he’s clean too, you know a long time.

Beachhead: That’s all behind you—

Frank T. Rios: Yes I’m sorry, thank God I missed him.

Beachhead: Do you paint in color?

Frank T. Rios: No.

Beachhead: Collage and black and white.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah and I draw a little bit.

Beachhead: I love your drawings in “ The Kid in the Woods”. Is that rapidograph?

Frank T. Rios: It’s just a pen.

Beachhead: Did you ever go to art school?

Frank T. Rios: No.

Beachhead: What artists do you like?

Frank T. Rios: Well you know Jackson Pollock, Altoon. I love Franz Kline you know, the ash can school all those guys.

Beachhead: Why “The Kid in the America” and  “Kid in the Woods” What is the thing with kid? Is there a connection that both you and Tony Scibella had a title with that in it.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah I think there is. I was never sure because I just received it, you know, because “The Kid in the Woods” is he’s drawn to the giant oak. See the giant oak is where the lady is splattered against, and the lady holds all the poems, so he needs to go into the woods.

Beachhead: Right.

Frank T. Rios: Right. And that The kid probably a subconscious thing was from Tony since he worked on the thing so long with “The  Kid in America” .

Beachhead: I never quite asked you what you thought of Philomene Long. I interrupted you I think. You met her after Stuart died

Frank T. Rios: You know when she came, you know being with Stuart and that whole thing that was so heavy. So heavy Stuart died.

Beachhead: It must have been.

Frank T. Rios: Also Stuart dying closed the door for us.

Beachhead: What do you mean closed the door for us ?

Frank T. Rios: I mean he was our front man. He had a way of getting into the acknowledged poets and artists. I could never do that, since I was the gangster poet and Tony was very quiet, so Stuart was the guy.

(Frank goes to answer the phone. He returns)

Frank T. Rios: So what was I saying?

Beachhead: I’m lost, oh yeah, he was the leader, the one who opened the doors.

Frank T. Rios: Yeah Stuart opened the doors. So Philomene was there with him.And gone with him. So that’s how I met her. And of course she went with John, John Thomas. I knew John from ‘59, all the way back.

Beachhead: What did you think of them together?

Frank T. Rios: They were like a dedicated beat couple who would live in poverty for the rest of their lives and write poems and be Zen.

Beachhead: Are you Zen? You seem like a very spiritual person. I can see that in your writing. Are you religious or are you spiritual?

Frank T. Rios: No I’m not religious, I’m spiritual. Probably leaning more to being a Buddhist, higher self and that stuff.

Beachhead: Right, I see.

Frank T. Rios: But I have my muse.

(Part two of the Frank T. Rios interview to be continued next issue.)

January 2008 – Here Come The Venice Papaprazzi!

By Karl Abrams

Whether it’s a local red carpet event with cameras flashing or a Venetian bohemian reading poetry on the beach, the photographers of the Venice Paparazzi will probably be there, enthusiastically snapping spontaneous photos that are, if you have no objections, blended together into a beautifully crafted internet web site (venicepaparazzi.com) for all to see. Here you will have your instant place in Venice history and even–if you want– a new sense of feeling like a celebrity.

The Beachhead recently interviewed the team members of the Venice Paparazzi.  What became clear in the interview was their collective vision to make everyone in Venice feel important, in whatever they do.  Each member of the paparazzi team seem to delight in this endeavor with artistic dedication.

They are not the paparazzi that many people might picture however. They don’t jump out of shadowy hiding places to scare the likes of Princess Diana. The staff of the Venice Paparazzi have a much different style and a way of making everybody feel comfortable right away. And they don’t bug you like a relentless mosquito, even though the word paparazzi actually means “mosquito” (in a dialect of Italian) and Fellini first used it as the name of a nervous photographer in La Dolce Vita.

Be it at art openings or business parties, weight lifting or skate boarding, competitive sports, or just hanging out on the boardwalk — their photographs are about the people of Venice expressing themselves. Edizen Stowell and her team want their web site to become the first and foremost source of photographic information about the people that make up our one-of-a-kind community.

Edizen founded the Venice Paparazzi (VP).  It originally started off as Edizens.com in May 2006. The name was changed 5 months later to VenicePaparazzi.com to make it easier for people to remember.

She explained how her team is determined to artistically document the evolving phenomenon of Venice on their online photo album.

Her husband Alex, a Soviet strength training specialist and professional extreme metal musician is also a cofounder of the VP. Their photo careers began in 2003 when they opened their “photo booth” on the west side of the Venice beach boardwalk where they sold photo key chains and prints to locals and tourists alike. Alex sees their present web site as a natural extension of their photo booth. The web site offers photographs of the Venice lifestyle and culture, a Calendars of Events, Recommended Things to Do, Interviews and Spotlights, as well as local business and artist Directories. You can even download event registration forms for Venice Recreation and Parks.

VP now does video as well in a rather unique way.  In the tradition of soapbox orators, VP brings a “speakers corner” to Venice where locals can express their opinions on current events.  If you are interested in speaking your mind, visit the VP “Outdoor Studio” set up on the Venice beach boardwalk every second Sunday of the month between 1-4 PM.  All videos will be uploaded on the VP site, You Tube, and MySpace.

VP also uses video to highlight local businesses and organizations, as well as artists and community members. Other local photographers and videographers who share VP’s love of the “Spirit of Venice” have been quick to join in.

J. Grant Buckerfield, Aoy Austin, Jackie Burke, Jackie Martin and Sara Gepp are four more photographers on the team who bring in their own special touch.

J. Grant’s specialty is in graphic design, photography and film production. When he’s not taking shots for the Venice Paparazzi, he’s writing soundtracks for TV and film under the name “Big Noise” (www.bignoise.tv).  The ex-BBC radio producer has written music for top TV shows and has worked with some of the UK’s top DJs including Pete Tong and Fatboy Slim. His creative talents will help VP grow and evolve.

Aoy’s specialty is public relations and sales. She is a venture capital consultant by trade and knows how to help the VP expand.

Jackie Burke holds a B.S. from East Carolina University in film production.  Her expertise, creativeness and energetic North Carolina style works well with the VP team.

Jackie Martin, known to Venice Paparazzi as “Jaxs” is the host of VP and brings an upbeat quirkiness to interviews as she is very comfortable with people and cameras.  She loves diving into the unknown. That and her ferocious imagination is perfect for the VP.

Sara Gepp is relatively new to the VP crew.  She’s a transplanted Minnesotan who first became enchanted with Venice Beach in 1991.  Holding degrees in both fashion design and audio engineering, Sara lends a unique perspective on the Venice beach lifestyle.

Together, they offer full photographic services including red carpet events with roaming photographers, graphics expertise and layout design.

VP have also been getting enthusiastic support from local artists and musicians, as well as shop owners and boardwalk vendors. Even the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Rotary Club of Venice and the Venice Chamber of Commerce support the VP. Councilman Bill Rosendahl has expressed his enthusiasm as well.

Although only in their first year, the VP have already been presented with a “Certificate of Appreciation” expressing the gratitude of the Los Angeles City Council and paying tribute to their first year of service to the Venice community.

Now, when the VP arrive at an event, people get excited.  Here comes the Venice Paparazzi they say, let the party begin!

One question remains, however. How will future historians view the history and people of Venice as seen through the lens of the Venice Paparazzi? After studying the Paparazzi website of Venice photographs, will they get a balanced picture of the spirit of Venice? Will the homeless and the skateboarders, the artists and the poets and the beats get their recognition too alongside the upscale parties of the rich and famous? Only time will tell and the commitment of the VP to keep a balanced perspective of the uniqueness that is Venice. So far, so good. The Beachhead congratulates their efforts in being another unique way to keep the spirit of Venice alive for future generations.