L.A. DnA

KCRW's Design & Architecture (DnA) show today featured some interesting commentary on misguided urban schemes (L.A.'s Grand Avenue and the WTC site) as well as a couple recent expressions on the city, one aural and one visual.

Ry Cooder's latest album, Chavez Ravine, journeys to the mid-20th century and the "political machinations that leveled the Chavez Ravine barrio to lure the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles." Again, Cooder enlists a plethora of talented musicians to present to the world something overlooked.

And Ben Stiller (yep, that Ben Stiller) has just released a book he co-edited, a visual portrayal of the city called Looking at Los Angeles. He says, "From the iconic to the mundane and forgettable, there is a certain unique and singular feeling that is Los Angeles."


Kevin Cooley, "“CSI"” in MacArthur Park (2001)