You Can't Eat The Sunshine--Esotouric's Weekly Podcast

Tune in to Episode Ten of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Gale Banks, holder of many land speed racing records, about Harvey's Broiler in Downey, kustom kar kulture and the evolution of California's creative engine. We'll also talk with Jackie Miller, who is the curator of Sister Aimee Semple McPherson's Parsonage and Heritage Center on Echo Park Lake, the evangelist's former home and headquarters in the 1920s & 30s. All this, plus cultural musings on the Pershing Square Advisory Board Meetings, the Union Station Master Plan Summary Update, a behind-the-scenes peek at the elevator service room of the Oviatt Building, a visit to the King Eddy Saloon, and our upcoming monthly Sunday Salon as Kim & Richard usher in the week of March 25th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Nine of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Dan Fante, poet, playwright, and novelist about Los Angeles, the creative process, fathers and sons and his new memoir. We’ll also talk with Julie Rivett, granddaughter of Dashiell Hammett, about her grandfather’s literary legacy, his years with Lillian Hellman and leisurely lunches at the Brown Derby. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of March 18th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Eight of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Marcia Harris, living history docent at Rancho Los Cerritos, about Fanny Bixby Spencer, an early 20th century suffragette, teetotaler, social reformer, and Long Beach’s own inspirational firebrand—the subject of her new book. We’ll also talk with Dennis Justice, co-owner of our bus company, about his wild life on the road managing for Stan Kenton and other big band legends, cross-country driving before the Interstate Freeway System, and his newest venture, a food truck called Felony Franks. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of March 11th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Seven of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Maja D’Aoust, the White Witch of Los Angeles, about the Southland’s occult legacy, the real meaning of Karma, and the incredible library at Manly P. Hall’s Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz. We’ll also talk with Marc Chevalier about the life and times of James Oviatt, his eponymous building, how he helped bring the Jazz Age to Downtown Los Angeles, and of course, all those lovely suits. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of March 4th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Six of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Joe Holliday at East Jesus, an extendible, inhabitable art work in progress on the south eastern shore of the Salton Sea. We also check in with Brian Kaiser, Southern California’s tile expert, on saving antique tile, George Washington Smith--the father of the Spanish Colonial Revival--and Steve Jobs' quest for a demolition permit. All this and cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of February 25th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Five of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Michael Dawson, of Dawson’s Book Shop--a Los Angeles institution since 1905--about his work on the newly-published photo book William Reagh, A Long Walk Downtown, which chronicles the destruction of 19th century Los Angeles by the encroaching corporate footprint through the mid-20th century. We also check in with David Kipen, proprietor of Libros Schmibros, a lending library and bookstore in Boyle Heights, about his work fostering culture and community along East First Street. And we visit with Susannah Gordon, Visitor and Volunteer Coordinator of the extraordinary house museum Casa del Herrero in Montecito. All this and cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of February 18th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Four of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Dwain Carlo Crum, LAVA's Visionary of the Year for 2013, world traveller and blogger, about the hidden gems of the San Gabriel Valley and the stewardship of swizzle stick collections. We’ll also check in with Terry Ellsworth, long-time Arts District resident and curator, about the people tending the engines of change that have created a vibrant community out of a warehouse district. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of February 11th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Four of the Esotouric podcast as we talk with Dwain Carlo Crum, LAVA's Visionary of the Year for 2013, world traveller and blogger, about the hidden gems of the San Gabriel Valley and the stewardship of swizzle stick collections. We’ll also check in with Terry Ellsworth, long-time Arts District resident and curator, about the people tending the engines of change that have created a vibrant community out of a warehouse district. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of February 11th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Three of the Esotouric podcast as we visit with Gordon Pattison, who grew up on old Bunker Hill in the Castle and the Salt Box, the last two Victorians to stand in the way of the CRA’s Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project in the late 1960s. Gordon experiences a return of childhood impressions as he handles the front door knob of the Castle for the first time in over 40 years. Next we’ll talk with Professor Donald Johnson of the Criminalistics Department of Cal State Los Angeles about crime labs, trace evidence, blood spatter, embalming methods and equivocal death. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of February 4th, 2013.

Tune in to Episode Two of the Esotouric podcast as we pay a visit to the former Downey Space Plant, to talk with Jerry Blackburn of the Aerospace Legacy Foundation about the recent demolition of the original buildings where the Apollo command modules and Space Shuttles were assembled. Next, we find ourselves in Sierra Madre at E. Waldo Ward, the southland's oldest surviving jam, jelly and marmalade maker with its own 3+ acre orchard. Proprietors Jeff and Richard Ward share the firm's fascinating history, from the Pullman cars and Harvey Houses of the early 20th Century to today's custom concoctions. All this, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of January 28st, 2013.

Tune in to Episode One of the Esotouric podcast for a rollicking conversation about Hot Rods, Aerospace, High Performance and Rat Fink with legendary L.A. gearhead Gale Banks and Mike the Poet’s tribute to the late, great Huell Howser, plus cultural musings as Kim & Richard usher in the week of January 21st, 2013.