Sacha Sacket News

Monday, July 23, 2007

Farmer's Market and Rudy Guiliani on Skid Row

www.sachasacket.com

Went to the old Farmer's Market next to The Grove (in Los Angeles) this past Sunday. It was a great day. Full of sun and idleness. I've gone a few times the past month - really something wonderful. It's been maintained since the 50's and still captures the warm communal atmosphere you feel that decade should have offered. This is me in front of my favorite Crepes place. Deeelish...

My pictures don't do the place justice - if you live in LA and haven't been, seriously check it out. Much better than walking down Hollywood or Sunset in my opinion. If you want historic Hollywood, I really think you find it there (and downtown). Sunset and Hollywood are tourist traps - make the city feel farcical, plastic, and tawdry. The farmer's market gives a truer glimpse into what old Hollywood felt like in it's glory days. I can't help but feel that James Dean hung out there regularly.


Had a strange incident today. Ended up chatting with a homeless guy this morning - not the stereotypical image that often gets conjured up when you say "homeless." There are a lot of people that do a fantastic job of assimilating into society fluidly, so they don't get harassed by cops, etc. I sometimes don't know how much truth I am getting when I get their life story - but I felt there was quite a lot in his.

Regardless, I have been really interested in what is going on behind the scenes on skid row lately. I live a few blocks away from it. When I first moved in, 5th street was seriously packed with people. You could barely drive down the road at times - there were so many people on the streets... A lot of crack addicts of course. The place was dramatic and heart wrenching as hell. You would literally watch prostitutes dragging 2 year olds by the arm and heroin addicts (with heaven in their eyes) drooling in rat infested gutters. Driving down skid row around 2 am is something that changes you. You start to understand how bad the situation really can get. How much harder life actually IS.
How people can simply be swept away.

ANYWAY. The THING is... skid row is a ghost town now. The police have really cracked down on the area because of all the new lofts and construction projects. A lot of money is moving in - and with it - a new exodus must take place. What is striking is that when I drive down 5th now - it is barren. And you begin to wonder where everyone is being put... things don't add up. Shady business, if you know what I mean.

Well - this guy I talked to today told stories of police brutality. How they are forcing everyone south into Compton and further. How they have arrested thousands upon thousands of people. How twenty plus police cars block off whole streets at night and raid. Violate the 4th amendment. Break into tents, pillage belongings, beat up, intimidate... further destroy people's already destroyed lives. The whole bit.
And I completely believe all of it.

He said the mayor hired the same guy involved in the clean up of NY under Rudy Guiliani in the 80s. Which makes a lot of sense. Need to fact check that...

These stories will most likely never see the light of day. Most people in Los Angeles have no idea skid row is in their city to begin with. And all this amazes me.


www.sachasacket.com

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

edmund

Ran across a great band... argh! this song is killing me at the moment for some reason.
pop magnificence and beautifully optimistic. Just what I need at the moment. love the random arrangements of things. it has a fun feel to it
Please go check them out and bookmark/buy their stuff. They can use it and deserve attention!


check out "the search is over" - 1st song on their myspace page.
and buy their stuff here


also check out this band-
Black Lab
their song - Mine Again

Santa Barbara, toilets, and trespassing city sidewalks

We took this picture backstage last night in Santa Barbara. Soho has a great sound guy, so it was a pleasure to play. People were dancing to some of our songs which was cool and fun to see - although I don't know how they did it to "Brandon." We were all a bit surprised at that... Met some really talented folks last night too - if you get a chance, check out - Simon Lynge and Chris Ayer. We hope to play more shows with them in the future. Always nice to see fantastically gifted folks being so generous in person as well. We shared a show with Chris just a few weeks ago in San Diego - played a yoga studio. Twiggs (the venue) had to shut down because the residents filed complaints against them - so we ended up playing to people lying out on yoga mats. It was seriously random, but the sound was good there too - and that's all that matters :)

This picture was taken before the Awakenings show in Lomita- they have a romper room right next door to the stage - so Anna and I decided to have a little fun of our own. Here she is inside a blowfish.

Life can offer the most random things at times. We were walking down Santa Barbara main drag on State street and passed this statue. It's a kid on a toilet with a biday squirter in his hands. It looks more like a game controller really - and why a kid would have a biday nozzle on a toilet is beyond me. It was so weird that I sorta wish I bought it.

I was walking through downtown LA a bit ago and ran across this on the sidewalk. "Right to Pass by Permission, and subject to control of owners." It was placed every 15 feet or so on the sidewalk. Really struck me as insane. Felt Orwellian for some reason...