Close behind L. Ron we have exhibit #2: Uri Geller. Uri was an Israeli stage magician whose act included the usual spoon-bending and mental magic tricks, but he too realized that PTB could be employed to enhance his take. Moving from magic, where the audience knows it's not real, to ESP where the PTB-enhanced audience thinks it is real, was a definite step up. Now we're talking books and lots of publicity like appearances on Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson (which was a big mistake actually, because Johnny was a good amateur magician and knew how it was done). But unfortunately for Uri, there is a long line of magicians who don't approve of this particular perversion of the profession including Harry Houdini himself, who spent a lot of time and effort debunking "spiritual mediums", the ESPers of their day. In this respect, religion has it all over ESP, because there's no organized professional opposition.
At this point, the commercial break closes with a pitch for CSICOP, one of my favorite organizations.
And now, back to our trip. We spent Memorial Day weekend parked in Laura and Ian's driveway in Atwater Village, which is one of those LA neighborhoods that was developed in the 1920s and 30s. Very residential, with lots of small spanish-style bungalows. The neighborhood apparently went downhill at some point, but it's clear that gentrification is now well underway. For example, nearby Glendale boulevard offers an interesting socio-economic contrast: storefronts with signs like "checks cashed" equipped with those ugly metal grilles that slide across the entire front of the store at night right next door to espresso houses with names like "Proof" selling exotic croissants and vegan muffins.
Friday night Laura and Ian took us to see Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Yes, I know the word "Disney" evokes tacky commercialism, but it's not like that at all -- really quite a fabulous venue. Dudamel is the Venezuelan boy wonder who has had a rather meteoric career in the world of classical music. He is a product of "El Sistema" -- a remarkable program of music education for children and teenagers in Venezuela.
We had seen Dudamel and the LAPhil at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, also with Laura and Ian, playing an all-Mozart program under the stars. The Hollywood Bowl is a uniquely Los Angeles experience. Our seats came equipped with a folding picnic table, for example, which we used for the dinner we had brought with us. But the best part was the Jumbotrons. If you've never been to a big time football game or rock concert, these are giant video screens which show the performers "up close and personal" in real time. In this instance, the violin soloist was Gil Shaham, who was of course fabulous, but the amazing part was when the Jumbotron zoomed in on the fingerboard of the violin and you could watch his left hand as he played. This is something you can't normally see, even if you're seated in the first row.
Our other cultural outing was a visit to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, if you don't speak Lala) to see the mid-century modern design exhibit, where you could see what a classy 1950s home interior looked like. But for me it was a deja-vu type of experience, since I remember quite well what they actually looked like. So I'm looking at those strange women's dresses from the 50's and then I think "Oh wait, my mother used to wear something just like that." Click. Suddenly "strange" turns to "normal". And I think we had some interior furnishings in our house that looked exactly like the ones on display. Very odd.
We arrived at LACMA well before it opened, so we had something to eat at the ubiquitous lunch trucks across the street, and then wandered into the Petersen Automotive Museum which was just down the block. As was evident from the Johnny Rocket burger shop just off the lobby, this museum caters to a somewhat different cultural milieu. No wine and cheese available here. But there were a few totally restored great sedans from the 20s and 30s, some muscle cars, sports cars, motorcycles, and scooters, as well as a few old electrics. Concours d'Elegance it's not, but if you're a car buff like me, this place is well worth a visit.
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