The Doors are like a religion unto themselves. This may sound utterly pretentious, but 40 years after the fact, they remain the unique kind of band one either chooses to believe in or not.

Whoever said Los Angeles is lacking in arts and culture has certainly NOT visited Barnsdall Art Park, and has especially not visited the park on the second Sunday of the month. That’s right, the arts are alive and well here. This I am sure of after Sunday April 11th when I headed over to the art park, being a first timer myself, for a night of vibrant, living art.

“Once, without realizing it, they spent ten minutes 
conversing about two entirely separate topics. 
Alex was talking about S/M lifestyles, and Patrick 
was talking about living in New York, and they didn’t 
realize their error until Alex said, with an air of finality, 
‘Well, it’s a lot to go through just for an orgasm.’”

—Fool’s Errand, Louis Bayard

When I saw my first pictures of the Pink Bus, a Pepto-pink double-decker that had previously only existed in my dreams alongside unicorns and cotton-candy clouds, I wanted to get on board immediately. From its overturned bathtub bar covered with melted vinyl records, to a ceiling with an array of lampshades hanging down like stalactites, it is a treasure trove of scraps that have been transformed into an entirely unique and surprisingly homey environment. Unfortunately for me, the bus is parked in Edinburgh, so I sought out its two creators – Reading, England’s Victoria Brook and Caroline Fletcher.

Tim Johnston is going places—figuratively and literally, or should I say literary? Back in town to promote his award-winning collection of short stories, “Irish Girl,” the author has been riding on a wave of good news that is putting him on the up and up around the country. But it’s not just by luck that Johnston should meet such success—talent and a little determination are the key ingredients here. I first met the amiable author back in December when I covered one of his readings at Book Soup in Hollywood. Admittedly, I wasn’t familiar with Johnston’s work until about a week prior to the reading when I realized I would be covering it, and hence did my best to educate myself on his fiction. Needless to say, I was blown away by my findings.