Off The Wall: E-Ho Remembers Jacko!

After his shocking, sudden death on June 25, it didn't take long to memorialize the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson - depicted in his '80s Thriller-era look - at this wall at Hel-Mel (Heliotrope at Melrose). The mural is an aerosol piece by David "Rabi" Torres of dtladesigns, who also did the new Villaraigosa mural at Santa Monica and Madison.

"Michael Jackson's music has always been the shit! When I was about seven I wanted to be him....along with everyone else in the world," said the artist. "His message was love and happiness. So when he passed, I remembered that Michael."

Rabi also added that he spent seven hours on Friday, June 26 - the day after Jackson died - making the mural.

The wall stands next to a storefront that was once the 1980s home of DMC Records, a record store catering to DJs, which moved a few miles west down Melrose in the early 1990s.

Speaking of the '80s, this mural stands right across the street from where another iconic '80s scene, from the movie Breakin', was filmed.

Hooray for Hollywood

As the area gears up for the Academy Awards on Sunday, on my bike ride en route to Central Hollywood to do some precinct walking for Eric Garcetti's campaign, I happened upon the sight of Charlie Chaplin waiting for a DASH bus at Fountain and Vine(!).

Okay, sure it's one of those impersonator dudes who stand in front of Mann's Chinese Theatre, but you just can't pass this up. Where else but in Hollywood?

John Williams All Up In My Hood

Oscar-winning film composer John Williams made a visit to his alma mater, Los Angeles City College on Wednesday night. He spoke in a Q&A session with LACC music professor Dr. Doug Dutton (my brother's music appreciation teacher, who also owns Dutton's Books in Brentwood), who asked the maestro questions from LACC music students.

He talked about attending LACC in the '50s (he transfered from UCLA because LACC had a better music program at the time!), his workday, composing over 60 bars of music in his Universal Studios office, working with just "pen and paper" over software, meeting a young Steven Spielberg for the first time and the importance of musical keys in his composition choices (apparently, he's fond of B major) and his start as a studio orchestra pianist.

Afte rthe Q&A, there was a concert of LACC student composers, bookended by Williams' compositions (from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Schindler's List, The Witches of Eastwick and Far and Away). Williams didn't perform or speak at the concert but he sat proudly in the center of the Camino Theatre.

As a fellow musician and (newbie) film composer, it was quite the educational experience to hear from one of the greatest contemporary American composers of all time.