Los Angeles Visionaries Association

This Esotouric tour focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

"Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" spans Bukowski's personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski's favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work. In one of his finest poems, he described this as a bluebird he kept caged, and that bluebird is been represented in the Bukbird, a pale blue version of his beloved alcoholic crow character, represented by a logo created by cartoonist Tony Millionaire exclusively for this tour. The Bukbird is available on T-shirts, beer coasters and fine art prints by plasticmuse.

Press clips:

LA Weekly interviews Charles Bukowski tour host Richard Schave to compile a list of L.A. sites that were important to the writer.

Flavorpill calls the Charles Bukowski tour a "City Gem" and "a poetic journey full of rare insight into the life of a man who's come to represent the ghettoized contingency of the City of Angels."

Slake wonders if the Charles Bukowski tour is "'Fawlty Towers' on wheels."

Spike Magazine digs our literary tours.

Novelist Anna Stothard explores the hidden gems of Los Angeles for the London Guardian, including our Bukowski tour.

Annenberg News Radio covers our Charles Bukowski tour in a video/slideshow.

Marco Mannone on the Charles Bukowski bus: "Four hours after we departed, the tour drops us back off at Philippe’s. This is a terrible way to simplify the tour, filled with so much wit and insight into not only Bukowski, but lost parts of Los Angeles.&quot

Girls Gone Wild digs the Charles Bukowski tour.

For more info, see this short film on the landmarking of Bukowski’s former bungalow on De Longpre.

This tour focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

"Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" spans Bukowski's personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski's favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work. 

LAVA Visionary A. Laura Brody's been invited to live drape at the TwentyWonder fundraiser for DSA Los Angeles!

It's got a Derby Doll grudge match, Exene Cervenka, Ed Asner does Seuss, the Poubelles, folk from Circque Berzerk, the League of Steam, the original Batmobile and so much more. (I'm awed by the company I'm keeping.)

And I'll be draping in the lot and in the Derby Mall, in the midst of the League and the Circque and crazed karaoke. So if you'll be around the Doll Factory on Saturday, July 9th, please come on down. 8 PM 'til midnight (early goers welcome from 6-8 PM) at 1910 W. Temple St. in historic Filipino Town, Los Angeles 90026. It's a great cause and a good time.

This Esotouric tour focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

"Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" spans Bukowski's personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski's favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work. In one of his finest poems, he described this as a bluebird he kept caged, and that bluebird is been represented in the Bukbird, a pale blue version of his beloved alcoholic crow character, represented by a logo created by cartoonist Tony Millionaire exclusively for this tour. The Bukbird is available on T-shirts, beer coasters and fine art prints by plasticmuse.

For more info, see this short film on the landmarking of Bukowski’s former bungalow on De Longpre.

This Esotouric bus adventure focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave.

"Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" spans Bukowski's personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski's favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

Esotouric has made its name with true crime bus tours (Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential) and explorations of literary LA (Raymond Chandler, John Fante, James M. Cain). Now they turn their creative attentions to Bukowski, the prolific poet, novelist and screenwriter whose rough-hewn tales of boozing, wild women and rotten jobs never obscure the deep vein of sweetness and hope that runs through all his work.

This tour focuses on Bukowski’s great passions: writing, screwing and Los Angeles. We’ll take in the canonical locations of his life and myth: the Postal Annex Terminal where he gathered the material for “Post Office,” the De Longpre apartment where he briefly experimented with marriage and fatherhood, one of his favorite bars and liquor stores, and many other spots. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and ideas that made up the warp and weft of Buk’s rich inner life. This Esotouric bus adventure is hosted by Richard Schave, one of the organizers behind the successful campaign to name Charles Bukowski's East Hollywood bungalow a Cultural-Historic Landmark.

"Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA" spans Bukowski's personal city, from Skid Row to once-genteel Crown Hill, to Bukowski's favorite East Hollywood liquor store, the Pink Elephant.

On the last Sunday of each month, LAVA welcomes interested individuals to gather on the third floor of the historic Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles (noon-2pm), for a loosely structured conversational Salon featuring short presentations and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. If you're interested in joining LAVA as a creative contributor or an attendee, we recommend Salon attendance as an introduction to this growing community. We also recommend the shortbread.

Special program at the July 25 Salon: LAVA Visionaries will host curated conversations and presentations at tables around the room. Stay tuned as additional details are added closer to Salon time.

12:30pm: A table discussion hosted by Visionary Miguel Angel Corzo on the subject of adaptive reuse of historic buildings, a topic of particular interest to him in his capacity as the President of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles’ newest addition to the region’s cultural landscape, soon to open in the restored 1888 Brunswig Building. He is President Emeritus of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and former Director of the Getty Conservation Institute.

1:00pm: A table discussion hosted by Visionary Joan Renner on the dark and nefarious history of L.A.'s old Chinatown (where Union Station stands today). From opium dens to fallen women, bartered babies to subterranean tunnels of vice, Chinatown embodied the weirdest fantasies of early 20th century Angelenoes. How much of it was true, how much a racist and pruprient fiction? Drop by Joan's table to find out. Joan is a writer and a social historian with a passion for vintage cosmetics ephemera, and crime. As a tour guide for Esotouric she has created a personality profile of Elizabeth Short (aka The Black Dahlia) based upon her choice of makeup. Joan is currently developing a tour that will delve into graft and corruption in Los Angeles during the 1930s. Her blog Vintage Powder Room explores history, women, art, and provides her with a transparent excuse to add to her collection of over 500 items, which she has lectured on at the Queen Mary Art Deco Festival and at a past LAVA Salon.

Closing poem from Mike The Poet.

We regret to inform you that scheduled presenter Lin Van Hek is unable to appear due to unforseen circumstances. 

Following the Salon, a limited number of attendees are invited to join LAVA founder Richard Schave on a free walking tour of historic Olvera Street and a preview visit to downtown's newest cultural institution, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in the old Brunswig Building just south of "La Placita" church. Here President and CEO Miguel Angel Corzo will give us a 30-minute walkthrough of the newly-refurbished site and touch on the core goals and objectives for the institution, which opens in the fall. For more info or to reserve (required), click here.

Clifton's Cafeteria is at 648 South Broadway, near the corner of 7th Street. There are numerous paid parking lots nearby, and the closest Metro station is Pershing Square. Clifton's is online at http://www.cliftonscafeteria.com

pLAyLAnd

April 3 - May 31, 2010 (opening reception, April 3, 6 pm - 10 pm)

presents a two month intermedia exhibition (hours Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 - 6:30, Saturday and Sunday noon - 6, and by appointment.)

pLAyLAnd, a pop-up exhibition space

A do-it-yourself inter-media art exhibition featuring 23 artists from Reno, San Francisco and Los Angeles in a variety of media and events taking place throughout the two months of the show, including site-specific installation, circuit-bending sound scape, international mail art show, video installation, live performing sculpture, photography, painting, large scale sculpture, poetry bomb, spoken word, performance, handmade toys that recreate science fiction scenarios  - and Mudpeople.

Step into the experience of pLAyLAnd.  "You're bound to see something you like and you will probably see someone you know". Meet the Artists, live action surprises throughout the evening, including a short performance by our beloved John Fleck.  Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. All events are free.

Our artists are; Tetsuji Aono, Andy Ben, Jeff Boynton, Dean Burton, Mona Jean  Cedar,   Mike Christy, Simone Gad, Eli Geiser, S.A. Griffin, Dusty Hartman, Anna Homler, Stanton Hunter, Stephanie Hogan, Trelaine Lewis, Jason Lockyer, Mike Mollett, Tiger Munson, Elaine Parks, Kenzi Shiokava, Dianna Sion, Skooter & Creative Thing, Neal Taylor, Helen Van der Neer, Kris Vagner.