If It’s Old Is It News?
Photo taken Tuesday, July 14, 2008
It was just yesterday that I was commenting on Chimatli’s post on LA Eastside about how silly excited Highland Parkers get when our community is mentioned in the LA Times, or the New York Times as it was with this past Sunday’s Travel section… Well, we were mentioned again in this morning’s story about the mural Mexico-Tenochtitlan “The Wall That Talks,” by the great Los Angeles columnist, and occasionally correct journalist, Steve Lopez.
I have read enough various newspapers and publications, seen enough god-awful television news coverage, and listened to plenty of misleading radio, to know that though the popular media outlets may be popular, getting the story straight isn’t as important as telling a good story that gets readers, viewers, and listeners to consume the advertising.
So in this morning’s story about how John Densmore (the drummer from LA’s greatest rock band, The Doors) help fund the mural’s creation and restoration, I wasn’t too surprised that Mr. Lopez got a few facts wrong. Examples:
“…it had been sacred ground, respected and untouched by taggers all these years…Until about two months ago.”
“..They immediately went to work restoring the original mural and are about halfway done.”
Huh? It was completely repaired back in January, and the tagging started two years before, and then got progressively worse.
Not to be too hard on the incorrect facts, it is mostly about Densmore and his passion for funding public art after all. But where was this story last year? Back when Lopez was singing the praises of ALZA, who ironically was one of the guys who defaced the mural with his benevolent “Care” spray paint piece.
Thankfully, this magnificently restored mural has managed to stay untouched after seven months. Let’s just hope the taggers continue to give it the respect it deserves. (Especially the paint-hydrant spraying “BTC,” who’s ignorance can be seen displayed from the Highland Park Station on the brick wall of the old Kress building , and more egregiously here.)
UPDATE 07.24.09
Oh Snap! I guess I was somewhat wrong about calling Steve Lopez mistaken about the mural. According to what I read over at EGP News, they ARE still restoring this mural. While the graffiti was completely painted over in January, according to the article the collective of muralist are still working on it, and trying to raise the funding needed to brighten up the mural with new paint and ultimately coat it with a anti-graffiti glaze. In fact, one of the muralist, Anthony Ortega commented on the EGP News website that they are out there every Thursday from 12-5 and are encouraging the community to come out and help!
it looks like the nytimes and the steve lopez article was a secret signal to the hipsters that its time to move on
Good for John Densmore. I remember years back when the government was threatening to take away the NEA if a particular gallery receiving government funding showed a performance artist’s (whose work the republican party had targeted as offensive). At that time it was Stephen Tyler from Aerosmith who came through with the money.