Black Mountain Radio – “Of Consequence to the Signified”
Date: January 30, 2022
Hosts: Erika Vital-Lazar (A), Sara Ortiz (B)
Key Contributors: Yumi Janairo Roth (C), Evan James (E), Laramie Rosenfeld (F), Amanda Fortini (G), Paula Sadler (I), Vicky Now (D), Daisuke Shen (J), others
Episode Overview
This episode explores the meaning and power of “signs” and “signifiers” both in the literal sense—Las Vegas’s iconic signage and the overlooked art of sign spinning—as well as in cultural and literary contexts. The hosts investigate how everyday symbols and spaces shape identity, value, and perception through three main lenses:
- The artistry and cultural significance of sign spinning, featuring the "Spin After Sol LeWitt" exhibition by artist Yumi Janairo Roth;
- A deep dive into the unique social ecosystem of Las Vegas strip malls, especially the historic Commercial Center;
- An intimate literary conversation with writer Vicky Now about form, language, and her collection “The Vegas Dilemma.”
1. Signs and Signifiers: Context and the "Spin After Sol LeWitt" Exhibition
[00:29–03:23]
- The season opens focusing on the meaning and assumptions associated with signs in Las Vegas, especially the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.
- Erika references Robert Farris Thompson’s Flash of the Spirit and reflects on who assigns value to signs and sign-makers.
Notable Quote:
“When I think about signs... Thompson’s work asks: Who gets to decide what signs are worth studying? Who gets to decide what signs we keep?”
— Erika Vital-Lazar (A), [01:11]
The Art of Sign Spinning
[03:23–17:39]
Yumi Janairo Roth and Sign Spinners
- Artist Yumi Janairo Roth (C) discusses her exhibit "Spin After Sol LeWitt" at UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum, which recontextualizes street sign spinners as conceptual artists.
- The exhibit: 18 large-format signs bearing statements adapted from Sol LeWitt’s “Sentences on Conceptual Art,” spun inside the museum and then outside on the street.
Notable Quote:
“Sign spinning... is an analog method of advertising with amazing athletic and dance-like movements, like an interpretive dance.”
— Yumi Janairo Roth (C), [03:52]
Voices from the Sign Spinning Community
- Evan James (E) shares experiences as a career sign spinner: the challenges, pride, and artistry involved.
- Laramie Rosenfeld (F), two-time sign-spinning champion, discusses the intersection of art and physical skill, and the strong community aspect of sign spinning.
- Sign spinning competitions foster a “brotherhood” and a flow-arts culture comparable to skateboarding.
Notable Quote:
“Anybody who excelled in sign spinning was usually some type of dancer, skateboarder, musician... I always knew there was a correlation. Sign spinners and art always go hand in hand.”
— Laramie Rosenfeld (F), [07:29]
Artistic Collaboration and Transformation
- The exhibit allowed sign spinners to express themselves artistically, choosing signs that reflected their identity, rather than promoting a commercial client.
- The act of spinning these conceptual statements blurred boundaries between labor, performance, and art.
Notable Quotes:
“When the museum opens and a sign spinner comes, they are greeted with 18 signs... They read them, they touch them, select a sign, spin it in the museum, then take it outside and spin it for a few hours.”
— Yumi Janairo Roth (C), [08:39]
“That’s what made this campaign so awesome. We got to express that side... Actually make it about them.”
— Ryan Jones, General Manager, Arrow Sign Spinners, [15:18]
2. Las Vegas Strip Malls: The Commercial Center
[18:42–42:05]
Amanda Fortini on the Commercial Center
- Amanda Fortini (G), journalist, shares her fascination with the Commercial Center, an iconic—yet often maligned—Las Vegas strip mall.
- Describes the mall’s eclectic mix: Thai restaurants, billiards, adult daycare, nightclubs, fetish boutiques, LGBTQ bars and recovery spaces, salons, and long-standing local businesses like John Fish Jewelers.
Notable Moment:
Amanda’s first impression was of “the oddest, most unexpected menagerie we had ever seen,” invoking architectural studies on “learning from Las Vegas.”
“It was like a theme park for the right to privacy... In Las Vegas, the ID is free to roam.”
— Amanda Fortini (G), [21:40]
History and Cultural Layers
- Details the Commercial Center’s 1963 origins, mid-century glamour, and subsequent decay due to urban sprawl and the shift to indoor malls.
- Oral histories from store owners and entertainers reveal the mall’s role as a hub for celebrity, LGBTQ+ culture, and immigrant entrepreneurship.
Notable Quotes:
“This was known as the cut. A Cut is where people go to sell their goods. Two bath houses, two gay bars. So this was a party place back in the day.”
— Lawanda Jackson, performer (E), [31:17]
“I also practice feng shui, numerology... Just the simple act of actually cleaning and painting and doing those things, that’s actually a feng shui treatment.”
— Paula Sadler (I), [35:35]
Reputation, Perception, and Renewal
- Paula Sadler (I), spa owner and de facto organizer, describes beautification efforts and community defense against perceptions of crime and decay.
- Discusses battles to keep rents affordable for locally-owned and LGBTQ+ businesses, and worries over future gentrification as the area renews.
“It’s actually everything I had ever hoped it would become. I wrote a vision statement... and it’s happened.”
— Paula Sadler (I), [40:29]
3. Literary Experiment: Vicky Now and “The Vegas Dilemma”
[43:19–55:44]
The Art of Narrative and Resistance to Categorization
- Poet and fiction writer Vicky Now (D) discusses her story collection “The Vegas Dilemma” with friend Daisuke Shen (J).
- Their conversation probes how Vicky’s fragments and endings resist closure, demand active interpretation, and reflect both personal and global trauma.
Notable Quotes:
“My stories are designed to agonize and also to air out the dirty underwears, the soiled bed sheets, the stained refrigerators of my personal experiences with existence.”
— Vicky Now (D), [45:02]
“It’s human to make mistakes... All the stories doesn’t have to be perfect for them to arrive in the world.”
— Vicky Now (D), [49:59]
- Vicky explores genre fluidity, real-time writing, language as symbol, and the vulnerability of sharing work:
“When people say ‘oh, your work is poetry, it’s so emotionally based’... But it’s like, I plotted all my stories. I sat down; I have a very precise vision.”
— Vicky Now (D), [53:43]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On sign spinning as performance art:
“It’s like a silent world of movement... They would be all in. All in.”
— Yumi Janairo Roth (C), [03:52] -
On cultural value and ownership:
“They own it literally by moving those signs around, and figuratively because they start to embody it.”
— Yumi Janairo Roth (C), [16:24] -
On the multifaceted Commercial Center:
“Nothing that goes on in the strip mall is anyone else’s business... It was like a theme park for the right to privacy.”
— Amanda Fortini (G), [21:40] -
On prejudice and ownership:
“The general perception... has changed a lot, because now there’s just positive review after positive review.”
— Paula Sadler (I), [36:05] -
On writing, language, and mistakes:
“There’s a type of error that exists in professionism that should be celebrated in human nature, too. It’s human to make mistakes.”
— Vicky Now (D), [49:54]
Key Timestamps
- 00:33 – Introduction: Las Vegas signs as cultural beacons
- 03:52 – Yumi Janairo Roth on the art and athleticism of sign spinning
- 07:29 – Laramie Rosenfeld: the artistry and community of spinners
- 08:39 – Museum meets street: the exhibition’s participatory structure
- 15:01 – Arrow Sign Spinners’ management on self-expression
- 18:45 – Amanda Fortini on the mythos and lived reality of Las Vegas strip malls
- 21:40 – Commercial Center: “theme park for the right to privacy”
- 31:17 – Lawanda Jackson, the mall’s LGBTQ+ performance legacy
- 35:55 – Paula Sadler’s beautification and defense of community
- 40:29 – The Center’s renaissance and balancing growth with accessibility
- 43:19 – Introduction to Vicky Now’s literary segment
- 45:02 – Vicky on immersive, agonizing storytelling
- 53:43 – Genre resistance and plot in Vicky Now’s work
Tone & Style
The episode is reflective, intellectual, and personal—merging art theory, local history, lived experience, and literary experimentation. It champions often-overlooked forms of creativity and community while interrogating surface-level judgments and received wisdom about people, places, and genres.
Conclusion
“Of Consequence to the Signified” reveals the overlooked artistry in everyday life—whether through the athletic flair of a sign spinner, the social mosaic of a “seedy” strip mall, or the formal innovations of genre-defying literature. By centering voices that revalue the ordinary and question inherited meanings, Black Mountain Radio invites listeners to see—and signify—the world anew.