Podcast
Greater LA
Hosted by KCRW · EN
Host Steve Chiotakis connects you to the people and places of Southern California.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How has LA homelessness changed in over 8 years?
Jan 12, 202400:38:52Tap to summarizeKCRW’s departing reporter Anna Scott talks about the gains and setbacks in housing and homelessness — after eight years covering the beat. Zach Galifianakis talks about the nonprofit Comedy Gives Back, reflects on his own Hollywood career, and explains why comedy is tougher than dramatic acting. To mark Greater LA’s last show, we re-air part of the first-ever episode, in which Steve Chiotakis visits a giant car shredder between the Ports of LA and Long Beach.
Transcribe →Angelenos are crowding clown shows — ‘an act of counterculture’
Jan 10, 202400:26:15Tap to summarizeWhen you hear the word “clown,” you probably picture a hacky kid’s entertainer. Well, a group of super-talented LA-based performers are trying to change that. The Broad’s “LA Intersections” is an upcoming festival-style exhibit of the music and spoken word scenes of LA. Punk rocker Keith Morris speaks to the importance of LA music history. Gathering around the table for a meal can ease America’s loneliness crisis, says Natasha Feldman, author of “The Dinner Party Project.”
Transcribe →Sale of Skid Row grocery store aims to bring racial healing
Jan 9, 202400:26:47Tap to summarizeA convenience store in Skid Row is changing hands from the community-oriented Korean American family that runs it — to a Black-led nonprofit. “Existencia,” a new work by the experimental performance troupe Diavolo, explores the chaos and community that resulted from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In an era of “hurriquakes,” heat waves, and fires, The Academy Museum screening series “Beware the Elements! Natural Disasters on Film” looks at the real-world implications of disaster films.
Transcribe →Finding love and beauty at Mosaic Tile House in Venice
Jan 9, 202400:26:38Tap to summarizeCheri Pann and Gonzalo Duran have transformed their Venice home into The Mosaic Tile House, a living artistic tapestry reflecting their love story. Kate Berlant wants audiences to know that her semi-autobiographical show, “KATE,” is theater, not stand-up. It begins on Jan. 17 at the Pasadena Playhouse. At Regen Projects in Hollywood, Catherine Opie’s exhibition, “harmony is fraught,” features over 60 photographs of LA spanning three decades.
Transcribe →Will ‘Ambassadors’ help LA metro riders feel safer?
Jan 5, 202400:26:38Tap to summarizeFood journalist Mona Holmes discusses how the LA restaurant scene fared in 2023 and anticipates dining trends for the new year. In response to complaints about customer service and mass transit safety, Metro is hiring hundreds of people to offer warm welcomes and help to passengers. The Autry Museum’s “Reclaiming El Camino” details the hardships Native populations faced under European settlement, and highlights Indigenous resistance.
Transcribe →Forget Hinge and Tinder? LA singles try ‘Love Isn’t Blind’
Jan 4, 202400:25:35Tap to summarizeAt an East Hollywood bar, a once-a-month comedy show features four men competing for the heart of a bachelorette, as the host whips out jokes and games. “Renewing the Dream: The Mobility Revolution and the Future of Los Angeles” is a new book about how LA is developing alternatives to getting around by cars.
Transcribe →Once-quiet landslide zone is starting to move. SoCal residents are worried
Jan 3, 202400:33:39Tap to summarizeLast winter’s rains accelerated a slow landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes, leading to cracked homes and trail damage at a popular reserve. What will El Niño do? David Duchovny isn’t just an actor — he’s a musician, director and author. His latest novella, “The Reservoir,” is set in the early days of COVID in NYC. An OC congressional race in the upcoming elections could tip the political scales in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Transcribe →Helpers replay special: Miracle Messages, Las Fotos, Underdog Community
Dec 28, 202300:24:35Tap to summarizeFor people experiencing homelessness, it can be tough to stay in touch with friends and family. The nonprofit Miracle Messages aims to make it easier. Las Fotos Project teaches photography to young women and gender expansive youth from communities of color. And they don’t just use phone cameras. Underdog Community Project is a mutual aid group of volunteers and trained veterinarians who help unhoused Angelenos keep their pets happy and healthy.
Transcribe →Animals replay special: Shrimp farming, bear boom, cats on hikes
Dec 27, 202300:26:37Tap to summarizeTransparentSea Farm in Downey produces nearly 1 million shrimp a year. That’s great for some of LA’s top seafood restaurants, but how do the prawns feel?In sleepy Sierra Madre, an uptick in bears has spurred the city to declare the animal a “public safety threat.” But locals and officials aren’t sure how to handle the ursine explosion.You often can’t tell cats what to do, much less put leashes on them and take them on walks. But that’s just what LA Times writer Lila Seidman did, and continues to do.
Transcribe →Replay: Looking back on 100 years of Tinseltown’s Hollywood Sign
Dec 26, 202300:27:07Tap to summarizeThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood Sign. It’s been at the center of scandals, PR stunts, and more during its time perched up on Mount Lee. In 1978, the Hollywood Sign was in a sad state, so rock legend Alice Cooper spent $27,000 to buy an “O” to honor his friend Groucho Marx. Other celebs followed. Artist Zach Fernandez marked California’s marijuana legalization by turning the Hollywood Sign into “Hollyweed.” It was tough to pull off due to security around the sign.
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