Remembering Dan Fante, An Angeleno We Won't Soon Forget edition

Gentle reader...

We got to know Dan Fante, who died last week, through our work celebrating his father, Bunker Hill novelist John Fante.

Dan was a hell of a writer himself--poet, novelist, memoirist and playwright--not to mention teacher, mentor, sobriety coach and mensch. It was an honor to host him at the debut LAVA literary salon at Musso & Frank (where his dad's house account was reactivated in his honor), the poetic closing party for the old Skid Row dive bar the King Eddy Saloon and especially at the corner of Fifth & Grand, when the city named the intersection John Fante Square and Dan cussed like a beautiful sailor in front of all the politicians, even though he'd promised he'd be good.

Here's video of the Fante Square dedication in which Dan comes on around 5:54 with two poems for his pop and musings on death and what the writer leaves behind.

Reports of Dan's death earlier in the month were premature (and a trial for his loving family to deal with), but we can confirm that this good man left Los Angeles for the last time just after dawn last Monday. There is nothing else to say but "Viva Fante!" And to advise you to go read him--you'll be glad you did.

We're back on the bus on Saturday with Pasadena Confidential, a guided tour through the weird history of the Crown City, starring assorted rocket scientists, black magicians and oddball pets. Join us, do!

GIVE THE GIFT OF... US!

The holidays are upon us, and with them the obligation to come up with something agreeable for all kinds of people. We'd like to make gift shopping easy on you, with the gentle suggestion that an Esotouric gift certificate is always the right size and color. The recipient can chose from something naughty or nice from our wide range of bus adventures, and you'll save on our regular ticket prices when you buy three or more before 12/24. For more info or to reserve, click here. Too dear?We can also recommend some great L.A. books.

RECOMMENDED READING

If you're a fan of Dashiell Hammett's snappy detective fiction or the terrific film adaptations, you'll want to read this scrupulously researched account of the self-made writer's path from Baltimore to the killing fields of the northwest labor wars, big city Pinkerton detecting to the TB hospital ward where he found a wife and the drive to write. Nathan Ward's slim volume illuminates the true life sources that made The Thin Man, Red Harvest and The Maltese Falcon possible, but not inevitable. Hammett brought some magic to the table, too.

COMING SOON

PASADENA CONFIDENTIAL - SAT. 12/5...The Crown City masquerades as a calm and refined retreat, where well-bred ladies glide around their perfect bungalows and everyone knows what fork to use first. But don't be fooled by appearances. Dip into the confidential files of old Pasadena and meet assassins and oddballs, kidnappers and slashers, black magicians and all manner of maniac in a delightful little tour you won't find recommended by the better class of people. (Buy tickets here.)

HOTEL HORRORS & MAIN STREET VICE - SAT. 12/12... Through the 1940s, downtown was the true city center, a lively, densely populated, exciting and sometimes dangerous place. But while many of the historic buildings remain, their human context has been lost. This downtown double feature tour is meant to bring alive the old ghosts and memories that cling to the streets and structures of the historic core, and is especially recommended for downtown residents curious about their neighborhood's neglected history. (Buy tickets here.)

THE REAL BLACK DAHLIA - SAT. 1/9... Join us on this iconic, unsolved Los Angeles murder mystery tour, from the throbbing boulevards of a postwar Downtown to the quiet suburban avenue where horror came calling. After multiple revisions, this is less a true crime tour than a social history of 1940s Hollywood female culture, mass media and madness, and we welcome you to join us for the ride. This tour always sells out, so don't wait to reserve. (Buy tickets here.)

CHARLES BUKOWSKI'S LOS ANGELES - SAT. 1/16... Come explore Charles Bukowski's lost Los Angeles and the fascinating contradictions that make this great local writer such a hoot to explore. Haunts of a Dirty Old Man is a raucous day out celebrating liquor, ladies, pimps and poets. The tour includes a visit to Buk's DeLongpre bungalow, where you'll see the Cultural-Historic Monument sign that we helped to get approved, and a mid-tour provisions stop at Pink Elephant Liquor. (Buy tickets here.)

THE LOWDOWN ON DOWNTOWN - SAT. 1/23... This is not a tour about beautiful buildings--although beautiful buildings will be all around you. This is not a tour about brilliant architects--although we will gaze upon their works and marvel. The Lowdown on Downtown is a tour about urban redevelopment, public policy, protest, power and the police. It is a revealing history of how the New Downtown became an "overnight sensation" after decades of quiet work behind the scenes by public agencies and private developers. Come discover the real Los Angeles, the city even natives don't know. Features a visit to the Dutch Chocolate Shop, a tiled wonderland not open to the public. (Buy tickets here.)

Additional 2016 tours include: Eastside Babylon (1/30), South Los Angeles (2/7), Raymond Chandler's L.A. (2/13), Weird West Adams (2/20), Boyle Heights & the San Gabriel Valley (2/27), Wild Wild Westside (3/12), The Birth of Noir (3/19) and Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice (3/26).

LAVA'S FORENSIC SCIENCE SEMINAR - SUN. 1/17

Four times a year, we gather in the teaching crime labs of Cal State Los Angeles under the direction of Professor Donald Johnson to explore the history and future of American forensic science. Your $36.50 ticket to Detective's Casebook: L.A. Bombing & The Making of A Serial Killer benefits graduate level Criminalistics research. For more info, click here.

OUR HISTORIC L.A. PODCAST

In the latest edition of You Can't Eat the Sunshine, we get the inside scoop on Barlow Sanitarium's legendary gift shop from 99 year-old Margaret Freed, shopkeeper. Plus, a visit with performance artist Elisha Shapiro maestro of Downtown L.A.'s 1984 Nihilist Olympics. Click here to tune in.

AND FINALLY, LINKS

A rare opportunity to see John Parkinson's intact Pershing Square design as Lois Weber's "Shoes" screens in Hollywood. See you there?

We're mapping the stories told on our L.A. history podcast.

Viva Paul Williams, modernist trailblazer honored in bronze at his Golden State Mutual building.

The Bodhi Tree, late, lamented occult and spiritual bookstore of West Hollywood, is reborn (online to start, with a physical store perhaps to follow).

What's new, pussycat?

Mack passes, a great seeker.

The Los Angeles Times is bleeding to death.

Tail o' the Pup to return--and be cloned.

A modest proposal for saving the Southwest Museum.

Holding an eviction notice in a place too beautiful to be demolished, this tenant fought back… and won. Photos galore in the landmarking application (PDF link).

The LA 2024 Olympic Committee is just making things up, like claiming BMX biking is allowed in Griffith Park.

New owner of Thelma Todd's roadhouse denies demolition rumors.

As in Albany, here on Bunker Hill: the long, black shadow of redevelopment.

When Charles Bukowski narrated a documentary about this SRO, he called it the Best Hotel on Skid Row. Not anymore.

Raymond Chandler's beloved Whaling Bar is kaput, and La Jolla has lost a big piece of its soul.

The Redwood was an interesting joint.

Beth Short stayed here before the Moroccan makeover. You can still pick up a little something to remember her by.

A phoenix in Woodland Hills. (But cut Buzz a little slack. He grew very old in that dump)

SUPPORT OUR WORK

If you enjoy all we do to celebrate and preserve Los Angeles history and would like to say thank you, please consider putting a little something into our digital tip jar. Your contributions are never obligatory, but always appreciated.

yrs,
Kim and Richard
Esotouric