07/17/2005       [ Listen to the whole show]

Jack Rudy
We didn't invent film here in Los Angeles but we did invent the movies. This isn't Kittyhawk, but it is the birthplace of aerospace. And all those tattoos you see around these days? Jack Rudy didn't invent tattoos but he was at the forefront of popularizing the "black and grey tattoo". Want a photograph of your wife tattooed on your arm? Go to Good Time Charlie's Tatooland.

David Ritz
Author David Ritz, whose most recent book is "Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story," tells Ben about his addiction to tattoos. It all started with one little tattoo on his right shoulder. Today, David is covered in brilliant, colorful abstract tattoos. David tells Ben how his addiction led to a spiritual lesson – one that musician Ray Charles also learned during the last days of his life.

Now-Again Records
Ever heard of Southern-California soul? Egon is trying to bring back the sound of 1970s LA-funk on his record label Now-Again Egon also shares music from LA's emerging deep-funk movement, which draws from such forgotten bands like Riverside's own Lil' Lavair & The Fabulous Jades. Listen to Egon spin records at Star Shoes. For directions to Star Shoes click here.

Legends Barbershop
The 2002 movie Barbershop, starring Ice Cube, was set in Chicago but it was based, in part, on Legends Barbershop, which is based right here on LA's Miracle Mile. Queena listens to Goose talk about the sad nature of barbers and she steps into a heated argument crack, violence and the death of real music.

Java City
On Friday nights, you can find clusters of Armenian men hanging out and playing chess at Java City in Glendale. But the story behind Java City's chess scene dates back to 1963 when target="_blank">Tigran Petrosian became Armenia's first world chess champ.

Traces of Identity: An Insider's View of the LA Armenian Community
A photographer named Ara Oshagan knows a lot about the Armenian Community here in Southern California. Besides being Armenian, he spent four years putting together Traces of Identity. You can go see Ara's photographs right now at the Downey Museum of Art. Or click here to see some of Ara's photos.

Ara Oshagan
Ara tells Ben about his newest project, which documents the lives of juveniles being tried as adults. On his first day visiting juvenile hall, a teen played Ara Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the piano by heart. Ara's project explores the thin line between him and the kids he’s photographing.

D.J. Vodicka
Prison isn't just a scary place for kids, correctional officer D.J. Vodicka talks about a group of guards at Salinas Valley State Prison who formed a gang named the Green Wall to help fend-off the prisoners. D.J. blew the whistle on the Green Wall. Today, D.J. says he lives life on the run out of fear that angry prison guards will seek revenge. DJ has filed a lawsuit against the Dept. of Corrections saying it failed to shield him under the state's whistle-blower protection act. The Department of Corrections says it doesn't comment on pending litigation and doesn't comment on the existence of the Green Wall.