There's something Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has loved as long as he's loved basketball: Sherlock Holmes. Like so many of us, he watched the old movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce on TV and fell under Holmes' spell; he even thought Holmes was a real detective. In 2015, when Kareem published his well-regarded "Mycroft Holmes," a mystery-adventure about Sherlock's smarter brother, he joined me on Off-Ramp to talk about it.

Kareem is smart; there's little in Doyle's stories about Mycroft, leaving the field open to him and his co-author Anna Waterhouse to tell new stories, and not incidentally let Kareem explore his Trinidadian heritage, and paint a more accurate picture of the multi-cultural London of Victorian England.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

John Williams is so ubiquitous now, as former leader of the Boston Pops and the man behind the music for so many Lucas and Spielberg films; and old-fashioned lush orchestral scores are now so common, it's hard to believe they were endangered a few decades ago. But they were, and Alex Ross, the New Yorker music writer, says you can thank Williams. In a long Off-Ramp interview from 2016 with tons of musical examples, Alex makes the case for Williams, and debunks the notion that the maestro is any sort of plagiarist. He also gamely demonstrates how to properly hum the Star Wars theme.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

Note from John Rabe

Message From John Rabe: This week Off-Ramp brings you the Monks of St. Catherine's Cathedral in the Sinai. The monks visited the Getty to kick-off the "Holy Image, Hallowed Ground" exhibit. Also, the Clippers announcer Ralph Lawler, Rose Bowl flea market finds and turkey talk. Happy Thanksgiving, -John (and Queena)

Midterm Madness; I Lost My Heart In San Francisco; Voting Block; The Comeback Kid; Rock en Spanglish; The Last Doughboy; The Wine House Rules; The Forgotten Veterans; Phys Ed Fizzles; My Barbarian; Whiteness; Full-bore Borat

New Scents; Free Laptop Bag Giveaway; The Haves, the Have-Nots and the Used-To-Haves; Alternate Route; Breaking the Rules of the Road; Spiritual Marketplace; Some botanas, por favor; The Everyday as Art; Give Me Some Lip; Reporter's Roundtable; The Rules of the Game

Saul Levine; Baptism By Ire; Motorcycle Writer; Sketches of Pain

Kinky in Los Angeles; Godzilla Released; Godzilla v. LAPD; George Takei and the voice of Godzilla; The Thill Ain't Gone; Norman McLaren; OCMA: HANK WILLIS THOMAS; The Vision Thing; Flaming Tri-Tip; Reporter's Roundtable; Call Sheet

Message from John Rabe: With cold and flu season upon us, we focus on germs. Or rather, how not to get them. This week, hand washing, flu shots, and the new sneeze. -John

Bob Kholos; OCMA Biennial; LA Smog; Sashimi and Wine; Tokyo's Ghibli Museum Park; TV on the Radio; Reporter's Roundtable