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Off-Ramp

Exploring Southern California with John Rabe

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  • Enjoy a Dodger home opener with no labor issues, no Covid, no parking or traffic headaches ... and a guaranteed Dodger victory!
    We get it if you're a little sour on Major League Baseball right now, but turn that lemon into lemonade by checking out this whole episode of Off-Ramp recorded at the 2015 Dodger home opener. We got Justin Turner, Vic the Brick, Roz Wyman & Richard Montoya debunking the Chavez Ravine myth, the iconic organist Nancy Bea Hefley, pitcher John Rabe being lustily booed, an in-depth interview with then-GM Farhan Zaidi, and a lot more. All you need is a Dodger Dog, a michelada, and a bag of peanuts.

    Originally broadcast April 11, 2015.

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

    (Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

  • "Moonface" and "Vermont Avenue" podcast star James Kim couldn't talk to his parents - literally - because of First Language Attrition
    Today, James Kim is a successful podcast host, producer, and writer. You know him from "The Competition," "Moonface," and "Vermont Avenue," which won Tribeca's first Best Podcast award. And he's just wrapped up a project with Disney.

    But ten years ago, he was a fresh-faced Off-Ramp intern with a problem: he couldn't talk to his parents because he's first generation Korean-American and had lost his Korean when he learned English. 

    John Rabe pretty much forced him to do a first-person Off-Ramp piece about it, and it seemed to set in motion a major change for the better in James' life. 

    Bonus! James joins us to set up his piece from the Off-Ramp archive, and then hangs around to talk with John about life, love, and work ... including some tips for podcast aspirants.

    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.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

    (Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

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  • Welcome to Doo-Dah; Doo Dah Surf - Part One; The Duke of Surfing; Doo Dah Surf - Part Two; Doo Dah Surf - Part Three; Hang Tiki; Surf Break; Time Capsule
  • Wine Country: Echo Park; Wine Country: Slow Pickings; Wine Country: A Tasting; Spitting Good Wine; United in Hate; Parkers Posing; Hail, Little Caesar; Twelve Tones, Hanging Ten; Lucille Ball Remembered
  • A Christmas Carol Redux
  • R.I.P. Ike Turner; From Face Paint To Real Paint; Paul Stanley Gets the Led Out; Christmas in Longo; Season's Giving: My Friend's Place; Give the Gift of Modernism; Father Boyle Parable; Tried and True; LA Punk Turns Thirty; O' Christmas Tree
  • Getting a Handel; Homeless Get Robbed; Follow-Up with Union Rescue Mission; Skid Row Serial Killer; Sing Along; Join the Chorus; Songs of Freedom; Cocktail Rules; Do Nothing Writers; Epic Waves Hit California; City Officials Kick Up Heels for Hanukkah; Light Thieves; ValleyWood; KPCC's News Zocalo
  • On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me....; John Rabe is Selected; Skid Row's Only Women's Shelter; Food for Stuffed Animals?; A Taste of Geisha; Coach Carroll Reaches Beyond USC's Ivory Tower; KPCC's Big Dog breaks down Big Game; You Are a Grain of Rice; Keach as Galileo; LAUSD Flunks P.E.; The Other Scrooge; Country Bumpkin tops the Charts in the Big City; First Lady With Style
  • Note from John Rabe
  • Happy Thanksgiving; Charles Phoenix; In Time For Turkey; The Ernie Kovacs of the West Coast; It's A Jingle Out There; The Basque Valley; Norman Mailer Was My Editor; The Abundant Pharmacy; Herbal Taste Test; Cast-Offs; Cross Talk