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Off-Ramp
Hosted by John Rabe

Exploring Southern California with John Rabe

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Episodes
  • In the workshop of Beth Goodnight, a self-proclaimed "mad scientist" of set building
    Two cool new podcasts: Missing Richard Simmons and The Competition
    Granted, the homeless make it hard to run a business near downtown LA’s Skid Row. But one man’s solution is raising eyebrows: spraying water on the sidewalk overnight. ... One of the local pianists in The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is already famous as the Video Game Pianist on YouTube. ... Richard Simmons has gone from being the most accessible celebrity in LA to gone. A new podcast “Missing Richard Simmons" asks what happened. ... And we visit Beth Goodnight -- self-proclaimed "mad scientist" of set building -- to see the last of her Oscar sets before they’re sent off for this weekend’s show.
  • Portrait of a Rabe as a sleepy man
    Art, donuts, Cheech, La Santa Cecilia, and a cool new bar.
    Director Ava DuVernay on her new documentary about the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery ... Backstage with La Santa Cecilia, a Grammy-winning L.A. band that tells modern stories with traditional music ... Frank Romero — interviewed by Cheech Marin — finally has his first major museum retrospective ... Another date that "lives in infamy:” when FDR ordered the imprisonment of 120-thousand Japanese-Americans 75 years ago this weekend ... Girl at the White Horse, a brand new cocktail bar at Sunset and Western, owned by the son of the Shah of Iran’s social secretary.
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  • A undated photo of the back of the Los Angeles Theatre in downtown LA, purchased by Ezat Delijani in 1982 at Mayor Bradley's request.
    RIP Downtown Theater Savior - Off-Ramp 9-3-2011
    Remembering Ezat Delijani, 83; bought and saved 4 downtown LA movie palaces ... A Noise Within gets a huge new theatre ... stick-fighting in Hermosa Beach ... Nick Roman remembers covering Cerritos plane crash 25 years ago ...
  • "Mr. Flamingo" and the "Bronze Buckaroo," Herb Jeffries
    Sweet, hot and windy - Off Ramp for 8-27-11
    A different music festival, less likely to be cancelled, comes to LA. Birding with a 15 year old expert, and how to bring a tornado to Long Beach.
  • Off-Ramp turns five years old this month. One of our heroes is Robbie Eisenberg, who died in 2003. He turned 101 in 1999, celebrating with a big cake at The Pantry, and was still selling zippers in downtown LA until he was 103.
    Happy 5th Birthday Off-Ramp - 8-20-11
    The best of five years of Off-Ramp including: Tom Jones ... Heston Remembered at the DWP ... Movies at the Cemetery ... Dog Pee v Skunks ... Rabe as Arnie and Andy ...
  • Men play tug of war at a Korean Institute of Southern California picnic in 1995. But feel free to sit in the shade at your local park this weekend and do absolutely nothing.
    Your turn to talk about 9/11 - Off-Ramp 8-13-11
    CyberFrequencies launches new 9-11 project ... Marvin Hamlisch on writing music for Barbra ... Eat:LA on making goat cheese at home, and eating burgers with Obama ... ArtWalk reacts to the baby tragedy ...
  • Filming "I Love Lucy" in 1952.
    Off-Ramp Loves Lucy -- 8-6-2011
    We celebrate TV pioneer Lucille Ball on her Centennial ... Kevin's grandma remembers WW2 and the USS Indianapolis ... The LA Jewish Symphony plays Bible stories at the Ford Ampitheatre ... a trip down Wilshire in 1970s photos ...
  • Author Lisa See (far right) with (L-R) Producer Wendi Murdoch, actress Li Bingbing, director Wayne Wang, and producer Florence Sloan, at a screening of Fox Searchlights' "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" on July 11, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
    Lisa See Dreams of Joy on Off-Ramp 7-30-11
    Lisa See on "Dreams of Joy," the sequel to "Shanghai Girls ... "Leftover Cuties" live on KPCC's Jam and Banter ... Dinner Party Download makes you 15% smarter, 12% more attractive ... RIP Magu (Gilbert Luhan, founder of Los Four) ...
  • In this undated photo from the LA Public Library's fantastic online photo archive, a child captures Off-Ramp correspondent Hank Rosenfeld's disgust at the way officials treat the people who enjoy the free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier from blankets on the sand.
    Turturro Shares His "Passione" - Off-Ramp 7-23-11
    John Turturro on his Naples music doc Passione ... tour the new dino exhibit at the Natural History Museum ... Kidz Karmen at the Bowl ... The Man Harshes Good Vibe at SaMo Pier Concerts ... CyberFrequencies on Sexting ...
  • In Passione, Director John Turturro gets in front of the camera to dance with a few of the Neapolitans he meets on the street.
    Special: Actor and Director John Turturro on Passione, his newest film
    John Turturro talks with Kevin Ferguson about his love of Italian music, especially that of Naples, where his musical documentary takes place.
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