Sure, there had been tacos al pastor before he did them, but after the popularity of King Taco, everybody had tacos al pastor. People had had carnitas before, but, suddenly, everybody had carnitas. It just seemed to form the template of what the modern Los Angeles taqueria should be. 

--Jonathan Gold, 2013

Nine years ago, Los Angeles lost an unsung hero, Raul Martinez Sr., the founder of King Taco. To find out why this man was so important to LA, I shared a taco or two (or three) with the late Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold at King Taco #1 in Cypress Park. (Gold died in 2018.)

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

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

In 2013, I visited an utterly charming and impish Harlan Ellison at his remarkable home and talked at length with him about his work as a prolific Sci-Fi writer. Then came the dreaded - and expected - phone call from Harlan's alter-ego. (Ellison died in 2018 but I wouldn't be surprised if he sent an angry message from beyond about using his name and "Sci-Fi" in the same sentence.)

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

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

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