Brentwood News / Century City - Westwood News: April 2024

Opinion: Does Los Angeles Want a Historical Monument That Can’t Be Seen?

By Raymond Klein

The purpose of a monument is to be seen. A monument is a tangible embodiment of a historical legacy that is protected for future generations. But the Los Angeles City Council is about to consider adding to the list of L.A. Historic Monuments the “Marilyn Monroe House,” that will not be able to be seen or experienced by the public nor by the celebrity home tour buses and sightseers who would nevertheless seek out the address if it is added to the list of Los Angeles Monuments. What they would see is a wall and gate shown in the current photo below. The result would be traffic, noise, and a general nuisance endangering the safety and, peace, and quiet of the neighbors on a narrow cul-de-sac street.

Councilwoman Traci Park, the Cultural Heritage Commission, and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee of the City Council have proposed the designation of the privately-owned property in Brentwood as a Historical Monument because Marilyn Monroe lived there for less than a year in 1962, and

it was the place, according to the L.A. County Coroner, of her “probable suicide.” Proponents of historic designation can cite only one interview Marilyn Monroe had with a reporter during her short residency at the house and only two photo sessions. Opposed to the designation are the current owner of the property, the Brentwood Community Council (representing approximately 35,000 stakeholders), the Brentwood Homeowners Association, the Brentwood Park Property Owners Association, and the Mandeville Canyon Association.

Marilyn Monroe undoubtedly played a significant role in the entertainment industry on a national level and continues to be a Hollywood icon with fans throughout the world. But should this particular property be a Los Angeles Historic Monument?

After the president of the Cultural Heritage Commission was able to tour the property, he said at the hearing that, “When I stood in the bedroom, I was moved.” But, the public will not have access to the house. The Commissioners were able to enter the locked gate and view the exterior and

interior of the house, which are hidden to anyone else behind a high wall. The public will not be able to see the house from the public roadway or experience the house in the way that influenced the Commissioners. This would be the only Los Angeles Historic Monument that the public will not be able to experience or see.

The Motion by Councilwoman Park to designate was made quickly to stop demolition and was emotional and impulsive. But now that there has been time for a rational, analytical review of the issue, designating a Monument that no one can see or experience and that would have serious nuisance side effects for thousands in the nearby neighborhood should not be done. Even Marilyn Monroe would oppose designation to preserve her house.

An article in LIFE magazine written after an interview in her house around the time of Marlyn Monroe’s death said: “She had refused LIFE any pictures of it, saying, “I don’t want everybody to see exactly where I live, what my sofa or my fireplace looks like. Do you know the book Everyman? Well, I want to stay just in the fantasy of Everyman.” In other words, Marilyn Monroe would be opposed to designating the Brentwood house as a Monument. Councilwoman Traci Park and City Council should grant her wish.

Marilyn Monroe’s Former Home Faces Preservation Vote in Los Angeles City Council

Debate Over Designating Actress’s Last Home Historical Landmark Intensifies

Marilyn Monroe is a beloved icon, but the neighborhood where one of the actress’ homes is located is not happy about the idea that the home could be designated as a historic landmark.

We published an open letter yesterday airing some of these views, but there have been some responses to the issue in the last 24 hours.

The proposal might be coming to a vote this week to preserve the home where the actress died in Brentwood.

Los Angeles City Council member Traci Park of Council District 11 filed the paperwork to prevent the demolition of the home last year when the plan was made public. Park said she took the step after hundreds of fans contacted her office asking her to prevent the estate from being razed. The family that owns the property supports a plan to move the home to another location where it would be more accessible to the public.

Park spoke to ABC 7 News today and said, “I can’t imagine any home in the city of Los Angeles more worthy of this designation than Marilyn Monroe’s home. It’s also a very fair request from our community and constituents that their interest and privacy be respected, so when I hear things about trespassing, that really crosses a line.” She added that the idea to move the home was a creative idea that could potentially make the home accessible to fans.

Benjamin Hanelin, the lawyer for the family that owns the home, said, as quoted by ABC 7 News, “The house is not visible

from the street. It will never be accessible to the public, even if it’s designated as a landmark. It is our client’s property, and they can do whatever they want with it.”

“Designating it as a landmark doesn’t do anything to help the public, does nothing to address the community’s concerns,” Hanelin said. “In fact, it’s only going to worsen the impacts on the community.”

Brentwood Beat: OJ Recalled

By Jeff Hall

Former Brentwood resident OJ Simpson is now gone. Several have asked me to write something about this. This was a huge deal in Brentwood at the time (1994-95) and the Brentwood News got pulled into the vortex, big time.

I remember seeing all the blood on the Bundy sidewalk the morning of the murders. At first I didn’t know what it was, and I blurted out, “Is that blood?”

“No sh*t, Sherlock” came the answer from a CNN cameraman on the sidewalk in front of the condo where the murders took place.

Ten years ago, I wrote a “twenty years later” story, which you can find here: https://brentwoodnewsla.com/what-themurders-at-bundy-drive-and-the-o-j-trialdid-for-brentwood/

I had met OJ several times. He was incredibly charming and charismatic. I introduced myself to him and Nicole Brown Simpson at a Brentwood restaurant one time. He wasn’t put out at all; he welcomed the attention and would have kept talking all night, I think.

Our daughters were in the same “Dance 4 Kids” recital. OJ was really good with all the little kids who begged for autographs. Most probably didn’t know who OJ was but asked for autographs at the urging of their parents.

I remember the day of the slow speed chase. I immediately headed over to OJ’s to get close to the action.

On the day the prosecutors asked OJ to put on the gloves, I was having a beer with my buddy Bill Foard, who helped start the Brentwood News. We were at the Brentwood Inn, a popular watering hole in Brentwood Village. We were all watching the OJ trial, live, on the big TV screen in the corner.

When the gloves didn’t fit, you could hear a collective gasp throughout the bar. We were all in shock.

Shortly thereafter, when OJ was acquitted, I wrote an article called “A Letter to OJ,” saying I thought, like many

Brentwoodians, he was guilty.

We had a Black art director at the time and he was finishing up the final pages, just before we went to press.

When he read my column, he stormed into my office, saying, “You can’t write this.”

It was an almost physical confrontation, very face-to-face. I was quite shocked, really, as I thought OJ’s guilt was so obvious. Some of my colleagues got us both to back off.

But this event revealed up-close-andpersonal how profound the racial divide was when it came to the OJ issue. Let’s face it: We still have issues.

We ran the article as I wrote it, and then,

a day or two later, when the paper got delivered, my white friends started telling me I was crazy – that by saying I thought OJ was guilty, OJ would now come murder me.

I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore.

THE MUSIC MINUTE

South Brentwood Residents Association Calls for Changes to Enhance Community Integration

SBRA Advocates for Modifications to Proposed Wilshire/ Westgate MixedUse Project

The Wilshire/Westgate area is the center of discussions regarding a proposed mixed-use development project. The South Brentwood Residents Association (SBRA) is urging the Council Office to consider modifications to the proposed project at 11905 Wilshire Boulevard. The seven-story development is designed to encompass 80 apartment units alongside retail space and 160 bike parking spaces, aiming to alleviate vehicular parking demands.

SBRA’s recommendations, deemed applicable to all Wilshire projects, encompass various aspects aimed at enhancing the project’s alignment with the community’s

aesthetic and functional needs. Among these requests are:

Compliance with West Wilshire Community Design Overlay (WWCDO): The WWCDO mandates specific design elements, such as street trees, landscaping, and architectural features, intended to enhance the visual appeal and pedestrian-friendliness of Wilshire Blvd. west of the 405 freeway.

Alley Repaving: SBRA advocates for the repaving of the alley behind the project site, citing its current poor condition as a concern.

Privacy Measures: The association emphasizes the importance of designing projects to minimize privacy intrusion on existing residences, recommending proper elevation relative to adjacent buildings and the incorporation of screening elements.

The association’s letter concerning the project provides further details regarding SBRA’s requests, and additional considerations can be found here.

The proposed development has sparked community interest and involvement, reflecting the ongoing dialogue surrounding urban development and community integration within the Wilshire/Westgate area.

O.J. Simpson, Infamous Football Star Accused of Murder, Dies at 76

Controversial

Figure Succumbs to Cancer Shortly After Diagnosis

Orenthal James Simpson, a former football player who is best known for being accused of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, has died at the age of 76 from cancer.

His death on April 10 was announced on his social media account on Twitter and Facebook by a family representative. The message said, in part, “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer…” Simpson’s last posts, with videos, were sent two months ago on February 9 and 11. The previous posts were responses to a rumor that he was in hospice care, which Simpson denied, stating he was in good health, but it was confirmed that he did have prostate cancer around the same time.

After Los Angeles District Attorney Gil

Garcetti filed charges against Simpson on June 17, 1994, Simpson refused to surrender to authorities, called 911, threatening suicide, and went on the run, leading the local authorities on an infamous slow-speed chase on the 5 Freeway, starting in Santa Ana, and 405 Freeway, through West Los Angeles, closely watched by about 95 million viewers on television news.

His friend and fellow football player, Al Cowlings, was in the white Ford Bronco and called 911, telling the police that Simpson was holding a gun to his head. Cowlings stated that OJ Simpson wanted to talk to his mother and requested that he be allowed to drive to his home in Brentwood.

After his arrival in Brentwood, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in July of 1994 and was subsequently acquitted by a jury in Los Angeles after “the trial of the century” that was both controversial and hotly contested by the public in October of 1995. No other suspects were ever charged with the crime. Simpson had previously pleaded no contest to a charge of domestic violence in 1989. A Washington Post poll in 2016

found that 83% of white Americans and 57% of Black Americans believed that Simpson committed the murders.

Simpson was sued in civil court by the two families of the victims and was found liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Ron Goldman and battery against Nicole Brown. The families were awarded

$33,500,000 in damages in total, with $8.5 million in compensatory damages awarded to the Goldman family and $12.5 million in punitive damages to each family. According to the Daily Mail, Simpson has allegedly only paid the Goldman family $133,000 of the judgment and owes $100 million with accrued interest.

Outrage Erupts Over Demolition of Iconic Midcentury Craig Ellwood Home in Brentwood

Destruction of Zimmerman House

Creates Internet Backlash

Preservationists lamented last year when another treasure of L.A.’s midcentury modern architecture vanished, this time with little warning. Situated on one of Brentwood’s most desirable streets, the Zimmerman House was sadly demolished.

Recently, outrage has risen on the Internet as architecture fans and Angelenos who love the city’s history have discovered that Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger had the architectural marvel and beloved mid-century estate demolished.

Twitter users said, “It’s sad to see icons of modernism needlessly destroyed by insensitive McMansion seekers.” and “truly the *worst* Chris.”

The Los Angeles Conservancy posted a demolition alert on January 11 of this year, which said, “We recently learned about the proposed demolition of this 1950 Modernist residence at 400 North Carmelina Avenue in Brentwood. Designed by Emiel Becsky and working within architect Craig Ellwood’s office, he created a one-story, nearly 3,000 sq. ft. residence that appears to be highly intact and a noteworthy example of Modernist

design from this era. The City’s SurveyLA program identified it as potentially historic, yet no protections are currently afforded.”

Martin and Eva Zimmerman commissioned the architect Ellwood to build their home in 1949, which was completed in 1950. The home was a showplace featured in architectural magazines; the estate’s outdoor spaces were curated by landscape designer Garrett Eckbo.

The estate was sold in 1968 and then again in 1975, when it fetched $205,000 when it was purchased by screenwriter and showrunner Sam Rolfe and his wife, Hilda. Hilda Rolfe said that her husband “created 13 in all, including Have Gun - Will Travel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Manhunter.” as quoted by The New York Times.

The home was sold in an off-market sale for $12.5 million after Hilda Newman-Rolfe died in 2022. The secret buyers were Pratt and Schwarzenegger, who promptly razed the midcentury structure to construct a new mansion. According to the Robb Report, the permits for the new mansion stated that the architect, Ken Ungar, famous for the modern farmhouse-style mansions that are going up all over the city, is designing their new home.

The couple likely chose to destroy the home for the simple reason that the now vacant lot is close to the estate of Katherine Schwartzeneggar’s mother, Maria Shriver, on North Carmelina Drive. Pratt and Schwarzenegger are still living in their mansion in the Pacific Palisades until their new mansion is completed.

Caltrans District & Provides Update on Topanga Canyon Landslide Closure

Caltrans District 7 has updated the situation related to the closure of Topanga Canyon after this year’s heavy rainfall and the area’s latest and most serious landslide. In a press statement, The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) projects that the

2024, is substantially larger than a previous one in the 1940s. The visible face of the current landslide extends approximately 300 feet above the roadway and continues about 200 feet beyond the surrounding brush.

extensive landslide at post mile 1.8 on State Route 27 in Topanga Canyon will be cleared by fall 2024, pending favorable conditions.

California State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin visited Topanga Canyon with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to examine the landslide’s severity. You can watch a video of the visit and listen to the explanation of the seriousness of the landslide, which includes thousands of rocks, here.

https://youtu.be/eyO-XGwRfqY?si=FogPd65ZbLZgamF

The latest observations indicate ongoing water seepage beneath the dirt, mud, and rocks, suggesting the potential for further movement of the mass. Recent rainfall during the weekend of April 13-14 exacerbated the instability of the hillside.

The landslide, which occurred on March 9,

Given the present geological conditions and the slope’s instability, the removal process must proceed from the top downward. Removing material from the base of the slope is necessary to prevent the destabilization of the earth and large boulders above as water continues to permeate beneath the surface.

Of particular concern is a sizable boulder, approximately 10 feet in height, visible from the south side of the landslide. A crack measuring 5 to 10 feet wide has formed behind the boulder, with the weight of the hillside exerting pressure on it.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the visible face of the landslide comprises about 80,000 cubic yards and weighs approximately 9.2 million pounds, equivalent to the capacity of 5,500 dump trucks.

As a result of the closure, State Route 27 is inaccessible from Grand View Drive to State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). During the closure, temporary signal lights have been installed at Tuna Canyon Road and State Route 1 to facilitate traffic flow for Topanga Canyon residents seeking access to the southbound Pacific Coast Highway.

Caltrans is collaborating with local authorities and elected officials to minimize the landslide’s impact on the community. Members of the public can direct inquiries to Topanga@dot.ca.gov.

Brentwood Beat: BHA Annual Meeting, Fire Danger and the Homeless

By Jeff Hall

Brentwood Brentwood Homeowners Association (BHA) held its annual meeting recently at the Brentwood School’s middle school auditorium.

Before all the speeches, there was plenty of free food catered by Coral Tree Café. Nice.

BHA likes to do things first class. BHA used to hold its annual meetings up at The Getty, which was very nice, but the Brentwood School location is much better, logistically speaking.

There isn’t much of a drive to get there; the parking is easy, there’s no need to take the train to the top of the hill. The auditorium is comfortable – and of course, there was the free food.

If you haven’t been to a BHA meeting in its new location, I highly recommend it. Be on the lookout for announcements next year. BHA has a lot of clout and once again drew a stellar group of speakers, including Mayor Bass, councilwoman Traci Park, and top officials from the Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments.

Mayor Bass reported progress on the homelessness front, saying several who had lived in sidewalk encampments were now living in older hotels and motels that are now renting rooms to the city for the purpose of providing shelter. This is an expensive approach, she acknowledged, saying the city was looking into several options, including providing slightly

A tiny home with a bathroom and a kitchenette is a much more attractive option, she said. The tiny homes we have come to know are mostly in clusters, with a shared bathroom and food area.

Much attention was given to fire prevention and suppression. Brentwood, Palisades, Bel Air, and other hillside communities face special dangers; once a fire gets started, winds can quickly whip through the canyons, spreading the flames.

BHA was recognized at the annual meeting by MySafe: LA (see MySafeLA. org) for taking a proactive role in preparing Brentwood for the worst.

MySafe: LA inspects homes for fire dangers, installs free smoke alarms, and provides training in CPR, evacuation, and resilience. MySafe: LA works closely with LAFD, homeowners, neighborhood councils, and others to “harden the target.”

Mayor Karen Bass addresses the annual meeting of the Brentwood Homeowners Association

CD11 City Councilwoman Traci Park (left) and David Barrett, Executive Director of MySafe: LA (right) present Thelma Waxman (center), BHA president, with a certificate recognizing BHA as a “California Fire Safe Council.”

Free Food

Discover the Untold Story of FolkRock Icon Judee Sill in “Lost Angel” Documentary

Directors Share Insights into the Life and Legacy of the Enigmatic Musician

Have you ever heard of Judee Sill? If you haven’t, you should, and now you have the chance to learn about her life and her music with the release of the documentary Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill opens this week in theaters, on digital, and on-demand, Apple, Amazon, Vudu, and other major platforms, in the US and Canada on April 12.

The film is the never-before-told story of folk-rock icon Judee Sill, who, in just two years, went from living in a car to appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone. The documentary charts her troubled adolescence through her meteoric rise in the music world and her early tragic death. It features Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Fleet Foxes, David Geffen, JD Souther, Big Thief, Weyes Blood, Tim Page, and more. Executive Producers include Maya Hawke and author Cheryl Strayed.

I spoke with the film’s directors, Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom, about Judee Sill, making the film, and the magic of this extraordinary woman and musician who is undefeated by time and her own death. She wrought magical and timeless music that still moves people to this day.

You can view the trailer here: https://youtu.be/FSYccLZUEs?si=4LfeHeU7i5qFhC9F

Dolores Quintana: Brian and Andy, I guess I should start at the beginning. What was it about Judee Sill and her life that moved you so much that you felt you needed to make a

film about her?

Andy Brown: Well, I, for me, I mean, I had heard about Judee from a musician named Andy Partridge, the English musician who founded XTC, in an interview, but it was really the video of her from The Old Grey Whistle Test, of her singing her song, The Kiss. It really blew me away. Maybe a year later, I showed it to Brian, figuring it would have the same effect on him because I knew him. That was what started us talking about doing something and that was over eleven years ago now.

Brian Lindstrom: Just the more we got into her music, it changes your life. You can’t not listen to it, and then we started to really try to understand who she was as a person. We did as much research as we could. It was this incredible juxtaposition of this ethereal, hymn-like music, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. Not like any kind of a specific religion, but just more spiritual.

That seemed, at first glance, to really be

at odds with some of the facts of her life. She was an armed robber, had a history of addiction, and all those things. But as we really got into it and understood her more, in her own words, we understood that so much of this was just a reaction to her childhood trauma. So many of the hard decisions that she made, like the armed robbery. She said she was doing those things just to feel something,

got a treble clef tattoo on her arm in prison. Four years later, she was on the cover of Rolling Stone. What happened afterward is sad and tragic in a lot of ways, but it was a meteoric rise. It was really quite impressive.

Brian Lindstrom: In her diary, she wrote, “The lower down you go to get your momentum, the higher up it will propel you.”

Dolores Quintana: I think a lot of people put judgments, particularly on musicians, on

Andy Brown: That included [the fact] that she probably had a predisposition for addiction. But that childhood trauma certainly was a trigger for getting hooked on drugs fairly early on, in her mid-20s. She got hooked on heroin for the first time, which she kicked in prison in 1968 after being busted for forgery when she was writing bad checks to support a heroin habit and doing sex work, too.

She said to herself, while kicking heroin in prison, that if I can do this, I can do anything. This was in 1968, and she decided she wanted to be a singer-songwriter, so she

people who have drug and alcohol problems, and particularly if they’re women; I think it is a heavier judgment.

Andy Brown: In those days, especially, yes.

Dolores Quintana: I was wondering because I thought about it in regard to other musicians. Do you think, from what you’ve learned about Judee Sill, that maybe part of what people call a self-destructive urge in someone like this might have something to do with the fact that they feel they’re not being heard as people and musicians?

Andy Brown: Are you talking about when she first started using drugs or after her problems with losing her record deal?

Dolores Quintana: I think it would be more afterward, but it might figure into most of her life.

Andy Brown: I think you’re right. I think that it was very painful for her. There were several reasons why she got back on drugs, but one of them would certainly be the psychic pain she experienced from the lack of interest in this beautiful record, Heart Food, that she made. I think that it was as hard to deal with any pain from back surgery she had, and so on, if not more so.

Dolores Quintana: It just occurred to me that everybody loves to call musicians, in particular, self-destructive as if they don’t want to be successful. The whole reason why they’re musicians is because they have something inside them that they want to communicate to everyone else.

Andy Brown: Adrianne Lenker says something about how the rejection and pain of the lack of response for those records

would have reminded her of the rejection she felt from her childhood. It would have opened up that psychic wound in a profound way. I absolutely think that’s true, and it contributed to her seeking to numb herself in some way.

Brian Lindstrom: I think it’s easy to look at Judee and make judgments like she’s selfdestructive or whatever. But, I think it’s also instructive to look at Judee through another lens, which is how self-preserving she is, that she found this music, she created this music, she devoted herself to this music. In many ways, it saved herself up to a certain point. I think she felt it could save others. If you have that feeling about your work,

imagine what it feels like then when it doesn’t reach the audience that you think it deserves. It’s like a double disappointment.

Dolores Quintana: Tell me a little bit about the process of putting this film together and what it meant to you.

Brian Lindstrom: Well, it’s been such a rewarding journey to live with Judy and her music for all these years. It’s been a life-changing experience for both Andy and myself. I hope I can speak for Andy in that regard.

Andy Brown: Oh, yeah. I thank Judee every day. I really do. She’s the most inspiring person. I’ve never met her, but I’ve ever sort of felt like I’ve known, and I do feel

like I know. It’s very bittersweet, all of this, because she’d be so thrilled to know that now people are being touched by her music in the way that she had hoped. Of course, she can’t experience it. But, if anybody is existing on some metaphysical plane, it’s her. So you know, maybe, I don’t know.

Dolores Quintana: Honestly, until we get there, we have no idea.

Andy Brown: There you go.

Dolores Quintana: We have no idea what the future is after our life on Earth. We don’t know.

Andy Brown: Well, if she is somehow able to see all this, I just hope she’s delighted, as she should be.

Dolores Quintana: Is there anything that you discovered about her either as a person or musician that surprised even you?

Andy Brown: I’d say that she personally told the truth about pretty much everything and things that seemed like they were tall tales; they all checked out when we researched them. She told that story in the Rolling Stone interview about how her first husband died going over the Kern River Rapids on LSD, on a rubber raft. We could never confirm that, and the film was almost done. Sure enough, one day, it appeared on newspapers.com. The story of that man, and it was him who had died. Even that, she was telling the truth. She didn’t like lies and that included about herself as well. She was her own harshest critic in many ways. So that, to me, was revelatory.

Dolores Quintana: Thank you. Brian, was there anything that was surprising to you?

Brian Lindstrom: Well, just her resilience.

She kept writing right up until three days before her death. She really was true to her muse and kept faith with her music right up to the very end.

Dolores Quintana: Wow.

Andy Brown: Also, she was a pretty positive person who didn’t want to die. She was terrified of dying of an O.D. She just had a disease.

Brian Lindstrom: One quick story. You know, you can’t fit everything into a 90-minute film, so you have to let some things go, but for some reason, this story popped into my head, so I thought I’d share it with you. I was told by Art Johnson, a really talented guitarist and a dear friend of Judy’s, that one day, they were going to a street fair in LA on a Sunday. They came across these two men in a brutal fistfight. Judy walked up to them and just started screaming at them. Today is the Lord’s day; you cannot be doing this and she stopped the fight.

Dolores Quintana: Just like that.

Brian Lindstrom: Just like that. None of the men in the group were willing to kind of step in and intervene. But she just said, today is the Lord’s day; you can’t be doing this. She had the kind of courage and conviction to pull something like that off.

Dolores Quintana: She really seems to have something that is just different about her. I think the cliched thing would be to say, oh, there’s something special about her. But there’s something that, even if you just look at pictures of her, there’s something that’s just different about her. Maybe it’s that truth-telling because, unfortunately, I think that a lot of people in the world have difficulty with that kind of truth.

Andy Brown: It probably affected her ability to be successful because she didn’t know how to play the game in the correct way that a woman pop star was supposed to. One other thing that we shouldn’t forget is that she was gifted with a great ear. She was born with that. She had perfect pitch. So there was a talent there that was pretty unique as well, and that, combined with all these other things, helped her create what we’re enjoying now.

Dolores Quintana: There seems to be a certain type of person who is fated to be a musician, no matter how hard it is for them. I’ve started to notice that they do have a perfect pitch, and it’s a quality that I don’t

even think is valued as much now as it should be.

Andy Brown: Yes, it’s a quality of hearing. It’s like how a dog can smell more than we can. Their senses are activated on a higher level than most people’s senses.

Dolores Quintana: I agree. People like that; they hear things that we don’t hear.

Brian Lindstrom: Yeah.

Dolores Quintana: It’s frustrating for them as well when people can’t perceive all that they put into their music.

Brian Lindstrom: Absolutely.

Andy Brown: It’s a form of synesthesia, isn’t it?

Brian Lindstrom: Judy was at such a high level that even accomplished musicians, Jim Pons of the Turtles, who was also a bass player, Judy played bass a lot as well. As he says in the film, she wrote a bass part that he couldn’t—as he put it—he couldn’t achieve. So she had to play it because she knew exactly how it should go. I mean, she was that advanced.

Andy Brown: Right. Which is how she learned, by watching her second husband orchestrate her first album, had to do it herself. So she could do it, write out all the charts for all those stringed instruments and horns, and then conduct the orchestra on her second album. I mean, that’s not typical of pop singers.

Brian Lindstrom: Also, when Russ Giguere of The Association made his first solo album, he covered Ridge Rider, and the studio guitarist, I mean, who was a top-ofthe-line LA studio guitarist, couldn’t play the part the way it was written. So they had to have Judy come in and play it.

Dolores Quintana: That level of natural talent that I think is indicated by having that kind of ear.

Brian Lindstrom: She could play so many instruments, including wind instruments. She could really do anything.

Dolores Quintana: Do you know how many instruments she could play? Or was it one of those things where she could pretty much pick up any type of instrument and work with it?

Andy Brown: She was adept at guitar, piano, and stand-up bass and was a bebop jazz bassist in clubs in the late 1960s. She also played the flute and clarinet and probably a lot of other things that we’ll never know.

Dolores Quintana: Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre; I think he can pretty much play anything he picks up, and he also has perfect pitch. Do you think that maybe she had problems, say, with the people at the label and other people in music because her level of ability and her absolute conviction that truthfulness was the way led to issues with other people who didn’t understand why she was like that?

Andy Brown: Yep, and in that day and age, for a woman to be that way was also going to create some problems. Yes, no question, it was very hard for her to play that game. That had to do with her lack of a filter, maybe to some degree. But that was also part of what made her work so great: that she was not afraid to go and be truthful.

Brian Lindstrom: Yeah, I mean, if you feel like you are put on this earth to share this music, and then you have to go and open for the popular rock group of the moment in a hockey rink, it’s going to be a hard thing to be okay with and to kind of navigate.

Dolores Quintana: Or perhaps maybe when someone who really doesn’t have your talent, or maybe has never written songs before, is trying to tell you why your music doesn’t work.

Andy Brown: It was very frustrating for her, no question. J.D. Souther said that she had a pretty high opinion and estimation of her talents. He was not criticizing her; he was saying that she was correct.

Dolores Quintana: That’s the tragic thing. I think for people like Judee Sill, not only do they feel like they’re not understood, but people don’t really get why they behave in the way that they do. It’s because they’re trying to protect their art; it’s not so much about their ego. It’s more that it’s something that’s so incredibly important to them that they’ll fight for it.

Andy Brown: Creating in that realm puts them in a very vulnerable position psychologically and emotionally, and maintaining a sort of psychic health while doing that is not easy. I’m amazed at Adrianne Lenker because talk about making oneself vulnerable to one’s muse. She does, but yet she’s just one of the most solid and inspiring people I’ve ever met.

Brian Lindstrom: It’s like what Jim Pons says in the film about Judee. She felt like she was downloading it from a higher source, and it had to be perfect.

Andy Brown: There’s a lot of pressure. Dolores Quintana: I think with that type of person, they put the most pressure on themselves.

If there’s anything that you would like people who watch the film to know or maybe something that you would like to impart to them about Judee or her work, what would that be?

Andy Brown: That there is a way to persevere through suffering and there are tools available to help people heal themselves that perhaps Judy was not able to avail herself of, in those days, because recovery was not something that people talked about then and PTSD wasn’t, but that there is hope. I find inspiration in her strength in that regard, despite the fact that she herself didn’t make it, but she had a disease, and it was more powerful than her. So I think that’s what I would say.

Brian Lindstrom: I would kind of echo that and just quote the last lyric Judy sings in the film, “However we are as okay.” Our task here on Earth, I think, is to understand our suffering and transcend it. Judy, I think it was all about transcendence; all of her songs, all of her writings, she really longed for it. I would argue that she occasionally reached it in her music and was brave enough and selfless enough to share it with us.

The Getty Museum Adds Vibrant Manfredi Painting to Collection

17th-Century Genre Painting

Now on Display at the Getty

The J. Paul Getty Museum has expanded its collection with the acquisition of A Drinking and Musical Party, a vibrant 17th-century genre painting by Italian artist Bartolomeo Manfredi, from a private collector. On Tuesday, April 23, the painting made its debut at the Getty Center in the East Pavilion, captivating visitors with its lively depiction of a jovial gathering.

A Drinking and Musical Party portrays seven young men gathered around a table, indulging in food, drink, and music. An elegantly attired man strums a lute in the bottom left corner, entertaining the group amidst their revelry with wine. However, amidst the merriment, Manfredi injects an air of tension with two servants in the background caught in acts of theft and a bearded man whose exposed sword hints at potential conflict. Even the knife on the table ominously points towards the viewer, suggesting the scene’s volatility.

According to Getty’s press release, the painting is considered one of Manfredi’s masterpieces, and it is distinguished by its rich palette and dramatic chiaroscuro contrasts.

Trained in northern Italy, Manfredi later moved to Rome, where he became deeply influenced by the work of Italian painter Caravaggio. Recognized as one of Caravaggio’s most devoted followers, Manfredi’s emulation of Caravaggio’s style, particularly his use of light and shadow, led to confusion between their works for decades after Manfredi’s death. A Drinking and Musical Party itself was initially attributed to Caravaggio until Manfredi’s rediscovery in the 20th century.

Davide Gasparotto, senior curator of paintings at the Getty Museum, talked about Manfredi’s significant contribution to the Caravaggesque movement in the press statement. “Although Manfredi was not a direct pupil of Caravaggio, his realistic depictions of genre scenes played a crucial role in the European success of the Caravaggesque style,” Gasparotto remarked. “The addition of A Drinking and Musical Party to our collection is a significant achievement, allowing us to showcase a painting that enjoyed immense popularity in 17th-century Europe.”

The acquisition of A Drinking and Musical

Party enriches the Getty’s collection of Caravaggisti artworks, joining notable pieces such as Valentin de Boulogne’s Christ and

Adulteress,

the

Bartolomeo Cavarozzi’s The Supper at Emmaus, and Gerrit van Honthorst’s Christ Crowned with Thorns.

A24 Hosts Special Screening for Alex Garland’s Electrifying Film Civil War in Los Angeles

Star-Studded Event Features Cast and Crew Ahead of Nationwide Release

A24, the independent film production company, hosted a special screening of the upcoming Alex Garland film “CIVIL WAR” on Tuesday, April 2. The screening took place at the Ted Mann Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles and was followed by a reception.

“CIVIL WAR,” written and directed by Garland, promises to be a thoughtprovoking and propulsive thriller. The star-studded cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman.

Garland and the film’s cast members, including Dunst, Moura, Spaeny, McKinley Henderson, and Offerman, attended the special screening. Jesse Plemons, Nelson Lee, Jojo T. Gibbs, and Melissa Saint-

Armand were also present. Producers Allon Reich and Andrew MacDonald, Casting Director Francine Maisler, and Production Designer Caty Maxey were also in attendance.

Notable figures from the entertainment industry were spotted at the event, including Rian Johnson, Edgar Wright, Elizabeth Olsen, Alice Braga, Lukas Gage, Alana Haim, Derek Waters, Nat Wolff, and Gavin Leatherwood.

“CIVIL WAR” has been highly

anticipated since its first trailer drop in December 2023. Following its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, the film garnered rave reviews.

The film takes audiences on a journey across a dystopian future America. A team of military-embedded journalists races against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

“CIVIL WAR” is set to hit theaters and IMAX nationwide on April 12, 2024.

Nicolas Cage Stars in Arcadian: A Bewitching Apocalypse

New Horror Film Delivers Solid Monster Movie Experience

Arcadian is a new horror film starring Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario, Mandy), Jaeden Martell (It, Knives Out), Maxwell Jenkins (Lost In Space), and Sadie Soverall (Saltburn). It was written by Michael Nilon and directed by Ben Brewer, who was the lead visual effects artist for Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s a very solid monster movie and a bewitching apocalypse. It is now playing in theatres. Watch the trailer here:

https://youtu.be/ HNARuSROxbM?si=1q_TxWGEXuiPjI0C

The synopsis for the film is as follows: In the near future, normal life on Earth has

been decimated. Paul and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil. One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive.

While some have compared the film to A Quiet Place, I think it is more of a throwback to the natural horror film Day of the Triffids from 1963. The monsters responsible for the destruction of civilization are mostly kept off-screen in a wise move to increase tension, but when they arrive, with sneaky tentacles and a horrific clacking sound, they make their mark.

The film’s cast is one of Arcadian’s biggest assets; with Nicolas Cage, you’ve always got a great performance, and his two sons, played by Martell and Jenkins,

work well together and with Cage as their father. The two sons create most of the conflict between each other, with one son, Joseph, a quiet genius who always uses his head, and the other, Paul, a more fiery and rebellious type who brings misfortune upon the family because of his love for Charlotte

The film’s color palette and style are visceral and striking. While the images tend to be dark, Frank Mobilio’s cinematography is well-lit and gives the film the feel of damp earth. It’s not unpleasant, but it adds

With beautiful imagery, scary monsters, and strong performances, Arcadian is a winner as an individualistic kind of humanistic horror film that leans into the relationships between the survivors and their quirks rather than huge amounts of gore. Not to say that there isn’t blood and violence, but it concentrates on the all too human failings that might have led to our

Art by Patricia