In an interview last year Austin talked about places around LA he likes to go, some of the restaurants and other just places around LA. One such place is Watts Towers in the Watts section of the city. Austin talks about going to The Watts Towers to lay in the grass and reading.Watts began as ethnically diverse working neighborhood many of them who worked on the railroad, it named after the first railroad station, Watts Station, that was built in the town.
It was during that time that a gentleman Simon Rodia took something very ordinary and made it extraordinary. The Watts Towers have become a the most famous landmark in Watts..
The towers, consist of nine major sculptures, intricate towers and surrounding w
all were built on a small triangular site at 1765 107th Street East in Watts, on one-tenth of an acre (400 square meters) edging the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car tracks where Rodia settled sometime between 1921 and 1925.The exact date of Rodia's initiation of his monumental endeavor is unknown. What is clear is that starting in his early forties, he worked on them for the next thirty-plus years, every day, creating a masterpiece that has become the poster image for the environmental art genre.
The tallest of the towers stands 99.5 feet high and contains the longest slender reinforced concrete column in the world. The main vertical legs of the sculptures are slender columns containing internal steel reinforcements, tied with wire and wrapped with wire mesh.
Embedded in the mortar of the towers are the remnants of all sorts of popular household items of the times - from ceramic tiles to mirrors to the brilliant blue and green broken glass of old 7-Up and Milk of Magnesia bottles.
There is no strict school of art to describe, the Towers are more about a individuality, expression, innovation and vision. The celebrate the perseverance and steadfast determination of achieving what you dream.
To many it is just ordinary things even junk, but together makes something greater. It is seeing things in new ways. Everything can be art, art is everywhere.
This describes Austin doesn't? Do you think he is more artist or actor?
The Watts Towers Virtual Tour
The Watts Towers Pictures
These towers look amazing. I had no idea what Austin was talking about when he mentioned this spot; I've never heard of them, but then again Watts is not exactly on the tourist map, so to speak, of L.A.
ReplyDeleteI love outsider art, and maybe the way to think of Austin is not so much actor v. artist, but maybe a little bit of an outsider when it comes to HW.
I think Austin takes a very organic and artist approach to his acting. He takes all the influences around him to produce something that is from within. It's who he thinks the character is. His vision, not his audience.
ReplyDeleteI love these towers. I had never heard of or seen them either. I think the song goes well with them, too. I uploaded this a while ago and as usual Spesh found a post for it!
ReplyDeleteI saw these towers on a TV show once. Pretty amazing. I think Austin is trying to be an artist rather than just an actor, but while he's come close with Deadwood, Six Feet Under and JFC, he hasn't broken through yet. He still has to pay the bills. I am surprise not much word on The Informers yet. No trailer, no promo. Maybe the release will be delayed. Not much on Brothers for that matter either.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love this! I wasn't familiar with the Watts Towers either, but I love the wall especially, with its contrast of pottery shards and glass mosaic against the terra-cotta colored stone. Reminds me almost of a sandcastle decorated with beach glass. I think bottle caps and glass are interesting pieces. It's too bad now that with all of the plastic bottles used for our products, you can't find beautiful tumbled beach glass jewels in the sand anymore, especially the pale blue-green, almost aquamarine colored glass, and bottle green, sapphire blue glass. I like that someone could find beauty in what others consider junk and throw away (and not in the most appropriate of ways either). And to think this beautiful creation was considered an eyesore by some! :)
ReplyDeleteI think all actors are artists. :)
OK Magazine
ReplyDeleteWay to use your kids again Reese. They're your kids not your props.
Long time no post from me, though I decided I needed to comment on Heaths Joker since long time ago I was very skeptical about his performance and though the make up made him look like Linda Blair in the Exorcist or something.
ReplyDeleteBut I did go to see the movie, and
Heath is absolutely mesmerizing in it. Unbelievably realistic portrait of a psychopath. I cannot say I really liked the movie, and I certainly do not find Batman aka Christian Bale any compelling. Meh. But Heath was grand, strangely the most human of them all. Unfortunately though, I was thrown again in this state of disbelief about his death.
OT- yesterday there was a shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. A lone gunman entered during the service and began shooting. He killed 2 and wounded 7 until subdued by congregants. A letter in his car indicated that he would continue shooting until the police came and that he expected to be shot and killed by them. The congregation recently became a Welcoming Congregation, which is a special designation in our denomination for congregations that take specific steps to welcome GLBTQ people into their church, and is known for its liberal religious views. Also in the gunman's letter were statements of hatred toward liberals. The FBI is involved and it's being investigated as a hate crime.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you Zero!
ReplyDeleteSaw that about the church shooting Wicked. Horrible. An act of violence shattering a place of refuge, unity and peace.
NETB
I don't know if every actor is an artist. I think there are some that just grind it out.
Seems like Austin does have some artistic sensibilities and leanings.
How awful Wicked. :(
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately though, I was thrown again in this state of disbelief about his death.
Zero, so was I. Heath was so brilliantly alive up there on the big screen. You are right, he was grand up there. :)
Spesh, I always hope whatever leads someone into acting is art - art and music is where I wear my rose-colored glasses. I can't imagine putting up with some of the negative stuff that goes along with it unless it's out of the sincere love of what you are doing, there are easier ways to pay the bills. I'm sure there are those who go through the motions, or are motivated only by ego, fame and fortune, but I don't think they end up being the good ones. :)
Maggie at the Toyko TDK premiere
ReplyDeleteBen Kingsley talks about PoP
ReplyDeleteI looked up these towers when I read the interview with Austin :) There's something of the Gaudi about them that makes me want Austin to visit Barcelona (that film fest being a perfect excuse).
ReplyDeleteI think Austin is an artist, he's an indie-by-choice, not by inheritance :).
The music is a great match today too.
ReplyDeleteI've always been wonderring what Maggie thinks about Jake being or "being" with Reese.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you guys think?
These OK magazine articles are killing me! They're killing me!!! It's not even about him and Reese, and kids, it's just I hate those rags, I don't want to see his face in them. He used to be cool, suave, he used to be in OUT magazine in a range of alluring poses. Look, what's become of him.
ReplyDeleteJake, you have become a tabloid wh***. I hate to say it, but it's true.
^ITA Peter Pan, Jake went from precious to vulgar.
ReplyDeleteITA too Peter Pan. And it's so old-school, no one is going to go to see PoP because he's been in the tabloids week after week. If this is part of their marketing campaign then I think there is cause for concern. As it is they started filming too late to have clips ready for Comic Con (or not that I've read, anyway), which is, anymore, an important part of the campaign for movies of this type. I know I walked out of Comic Con last year dying to see Iron Man because of the clips and panel on it.
ReplyDeleteI can't take my eyes off the Watts Tower Wall, your second picture. Just gorgeous, with the the artist's initials and designs and mosaics in the clay/sand. :)
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ReplyDeleteJersey Tom said...
ReplyDeleteI just heard about the shooting at the church in Tennessee on the way home from work. It is so sad. The shooter is a sick man whos heart is filled with hate. We all think the world is changing for the better but we got a long way to go.
Watts Tower everything not Hollywood. It's a made of things that people discarded, broken piece dishes and glass, he took the discard and made something beautiful and inspiring. Hollywood has to be all about beautiful and perfect and ends up discarding anything when its starts to show flaws.
ReplyDeleteThe Watts Towers are the antithesis of Hollywood and that's why I find Austin finding solace there somewhat poetic.
From Ted:
ReplyDeleteDear Ted:
Is Toothy Tile Vince Vaughn, and is Pickled Fickle from One Rent-a-Wreck Blind Vice Heather Locklear?
Gretas
Seattle
Dear Sexuality Crasher:
The real T2’s simply horrified you suggested Vaughn, horrified! See, Toothy’s rather svelte, and Pickled Fickle’s a man, dear. Give H.L. a little more credit.
Well according to Ted he mentions his Blind Vice in and around the the time of the Bind Vice story. Jake was not mentioned last week in any column. Lets see what happens in the next couple of days.
ReplyDeleteCool post today Special. Those towers are so beautiful and made of out of ordinary stuff - awesome. I didnt know about them or would have definately gone to see them when I lived in LA. Seems like Austin can appreciate acting as an art and a job. I kind of see myself the same way.
ReplyDeleteThe shooting at the church made me very sad. So did seeing Christian, Aaron and Maggie in Tokyo without Heath : (
"He used to be cool, suave, he used to be in OUT magazine in a range of alluring poses. Look, what's become of him."
I dont even want to think about that too hard.
Seeing TDK made me feel bad all over again about Heath too. Seeing his performance as the joker made me appreciate even more what a great performance he gave in BBM.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why Ted bothered with the latest letter, although the V.V. reference ties back to Reese and that Christmas movie.
Echoing the comments about Heath's loss. Seeing that enormous talent lost is heartbreaking. For some reason it has made me want to rewatch BBM, so I will be breaking out my DVD in a couple days. I've never actually watched Cassanova but plan to now as well.
ReplyDeleteThe latest rag story is too lame too even warrant a remark. Those action figures sell for $7-$10 each. Actually I think the rags insult them both by printing such lame stories.
Having travelled around the various sites after last Friday's BI, I would summarize Jake as TT as old news. Most not interested in any further discussion of the topic. Ted has said many times though that TT is divine, so why anyone makes some of the guesses they do is beyond me.
"Ted has said many times though that TT is divine, so why anyone makes some of the guesses they do is beyond me."
ReplyDeleteDo you really believe all those "guesses" and "letters" are for real? Ted is a gossip blogger- he needs to feed his readers just like all the tabloids....
Well according to Ted he mentions his Blind Vice in and around the the time of the Bind Vice story.
ReplyDeleteNot always. Ted clearly said he doesn't do this every time.
VV has been guessed and ruled out as TT so many times. I think he may be the #1 person who has been guessed and ruled out. Has anyone else been guessed as often as Vince?
In his earlier day, Vince Vaughn was FINE looking. He's been looking pretty rough ever since he "broke up" with Jen. But, lol, I would never even think of him to be TT, even in his prime.
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