Architect Barbara Bestor's Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake" is an eye catching local's local visual love song to my own beloved neighborhood.
Recently profiled in the LA Times Home section (and on AT:LA a few times!), Bestor frankly discusses the positive and negative effects of gentrification of a neighborhood she once remembers as "a little punk rock, a little gay, a little gangy, all these mixed things", but now is "all $35 steaks."
With illustrations by graphics superstar Geoff McFetridge, design by Michael Worthington, and page after page of beautiful photos of interiors and exteriors, readers will hopefully understand why both Bestor and I love this corner of Los Angeles with the same passionate zeal (despite the surge in price of steaks).
There's no such thing as "a little gangy". Drive-bys kill people. What a incredibly stupid thing to say. ANd her book costs $35, too. I live in the same neighborhood.
Rachel: I think Bestor's assessment of the neighborhood as being a now-gentrified version of its former self as a mix of punk, gay and gang elements is a valid one. Up until about the mid-90s (and long before Heidi Sigmund-Cuda's dreaded "Silverlake is on Fire" cover story in The LA Weekly), these were the defining elements of the neighborhood: predominantly Latino (esp Mexican-Americans) with significant gang presence, an older gay male demographic (which supported the many leather bars, piano bars, "regular joe" type of gay bars, LA's 2nd A Different Light bookstore, and a scene that also catered to a younger, anti-West Hollywood alternative gays), and punk/indie arts (a lot of the fringe arts folks were attracted to the neighborhood because of the then cheap rents). So, how is her statement "incredibly stupid"? And what does the price of her book and you currently living in the neighborhood have any bearing on what Silverlake was 10-15 years ago?
Enrique--I've in lived in the same, now trendy, once scary, place since 1986. I think she threw in the "little gangy" part to make herself look all cutting edge and such. Poseur. Gangy isn't an attractive attribute, not matter hwo you slice it.
And if she's whining about the price of dinner, then she should make her book free.
LOL. Good point! I didn't initially "read" posturing in her quote until you mentioned it. [Guess we'll have to go Taylor's in Koreatown for a good under-$35 steak if we want to spend that much on the book.]
I sincerely doubt Bestor was trying to make light of the gang problem; perhaps "gangy" makes it sound a bit too cute. But in the context of listing the other demographics of Silver Lake, I think it would be much more fair to assume she was just trying to describe whom she recognizes as Silver Lake residents, past and present. I would definitely cut her some slack, as she's helped define some very positive aspects of Silver Lake (this is assuming you enjoy newer architecture).
And in reality, a $35 art/design/photography book won't make a big profit, if at all. Most of these sort of books are labours of love, not profit.
Rachel, as a long time resident of Silver Lake, perhaps you could share with us your favourite aspects of our neighborhood (or the ones you despise). I just met some people who came back to revisit the apartment building I live in recently; they had lived here in the mid-70's and were in awe/surprise of all the changes, and we discussed how the demographic landscape is so different now.
I really hope to stay in this neighborhood as long as you have...Silver Lake is the first place in Los Angeles that really feels like home.
I've lived in Silverlake for four years or so, and for five years before I lived at Hoover and 7th. I would describe Silverlake curently as a'little gangy,'. Maybe it was very gangy 15 years ago, I don't know. But understatement, overstatement and making light of serious things are what entertainers and writers often do. I gather Ms. Cohen doesn't find 'a little gangy'funny. I kinda do.
Regarding what I like best and like least about Silverlake. Best would be the almost un-LA kind of local zeitgeist, worst would be having my mailbox tagged in crayon by 7 year olds on their way home from school, (come on, kinda tragic but pretty funny too!)
i just don't like the misusage of the word bohemian.
these people look like they are functioning well in our modern capitalistic society. not very bohemian at all. quirky or eccentric or artistic maybe.
i don't see how its a misusage, from my dictionary, "bohemian" simply means: a person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior. It has nothing to do with capitalism and/or functioning well in it. I think it just refers to the fact that they are looking at living in a different way, than say the more standard suburban tract home.