Pretty Poison: Letters From L.A.

I Lost My Mind And Heart...

Why I love California:

From tripping in the desert heat...

To happily freezing on the Golden Gate Bridge...

Morning At The Motel...

Right now I am living in a desert hotel/motel/Inn. More about that later...

The Black Keys And Pictures From A San Francisco Photo Booth That I Dropped in the Car...

I'd already scratched these pictures last year but on a recent drive while listening to the Black Keys -- when that organ kicked in at the end of "All You Ever Wanted" I nearly dropped everything. Need to stop shoving photos in books...and letting that band get to me so much. But Jesus Christ...that organ. The perfect driving song for the thick of night when you'll not only lose your pictures, but your marbles too.

All You Ever Wanted by The Black Keys

You Can Never Write Fast Enough...

My newest writing gig, (in my humble, auto-centric opinion) might be one of the coolest opportunities I've ever had -- Garage Magazine. The eternally bitchin' hot rod mag asked me to pen a column that combines two of my favorite things -- cars and movies -- so there was no way in hell I could say no. I struggled with just what to cover in my debut column -- my head spinning like my Torino doing cookies in the desert. And yet, the same movie continued to surface -- Two-Lane Blacktop. It was so obvious, too obvious, I wondered, but on final ponder, I put my brain in park and told myself: It's my favorite car movie, I've written about it numerous times, and I love it enough to expand, explicate and worship further. Why not christen my column with the best of the best?

An added bonus was my magazine photo session with the incredibly talented artist/badass LA photographer Estevan Oriol. He's snapped everyone from Ice Cube to Forest Whitaker to Dennis Hopper to Rob Zombie and more and created some gritty, gorgeous work concerning street life as well. I was in more than able hands (also, he loved my car, so naturally he's one of my favorite people). The issue is on newsstands now, so make sure to pick it up. Dita Von Teese graces the cover and centerfold, while other stories include a look at the great Hollywood/cheesecake photographer Bernard of Hollywood, a prison interview with famed skater Jay Adams and a look at DC based punk rock motorcycle couriers from the 1980's. You will not be disappointed. And stay tuned for my next Garage column which will cover famous cinematic mental breakdown car moments. (If you scroll down to my Bette Davis homage, you'll see one of the greatest).

So with that, I've dipped into my archives to feature again, my favorite car movies -- something that wouldn't have fit in the magazine and something Garage readers can enjoy, disagree or challenge me over (as long as those challenges don't involve a chicken race). On second thought...

Anyway, here's my look at the 10 greatest examples of car cinema (not entirely in order, not the greatest cars, or greatest car chase sequences, though many of these pictures feature both), proving that autos can make not only a genre, but compelling characters as well. For these films, it's not star but car power. The Torino is calling...

Read my list here.

No Pity In The Naked City

I'm checking myself out in some random facility during a trip to New York City. I always find graffiti, which isn't exactly tough in any city (and I mean find it -- a few readers have accused me of being a tagger, which is better than past accusations of being a huffer, so I'll take the speculation). Anyway, according to the wisdom scrawled in this particular stall, the Big Apple is just as demoralizing as Los Angeles.

That being said, extra kudos to the broad who got all Liz Taylor/Butterfield 8 when penning her woes in this seedy bathroom ("New York is so like a bitch"). Lipstick! I hope the bright lights have found this girl some happiness and not, as Jackie Wilson sang, messed her around. Or worse, "Millions will watch you, as you sink right down to the ground." Hoping she shot right back with "No Sale!"

Jackie was a genius. And I still miss New York...even if no one cares.

Wagon Wheel Restaurant Motel

The abandoned and once beautiful Wagon Wheel Restaurant Motel in Oxnard, California. It now sits directly across the street from a shopping center and is surely ready to be leveled. Sad.

Tending bar...

The restaurant:

To those deciding on the wrecking ball, the below graffiti scrawled outside one of the motel's many rooms expresses my sentiments exactly.

View more pictures of the the wonderful Wagon Wheel here.

A New Year In The Desert

Inchanting. Smith's Ranch Drive-In 29 Palms, California. I still love the place, even if they ran out of the letter "E." And I loved ringing in 2008 in the middle of nowhere. Perfect.

View more of my New Year's desert photos here.

Happy New Year

Oh, To Be A Pair of Ragged Claws...

I'm no gambler but if I see a stuffed animal claw machine, anywhere, I'm game. Actually, obsessed is more like it because the moment I spy steel claw and fluff, I'm easily dumping five dollars into the contraption just to win the ugliest most rejected mystery animal I've ever seen. I don't care. I must have the blue and neon pink lamb/rabbit/dog thingie and I must have it now.

So I was more than thrilled to find one randomly, in the East Village while running around New York City in the middle of the night. Like an abandoned old carnival ride it appeared there sadly, riddled with graffiti and to my mind, surely broken. But it worked! And I won a purple...cat? Doesn't matter, I grabbed the little sucker, dragged it to its slot, and wondered yet again, why the hell would I want this ugly thing?

I've heard they're rigged, but somehow I always manage to win before exceeding the five dollar mark. I wish there was a movie about this special brand of excitement and drama. Like Tilt with Brooke Shields.

West Mifflin

This is what you do in West Mifflin Pennsylvania...

Drive around. It's incredibly pretty out there. And fortunatley, I was able to ride in a friend's fantastic 1971 Ford LTD convertable. (Thankfully not in one of the cars sold below).