Welcome back to another street art tour through Los Angeles County, California. Last time I did this I explained how I accidentally overwhelmed myself with street art photos - I had taken nearly 50. I accidentally got close to that number again, 38, that’s a lot. Time to get creative! I need to get them saved on the blockchain and deleted from my phone so I can begin collecting episode III - I’ve noticed I’m not as eager to snap photos of the paint I’m surrounded by when my collection is loaded up. Click here if you missed Episode I and would like to know how this started.
Well, how does this read? If you’re not interested in the fairytale my imagination is about to paint, just scroll through whatever I’m about to type up but please don’t skip the street art - Enjoy! We live in an eclectic part of town surrounded by artistic individuals, everybody’s @-contact is in the paint - Thanks a lot for stopping by!
Those of you who are interested in seeing/reading what I can mentally draw up this time, thanks a lot for sticking around. Happy Hump Day!
I must have been dreaming because I’ve never heard birds harmonize in stereo like that, it was hypnotizing. I heard “Look Up” echo across the sky. I did and they were everywhere, birds, flying in triangles. I heard it again, “Look Up:”
I looked up and saw what I think was Aurora Borealis and I heard bees swarming. I saw a butterfly and an eagle, the eagle was hunting a fish twice its size. Rainbow Queen was standing over a wolf, decoding science in her medicine bowl, casting a rainbow off in the distance:
I followed the rainbow and watched it pour into a woman’s hands. She was washing her face with the rainbow and her eyes were changing:
I couldn’t tell if she was just washing one eye. I rubbed my eyes real good and the more I rubbed them, the more she changed shape. When I opened my eyes, she was an angel with a Tigericorn beside her. It hopped out of the water like a porpoise and they both had wings:
I rubbed my eyes a second time. When I opened them the Tigercorn was gone and Rainbow Queen was surrounded by tidal waves:
“Restore” was echoing from somewhere, I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I heard it several times: “Restore.” I rubbed my eyes again and there she was:
“Restore what?” She told me “the free walls are good when Wolf Thought and Peacock Mask are not governing our spirit:”
“Everything is so measured and fine print when they’re around.” She said “T’s crossed and dotted I’s are just the beginning, their dots and lines extend along the sides of buildings:”
I asked her where I was. She said “Viva la Cultura” which means ‘Live the Culture,’ “you’re in:”
I couldn’t help it, I had to ask: “Have you ever mentioned Long Beach without mentioning Bradley, Eric, Bud and Lou Dog?” Without any hesitation: “Never:”
“Long beach and Sublime go hand in hand like Flying Fire Tigers at Liberty Park where zoo keeps brush their teeth with a can.” :poof: She was gone:
I heard what sounded like Mariachi Music in the distance. It was getting louder so I knew it was coming toward me. Just then a ‘64 turned the corner and I couldn’t tell which was more California’esque; the loud music or the aromatic cloud of medical-grade forestry trailing from inside the Impala:
They parked in front of me and rolled down the windows. I couldn’t see who was inside but I heard more than one person laughing. The smoke finally cleared and it was Chong. He said “far out man, Long Beach is hap’nin.” Cheech was riding shotgun. He opened the door and nodded for me to hop in, “c’mon man! like woah, you hungry homes?”
I jumped in the back seat with Lizard Man. He looked comfortable but was more than happy to make room for me. He sat up, his hands were full of Chronic:
Lizard Man was so stoned, he could hardly move his lips when he mumbled, “you know what year it is?” Ya, “2018.” He passed me a pair of cones and said “we’re in the Year of the Dog:”
Touché, Lizard Man! The smoke thickened... With only an hour of daylight remaining, we headed toward Sunset Spot but it was hot outside so we stopped for a swim. We went down to the Lagoon and jumped in. I don’t know what was twisted up inside those cones but I couldn’t tell the difference between a human-made structure and the Lagoon:
I rubbed both of my eyes real good and realized it was just an illusion:
Across from the Lagoon is a park - There’s rarely a time you’ll find the kids’ playground empty. I could smell food on the BBQ grills and I heard kids being kids:
”Reflection Of A Child’s Eye”
I knew it was getting late because The Pixels began fading away for the night. I jumped in the brisk lagoon so I could wake up:
Our timing couldn’t have been better to jump in. As soon as I dove under water, the Sea Horses began performing:
We didn’t stay for the whole show, we needed to get to Sunset Spot before it was too late. The sign said ‘Long Beach, next exit,’ I asked them where we were and Cheech stopped laughing long enough to say, “a map or a globe or something homes.” He passed another cone back and someone said “high in:”
High? I know the “high” part but where are we?
Lizard Man asked me if I wanted to go home. I said “home? No way, what happened to the music?” “Cone, Not home! Home is in the intellectual capacity to be happy!” They turned up the radio:
Chong switched the channel to a classical station. Excellent choice - The horns and strings were intoxicating:
Lizard Man saw one of his buddies hanging out with Clint Eastwood. He rolled down his window and told him “wait up, I’m gonna go to the Sunset Spot with these guys and then I’ll meet you back here:”
He told me his buddy’s name is ‘Happy To Be Alive’ and he just wears his exterior like that “to keep the good people away.” He said he’s actually the nicest Lizardgate around, “a teddy bear.” I found out later he’s an art activist and has a huge:
I’m glad he told me because my first impression of the giant Lizardgate was intimidating. He told me “unlike Gonder Birdo!” Gonder Birdo is the Batskull everyone hides from. He flies on a CondorPigeon:
That’s him with one of his vulchers. Vulchers are big - CondorPigeon’s are massive:
Chong looked back at us in the rear view mirror and said “hey Lizard Man, what year did you say it was man?” “We were just talking about that, it’s the:”
“Right on man!” Chong told us about the butterfly in the picture. “See that butterfly?” He said it’s about a legend and a hero. “He was a pretty man who stings like a bee:”
We parked at the top of Friendship Bell and watched the sun beams fade across the horizon. We didn’t have much daylight left:
I met a like-minded sunset watcher at the top of Friendship Bell. I introduced myself to her, she was a sweetheart, she said “I’m Scan:”
“Nice to be met, Scan.” She insisted we see her Picasso Piece before the sun went down. Anyone who calls their art a “Picasso Piece” deserves to have it seen:
“Scan, this is an amazing piece, I love your imagination, excellent piece!” She thanked me and the sun finally rested on the other side of the ocean.
As soon as Chong fired up the ‘64 I was back in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wasn’t with Cheech and Chong anymore and Lizard Man wasn’t real either. I sat up and realized my imagination had been in the clouds all day and the daydream was dissolving into a brand new, untold, blank canvas:
Click Here if you missed Monday: