What’s your favorite taco?
Ok..I LOVE tacos..Always have, always will. I have a few standard places that I go to for nostalgia..King Taco, Titos Tacos and Los Burritos on Santa Monica west of Fairfax, I don’t strictly go to those places though. Pretty much every Mexican restaurant I go to (which is quite often, if not daily), in whatever city I may be in, I will order at least one taco. I like both hardshell and tradtional. Asada, pastor, pollo, lengua, you name it…even potato tacos. How can anyone not like tacos?

How did you get involved with WCA?
WCA was founded by Rival (Rest In Peace), Miner and PJay, with Sed and Rak, in 1985. Previous to that it was called ‘ISM’ crew, short for International Style Masters. That was the summer of 1985..the heyday of the Pan Pacific yard. At the time I didn’t personally know them, we saw each other at the Pan, but never kicked it or painted together. I was pretty much solo at that point, and had been hitting spots around town by myself…no crew. A few weeks, maybe a month later, high school started..Fairfax High to be exact. WCA had been born already, and Vice67 (Sel), Coozie, Risky and Design9 were already down. The day before school started, I did a Pyro (then spelled PIRO) piece on the big wall in the middle of the courtyard at the school, so the next morning everyone would see it…and everyone did. At recess, I was sitting off to the side watching everyone’s reaction who looked at my piece. Rival, Miner and PJay came up to me, and Rival asked if I did the piece. Saying that I did, he instantly asked me if I wanted to join their new crew…WCA. I agreed, and from that point on, and still to this day, we were all family. So I wasn’t a founding member, but rather an OG, and when I say OG WCA, I refer to the select few that were in the crew in ’85-’86, up to the point when we battled K2S at Belmont in ’86. I share a very strong bond with my brothers from that time period…we ate, slept and shit WCA for decades, and for me, I still do.
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Having the number one reviewed Asian restaurant in LA on Yelp is pretty amazing in and of itself, but doing it from your 2 bedroom North Hollywood apartment? Impossible. And yet that’s exactly what happened to Nguyen and Thi Tran in 2010, prompting a curious and congratulatory call from Yelp HQ in San Francisco to confirm that the venue was, in fact, their home.

Starry Kitchen took the LA dining scene by storm and haven’t looked back, eventually opening a small (and legal) restaurant in California Plaza in the heart of Downtown, along with unique pop-ups and other events around town. Nguyen explains that many ethnic restaurants get their start in people’s homes, and remembers going to family friends’ backyard Vietnamese “restaurants” back home in Texas. The big difference is that Starry Kitchen catered to everyone and not just the local immigrant community, providing a unique experience that fans still miss even as they rave about the fried tofu balls at the new location.

Starry Kitchen does Asian cuisine anchored by Vietnamese techniques and ingredients, but Nguyen embraces the taco lifestyle to the fullest; Instead of just emailing us his favorite LA tacos, he invited us on a taco mission to two of his current favorite spots. Up first was Romero’s, the venerable 23-year old K-town Mexican joint where the owner and his wife still work the counter and grill. Nguyen loves this spot because the carnitas are how he likes them– motherfuckin’ crispy. The proximity to his favorite bar, the Beer Belly, doesn’t hurt either.
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Smog City was one of the first street artists ever featured on L.A. Taco back in 2006 and has been an inspiration to us ever since. His political message combined with menacing art and perfect placements make him an LA original that has inspired tons of other paste up artists in this city and worldwide. Currently you can see his latest project and prints at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice. We sat down with the man behind the Smog to discuss LA, tacos, and death by fumes.

TACO: First things first, what’s your favorite taco?
SMOG CITY: King Taco’s Lengua tacos, or the hard shell asada tacos from Taco’s Por Favor…

TACO: When did the first Smog City get up? How has the Smog City project evolved and changed through the years and what’s happening now?

SMOG CITY: 2004 in West LA. Back in those days I was all fired up about political issues, and what effects artists can have on society. As the years went on I was sorta accepted into the street art fold of society, and lived that sort of lifestyle. Getting up and just being an artist sorta became more important and fun than staying true to the to reason Smog City ever hit the street in the first place. It became more about the Hollywood experience, and the horrors of such a glamorous place…all based around the premise that smog was facetiously to blame. I can’t say I ever lost sight of what the project stood for, but I feel like this period of Smog City has to go back to the roots of what I wanted it to be. The factual evidence and information available on air pollution is reason enough to be alarmed, people are all mad about the effects of cigarettes, why aren’t we warned and upset about the state of our natural environment?
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L.A. artist Susanna Battin‘s latest work engages in a one day action (this Friday, Dec 2) to restore the horizon normally blocked by a billboard on the 15 Freeway. The digital image will be viewable on the Southbound 15 after the 91 interchange and is best seen from the second from the left lane. The work is part of the artists exploration of the interactions between the manmade and the natural. Keep reading for the full project description, show times, and map link.

We caught up with Battin over email for a quick couple of questions:

Are you a frequent freeway driver?

I limit my freeway driving to only include visits to my grandma, who lives off of the interstate 15 where the new installation is to be shown, and making other long distance trips.

What’s your favorite taco in LA?

Favorite Taco in LA is from La Fuente #6 in Highland Park.

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If you ask Ozomatli’s Ulises Bella to pick a favorite taco spot in LA, get ready for a long answer. Ulises has hit seemingly every spot in town, and is always on the hunt for new locations. In the end, he decided to take LA TACO to his “favorite spot right now”, with an emphasis on right now. Don’t go looking for Ulises at this tacos al vapor spot, which is at the corner of Atlantic and 54th, because he will probably have moved on by the time this goes to press. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of Ulises enjoying mass quantities of lengua, cabeza, sesos, chorizo, and asada tacos. When you’re ready to go visit in person, don’t forget to add some habanero “death sauce” to your tacos– Ulises recommends it.

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You’ve lived in Los Angeles almost all your life, how does the city inspire you?

Well LA is a beautiful city, with our mountains and beaches. I love how our city pops up all over the place downtown, Venice, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Culver City, Highland Park, Eagle Eock. All over there is this intricate Spanish Moroccan ancient Babylonian Mayan architecture and between the Griffith Park Observatory and the Bullocks Wilshire there is an underlying Egyptian/ art deco influence. These elements make this city aesthetically interesting to me. I think the local deserts and forests inspire me the most though. I go to these places when I’ve had my fill of the city and swim through rivers with my backpack on my head and cook dinner on mountaintops. LA gives me a bit of the whole world right here in one place.

Where in the city have your lived, and what is your favorite corner?
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Nomadé’s art started appearing around town a few years ago and immediately gained admirers city-wide. Their first solo show, Recent Artifacts, opens this Saturday night at Hold Up Art at 7pm. More info is at their website, thenomade.com. So, what’s their favorite taco? What’s their favorite part of LA? Read on to find out…

What’s your favorite taco?
Our favorite taco? You won’t really like the answer, unfortunately, because it’s from a place right across the street from our studio. The location of the studio is not something we make public, so we can’t tell you where it is. On the other hand, you will be happy to know that the creative force driving Nomadé is fueled by one great L.A. taco… with everything.

What is the relationship between The Nomadé and Los Angeles?
We all live and work in Los Angeles. It is our home. It seems only natural that our work reflects the city we know. If there is one thing that we never debated about, it was to include L.A. imagery and ideas.

Are you from LA? If not, what brought you here and what parts of town do you like/live in/etc. ?

There are four of us, and each of us are from somewhere else. Most of us either came for school or work or both and ended up making L.A. our permanent home. We live all over the city. East to West…not too far west. We have a studio around Mid-City, and we are there often. We like hanging out where the art is — Venice, Culver City, Downtown, Hollywood too.

What was the first piece of Nomadé art that went up in the streets?
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For your listening pleasure, enjoy the smooth, soulful stylings of LA’s own Tokimonsta. Relax as you fall into a magical zone where DJ Premier, Flying Lotus, Herbie Hancock and Billy Cobham hang out to smoke a J and take 5. Tokimonsta appears tonight at Low End Theory in Lincoln Heights: 2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA. Tokimonsta’s EP Creature Dreams is out now– pick it up if you like music.

So, Tokimonsta, what’s your favorite taco?

Tacos Sinaloa in Torrance!

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Vernon Courtland Johnson, or VCJ, is one of today’s most influential artists working in a commercial medium. His iconic designs for Powell Peralta have inspired thousands of other artists worldwide, and he routinely gets namechecked by street-art superstars like D*Face and Shepard Fairey. VCJ didn’t invent the idea of skateboard art, but he both defined it and set a standard that others have yet to match. VCJ is unique in today’s art scene, as his work is admired by an incredibly wide range of fans and other artists. Fine artists delight in his skill in freehand drawing, especially skulls. Street artists love the way he makes images iconic, and designs into globally recognizable characters. Commercial artists marvel at the precision and deceptive amount of detail he is able to work into every design. And those of us who are fans adore the power, humor, beauty, and intensity of his art– millions of us saved up our allowances to be able to buy a Powell Peralta deck with a VCJ design. TACO recently got the rare chance to ask Vernon a few questions… stay tuned after the interview for a mini gallery of high-res VC Johnson Powell-Peralta decks.

TACO: How did you get your start as an artist? When did you hook up with Powell Peralta?

VCJ: Born as a human with large brain and opposing digits, I learned to amuse myself with material found along the road on Campus Earth. Mud, rocks, sticks, water, paint, paper, metals, fire. I had an aptitude for art and other fixations from an early age. They let me play. George Powell married an older sister of mine and took interest in me as a late teenager looking for direction. When I was thirty, he noticed that I was floating along as a hippy who could work, so he hired me to help outfit a factory for mass production of skateboards. I was jazzed to have many creative projects every day and to master a production line towards market success.

TACO: Do you have a favorite of all the characters you’ve created? A favorite deck?

VCJ: No favorites stand out for me in my work. My skate poster series truly satisfied my appetite for mastery of composition, components and chiaroscuro.

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We feel very lucky to have you working here in LA. What drew you to this city?
I guess for the most part it was the weather?

We came here on vacation about 4 or 5 years ago, and just fell in love
with The chaos that is Los Angeles….but i think the main reason why we
first decided to actually move over here was the year round amazing
weather! It just cant be beaten!

Do you have a favorite location that you’ve painted in Los Angeles?
As for walls that we have painted in LA, i think our favorite spot so far
would be a wall that we painted just a few weeks ago in Downtown LA with
the twins How and Nosm from New York.

The wall was on the side of the Neptune Building near the corner of 3rd
and Alamada. We painted the spot as part of the LA Freewalls project with
Jetset Graffiti.

It was about 5 stories tall and about 120 feet long, It was by far the
largest we have ever gone, and it felt really good to go so big!!
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All Images Copyright Julius Berman. Click for large versions.

Native Angeleño Julian Berman is the hottest young photographer working today, and has already had his work on the cover of Billboard magazine. His special connection to ODD FUTURE has opened the door, and he’s come charging through with portraits and other images that can’t be ignored. You’ll be hearing a lot about Julian in the coming years, so let’s get to know him a little bit…

Let’s start it off the TACO way– what’s your favorite taco?
Favorite taco spot? I’ve definitely got a few…. Benitos is always local and the rolled tacos are absolute perfection. King Taco is good if you want some authentic street tacos, and if I feel like getting a little funky, Albertos in Anaheim is always an option after a show at Chain Reaction or a long day at Disneyland.

How did you get into photography?
I got into it about three years ago… Eleventh Grade. To be honest I just took photography classes in High School, but never realized I’d tackle them and gain such interest so quickly. From there on, instantly hooked as I started to notice I was getting better and better.

Are you from LA? What inspires you about the city?
I am born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I’ve lived in the same house my entire life, and to be honest, could never imagine moving. Los Angeles as a city is very inspirational, showcasing so many different types of individuals, cultures, and lifestyles. So many different communities and places to explore, it’s pretty neat. Also, who doesn’t love a little bit of traffic, overpriced gas, and smog here and there…

What’s next for you and your art?
Next up for me and my art, definitely trying to expand my client base and work out cameras with different formats. Of course there are tons of projects with Tyler and the Odd Future dudes, but I am test driving some other projects out very soon. Gear wise, I just picked up a Mamiya 7, a 6×7 Medium Format rangefinder which will be an interesting aesthetic, and I am very excited to put that thing to use. As of right now though, just really shooting plenty of film, simply just documenting my day to day…

How did you hook up with the Odd Future crew?
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