The Glory of Getting Lost is Finding Your Way Around

“GET LOST on purpose.” The funny thing is that when Mike Sonksen came to speak to our class, it wasn’t the first time that I had heard those words. I actually had interviewed someone for the profile piece whose stories were about nights planned with an open-ended agenda. Up until the last weekend of February this idea seemed so dangerous and would have been one of the last things I would do.

I spent the weekend showing a friend of mine the city of Los Angeles. He attends the University of Michigan and is originally from Wisconsin, so coming here to California was a first for him. Our only big plan was seeing the LA Philharmonic and some project bands at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. We intended for the rest of the weekend to be random, but nothing beat that Friday night.

Before the show started, the two of us were walking through the venue and my friend ran into a colleague of his from Michigan. He lives close to the hall so we asked him where he recommended eating after the show. He replied one word: Wurstkuche.

Driving down 3rd and Alameda, I thought to myself that this would never be an area that I would drive through—especially at that hour and just for a hot dog; something didn’t seem right. We had no idea where we were going but after a few minutes of driving it didn’t matter. The spontaneity was enticing and the mixing of nervous and exciting feelings cancelled out any fear I had for being out of my element.

If it weren’t for this moment, I probably would have never known about the existence of such an eccentric eatery: The five-year-standing, dimly-lit venue filled with people, ranging from the early 20s to early 70s, sitting and standing around long tables that stretched across the room. Belgian beers lined the bar in one corner and a DJ was mixing beats and playing popular songs in the other. The eccentricity of the place was overwhelming.

Even though the restaurant blew my mind, nothing was more mind boggling than the idea that I had actually thrown myself, willingly, into a different idea. It used to sound like the most challenging thing to do, but I’ve come to realize it’s not so bad.

-- Antoinette Ochoa

Read L.A.: What Makes Mike Run?

JOURNALIST, TEACHER and poet, Mike Sonksen, (BKA, Mike the Poet) touched down in class last Monday night and spun L.A. history via shimmering rhyming couplets. He threw out names of some of his favorite books, authors and hidden places in L.A. Full list to follow but here are a few of the books and/or authors he made mention of both in conversation and verse:



Budd Schulberg: What Makes Sammy Run?





Kamau Daaood, Leimert Park CD



John Fante, Ask the Dust




Charles Bukowski, Hollywood

L.G.

Mike the Poet at LMU: "Telling L.A.'s Story" -- Verse by Verse

THIS WEEK we have a special guest, Mike Sonksen, A.K.A. Mike the Poet, who will be touching down to talk about the city, verse, borders, erasure and all matter of pressing social and literary issues.
Here's his bio:
Mike Sonksen, also known as, Mike the Poet, is widely acclaimed for his live performances, contributions to international publications & legendary city tours. Poet, journalist, historian, tour guide, teacher, he's published in the L.A. Citybeat, O.C. Weekly, New Angeles, L.A. Weekly & many others. This 3rd generation L.A. native graduated from U.C.L.A. in 1997. His book I AM ALIVE IN LOS ANGeLES! has been added to the curriculum of several universities & received rave reviews. Mike's performed his poetry coast to coast at college campuses, museums, bookstores, nightclubs & just about any venue you can imagine. His Los Angeles city tours combine poetry and history and have been written up in the New York Times, THE UK Guardian, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly, L.A. Citybeat & many others. Mike started tour guiding in 1997 working most extensively with Red Line Tours, the Museum of Neon Art & the Museum of Architecture & Design.

Come ready with curiosity and questions.
-- L.G.
(photo caption: mike the poet doing his "thing"
photo credit: flikr pool creative commons)