RIP Jed the Fish

I've said it before and I'll say it again - could somebody PLEASE invent a time machine so I can go back to the 1980's and stay there?

One of the best things about living in L.A. in the 80's (and there were many things) was The World Famous KROQ, the ROQ of the 80's. The music was great, of course, and KROQ - our alternative music station - blasted our soundtrack with a lineup of DJs and on-air personalities that was an embarrassment of riches: Rodney Bingenheimer, Richard Blade, The Poorman, Dusty Street (and her gloriously raspy voice), Raechel Donahue, Tami Heidi, Swedish Egil, Freddy Snakeskin, Sluggo, and Jed the Fish. The AM drivetime Kevin & Bean show alone hosted a boatload of talent over the years, among them: Adam "Mr. Birchum" Carolla, Jimmy "The Sports Guy" Kimmel, traffic reporter Lisa May, news reporter Doc on the Roq, entertainment reporter Ralph Garman, and Michael the Maintenance Man (an actual maintenance man in the building who became part of the show).

So it was crushing to see the news that Jed the Fish passed away this morning at the age of 69. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jed was at KROQ from 1978 to 2012. And another part of my early adulthood is gone. RIP Jed.

The voices of 1980's Los Angeles.

 

Recent reading: "Behind the Door"

Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel 

by Amy Price

I picked this up at the L.A. Times Festival of Books last month after seeing Price on a historic L.A. panel. Price was the general manager of the notorious Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles near Skid Row for ten years. In spite of the hotel's depressing location and often tragic history, she fell in love with the place, hoping that the gentrification of DTLA would reach it and restore it to its former glory. 

When Price arrived at the Cecil in 2007 it already had a checkered past. Built as a luxury hotel, its fortunes had fallen decades earlier as it deteriorated along with the area. Numerous deaths - both suicides and homicides - occurred at the Cecil. At least two serial killers (Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker - and Jack Unterweger) had called the Cecil home during the commission of their crimes. 

Price - then a jewelry designer and aspiring interior decorator - was originally hired by a friend to help give the Cecil a hipster update to bring the hotel back to life. This was complicated by a number of long-term residents who were more reflective of the Skid Row neighborhood than the Cecil's former glory. Other issues had to do with the hotel's design - many rooms did not have their own bathrooms or showers, requiring the use of communal facilities, and the Cecil also had neither heat nor air conditioning. The residents had been relocated to just a couple of lower floors, while Stay on Main, as the hotel aspect was dubbed, utilized non-resident floors. And for a while, Stay worked as a popular, dirt-cheap, hipster hostel. However, when summer arrived the lack of AC became a major issue, and Stay's reviews began to reflect the disenchanted guests. 

 

Then came the Elisa Lam case. When LAPD failed to locate the missing young woman, they released security video of Elisa behaving oddly in a Cecil elevator and the case became an internet sensation. Several weeks later Elisa was found on the premises, and the Cecil became world-infamous as the hotel where the missing girl turned up in its water tank after guests complained about issues with water, including low pressure, filth, and a weird taste.

After ten years at the Cecil, attempting to restore the hotel and manage its colorful residents, Price was relieved of her duties by new ownership. She embarked on a successful interior decorating career and an unsuccessful marriage. Then Netflix came calling about a planned documentary about the Cecil Hotel, and Price, led to believe that Elisa Lam wouldn't be the focus and eager to let the world know there was more to the hotel than the girl in the water tank, signed up to participate.

 

One thing I remember about the resulting docuseries Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, is that I thought it was a major cheat that Lam's mental illness and her issues with her medications weren't brought up until late in the story, instead suggesting several theories of who murdered Lam when it turned out she wasn't really a murder victim. And not only did the show focus on the Lam case, it also gave some viewers the impression that Price was possibly suspect in Lam's death, or that she may have tampered with the infamous elevator video footage. When the show debuted, Price's life was turned upside down. She received vicious and even threatening messages online by people obsessed with the Lam case.

 

Fortunately, Price came through the ordeal a self-described stronger person. She showed a great deal of compassion toward the Cecil's unfortunate residents during her tenure, but seems to have made her peace with the whole experience. Today, the Cecil Hotel has been repurposed as a low-income housing facility.

 

From the book (discussing the "tragedy tourism" triggered by the Elisa Lam case:

 

But booking a stay to be closer to tragedy paled in comparison to the weird performances spawned by Elisa's death. Once, I got a call from someone at the Pacific Electric Building telling me there was a man playing the guitar on top of one of the water tanks. It was ten o'clock at night. The man had risked his life to put on this show. He'd had to climb the fire escape up to the top of a 150-foot building, just as Elisa had most likely done.

Holy donkeyballs, Weatherman!!!

A couple days ago I checked out the forecast and saw that we had another storm coming through. It was due to start next Wednesday and run through Sunday. I just looked at it again and holy moly:

 

Nine straight days of rain? Keep in mind this is as far as the forecast shows - I have no idea if Thursday, February 8 is the last day of the storm or if it's going to go even beyond that.

I know Southern Californians are big babies when it comes to weather, especially compared to places that get things like hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, and freezing temperatures - we are spoiled in that respect - but this is going to be bonkers. 

 

Given the crazy crap going on in this world, I can't say I'd blame him.

Think I'll stock up when I go shopping tomorrow so I can hunker down for a while. Just in case.

Storm of the Century

So Hurricane Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles since 1939, has come and gone. In my part of town, the result was almost non-stop rain, heavy at times, for a period of about twenty-four hours. I didn't notice particularly high winds, although it was breezy at times but that's not unusual for us. I've seen higher winds just out shopping on a nice day. And by lunchtime Monday everything was bright and sunny again, the previous day's doom and gloom an old memory.

Unfortunately, not all areas were as lucky as mine. Palm Springs got hit hard. In fact, most of the really serious issues seem to be centered mostly in the desert area, although it turned out that cancelling their Sunday game in advance was a good move by the Dodgers, whose parking lot is an unorganized living hell after games on a good day. Overall, California got a lot of much-needed rain with no loss of life.

But because the most-hyped weather in years just wasn't enough, we also got an earthquake! I was laying on my bed reading and felt a soft jolt. For a second I thought Sophie had jumped onto the bed, but when I didn't see her I thought, "Was that an earthquake?" I got up and felt a couple seconds of swaying, which confirmed my suspicion. Other than that, that was it. It was very minor where I lived. The quake turned out to be a 5.1 centered in Ojai, in Ventura County. And (in addition to some social media "What's next, Sharknado? jokes) apparently it created a new word:

Leave it to The Babylon Bee to get into the act:

 

And now, back to our regularly scheduled August weather.

Oh, Perry

Just found out via social media that former Journey lead singer Steve Perry celebrated his 74th birthday yesterday. Considering he and his band were responsible for some of my all-time favorite music, I gotta hope the man had a happy day.

I actually once shared an elevator with Perry, in an office building in Hollywood where I was working. It was him, two of his friends, me, and I think one or two other people. There are four things I remember about the experience. 1) Perry was sporting that dark perma-tan you see on people who spend a lot of time outdoors. 2) He was short, I don't think he was much taller than me. 3) He managed to work a comment about "one of the greatest voices in rock and roll" (he may have said the greatest) into the conversation. I'd recognized him immediately but stayed cool, so maybe he just wanted to make sure we'd all figured it out.

 

The funny thing about the last thing I recall is that it's something that didn't come from Perry, but from one of his friends. This guy was telling a story about a friend of his, who had taken a woman out on a second date to a very expensive restaurant. They had dinner, and only after they'd finished eating did the woman state that she had already decided they weren't working out. We got a chuckle, because who does that? We all agreed that you tell him that before he coughs up big bucks to feed you. So not cool.

Anyway, that's my Steve Perry story.

RIP P-22

Sad breaking news: P-22, the famous Griffith Park mountain lion who was recently captured after some uncharacteristic behavior, has been "compassionately euthanized".

 

P-22 gained local fame when he managed to safely cross two freeways (405 and 101) to relocate himself from the Santa Monica Mountains to Griffith Park in 2012. He became world famous when National Geographic photographer Steve Winter caught this shot of him prowling in the shadow of the Hollywood Sign:

He also got himself some notoriety in 2016 when he made a snack out of a koala at the Los Angeles Zoo. Bad kitty!

 

P-22 had been captured for assessment by local wildlife authorities earlier this week after twice attacking small dogs being walked by their owners (unfortunately killing one of the dogs), behavior that was out of character for him. He was found to have a number of health issues due to his advanced age (12) as well as injuries that are suspected to be the result of him having been recently hit by a car, and it was decided that euthanasia was the most humane option.

 

In addition to being adored by Angelenos, P-22's legacy includes being an inspiration for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. The hope is that the crossing will make it safer for local wildlife to navigate L.A.'s limited wilderness areas, as many of our mountain lions haven't had P-22's luck when it came to crossing freeways.

This is a tough loss for Angelenos. P-22 was a local icon and will be missed big time.

😿

The 2021 Academy Awards

So in case you hadn't heard, last night the Academy Awards were held for a bunch of 2020 movies that barely saw the light of a movie theater. 

Because of the pandemic, this was no ordinary Oscars, which was held at Union Station in Downtown L.A. and not at the event's usual home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. 

One thing that didn't change was the opulent swag bag handed out to nominees in the Director, Actor, and Actress categories. This year's bag was worth a whopping $205,000 each. You can see the dizzying list of items in the bag here. I thought about actually making a list then decided not to torture myself, as it's a mind-boggling collection of excess (although if anyone wants to gift me a trip to Golden Door, I'd happily accept). The only thing that made me feel better about the bag is that the recipients at least have to pay income tax on its value.

Unfortunately for the show itself, a change of scenery didn't seem to inspire a more entertaining awards show than we've seen in the past. Here is a boatload of mostly harsh reviews courtesy of PrimeTimer. Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles had a brilliant suggestion about honoring the unusual and historic location, which no doubt would have been an improvement to the show. Maybe next year they should hire her to be part of the production team. 

One of the stranger things the producers did was moving the Best Picture announcement to third from the end, rather than at the end as has always been done. There is a lot of talk online that they did this in the belief/hope that the late Chadwick Boseman would win Best Actor (for a number of reasons) and they felt what no doubt would have been a very emotional acceptance speech by his widow would be a great capper to the evening. Instead, Anthony Hopkins won and on top of that wasn't present to accept the award in person, so what was supposed to be a big finish to the show ended up being embarrassingly anti-climactic (or so I've read; I haven't actually watched an awards show in years). But it ended up backfiring on them big time. I bet they move Best Picture back to the finale next year. 

I can almost understand their reasoning. Boseman's death was tragic (he was only 43), he was gifted, respected, and well-liked, and it would be the last opportunity for the Motion Picture Academy to honor him. It's easy to see how he would have been a deserving sentimental favorite in the vein of Heath Ledger. Add in the whole "Oscars So White" movement over the past few years and Boseman seemed like a shoe-in. But in retrospect, that's what happens when you pander and/or try to make a big change just for the sake of doing something different. It can bite you in the ass big-time. 

There's also a great article in the PrimeTimer link that opines that the change ended up being unfair to the producers of Nomadland, three of whom were women, robbing them of their big moment at the conclusion of the broadcast. It's an interesting take and I don't completely disagree. 

Congratulations are due to Hopkins for becoming the oldest Best Actor winner at age 83. It was his second win in six nominations, and his first since winning for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Also congrats to Frances McDormand, who became a three-time Best Actress winner last night, and just for good measure scored a fourth Oscar as a Nomadland producer. In unrelated news, The Brother and I are going to see a screening of Fargo on the big screen this weekend. There is no limit to how many times I can watch McDormand as Marge Gunderson. 

Another criticism I'm seeing a lot of was the In Memoriam segment. When will awards show ever learn that if there's one thing fans and viewers don't want less of, it's this segment? If your broadcast is going to be bloated anyway, take a couple minutes more to honor your dead. And include everyone. I can't remember the last time there was an awards show and there weren't complaints about people being left out. You'd think producers would pick up on that at some point. 

And now early ratings are in and they aren't pretty: Oscars Ratings Crash To All-Time Low; Viewership Falls Below 10M For First Time Ever. These are only early Nielsen numbers, but they're still horrific:

In delayed fast national results just released by Nielsen, the 93rd Academy Awards were watched by a mere 9.85 million, with a dismal rating of 1.9 among the 18-49 demographic.

That is an all-time low for Hollywood's biggest night - by a huge margin.

In fact, it is a drop of over 48% in terms of audience from what the previous low of the 2020 Oscars snared on February 9 last year. In terms of the key demo, the 2021 Oscars is down a crushing 64.2% in the earlier ratings from the 2020 Oscars.

I'll leave you with this, because it's freaking hilarious, although I'm pretty sure they cleared out any homeless near Union Station so the beautiful people didn't have to see what's becoming increasingly common in Southern Cal neighborhoods:

Updated 4/27/21: Final numbers pushed the audience up to 10.4 million - still a stunning fall from grace for a broadcast that used to be a worldwide event that few missed.

I wonder if the bars are still on Blanche's bedroom window...

The Hancock Park (Los Angeles) house made famous as the residence of the Hudson sisters in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is on the market for the first time in almost 50 years. The price tag? Just under $3.8 million. No word on if the price includes a nosy neighbor on the driveway side.

The outside of the house is still instantly recognizable to most classic film fans, and speaking of the driveway, note the iron gate in case you want to cripple your annoying sister!

Alas, the interiors don't match the film. While the exterior of the house figured prominently in the story, interiors were filmed on a soundstage. In fact, if you scroll through the pictures in the listing, the inside of the house is depressingly modern. But the outside almost makes up for it. Not gonna lie, if I was some crazy gazillionaire, I'd buy the house and then pay a contractor to rebuild the interior to match the movie. 

I wonder what kind of looky-loo traffic they get.

"I hope like 300 kids egg your house..."

 OK, I thought this was funny:

Some states are wide open, California is still dealing with this shit.

Seriously, world-class places like California and Los Angeles deserve better. 

Since I'm in an apartment I don't get trick-or-treaters, but I wouldn't mind seeing a 4th of July type of reaction from fed-up Angelenos. Remember when our political betters told us not to celebrate that holiday, and everyone did just the opposite and lit up the sky, because fuck corrupt career politicians? Yeah, something like that. 

Updated 10/17/20: More California "leadership" humor. Yeah, we the people are fed up:

Recent reading: "The Castle on Sunset"

The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal in Hollywood's Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy

This is a wonderful, amazingly comprehensive look at the star-studded history of the legendary Chateau Marmont, the gorgeous, historic hotel that towers over the east end of the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

Levy has done his homework. The book covers the entirety of the hotel's life, beginning in 1926, when Fred Horowitz bought a then-remote piece of property west of Hollywood on which he envisioned building a luxury apartment building whose design was inspired by the Chateau d'Amboise in the Loire valley of France. The Chateau opened in early 1929. Later that year, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Three years after the crash, Horowitz sold the Chateau to Albert E. Smith, co-founder of the Vitagraph movie studio and the parade of owners - and eras - began.

The book is broken into sections of ownership and the hotel's status during those periods, beginning with "The Dream" (1927-1932), "A Second Birth" (1932-1942), "An Identity Emerges" (1942-1965), "Tumult and Decay" (1965-1975), "Rescue and Restoration" (1975-1990) and finally to the Chateau most people know today, the high-priced, high-profile celebrity hangout developed by famous - and eventually infamous - hotelier Andre Balazs: "A Golden Age" (1990-present).

Hollywood embraced the hotel over the decades. It has served the industry as a home for some of its most celebrated, giving them a private, inspirational place to create, a then-inexpensive first home for those new to town who would go on to become legends, a discreet place to carry on affairs, as well as a place to encamp when the dissolution of one's marriage required a quick, discreet new address, and eventually a Hollywood hotspot.

There are tales of creative genius, scandalous behavior, and the hotel's obsession with protecting its denizens and their antics from the media and masses. As the building deteriorated over a certain period of its life, it's ability to keep the secrets of its tenants and visitors earned it a surprising loyalty from people who could afford to stay at more elegant and well-kept places. In fact, a large contingent of its residents embraced the hotel's descent into shabbiness, willing to tolerate patchwork and sometimes non-existent repairs, maintenance, and updates because they loved the life that the Chateau's walls protected from the outside world. Actress Jill Clayburgh once implored a reporter not to praise the Chateau in print: "Oh, don't mention the hotel! Then all the tourists will come. If you must say something about this place, say it's terrible. Please say it's terrible!" There was something about life at the Chateau Marmont that couldn't be found anywhere else, and those who lived in it and loved it were willing to put up with a lot to keep that aspect of it intact.

The book of course covers the infamous drug overdose death of John Belushi, and it's an expectedly depressing story. But as much as that would seem to be the obvious chapter to pull a quote from, I had to go with these paragraphs from the last few pages of the book, because it really sums up the life - past and present - of a place that touched so many who lived within its walls, so many of whom were creatives and for whom the Chateau Marmont was such a large part of their life, work, and art.

You can't fully tell the history of Hollywood movies or the Sunset Strip without making reference to it; it sits inside a pair of stories in which, technically, as an inanimate edifice of concrete, steel, wood, and glass, it has taken no part. Stately, steady, solid, redoubtable, it presides over its setting - literal and figurative - with an air of patient boredom. All the sensations that have transpired within and without it, all the zealots and visionaries and schemers and charlatans who've inhabited it, all the deals - of all sorts - that have been sparked or completed or scuttled within its confines: It's a saga of weight and drama and impact befitting an entity of far longer and more storied history.

Chateau Marmont isn't as old as Hollywood or as large or as influential. It doesn't define the Sunset Strip or symbolize it or embody its greatest legends. But it is intrinsic to the stories of both those institutions.

If you have any interest in historic Hollywood - and especially if you're as crazy about it as I am - you need to read this book. And now I need to add staying at the Chateau Marmont to my bucket list.

Only in L.A.: Boom mic in the water

This morning at Venice Beach:

I don't know how he doesn't get zapped.  There's got to be something electrical going on there.

More pics here.

Feel the rain!

In case you hadn't heard, we've been having WEATHER here in Southern Cal. And by weather, of course we mean rain.  Don't panic!!!

Don't get wet.

How appropriate for my first day of jury duty

I had to report for jury duty today and have to go back tomorrow to continue with jury selection.  I'm really hoping that will be the end of it, because I'm still hoping to have my late uncle's apartment cleaned out and his car sold by the end of the month.  The trial is expected to last nine days, so if I get picked I can kiss most of the rest of the month goodbye.

Heading out to lunch today, saw this on the corner of the block the courthouse is on (in Downtown L.A., Civic Center area):

Justice will be served!

Okay, so apparently the Davids AREN'T included...

The infamous Hancock Park landmark hasn't sold yet, so in addition to a sizable price chop (from $2.1 million to $1.8 million) the Davids are going away: Curbed LA: You can buy a David...

In addition to the statuary sale, there will be Open Houses and as the Curbed article says, they are sure to be packed and I'm guessing there will be a lot of online coverage made available.  Personally, I can't wait.

Christmas sure will be boring without the Davids, although I'm guessing other residents of the 3rd and Muirfield Road area may not agree.

David pics snicked from Blogging L.A. and losanjealous.

Just another day on The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I'm guessing when this guy first hit Hollywood his goals in life didn't include parading around in a badly constructed SpongeBob costume or getting famous for being busted by LAPD for harassing tourists.  But things don't always go as planned, especially in this town: SpongeBob SquarePants Arrested in Hollywood for "Fighting in the Streets".

Twitpic by Chris Seckler, who I'm pretty sure took it from the upstairs dining room of Baja Fresh.  How sad is it that I spotted that?

This story reminded me of Elmo and Mr. Incredible in cuffs and Anger Management Batman.  Some things never change.  Maybe it's the costumes, or maybe the frustration of thwarted dreams of stardom.  Maybe it's the water in Crazytown.  We may never know.

House of Davids is for sale. Davids included.

Hancock Park's infamous eyesore is on the market and it can be yours for a measly $2.1 million.  Why?  Apparently the novelty has worn off for owner and statuary aficionado Norwood Young.

Young used to love turning heads — lighting up the lawn, throwing over-the-top theme parties, dressing his naked giant slayers in long red Santa hats for Christmas and "Thriller" jackets in tribute to the late King of Pop.

But now he is done with the Davids, he says.

As long as the people who buy the house pay him, so be it if they strip it back to basic ranch.

"I wouldn't give a rat's behind what they did," says this man who has been singing professionally all his life and has grown tired of being known not for his voice but for his house.

Ah, I think I see the problem here.  House of Davids = famous.  Norwood Young...not so much.   To his credit, he is big enough to admit it and to admit that he let the idea of fame get the better of him.

But most people don't see the house and think Norwood Young, he says. Most people think Davids.

Young came to L.A. in 1994 seeking success and fame. When the Davids made news, he thought he'd found them...

"The idea was to ride the wave of the house and segue that into my music," he says. "But it didn't quite pan out that way."

The House of Davids became an L.A. celebrity. Norwood Young the singer did not...

But in 2007, he appeared on an E! Entertainment TV reality show, "High Maintenance 90210," ordering around a butler. He was on his way to becoming an Angelyne, famous only for pursuit of fame.

"My love for music never changed. My commitment to it did — " he says. "With the house came parties. With the parties came drugs. The drugs meant you didn't get up the next day at a decent hour, so life just went by. So for me, I just lived vicariously through the house."

Young is apparently a genuinely talented singer who suffered childhood sexual abuse, and good for him for surviving that.  As far as his career is concerned, the sad fact (as many people involved in creative pursuits can attest) is that talent and ability are not necessarily guarantees of success in the entertainment industry.   It sounds like he's reached a point in life where he just wants some semblance of normalcy, that he's realized that excess and outrageous behavior isn't going to fill any emotional voids.  Although if he still becomes renowned for his singing, that's okay too.  Wherever he goes next, I can't help but wish him the best, his horrific tastes in home and garden decorating notwithstanding.

The house and the Davids, on the other hand, have taken on a life of their own.  I always wondered what the neighbors really thought of it.  It will be interesting to see who buys the place and what they do with its unique landscaping.

304 S. Muirfield Road for sale on Curbed L.A., Redfin and Zillow.

Image snicked from Curbed L.A. article.

Oh Los Angeles, I love you. Don't ever change.

This was the hit of the local internets this morning: Man arrested after running naked down the 405. And yes, there is a picture. Way to go commuter!

The only way this could be any better is if he hadn't assaulted anyone. I hope the woman is okay. None of the reports I've seen so far have any details of the attack or how badly she was hurt.

Okay, he wasn't completely nude. He was wearing socks. But still...only in LA!

A car chase that was unusual even by Los Angeles standard

Via L.A. Observed: Relive one of the wildest days' in L.A. history.

Like so much about the O.J. Simpson/Nicole Brown Simpson/Ron Goldman case, it was a bizarro world moment, something you couldn't make up.

Like many Southern Californians I was at home (which at the time was an apartment in San Dimas) watching in shock as local news broadcast the spectacle that starred a fugitive celebrity and a speed limit abiding white Ford Bronco.

I wonder how the Simpson kids are doing these days.

Show airs tonight on ESPN at 7pm PDT.

Footage and commentary from that bizarre evening:

Goodnight, sweet Coach

John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, has died at the age of 99.

Among his many accomplishments as coach was a legendary winning streak that was a part of my childhood.  From the linked article:

From the moment that center Bill Walton stepped on the court at the start of the 1971-72 season, the Bruins seemed untouchable. With the smooth-shooting Keith Wilkes at forward, the "Walton Gang" stormed through consecutive 30-0 seasons, winning their sixth and seventh straight titles.

It was during this era that the Bruins won 88 consecutive games, a streak that ended with a loss at Notre Dame on Jan. 19, 1974.

My Dad had attended UCLA for a couple of years and followed the Bruins as a fan.  As a kid, I remember him watching Bruins basketball on TV, and they never lost.  Never, that's just how it was, until Notre Dame finally brought that insane winning streak to an end.  I remember my Dad telling me that some of the players on the Bruins squad had almost made it through their entire college career without ever losing a single game.  That is just astounding.

I bought Wooden's book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court a few years ago.  I already knew about his amazing accomplishments with the Bruins, and had always heard great things about him as a person, but in reading this book I was astonished at the caliber of his personal character.  This was a man with a pristine moral code, a man who practiced what he preached and didn't fall back on excuses.  He was a man of an era that ceased to exist a long time ago, and that's our loss.  If the world was ruled by men like John Wooden, it would be a significantly better place.

Keep in mind that this man with his extremely old-fashioned ways coached in Los Angeles in the sixties and seventies, and found wild success without abandoning his values or morals.  And while his young players may have chafed under rules that were throwbacks to a different generation (no facial hair, no profanity), they also thrived and excelled under them.  They may not have always liked Wooden's rules, but they made history by adhering to them.

Coach Wooden's official website (make sure your sound is on to hear Coach)

UCLA pays tribute

This is a tough loss for Angelenos.  Sure, 99 years is a good run, but that doesn't change the fact that the world is a poorer place losing a man like John Wooden.

Godspeed Coach.