#susanvonseggern

[maewestside]

CONFESSIONS OF A POLL WORKER: PART DUH!... by heidi siegmund cuda, aka @maewestside

Monte and I had a week to shoot, cut and print the most important film of our career to date. Piece of cake. That allowed me to have three days to ruminate and be a layabout before putting the script on wax.

Just as I pressed send on the second draft of the third act, I breathed a sigh of relief to Mein Hombre and said, “At least I get to sleep in tomorrow.” Der Hombre, being the better scheduler of we two, says, “Didn’t you volunteer to work the polls tomorrow?”

Fuuuuugh.

My damn pat-tree-uh-tizm always gets the best of me. Blame Mein Blut. A girl like I can’t help it. When you’re raised by Germans you march, work, pay respect to God and country, and try not to be a layabout.

So after four days in a row of four hours of sleep, I dragged my weary bones across “Moorpark Highway” to Holly’s Donuts, everyone in Tujunga Village’s favorite 5 am donut shop. The ladies there are so beloved, they have groupies bringing ‘em gift cards during the holidaze. 

I counted out my coin for a baker’s dozen, cuz last time I volunteered, all the loneyhearts came slumming for donuts. This time I was prepared.

Despite strategically volunteering at a precinct four blocks from my home, I still managed to be “o dark 8″ minutes late (donuts!). No matter. We had an ace in the hole in the form of an actor-slash-marine, who had his game so dang tight we knew the day would be a breeze and it was. He’d done seven tours of duty as an election volunteer so we were locked and loaded by 6:45 am in a neighbor’s garage, flag hung, stars to the left, signage visible from all angles and a line of locals thanking us for our service that ensued from start to finish.

We anticipated the brisk pace of the turnout and this time, I was far less nervous than last time, when we were only three gals with no experience. (There’s sposed to be four volunteers, but one of ‘em always seems to be a no-show. It’s L.A., go figger.) We got through my first volunteer sesh but only because two out of three us had gone to training and retained enough partial information to plug in, set up, hang the flag and open the door for the voting business of our great democracy, ailing but on the brink of showing her moxie.

On Tuesday, we volunteers immediately sussed out which side of the political fence we were on, so we agreed to talk about hockey. We had little time to chit chat due to the constant stream of fantastic denizens of Tujunga Village, Studio City and Colfax Meadows, an oasis of kindness. In addition, I quickly ascertained recalling four to six numbers and a street name while flipping myriad pages to find said street name and then lining it out in triplicate required deep focus I do not possess, thus asking neighbors to repeat infinity. (Well done rock and roll, well done). The marine tried to help the troops streamline the process but to no avail. A neighbor, seeing my plight, told me to repeat the address aloud until I found the right page, which worked aces until I hit a big apartment complex and then it was anarchy. But like I always tell ya, people are just so dang nice. They’re just happy someone with a pulse is on deck to ensure their right to vote is recorded for posterity. As per uze, the ballot box went blinky for a spell requiring us to work manually but the actor slash marine was so on point, that an Angel with the County appeared toot sweet and gave us the skinny: “You just turn it on and off five times until it straightens out and flies right.”

Woiked like a charm.

I won’t name names to protect the glamorous but I will tell you that we three volunteers ran out of business cards, as the people of Studio City are the working-class heroes of the industry and they like to help their neighbors. The volunteer to my left was a real estate agent, who used to be in the biz. I made friends with famed environmentalists, met the awesome actor husband of a pal I just had a pitch meeting with; and bro’d down with a fellow Heidi and recognized her as an authentic “Valley Girl.” She then had me meet her swell pop, a lit agent of the baller variety of which I’m perennially in need so we penciled in lunch. I didn’t have any ulterior motives as I had forgotten I’d signed up to work the polls, however, I quickly deduced if ever I was gonna find a neighbor who might have a Jacuzzi to help heal my stiff writer’s bones, this is my opportunity and by midday, I had five pals with Jacuzzis and a date with the retiree set to go to the library for a mindful meditation sesh. 

And then I got the sweet and lowdown that I’d scored Social Distorton tickets that night in Ventura, and I had to find a stranger-angel to finish my shift. In walked the stunning wife of a famed cinematagrapher who volunteered to sit in til the bitter end for me.

And just when I thought life couldn’t get any sweeter, a gal named Sarah brought us coffee from Aroma Café… with Almond milk.

God bless America, my home sweet home.

******

Author Heidi Siegmund Cuda and her producing partners Greg Montemurro (4sitevideo.com) and Susan von Seggern are in production on multiple films, documentaries, web and tv series.

[dbpmusicradio]

dBp Music Radio Digest for Sat 04/14/2018

EchoesRadio: On a Slow Flow Friday, new space music by Chuck Van Zyl of Star's End Radio from his album, Recitals 2. https://t.co/dzA17scmdD https://t.co/j2uptHBt0T [Fri Apr 13 14:14:35 +0000 2018]

EchoesRadio: Interview director Georgia Wyss about her film, @Mantramovie w/ @DevaPremalMiten, @WhiteSunMusic & @jaiuttal Uttal. https://t.co/QZIM0V6mix #mantra #kirtan @SusanvonSeggern https://t.co/EwetgP55bh [Fri Apr 13 14:36:05 +0000 2018]

EchoesRadio: In Echoes Podcast: @Karlheinz Stockhausen's KLANG: The 24 Hours of the Day, Recently performed at @FringeArts by Ensemble Musikfabrik,@Lilac94duo, and produced by @elizabethhuston & @analogarts. We talk to them all and #Stockhausen in the Echoes Podcast. https://t.co/jjyCyIWTbd [Fri Apr 13 14:40:10 +0000 2018]

EchoesRadio: RT @LizbethFriedman: Here's what #harp duo @Lilac94duo did earlier this month. Take a listen! #KLANG @CMA_Tweets @HarpSociety @Harp_Column… [Fri Apr 13 22:04:46 +0000 2018]

heartsofspace: This week on Hearts of Space: BIOSONIC 2—the organic sound in ambient electronica. https://t.co/4TGEXAzxDz [Sat Apr 14 07:26:33 +0000 2018]

[maewestside]

BACKSTAGE BLONDES: And Other Tales of Anarchy… by heidi siegmund cuda, aka @maewestside

Like I always say: at the top of every food chain is an arse; so you can either be your own arse or install your faves into management positions just in case you have to go spelunking back into the salt mines of the biweekly deposit. And if so, please do employ Ice T 101: “Work within the system to affect change.”

A lot of dogoodin’ can be done from within (usually when no one’s looking).

Right now, our #fargonzo team of #freepress activists have become the de facto news directors of the greater Southland area. And that’s because there are so many dogooders within the system. We’ve grown up together, seen the world change together, and now we are there for each other. 

Young editors look to your elders: track them down. Offer them a paycheck so you can learn a few things about history, while also supporting veteran scribes in a changing world (had a lovely chat with a fellow name Farley, the editor of EaterLA, on just that subject. What a guy).

We have a lot to learn from each other. 

Por ejemplo, I butted cubicles with Giants of Journo, and I’m a better rabble-rouser because of it.

As long as you have people on corporate and government payrolls who have known poverty and struggle and who were raised with empathy for humanity, we gonna be aiight.

That our #fargonzo #freepress team works with love in our collective heart and a passion inherited by decades of surfing in the cosmic flow makes this narrative, well, swell.

Love always do win eventually.

UNEXPENDABLES

Because a few of us jumped ship from corporate shackles to swim upstream in a sea of sharks, we’re winning of course. Assemble an A-team of UnExpendables and a girl like I can go places.

Feels good to be wanted for our unique talents, namely, pens and lenses, reflecting truth in the questions we ask.

A girl with Big Brains is a queen in San Francisco, where I was raised. A girl with Big Brains is a threat in Los Angeles, because we’ve learned to do the job of fitty men when no one was looking. Or in my case, I’m a composite of the fitty or so great men and women who taught me how to be a Proper Journo: question authority while keeping your eye on the truth.

So in the past two weeks, our #fargonzo team beat Big Money in Redondo from Super$izing King Harbor Pier; created a film that will likely change the future of media (and make the world feel safe again); and helped turn a spotlight on activism that resulted in #realbreakingnews as a veteran Pol held an impromptu townhall at her own fundrai$er. Warms the heart that the #townhall was a result of a small group of citizens taking to the street in a display of civil disobedience excellence.

Oh how I love the sweet smell of non-violent anarchy. Power to the people yo.

TRUE BELIEVERS

Which is why Mein Hombre and I ended up at the Bouncing Souls at the Roxy on St. Patrick’s Day. Nathin says Oust the Snakes like a room full of True Believers.

Gee whiz they’re my favorite Oi! Band. 

As I patiently waited for the sweet notes of “Manthem” to splay out onto the sidewalk, I struck up a convo with a Backstage Blonde, among my favorite species. They’re usually the sweet and brilliant wives of my friends, and some are brunettes, who like Shanti Wingergate, sprinkle the earth with their glittery talents.

This backstage blonde’s name was Queen Isis, from Barb Wire Dolls, and you catch them on the Warped Tour this year or Mondays at the Whisky in April.

They’re from the island of Crete in Greece, where the only punk scene when they formed in 2010 was anarchists in squats.

Then one day they played an underground show with the Bouncing Souls, which ultimately led their souls a’bouncing all the way to the Sunset Strip, where they became Lemmy’s first and last signing on “Motorhead Music.” R.I.P. (Rock In Peace).

As I chatted with Queen Isis, guitarist Pin Doll and Krash their drummer, on the critical nature of drummers, I couldn’t help but smile.

It’ll be 25 years this September since I first started slinging words about nightlife for the Los Angeles paper of record. It’ll be a decade since I resigned after one “two many notes” too many.

We’ve rebuilt this scene so many times and there’s nothing counter culture loves more than a good DonnyBrook.

Bring the noize.

******

Author Heidi Siegmund Cuda is excited about one of her team’s newest clients, musician/adventurer Rick Schuler, a spiritual counterpart to the late John Denver, or as Cuda likes to call him, a “Walk-In.”

(anarchy in the usa: the author and the barb wire dolls, sunset strip, photo gary winterboer)