I have to say right here -
KCRW is my favorite radio station because of the music - Nic Harcourt, Garth Trinidad, Anne Lit, Chris Douridas, Jason Bentley, Calamar, Liza Richardson, Raoul Campos and there's more.
But they give a great side of veggies, stuff that's good for you, in the form of
news and talk - I'm a member and love Harry Shearer, This American Life, Robert Scheer on Left Right and Center,
Michael Silverblatt, Evan Kleinmen.
These are all people, mostly our LA neighbors, to discover.
So I was thrilled when the maestro
Warren Olney called. He's the juggler that handles three or four dense talking pundits at once, placing them like a coach in each others way so they have a verbal sparring match that results in real discussion, if not in a victor.
And if you click on the above link, they even used and credited Leimert Park Beat with the photo that I took with my iphone and sent directly to this site.
My interview is the last 10 minutes of the minute show. I'm on right after
Jasmyne Cannick of West Adams. She talks about Prop 8.
Olney's producer asked if I could talk about that as well. I told her that people haven't said a thing about it that I've heard. There aren't yard signs either. But I know most of my neighbors have a strong Christian ethic, the same one I have from growing up in the South and along the Bible belt.
I also know at an early age, I was not taught to respect black people. But because of some very close friends, and considering Muhammad Ali a hero as he also was born in Louisville, that changed.
That disrespected group was replaced with gays, which was backed up in church. But I tell you as an adult, that feeling has changed. And it seems treating gays any different than anyone else is just as disgraceful as teaching a 5-year-old nursery rhymes with the N word (which was about the time I learned "any, meanie, miney, moe" (however you spell it) and "Fight, fight").
So I passed on the interview.
It wasn't my first time with Olney. About five years ago I talked about my big scoop after the sitting Carson mayor, two council members and several others were arrested and later convicted of a money-for-votes scheme with Waste Management. My story, which I had been working on for months, was the pinnacle of my investigative journalism career.
The interview with Olney wasn't. I was nervous about the facts as this had just happened, and getting sued because there was a lot of nuance.
Still both times, a few seconds after the interview was done, he came back on the line to say thanks for the interview. No, thank you, Warren.
olney show.mp3, 11.5 MB 
