5.01.2009

He Stacks Rocks, People!


Last week, L.A. Weekly released their special edition, People 2009. Cover to cover it's filled with people who make Los Angeles the sick mecca it is. Most of the entries I agree with. Cutting-edge vaudeville circus troupe Lucent Dossier? But of course. Drew Barrymore? Why she's our homecoming queen!

Then there's um, Kevin Morgan. He's concerned about drugs and violence in Venice Beach, which is changing the scene, making it a darker place. So what does he do about it? He doesn't provide counseling. He didn't open a rehab center. He doesn't volunteer. He...stacks rocks. That's right folks, he takes rocks and puts them on top of one another.

They call him "The Rock Star."He quotes,"It's a memorial to 89 lives. They came from all over the world, [but] lost their lives to bad influence choices. They are the forgotten souls of Venice Beach." Of course they are forgotten! Meth heads roam around like zombies, engaging in petty theft for their next fix, and Mr. Morgan is playing with stones!

I appreciate the art he's providing takes patience. It looks fantastic. I even appreciate the man's fine bone structure. But how can L.A. Weekly praise him as a man of the people, someone who's giving back? How is a drug-crazed gangster going to see a pile of rocks and think, "Sh** yo, I better quit this bidness." Um, no. In fact, calling him a "Rock Star" and tagging him as a philanthropist makes me want to take drugs.