Los Angeles : Local Wisdom
Beautifully Flawed
By Eric Rumble
Aug 21, 2008

 

No matter what noises the pop music juggernaut is pushing on the masses, Eleni Mandell keeps recasting herself as a vintage siren in a way that Hollywood’s celebrity handlers could only hope to imitate.

The L.A. native’s songwriting is sexy and soulful; imbued with romance, yet seething with the crush of reality. She’s released six full-length albums in her decade-long recording career (including 2007’s make-out masterpiece, Miracle of Five ), each a stylistic tangent tied together by sharp lyrics, sultry musicianship and Mandell’s spine-tingling croon. Her next record, Artificial Fire , hits shelves in January, supported by an EP release and a small tour of Québec and Ontario next month.

It makes sense that Mandell’s favourite place is her hometown of Los Angeles, which she loves as much for its rhythm as for its blues.

Sometimes flying in from other places that are classically more beautiful, it can be a little bit painful, because it’s not a beautiful- looking city—especially during the day in the summer, when it’s very brown. But there’s something I like about the ugliness of [Los Angeles]... it means when you find something beautiful, it’s even more special.

When the sun’s going down and the sky turns a really beautiful colour of turquoise and grey, and you see a silhouette of palm trees, crooked palm trees, all along Normandie Avenue—I love that. It’s kind of a cliché about L.A., but it’s kind of beautiful, too.

I love the Bradbury Building . It’s one of our landmarks. It was built in the late 1800s; Blade Runner was filmed there. From the outside, it looks like a stone, terra cotta building, and then you go inside and the most beautiful ironwork [goes] clear up to a skylight on the top. It’s just gorgeous, ornate... everything, from the buttons on the elevators to the mailbox, is really thought out and beautiful. And [it was] built by a guy that wasn’t an architect—that’s one of my favourite things.

I love my neighbourhood, Los Feliz. I can walk to anything I want, basically. I can walk to the Greek Theatre and not pay for tickets and just listen on the hillside.

I can walk [to] Yuca’s tacos. It’s actually a shack in a parking lot, and there’s always a line. I think they have the best tacos in L.A., but they also have burritos and stuff. A really old couple—husband and wife—own it and sent their kids to college just from having this little shack. Still the old lady works there, and screams out your name when your order’s ready.

My favourite bar lately is Edendale Grill . They have a black-and-white photo booth in the back, which is really fun. They don’t play horrible music, and you can hear each other talk, and it’s in a beautiful 1920s fire station. So it’s pretty cool.

There’s a lot of Hollywood history in Los Feliz: Double Indemnity was filmed [there], and a lot of others too, so there’s definitely a sort of noir feeling. There are bungalows and courtyard apartments built in the ’20s. Very L.A. architecture—a little bit Spanish, a little bit Craftsman. The neighbourhood is mostly on the beautiful side, with just a little bit of ugliness thrown in to make it interesting.

Through Eleni’s Eyes

EAT
Yuca’s
2056 Hillhurst Ave.; 323-662-1214

DRINK
Edendale Grill
2838 Rowena Ave.; 323-666-2000

SEE
Bradbury Building
304 S. Broadway