One of CSUF's Youngest Teachers Is Quietly Creating Art
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One of CSUF’s youngest teachers is quietly creating art with a voice The “Bionic Woman’s” Michelle Ryan talks about her new take on a classic role The place where the real musicians go Two guys go on a hunt for a story about West Hollywood girls with Adam’s Apples as big as their pearls 2 BUZZ 09.27.07 daily.titan daily.titan BUZZ 09.27.07 3 URBAN OUT-LOOKERS An artist whose NEIL quiet nature SHARUM screams through his photos HOTEL CAFE SUCH A TEEZE HOOKED ON The Buzz Editor: The Daily Titan 714.278.3373 Jennifer Caddick The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 BIONICS [email protected] Executive Editor: Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 Ian Hamilton The Buzz Advertising 714.278.3373 [email protected] LOCKED & LOADED Director of Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 Advertising: The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental Stephanie Birditt insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It is printed FOR MISFIRE every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently Assistant Director of of Associated Students, College of Communications, Advertising: CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan Sarah Oak has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial Production: activities or ventures identified in the advertisements Jennifer Caddick themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, Account Executives: endorsement or investigation of such commercial Nancy Sanchez enterprises. Juliet Roberts Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan /FX4VNNFS%SJOL1SJDFTr̾BOEPWFS 2 BUZZ 09.27.07 daily.titan daily.titan BUZZ 09.27.07 3 Vermont Avenue Fred 62’s “White Trash Tuna Melt.” in vintage style. Around the corner, on the little side street of Kingswell, dwells the kitschy nook, Una Mae’s, and its closet full of new and vintage attire for men and women. The all-night diner Fred 62. A few blocks above stands Horton Hall, an apartment complex of highest notch on the bedpost of practically everyone on the face of Victorian studios with wedding favorite streets to frequent. Earth’s, favorite dessert hub, Pink cake ceiling trim, filigree wallpaper One of the most well-known Berry. and lavender-tiled bathtubs for establishments on the street is Fred “I always see famous people about $950 a month. 62. Located like a watch tower for around here. I guess it’s just the The rock power couple Gwen greasy spoon connoisseurs, the environment. If you’ve got cool and Gavin Rossdale are always toting their ridiculously couture all-night diner guides in patrons places to eat and cool places to shop, toddler around the Rite-Aide across Atmosphere boutique at all hours of the morning and you get a scene,” Whelan said. “I night. The seats are hot-rod style feel lucky to call it home.” the street. booths, fashioned out of vinyl. The After green tea frozen yogurt, And more likely than not, you’ll BY NIKKI DONAHUE scenes at The Dresden can be found counter wraps around the middle Skylight Books provides warm see a tattered and fading navy blue Daily Titan Staff Writer like landmarks within its paved of the restaurant and encases malt aisles of novels to read away the suited homeless man preaching. territory. machines and bustling waitresses brain freeze. The branches of a live No wonder Bukowski claimed References to it are littered in The two-block radius of north decked to the neck in punk rock tree centerpiece creep across the its habitat as home for some of his the heavy-handed penmanship of Vermont Avenue, between Franklin garb. The cafe is conducive to dog bookstore ceiling as a makeshift literary prose. Its brick building Charles Bukowski. Leaf through the and Hollywood Boulevard in the lovers with its choice of outside chandelier. With its collection of facades gothic, wrought-iron fenced dog-eared pages of “Women” and city of Los Feliz, has made countless seating. Many times, a canine rarely published volumes, Skylight hotels and random laundermats one can find its name tucked away cameo appearances in both book accompanies its owner as a cheap, attracts an omnibus of worms and compose a place to enjoy and in the various daily accounts of the and film. Artists and musicians table-scrap date and relaxes, tethered constantly provides the avid reader appreciate the eccentricities of life lead character. The cult classic film, make its confines their home. to the patio furniture legs. The front recommendations of the subversive and style. “Swingers,” used it as its stage. The Celebrities make it their connection of the menu reads: “Eat now. Dine nature. Vermont, romantically bohemian address for the character Mikey’s to everyday reality. And many who Later.” Inside it lists everything The tiny theater next door has the and delicately seedy, is a street suited apartment and the famous bar are just visiting make Vermont the from calamari to macaroni and latest attractions but screens them for struggle and fame alike. cheese. The “White Trash Tuna Melt” reserves the right to leave oil spill status grease stains on whatever it touches. It comes with a side of fries piled into an origami, wax paper box and is garnished with a single potato chip. This is how Fred 62 spells “real class.” Like fine china and paper napkins, the diner serves up gourmet plates on blue collar palettes. Once hunger pangs are nursed, it’s only a few long-limbed strides down the way to the trend- conscious boutique, Atmosphere. Skinny-legged, scene-rats hover like malnourished vultures inside, waiting for the stock of the new It-jean, Cheap Mondays, to arrive. Notorious Hollywood club promoter, Keith Wilson, is always sauntering around inside helping customers with shoe sizes. Erik Hart’s clothing line, Morphine Generation, inhabits the shelves. His close friend and Los Feliz resident, Rye Whelan, is a regular on Vermont and directed the way down the street to his, and PHOTOS BY NIKKI DONAHUE Los Feliz Theater Skylight Books 4 BUZZ 09.27.07 daily.titan Neil Sharum uses photography to expose people in a different light sound, is the same quiet air that BY NIKKI DONAHUE seems to hover around the narrow Daily Titan Staff Writer shoulders of Neil Sharum. Cal State Fullerton’s 24-year-old There is a type of silence that grad student has spent two semesters haunts museums. Really late at night teaching the creative photography it comes out and creeps around the section 338 A class. Sharum spent underground subways of big cities. the first semester as a teacher’s It seeps out the ventilation systems assistant to Professor Eileen Cowin. of children’s hospitals when the Still in grad school for a master in only people still roaming the halls fine arts, CSUF offered him the are janitors. That kind of silence - it opportunity to teach, and coming grants things a little more meaning, from a family of scholars, he took a little more depth. It makes it. While his teaching credentials are loneliness feel bigger. Life looks impressive for his age, Sharum has different at that volume. more to say, but he is going to use That stillness, that muzzled far fewer words than most. PHOTO BY DANIEL SUZUKI Sitting at a wooden table in a small outdoor corner of the art department, as a photographer $(+-*1 WHERE’S THE SCENE adjusted the lightening on the camera, he patiently waited. He IN FULLERTON??? listlessly inspected the yellow The Daily Titan wants to know flowers that had fallen from the tree BREA above and the little insects that were infesting them. 9ec_d]Ieed$$$ Sharum’s features are striking. His slightly down-turned nose is pierced. Most of the lower half THE 9hW_] of his face is tucked away under a LOVEMASTER groomed beard. While he is neatly kept, he still comes across as slightly I^e[cWa[h askew. Sept His attention drifted to his forearm where one of the small 27th-30th bugs he had been studying was now crawling. “That little bastard bit me,” Sharum said softly as he examines the minute injury the aphid inflicted 9ec[Zo@k_Y[ upon him. 9ebb[][D_]^j His drowsy mannerisms are accompanied by a hushed vernacular, every Tuesday but the things he says and the movements he makes are articulate $6 Tix with College ID 8pm and done with calm conviction. Hebrew School He’s sort of funny without really and don’t miss... Dropouts trying to be. Oct 3 Sharum began as a painting John Visit www.dailytitan.com and drawing major but found Caparulo Dirty Comedy that photography could better communicate his ideas. He’s a self- Oct 4-7 with Joey Diaz Oct 10 Fill out our Best of Fullerton survey proclaimed sucker for the immediate outcome. 120 S. Brea Blvd. Brea, CA 92821 Enter for a chance to win 2 FREE park Ink, paint, canvas; they wouldn’t suffice. Give him a lens. Give him 714-482-0700 hopper passes to Disneyland!* film. Give him that and he will speak volumes. for tickets or more info www.improv.com As an instructor, he hopes his www.myspace.com/breaimprov students learn how to look at a *Visit www.dailytitan.com for details. All entries must be received no later than 9-20-07. photograph for meaning rather daily.titan BUZZ 09.27.07 5 In that instant, Sharum, a ghost of a man, holds people hostage inside the frame of his lens. He gently captures a still image of what it’s like to be 19 and a little drunk and a little foolish and completely enamored with life.