11: Gary Baseman

Watch this episode on YouTube |follow us on instagram Los Angeles native Gary Baseman is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the human condition through fine art, illustration, performance, film, fashion, and toy design. Known for his raw style and humor, his art has appeared in international publications (The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, TIME, Rolling Stone), games and toys (Cranium), digital collectibles (VeVe), and in the ABC/Disney animated series and feature film “Teacher’s Pet,” for which he was creator and executive producer. Baseman’s awards include multiple Emmys, a British Academy of Film & Television Arts award, and Fulbright and Sundance New Frontier fellowships. His many brand collaborations include COACH, Lladro, and Dr. Martens. His fine art has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America. We highly recommend watching this episode on our YouTube channel, as Gary shows several of his extraordinary drawings onscreen, his cat Bosko drops in several times, and we have embedded photographs from Gary’s long history in LA into the video. Big thanks to Gary for sharing his art, his photos, and his stories so generously. Show notes and Gary ’s five places Canter’s Deli Fairfax district: Pan Pacific auditorium, Pan Pacific movie theatre, and bowling alley. Gilmore drive in, Kiddieland, Tail o’ the Pup, Original Farmer’s Market, CBS Studios. Many of the buildings Gary remembers no longer exist. This neighborhood guide and this post by The Hundreds dig into the history. La Brea Tar Pits The Witch’s House aka the Spadena House (though Gary nearly chose “his hill” in Griffith Park) Musso + Frank Related Links / Also Mentioned in this episode Discover more of Gary’s work on his website and instagram Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall”: The New Yorker’s view of Los Angeles Remembering Beverly Park and Kiddieland Beverly Park and Ponyland: The 'Kiddieland' that Inspired Walt Disney The Carol Burnett show, and The Price is Right. The Formosa Café Genghis Cohen Chateau Marmont The Griffith Observatory The Mamas & The Papas Jim Heimann and his many books on California History and photos of the Pan Pacific Auditorium (1935, architects Wurdeman & Becket) and Pan Pacific Movie Theatre (opened 1942, architect William L. Pereira). A Pan Pacific history from the perspective of Scotty Moore, studio and touring guitarist for Elvis Presley between 1954 and 1968. Annie Hall driving scene in which the Gilmore drive-in appears at timestamp 1:06 CBS television City (1952, architects Pereira & Luckman) The tastes that define LA for Gary Baseman: The martini at Musso &Frank; the potato knish with gravy, or the chocolate rugelach at Canter's, the enchiladas Howard at El Coyote. Credits: All photos © Gary Baseman 2023 unless otherwise noted Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com) Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram) Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.com Produced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design Production team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Anali Gharakhani, Quynh Nguyen Creator and Host: Emmanuelle Bourlier This podcast was recorded on Chumash, Tongva and Micqanaqa’n land. © 2022 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACES www.laforum.org Credits: Logo design: still room (www.still-room.com) Animated logo: Bee Murphy (@supadoopabee on Instagram) Music: Guido Parisi, www.pond5.com Produced by: Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design Production team: Emmanuelle Bourlier, Quynh Nguyen Creator, Executive Producer, and Host: Emmanuelle Bourlier This podcast was recorded on unceded Chumash and Tongva land. © 2026 Los Angeles Forum AUD, and FIVE PLACES www.laforum.org