7/15/03

LC030715

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

THEY WITNESSED THE WORLD'S ONLY NUCLEAR ATTACK AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE, BUT NOT WITHOUT SOME LINGERING SCARS.

SHIGEKO SASAMORI>> I DIDN'T SEE MYSELF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MOMENT, BUT I CAN SEE OTHER PEOPLE. JUST HORRIBLE. JUST LIKE HELL.

VAL>> AND THEN, HAUNTING IMAGES FROM CALIFORNIA'S PAST. THEY'RE PART OF THE LEGACY OF LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER, EDWARD WESTON.

ALL THIS AND MORE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

VAL>> HELLO, I'M VAL ZAVALA REPORTING FROM LOS ANGELES'S LITTLE TOKYO. THIS HAS LONG BEEN A CULTURAL CENTER FOR THE LOCAL JAPANESE-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE HOW SOME MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN CARRYING A BURDEN FOR NEARLY SIXTY YEARS. THEY ARE NUCLEAR SURVIVORS, PEOPLE WHO WERE IN HIROSHIMA OR NAGASAKI WHEN AMERICA DROPPED TWO ATOMIC BOMBS IN THE FINAL DAYS OF WORLD WAR II. THEY LIVED TO TELL THE TALE, BUT AS TONI GUINYARD REPORTS, NOT WITHOUT SOME LINGERING SCARS.

TONI GUINYARD>> IT'S A REUNION OF SORTS, BUT NOT THE KIND THAT BRINGS SCHOOL FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS TOGETHER TO REMEMBER OLD TIMES. THESE PEOPLE ARE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SURVIVORS OF THE 1945 ATOMIC BOMB ATTACKS ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI. THEY'RE UNDERGOING MEDICAL EXAMS BY JAPANESE DOCTORS. TSURUKO IWOHARA WAS JUST FOURTEEN WHEN THE BOMB FELL. SHE WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES. SHE WAS SOME DISTANCE FROM THE EPICENTER AND SUFFERED NO APPARENT INJURIES, BUT LATELY IWOHARA HAS WONDERED IF SHE'S A VICTIM AFTER ALL.

TSURUKO IWOHARA>> JUST FOUR YEARS AGO, I FIND THE CANCER OF MY WRIST, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS RELATED OR NOT. FINALLY, I GOT BREAST.

TONI GUINYARD>> AN INCREASED RISK OF BREAST CANCER IS AMONG THE KNOWN EFFECTS OF RADIATION EXPOSURE.

TSURUKO IWOHARA>> MY FRIEND PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR. SHE WAS SAME AGE AND SHE GOT ALL KINDS OF CANCER, MAYBE BECAUSE OF THE BOMB, I THINK, SO I'M KIND OF SCARED ALWAYS.

TONI GUINYARD>> SINCE 1977, JAPANESE DOCTORS HAVE COME TO LOS ANGELES EVERY TWO YEARS TO EXAMINE A-BOMB SURVIVORS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE CHECKUPS ALSO HELP RESEARCHERS GATHER DATA ON THE AFTERMATH OF RADIATION EXPOSURE. NO ONE HAS BEEN MORE INVOLVED IN THAT EFFORT THAN KAZ SUYEISHI, WHO WAS A TEEN BACK IN 1945. NOW HEAD OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF A-BOMB SURVIVORS, SUYEISHI HAS SPENT A LIFETIME TRYING TO ESCAPE HER MEMORIES.

KAZ SUYEISHI>> I TRIED TO FORGET ABOUT MY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, BUT NO MATTER HOW I TRIED, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FORGET. THOSE DAYS, EVERYTHING SINGLE DAY, AMERICAN AIRPLANE CALLED B-29 USED TO VISIT SEA OVER HIROSHIMA, BUT THEY NEVER DROPPED THE BOMB. THEY NEVER HURT US.

TONI GUINYARD>> THEN ONE DAY, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

KAZ SUYEISHI>> I MYSELF WAS OUTSIDE ON THE STREET. I WAS TALKING TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD GIRLFRIEND. I SAW THE B-29, THE BEAUTIFUL AIRPLANE. I CALL GOOD MORNING, ANGEL. TO ME, IT WAS ANGEL, HEAVEN. THEN THIS ANGEL STARTED GOING TO THE TALL OCEAN SIDE. I SEE THE WHITE SPOT ON THE BLUE SKY, SO I TOLD MY GIRLFRIEND, THAT'S UNUSUAL. USUALLY THEY NEVER DROP THOSE KIND OF THINGS. I WONDER WHAT IS THAT? MY GIRLFRIEND SAYS WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? LOOK AT THAT, AND I POINT AT IT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, VERY BIG FLASH. FOR A WHILE, I WAS UNCONSCIOUS.

TONI GUINYARD>> SHIGEKO SASAMORI WAS ALSO OUTSIDE THAT DAY. SHE SAW THE SAME WHITE SPOT AND WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND.

SHIGEKO SASAMORI>> I DIDN'T SEE MYSELF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MOMENT, BUT I CAN SEE OTHER PEOPLE. JUST HORRIBLE. JUST LIKE HELL. THEN I KNEW BOMB DROPPED, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS SUCH A BIG BOMB. NOBODY KNOWS THAT AT THE TIME.

TONI GUINYARD>> ONLY LATER DID SASAMORI REALIZE THE EXTENT OF HER INJURIES.

SHIGEKO SASAMORI>> I BURNED MY FACE, WHOLE FACE, NECK, SHOULDERS, CHEST, BOTH HANDS, ARMS, ALL BURNED UP.

TONI GUINYARD>> BUT ONLY A FEW OF THOSE HERE FOR THE EXAMS HAVE VISIBLE INJURIES. EUGENE MURAKAMI WAS STAYING OUTSIDE THE CITY WHEN THE BOMB DROPPED.

EUGENE MURAKAMI>> I HAD TO GO HOME BY WALKING COMPLETELY ACROSS THE CITY TO GO BACK TO MY HOME. BEING IN THE SIXTH GRADE AT THE TIME, WE WERE EVACUATED FROM THE CITY IN THE SPRING OF THAT YEAR AND, THREE DAYS AFTER THE BOMBING, MY GRANDMOTHER CAME AND TOOK ME HOME.

TONI GUINYARD>> AT THE TIME, NO ONE KNEW HOW DANGEROUS RADIATION WAS.

JAMES HAMAZAKI, M.D.>> WELL, THE FIRST FEW YEARS, ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING THINGS WAS THE LEUKEMIA THAT DEVELOPED EARLY, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN, AND THE WHOLE PEAKING WAS WITHIN THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD. SO THEY DEFINITELY HAD DETERMINED THAT THE AMOUNT OF RADIATION THEY RECEIVED, THE DISEASE WAS PROPORTIONAL TO THAT EXTENT.

TONI GUINYARD>> NOW IN HIS LATE EIGHTIES, LONG-TIME UCLA PEDIATRICIAN, JAMES HAMAZAKI, HAS FOLLOWED THE MEDICAL HISTORIES OF A-BOMB SURVIVORS. HAMAZAKI WAS A U.S. SOLDIER AND WAS CAPTURED BY THE GERMANS DURING THE WAR. LATER HE WENT TO JAPAN TO HELP WITH AN AMERICAN STUDY ON THE MEDICAL EFFECTS OF THE BOMB.

JAMES HAMAZAKI, M.D.>> NEVER BEFORE HAS A HUMAN BEEN EXPOSED IN A LARGE POPULATION TO THE WHOLE BODY RADIATION AND ALSO THE FACT THAT MUTATION MIGHT DEVELOP WAS A POSSIBILITY. THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER A HUMAN WAS MORE SENSITIVE THAN THE ANIMAL STUDIES OR NOT.

TONI GUINYARD>> IN RECENT YEARS, THE SURVIVORS' CHILDREN HAVE BEEN INVITED TO JOIN THE ONGOING JAPANESE STUDY. CHARLENE HOYER AND IVAN IHARA, SISTER AND BROTHER, BOTH NOW CLOSE TO FIFTY, WERE BORN IN CALIFORNIA TO AN A-BOMB SURVIVOR WHO HAS SINCE DIED OF ALZHEIMER'S. THEIR MOTHER WAS A SCHOOL GIRL AT THE TIME OF THE BOMBING. THEY BELIEVE SHE SURVIVED BECAUSE SHE STOOD BENEATH THE BEAMS IN A DOORWAY LEADING TO A CHAPEL.

CHARLENE HOYER>> THE GIRL BEHIND HER WAS BLOWN AWAY. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CHAPEL PERISHED. SHE ONLY SURVIVED BECAUSE SHE WAS PROTECTED BY THE BEAMS THAT HELD UP THE CONCRETE.

TONI GUINYARD>> CHARLENE HOYER SAYS SHE COMES FOR THE EXAM PARTLY TO PLEASE HER AUNT AND ALSO FOR THE SAKE OF HER OWN CHILDREN.

CHARLENE HOYER>> AT FIRST I THOUGHT, WELL, MAYBE IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING IF THEY CAN DEVELOP A STUDY OF THE SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN. MAYBE THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO MY CHILDREN.

TONI GUINYARD>> THEY'RE CALLED SECOND GENERATION RADIATION EXPOSED, BUT ONLY A FEW CHILDREN OF SURVIVORS ARE HERE THIS DAY.

MASAKAZU TERANISHI>> I'M VERY HEALTHY AND I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS A LOT OF THE SECOND GENERATION IS NOT HERE IS I THINK THEY'RE HEALTHY TOO.

TONI GUINYARD>> AND THE SURVIVORS WHO HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR MAY BE DOING NO WORSE THAN THEIR PEERS.

TAKESHI MATSUMOTO, M.D.>> I HAVE TO SAY THAT THEY SUFFER SOME OF THE SAME DISEASES THAT I SEE IN OTHER PATIENTS, FOR THE MOST PART.

TONI GUINYARD>> TAKESHI MATSUMOTO IS A LITTLE TOKYO-BASED PHYSICIAN WHO HAS LENT HIS OFFICES FOR THE EXAMS, BUT HE KNOWS SOME OF THE SURVIVORS FROM HIS OWN PRACTICE.

TAKESHI MATSUMOTO, M.D.>> THEY SEEM TO HAVE SURVIVED AND SEEM TO HAVE SURVIVED EMOTIONALLY AS WELL AS PHYSICALLY.

KAZ SUYEISHI>> WELL, I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE I'M AN A-BOMB SURVIVOR. NOBODY PERFECT.

TONI GUINYARD>> NOW KAZ SUYEISHI USES HER MEMORIES TO HELP OTHERS KNOW THE HORROR OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

KAZ SUYEISHI>> THEY DESTROYED THE WHOLE CITY. THAT'S ONE LITTLE BOMB COMPARED TO TODAY'S NUCLEAR BOMB. THEY SAY IT JUST LIKE A TOY BOMB, BUT ONE LITTLE TOY BOMB DESTROYED THE WHOLE CITY, DESTROYED INNOCENT PEOPLE. WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THE WAR?

VAL>> THE TWO BOMBS DROPPED ON JAPAN BACK IN 1945 CLAIMED ABOUT 150,000 LIVES. MANY OTHERS DIED IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS FROM THE EFFECTS OF BURNS OR RADIATION. SINCE WORLD WAR II, MANY NUCLEAR SURVIVORS HAVE RECORDED THEIR MEMORIES. THEY'VE CREATED A PERMANENT ORAL HISTORY OF THE ONLY TIME ATOMIC WEAPONS HAVE BEEN USED IN TIME OF WAR.

>> I THINK IT'S INEVITABLE AT THIS POINT. I'M MOST WORRIED ABOUT PAKISTAN AND INDIA, BUT NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN ON MY MIND A LOT. I KEEP THINKING WHICH CITIES THEY'RE GOING TO TRY AND TARGET HERE, LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, MAYBE BOSTON. I GOT FAMILY IN ALL THOSE CITIES, SO IT'S PRETTY FRIGHTENING.

>> I DON'T REALLY FEEL THAT A GOVERNMENT WOULD DO THAT. I DON'T PERSONALLY FEEL THAT WAY. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY, BUT I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE'D CARRY THAT OUT. I THINK A THREAT WAS THERE, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THEY'D CARRY IT OUT.

>> I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SO-CALLED DIRTY BOMBS AND THE SUITCASE BOMBS DUE TO TERRORIST THREATS THESE DAYS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, YES.

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PHILIP BRUCE>> AT RADIO STATIONS HERE IN LOS ANGELES AND ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, YOU'RE ABOUT AS LIKELY TO FIND A LIBERAL TALK SHOW HOST AS YOU ARE TO FIND GRAY DAVIS STANDING IN LINE IN THE LOCAL CINEPLEX WAITING TO SEE "TERMINATOR 3". BUT HERE AT KFI, THEY'RE ABOUT TO CHANGE ALL THAT BY JUMPING ON THE LIBERAL BANDWAGON AT LEAST WITH ONE OF THEIR HOSTS, JOHNNY WENDELL. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

JOHNNY WENDELL>> HEY, HOW'S IT GOING, PHIL?

PHILIP BRUCE>> PRETTY GOOD. NOW I'VE HEARD OF THE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS. I GUESS THAT'S YOU. HOW DID THIS ALL COME ABOUT?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> HOW DID I COME TO KFI? I WAS AND AM A MUSICIAN AND A GENTLEMAN THAT ENGINEERED A RECORD THAT I MADE IN 1995 WORKS THE COMPUTER SYSTEM HERE. HE CALLED ME UP ONE DAY AND HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO TRY OUT AS A WEEKEND PERSON BECAUSE THEY WERE SHORT IN THEIR WEEKEND ROSTER AND I SAID SURE. I'D NEVER BEEN ON THE RADIO BEFORE EXCEPT AS A RECORDING ARTIST, TALKING ABOUT MY PRODUCT. I AM IN AND I WAS GRILLED BY THE TWO BOSSES HERE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> SO HOW DID THEY GRILL YOU? WHAT DID THEY SAY?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> THEY WERE PEPPERING ME QUICKLY WITH A LOT OF QUESTIONS. THE ONE THAT STOOD OUT THE MOST WAS "WHAT WOULD YOU DO ABOUT PALESTINIAN SUICIDE BOMBERS?" I SAID, "THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT SOMEONE THAT'S WILLING TO DIE. YOU KILL THEM FIRST OR YOU ACCEPT WHAT THE ROOT PROBLEM IS AND YOU WORK ON IT." THEY WERE SHOCKED.

PHILIP BRUCE>> YOU DIDN'T ASK THEM WHERE THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ARE OR ANYTHING?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> THAT WAS BEFORE THE WAR IN IRAQ, YEAH.

PHILIP BRUCE>> NOW YOU BILL YOURSELF, OR AT LEAST YOU'VE BEEN BILLED, AS A LIBERAL HOST. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND IS THAT A FAIR LABEL?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> IN REALITY, PHIL, IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. I DON'T THINK THE TERMS LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE MEAN ANYTHING LIKE THEY DID WHEN YOU AND I WERE KIDS. I AM LIBERAL ON A LOT OF ISSUES, CERTAINLY MORE LIBERAL THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE AT KFI. BUT I'M ALSO MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN THEY ARE ON SOME ISSUES. I AM AN ABSOLUTIST ON THE ISSUE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT, PROBABLY MUCH MORE SO THAN ANYBODY HERE. I DON'T BELIEVE IN GUN CONTROL AT ALL, WHEREAS I WOULD THINK THAT SOME PEOPLE HERE ARE MORE MODERATE IN TERMS OF THE GREAT SPECTRUM, WHATEVER THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM IS AT ANY GIVEN TIME.

PHILIP BRUCE>> HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS TRANSITION FROM ROCK AND ROLL AND TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR MUSIC DAYS?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> THE TRANSITION WASN'T AS ABRUPT AS IT SOUNDS. I'VE BEEN WRITING FOR THE L.A. WEEKLY UNDER THE NAME OF JOHNNY ANGEL FOR FIFTEEN YEARS NOW, ALMOST. SO I WAS WRITING ABOUT MUSIC, I WROTE ABOUT CRIME, I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT POLITICS. THAT IS HOW THEY KNEW THAT I COULD DO THE JOB. THAT, AND MY ENGINEER FRIEND SITTING IN A RECORDING STUDIO LISTENING TO ME PONTIFICATE ABOUT EVERY SUBJECT UNDER THE SUN IN BETWEEN TAKES. SO HE WAS THINKING, LIKE, HE'S A LOUDMOUTH, HE'S QUICK ON HIS FEET, HE'S FINE. I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU. THEY HAD NO IDEA HERE AT KFI WHAT MY POLITICS WERE. THEY DIDN'T KNOW. I CAME IN AND SAID, IF YOU WANT ME TO BE LIKE RUSH LIMBAUGH, YOU'RE BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE. IF I START BLOVIATING THAT KIND OF STUFF, MY TONGUE IS GOING TO SNAP OUT OF MY MOUTH AND RUN DOWN THE STREET SCREAMING. THEY WERE, LIKE, FINE. IF YOU CAN BACK IT UP, SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT.

PHILIP BRUCE>> NOW YOU KNOW ALL TOO WELL THAT THERE AREN'T THAT MANY LIBERAL TALK SHOW HOSTS OUT THERE ON RADIO OR TELEVISION. PHIL DONAHUE GOT HIS HEAD HANDED TO HIM BY THE LIKES OF BILL O'REILLY. HOW CAN YOU, ESPECIALLY IN KFI, A RADIO STATION THAT IS THE HOME OF RUSH LIMBAUGH AND LAURA SCHLESINGER, THRIVE?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEBODY LIKE MR. DONAHUE AND SOMEBODY LIKE ME, IN REALITY, IN OBVIOUSNESS? LOOK. LOOK AT ME. I'M NOT A WIMP, OKAY? LIBERALS ARE PERCEIVED AS WIMPS. THEY'RE PERCEIVED AS SISSIES, AS ROLL OVER, TAKE IT, WHINEY, CAN'T WE GET ALONG TYPE THING. I'M NOT LIKE THAT. MY ATTITUDE IS BRING IT ON.

PHILIP BRUCE>> WHAT KIND OF REACTION ARE YOU GETTING?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> IT GOES ACROSS THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM FROM ABSOLUTE ADORATION AND HAPPINESS THAT THERE IS FINALLY A VOICE THAT REPRESENTS PEOPLE TO THE MOST INCREDIBLE, IRATE, DEEP LOATHING YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE, WHICH IS VERY STIMULATING TO ME. WE HAD, I THINK THREE WEEKS INTO THE SHOW ONE SATURDAY NIGHT, A GUY WHO KEPT CALLING EVERY THIRTY SECONDS TO SCREAM AT THE PHONE ANSWERER, "YOU DAMN COMMIE. GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY. GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY", THEN HANGING UP. I SAID, "GINA, PUT HIM ON, PUT HIM ON". SHE GOES, "I CAN'T. HE KEEPS HANGING UP. HE KNOWS YOU WANT TO PUT HIM ON THE AIR. HE JUST WANTS TO CALL AND VENT AND SCREAM. HE HATES YOU." I WAS LIKE, THANK GOD, FREE, FREE. I REALLY ENJOY IT. I MEAN, I LIKE PROVOKING THAT KIND OF REACTION IN PEOPLE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> YOU DON'T NEED TO BE LOVED?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> I DON'T WANT TO BE LOVED. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN BANDS, MAN, AND I DIDN'T GET THAT MUCH LOVE. YOU KNOW, I GOT SOME, BUT I GOT MINOR LEAGUE LOVE. I'M A MAJOR LEAGUE LOVE AND MAJOR LEAGUE LOVE'S FLIPSIDE IS MAJOR LEAGUE HATE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> SO GETTING BACK TO THE CALLER'S QUESTION, ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A COMMUNIST?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> NO, I'VE NEVER BEEN A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY. IN FACT, I'VE NEVER EVEN BEEN A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. I'M A REGISTERED INDEPENDENT. I HAVE BEEN A REPUBLICAN. I HAVE --

PHILIP BRUCE>> -- BUT YOU'RE MENTIONING THEM IN THE SAME BREATH.

JOHNNY WENDELL>> THAT'S HOW THEY THINK. THEY REALLY THINK THAT A DEMOCRAT AND A COMMUNIST IS THE SAME THING IN SOME PARTS OF MY LISTENERSHIP. THAT'S FINE. LET THEM. I MEAN, WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT, THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS, SO ALL I CAN DO IS BASICALLY KICK THEM IN THE SKULL OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL THEY SCREAM UNCLE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> SO WHAT CAN YOU BRING FROM YOUR ROCK AND ROLL DAYS THAT MAY HELP YOU HERE IN FRONT OF THE MIKE?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> LUNACY. LUNACY. YOU KNOW, I CAN BE COMPLETELY INSANE HERE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'M ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, ALTHOUGH I HAVE DONE AFTERNOON DRIVES. THE FACT IS THAT IT'S LATER AT NIGHT, THE NUTTIER AND MORE HIGH ENERGY I AM, THE HAPPIER THEY ARE. THEY'RE CRAZY. THE BOSS HERE IS LIKE UP, UP, UP. YOU KNOW, BRING IT UP, AND I DO. IT'S A MUCH MORE ROCK AND ROLL-BASED SHOW NOT JUST BECAUSE OF POLITICS ARE LEFT WHICH THEY TEND TO BE. I ADMIT IT. MIA CULPA. LEFTY, LEFTY. BUT IT'S JUST MORE ROCK AND ROLL IN ITS PRESENTATION. IT'S MORE GONZO.

FROM YEARS OF BEING ON STAGE, I KNOW HOW TO PUSH PEOPLES' BUTTONS. I MEAN, ADMITTEDLY, I WISH I HAD THE SAME IMMEDIATE REACTION. I GET IT SOMETIMES. PEOPLE CALL UP SCREAMING, YOU KNOW, BUT YOU CAN'T RELY ON PHONE CALLERS. SO I JUST BASICALLY HAVE TO THINK, STANDING HERE, I HAVE TO ENVISION I'M TALKING TO YOU WHILE I'M ON THE RADIO. I'M TALKING TO PAUL AND LET'S SAY YOU AND I ARE OUT ON A SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE LAUNDROMAT. I'M BUTTON-HOLING YOU AND I'M MAKING MY POINT. I'M TRYING TO GET YOU TO SEE THINGS MY WAY. THAT'S WHAT I DO. I HAVE TO ENVISION PAUL, EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT THERE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> PHIL (LAUGHTER).

JOHNNY WENDELL>> (LAUGHTER) THAT'S WHY I GET THE BIG BUCKS. I KNEW THAT.

PHILIP BRUCE>> (LAUGHTER) WELL, WE WISH YOU WELL, TOM, NO, JOHN, JOHNNY WENDELL, HERE ON KFI, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS WHAT TIME?

JOHNNY WENDELL>> I AM ON TEN TO ONE, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, KFI AM 640, MORE STIMULATING TALK RADIO.

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VAL>> WE'RE GOING NOW TO PASADENA TO THE LEGENDARY HUNTINGTON LIBRARY WHERE SOME REMARKABLE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ON DISPLAY. THEY ARE THE WORKS OF EDWARD WESTON WHO SPENT YEARS CAPTURING SCENES OF THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST. SOME ARE STUNNING LANDSCAPES. OTHERS REFLECT THE MANY SIDES OF HUMANITY. THEY ARE ALL PART OF WESTON'S LEGACY AND TONIGHT PATT MORRISON TAKES US ON A TOUR OF THE EXHIBIT AT THE HUNTINGTON.

PATT MORRISON>> WELCOME TO THE HUNTINGTON. JENNIFER WATTS IS CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY HERE AND, BOY, IS THERE A PHOTO EXHIBIT AND A HISTORY OF A HUMAN BEING AND THE WAY HE LOOKED AT THE WORLD THAT WE'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH. EDWARD WESTON, UNTIL SAY WORLD WAR I, WORKED OUT OF A PORTRAIT STUDIO IN A TOWN CALLED TROPICO, WHICH IS NOW GLENDALE, ESSENTIALLY PROBABLY DOING PICTURES OF BRIDES.

JENNIFER WATTS>> OH, YES. THAT'S VERY MUCH THE CASE, ALTHOUGH HE ALSO DURING HIS OFF-TIME WOULD TRAVEL AROUND THE AREA AND SORT OF PURSUE HIS ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY AS A WAY TO REALLY KEEP FRESH WITH WHAT HE WANTED TO DO. BUT, YES, THE BREAD AND BUTTER WAS THE PORTRAIT WORK.

PATT MORRISON>> AND SOON HE GOT TO DO WHAT HE WANTED TO DO AS A MATTER OF HIS ENTIRE CAREER AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY CHANGED PHOTOGRAPHY AND CHANGED THE WAY THAT HE WANTED US TO SEE THE REST OF THE WORLD. THIS MAY BE ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS. IS THIS THE SHELL OF THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS?

JENNIFER WATTS>> "THE SHELL", GLENDALE, 1927.

PATT MORRISON>> IN LOOKING AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, ONE SEES A LOT OF THINGS IN IT AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE INTENDED, IS IT NOT? THAT YOU GET BEYOND THE OBJECT?

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. HE WANTED TO SHOW THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE COMMONPLACE AND, WHETHER THAT WAS A SHELL OR AN EGG SLICER OR A TOILET, HE PHOTOGRAPHED IT TO SHOW --

PATT MORRISON>> -- DID HE PHOTOGRAPH TOILETS?

JENNIFER WATTS>> HE DID. YES, HE DID. BUT HE WAS REALLY FOCUSING ON THE LINES AND THE FORM AND THE TEXTURE AND HE WANTED PEOPLE TO HAVE A NEW WAY OF SEEING.

PATT MORRISON>> AND IN 1937, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT ALLOWED HIM TO DO THIS. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE GUGGENHEIM TRUST, THE GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION, GAVE A GRANT TO A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHICH BROUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY INTO THE ARTISTIC REALM.

JENNIFER WATTS>> YES. I MEAN, THIS WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE EVENT FOR WESTON BECAUSE, UP TO THIS POINT, HE'D JUST BEEN SCRAPING BY. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION GAVE HIM TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS --

PATT MORRISON>> -- WHICH WAS A LOT OF MONEY.

JENNIFER WATTS>> A HUGE SUM FOR HIM. IT REALLY WAS THE FIRST TIME IN HIS ENTIRE THIRTY-YEAR CAREER THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHY THAT HE WANTED TO MAKE AND HE EMBARKED ON WHAT HE CALLED AN EPIC ROAD TRIP. IN 1937 AND 1938, HE AND HIS COMPANION, CHARIS WILSON, WENT OUT ON THE ROAD TO SEE CALIFORNIA AND ALL ITS BEAUTY AND TEXTURE AND FORM.

PATT MORRISON>> AND THIS PHOTOGRAPH, YOU WERE SAYING, WAS KIND OF HIS GRANT APPLICATION TO THE GUGGENHEIM PEOPLE TO SAY THIS IS WHAT I'M ALL ABOUT.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S RIGHT. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST PHOTOGRAPH HE MADE AT POINT LOBOS IN 1929 AND HE SETTLED IN POINT LOBOS IN CARMEL IN 1929 AND IT OPENED UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD FOR HIM VISUALLY. HE MOVED OUT OF THE STUDIO AND STOPPED DOING THE KIND OF CLOSE-UP STILL LIFE THAT WE WERE SEEING IN THE EARLIER GALLERY AND REALLY BEGAN A WHOLE NEW LANDSCAPE PERIOD. HE WRITES IN THE GUGGENHEIM APPLICATION THAT REALLY THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK THAT HE WANTED THEM TO FUND THE CONTINUATION OF.

PATT MORRISON>> BUT ONE OF WESTON'S STRENGTHS SEEMED TO BE FINDING THE BEAUTIFUL AND THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT NOT SEE. IT'S VERY EASY, AS ANSEL ADAMS DID, TO PHOTOGRAPH YOSEMITE AND FIND BEAUTY THERE OR CARMEL AS SO MANY POETS AND ARTISTS DID. BUT IN PHOTOGRAPHING DEATH VALLEY, THE VERY NAME OF IT SEEMED TO BE OFF-PUTTING AESTHETICALLY, BUT WESTON FOUND A GREAT DEAL OF BEAUTY THERE.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S RIGHT. IN FACT, WHEN HE WENT TO DEATH VALLEY, HE WAS SO OVERCOME WITH THE STARK BEAUTY THERE THAT HE WROTE HOME AND SAID THIS IS MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH. IT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE I'VE EVER BEEN.

PATT MORRISON>> AND THIS PICTURE HAS A STORY THAT WOULD TEN THOUSAND WORDS TO TELL. WE'LL TRUNCATE IT THOUGH, BUT IT'S CALLED --

JENNIFER WATTS>> IT'S CALLED "DEAD MAN", COLORADO DESERT, 1937. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT WESTON WENT ON HIS VERY FIRST TRIP TO DEATH VALLEY WITH HIS COMPANION, CHARIS WILSON, AND THEY WERE WANDERING AROUND THE DESERT VERY MUCH ALONE. THEY CAME UP ON A LITTLE SIGN THAT SAID "SICK MAN NEEDS HELP" AND GAVE THE COORDINATES.

PATT MORRISON>> LITTLE HAND-LETTERED SIGN?

JENNIFER WATTS>> A LITTLE HANDWRITTEN SIGN WHICH ACTUALLY HAD BEEN WRITTEN BY A FARMER WHO'D BEEN HERDING HIS CATTLE THROUGH THE AREA AND HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO STOP. WESTON AND CHARIS WILSON, AFTER MUCH LOOKING AROUND, FOUND THIS MAN AND, UNFORTUNATELY, HE HAD ALREADY DIED. BUT TO GIVE YOU SORT OF A SENSE OF WESTON'S PRESENCE OF MIND AS A PHOTOGRAPHER --

PATT MORRISON>> -- OR DETACHMENT (LAUGHTER).

JENNIFER WATTS>> OR DETACHMENT, HE DECIDED TO JUST SET UP THE CAMERA AND TAKE A COUPLE OF SHOTS BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS SO EXTRAORDINARY AND THE WAY THE MAN'S HAND WAS SORT OF DELICATELY UP ON HIS CHEST AND THE HOLLOWS IN HIS EYES. HE FELT THAT THIS MADE A PERFECT PHOTO OPPORTUNITY.

PATT MORRISON>> NOW IN THE LATE 1930'S, TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WERE GOING TO THE MOVIES, SOMETIMES TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK, AND WESTON WAS NO EXCEPTION IN BEING FASCINATED BY THE MOVIES. BUT WHAT FASCINATED HIM WAS THE STUFF PEOPLE USUALLY DIDN'T SEE.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S RIGHT. HE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE BACK LOTS. HE'D WANTED TO GET IN TO SEE THE SETS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND IT WASN'T UNTIL THE VERY END OF HIS GUGGENHEIM PERIOD IN 1939 WHEN HE WAS ABLE TO ARRANGE A TOUR. HE WAS DELIGHTED BY WHAT HE FOUND. I THINK THESE ARE PARTICULARLY WONDERFUL BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT WESTON, CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT HIM, HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY SENSE OF HUMOR AND LOVED WHIMSY. HE AND CHARIS HAD AN INCREDIBLE TIME GOING AROUND AND SEEING THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THESE SETS THAT APPEALED TO HIM WHICH, OF COURSE, WERE, AGAIN, MUCH LIKE HIS LANDSCAPE WORKS. VERY MUCH ABOUT FORM AND ABSTRACTIONS.

PATT MORRISON>> FOR DECADES, WALT WHITMAN WAS CONSIDERED THE SEMINAL AMERICAN POET AND, OF COURSE, WESTON HAD A REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE SEMINAL AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS. SO THERE WAS A SPECIAL BOOK EDITION TO PUT THEM TOGETHER AND YET IT DIDN'T TURN OUT QUITE AS SUCCESSFULLY AS EVERYBODY THOUGHT. HERE ARE SOME OF THE IMAGES FROM IT, BUT THEY WEREN'T WHAT THE PUBLISHERS HAD EXPECTED.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S RIGHT. IN FACT, IN 1941, HE GOT THE COMMISSION TO GO ACROSS AMERICA TO CAPTURE THE FACES AND PLACES OF WHITMAN'S AMERICA. THE TRIP WAS FRAUGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WITH THIS VISION OF THE PUBLISHER BUTTED UP AGAINST WESTON'S VISION. THE PUBLISHER WANTED WESTON TO MAKE IMAGES THAT WERE TIED SPECIFICALLY TO WHITMAN'S --

PATT MORRISON>> -- THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO OPEN -- I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE "LEAVES OF GRASS" AND SAY, OH, YES, THERE'S THE PICTURE. THEY WANTED AN ILLUSTRATOR, NOT REALLY AN ARTIST.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

PATT MORRISON>> WELL, WHAT DO WE SEE HERE? THIS IS PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, AN OIL TOWN.

JENNIFER WATTS>> HE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS JUST MECCA IN TERMS OF HIS INTEREST AND HIS PERCEPTIONS OF FORM.

PATT MORRISON>> OH, ABSOLUTELY. THE SHAPES ALL LEND THEMSELVES TO THAT. BUT I CAN SEE WHY THE PUBLISHERS WOULD THINK WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH WALT WHITMAN?

JENNIFER WATTS>> YES. IN FACT, THE PUBLISHER WROTE HIM AT ONE POINT. WESTON HAD SENT THE SAMPLING OF IMAGES TO CALM THE PUBLISHER'S NERVES AND THE PUBLISHER WROTE HIM AND SAID THOSE IMAGES GAVE ME SUCH A FRIGHT I COULD BARELY SLEEP FOR DAYS. WESTON THEN HAD TO WRITE A LONG LETTER EXPLAINING WHAT HE WAS DOING, BUT THE PUBLISHER WAS NEVER CONVINCED.

PATT MORRISON>> HERE WE SEE IN BLACK AND WHITE, A MEDIUM THAT IS ALMOST UNKNOWN THESE DAYS, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY DELIVERY OF WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY CAN DO.

JENNIFER WATTS>> WESTON REALLY BROUGHT THE ART TO A NEW LEVEL, BROUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY TO A NEW LEVEL. HE MADE IT A NEW ART FORM IN MANY RESPECTS AND GENERATIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS OWE HIM A GREAT DEBT.

PATT MORRISON>> JENNIFER WATTS, THE CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, THE LUCKY GIRL WHO GETS TO LOOK AT ALL FIVE HUNDRED OF THESE. YOU ALWAYS SEE THE SCENES IN THIS, DON'T YOU?

JENNIFER WATTS>> THAT'S RIGHT. OH, ABSOLUTELY.

PATT MORRISON>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR SHOWING THEM TO US.

JENNIFER WATTS>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> EDWARD WESTON MADE HIS FIRST PHOTOGRAPH WHEN HE WAS SIXTEEN. FOUR YEARS LATER, HE MOVED TO CALIFORNIA. ON AND OFF FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, WESTON CLEARLY HAD AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO THE CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE.

THAT'S OUR PROGRAM. I'M VAL ZAVALA REPORTING FROM LOS ANGELES'S LITTLE TOKYO. FOR ALL OF US AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANKS FOR WATCHING. GOOD NIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, WE TAKE YOU TO ONE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CITY WHERE THEY'RE COUNTING THEIR PERKS INSTEAD OF THEIR PENNIES.

>> WE ARE ABLE TO USE THE GYM, WE'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE CAMP COMMERCE, WHICH IS A CAMP UP IN THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS.

VAL>> THAT'S TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES.