10 Jul Pop Sequentialism #037 – Pop Culture Goes Wacko

#037 – Pop Culture Goes Wacko

If SDCC is the Mecca of Geekdom, then WACKO is the Sistine Chapel of Pop Culture. Often hailed as the “Second Happiest Place on Earth,” WACKO is part Santa’s Workshop and part Library of Alexandria. The original retail anchor of Melrose Avenue in the 80s, WACKO spawned La Luz de Jesus Gallery and relocated to Los Feliz where it helped to reinvigorate the ultra hip Silverlake neighborhood where it continues to expose the counterculture to the world. Matt chats with WACKO founder Billy Shire (called the “Peggy Guggenheim of Lowbrow” by Juxtapoz Magazine) about how a tiny, family-owned soap shop in Echo Park grew into the epicenter of L.A.’s cultural rebirth. This episode is a genuine slice of L.A. history as told by one the men most underrated tastemakers in the world.