Before I moved to Santa Monica from Vancouver, my future husband, Sean, told me that we would need a car. I told him I didn’t want one, I would take the bus. He laughed at me then, and still laughs about it today. After living here for 4 years, I get it. The transit system in LA is a fucking mess. It went from being the best subway system in the country in the early 20th century, to being deliberately dismantled by oil, gas and car companies so that they could build the “city of the future” – one criss-crossed with freeways, creating a monolithic, stinking suburbia surrounding the decrepit downtown LA. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The Metro is the one saving grace of the LA transit system, but I would argue it still leaves a gaping hole for west side travelers. Since I moved here, I have been dreaming about some fantastic train that would whisk me from the west side out east, so my husband and I could hop on a train on Pico and end up at a show in Boyle Heights, where I could drink copious beers. It’s Casual just put out their new video for their song “The Red Line,” a tribute to their favorite Metro train, and I totally fucking feel where they are coming from. I think every time I am choked in smog on the 10, I am going to hear Eddie screaming in my head: “the freeway is not so nice!!!!!” Do the powers that be want the 10 million denizens of LA to have screaming voices in their heads? Probably not. So rebuild the subways and figure out a way to truly make LA the city of the future. It’s a heavy message, but It’s Casual delivers it with humor and clever filming. Check out the video below, and head over to La Cita on Tuesday, Jan. 31st, for the official It’s Casual video premiere show. Preferably by Red Line.
New Comments