#3: Let there be art! And endless page design.
In addition to many back-to-back interviews over the last three months, I was able to spend time experimenting with creative page layouts and colorful illustrations to accompany the stories.
This is the third post in a series of quarterly blogs about the production of my book, and I hope you enjoy reading through it (and learn something new).
Who I interviewed this quarter
The past three months were PACKED with interviews - an excellent thing!
L.O.
L.O.'s main story about Joe's will make readers laugh out loud, partly because of the content and partly because of the delivery. That's all there is to say.
*If you're a fan of harmonicas, L.O., a harmonica designer and manufacturer, shared some interesting insights about the inner workings of the little musical instrument:
"We have 13 different keys in the scale, that's called harmonic minor. The harmonic minor scale is the typical scale that's used --- whether it's Greek, whether it's Gypsy, whether it's the tango, or Yiddish music --- because music reflects people, and there's a lot of atrocities in the world, humanity has been ugly to each other. So harmonic minor is a scale that reflects where a lot of music came out, whether it's Russian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European. It's all harmonic minor. The only way you can get happy with that scale is to speed up the music. If you play it slow, it'll tear your heart out."
P.K.
As Gardner Street Elementary School was just around the corner from Joe's, many youngsters in the neighborhood --- including P.K. --- stopped by for food or candy on a regular basis. P.K. also shared his reflections about how much more diverse life became after moving from the San Fernando Valley to the Hollywood Hills.
"That was just a really cool place and a really cool time to exist, because you were surrounded by all these creative forces, actors, musicians, and people from different cultures and lifestyles. I'm so glad I had that growing up." – P.K.
T.P.
A former Guitar Center employee, T.P. frequently stopped by the Sunset Grill for coffee before heading into work. T.P. also relayed the story behind a photo he snapped of Joe one evening (one of the few I've seen where he is smiling directly into the camera).
B.O.
While journeying west across the country, B.O. spoke with me on the phone about his time working in the drum department at the Guitar Center and the day Joe made the "best freaking pastrami sandwich I had ever had."
B.O. also mentioned another interesting book that he was interviewed for --- "WE ARE THE CREW!" by Lisa Deyesso and Christina Harlin, published earlier this year.
H.R.B.
H.R.B. walked me through his daily routine centered around Sunset Boulevard, which included daily lunches at Joe's. A lifelong musician, he shared his story of arriving in Hollywood and searching for gigs, and spoke about how the Sunset Grill was an open and affordable place for those living in the area and trying to break into the industry.
G.P.
G.P. is writing a book of his own --- with some stories touching on Joe's --- and kindly shared various memorable and humorous experiences with me over the phone.
"Eva collected the money, and she would count in partial English, partial German --- or it might be Yiddish --- out loud. She would go, 'Six und zwanzig, five und zwanzig,' it was so cute." – G.P.
M.E.H.
Now a long-time professional photographer, M.E.H. previously experimented with filmmaking back in the 1970s, and shared with me a creative short film he produced together with my father that briefly starred Joe and Eva (as well as the story behind it, of course).
*Fun fact by M.E.H: The cardboard box that Velveeta cheese is packaged in is the perfect size and shape to store collectible baseball cards. To this day, M.E.H. has hundreds of baseball cards stored in the vintage boxes collected from the Sunset Grill.
Screenshots from the short film, "The sneakers that saved Venice." Can you spot the sign of the original Guitar Center location on the opposite side of Sunset Boulevard?
M.S.
M.S. never quite made it to the original Sunset Grill himself, but Don Henley's song has resonated with him since its release in 1984, even more so when M.S. moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s. He shared his thoughts about the song, and it has made for a great, short tale.
M.S., a massive Eagles fan, also recommended viewing the two-part documentary, "History of the Eagles," which is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. I watched it and especially enjoyed learning how the band's song lyrics and album concepts were crafted.
H.E.S.
Though some frequent diners were aware of Joe's investments in real estate, H.E.S. brought this knowledge up a notch. A musician who visited Joe's daily, he shared his memories of Joe giving investment advice, and talked about how the Sunset Grill was a great meeting place for friends and colleagues. And it had the best burgers, too.
J.L.N.
Artist J.L.N. visited the Sunset Grill back in the late 1980s but painted it in the early 1990s, and it was interesting to hear about the artistic process and the themes behind his work.
*After about three decades in one home, J.L.N.'s original oil painting of the Sunset Grill is available for sale again. You can read more about it here: https://neumannfineart.com/blog/2022/6/6/down-at-the-sunset-grill.
"I think it's historical in a number of ways. Not only because it was immortalized by Don Henley, but because it's a part of Los Angeles history that has meaning to a whole generation of people. And it's a family story." – J.L.N.
M.G.
M.G. came to Hollywood as a runaway in the 1980s, pursuing a future in the music and entertainment industry, and he wasn't the only one who did so. Today, as the creator of his own production company, M.G. shared some background stories about surviving in Hollywood, eating at the Sunset Grill, and building a better life in California.
M.K.
A fan of both Hollywood history and LA eateries, M.K. spoke about the various memorable old-school restaurants and diners in the city, some of which are no more, and some of which are still around today. He has collected interesting photos of the Sunset Grill over the years, and he also took a photo in the 1990s that shows some burgers and sandwiches on the grill, up close — a rare find!
M.F.
In the 1990s, M.F. owned an insurance business just across the street from Joe's, and would stop by for some neighborly chats. M.F. spoke of his slightly chaotic introduction to the neighborhood (though things did get better!), but noted how much Joe seemed to enjoy the area and local community.
The first of the illustrations
After compiling dozens of reference photos and setting aside detailed quotes about objects in and around the grill, I tried my hand at creating some simple (but colorful!) illustrations. I've found Adobe Fresco fairly straightforward to use, and will continue to illustrate with this free app.
How's the writing going?
If I make myself sit down and write, I can finish a short story in under an hour. The reality at the moment is that it takes much more effort to stop procrastinating than it does to write a story. But, the stories are coming together nicely, and vary from being fun and humorous to emotional and reflective.
The book is halfway registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. The registration has been submitted, but once the final book is published, I need to send in a copy to complete the registration.
And the book design?
Through my university (California State University, Chico), I have free access to LinkedIn Learning, and figured I should take advantage of any creative, book-centered InDesign courses. So I did! I highly recommend the courses, "Designing a Book (2019)" and "Layout and Composition: Grids."
After following the steps of the first course taught by Nigel French, I changed so many little things about my page layout and book style that transformed it from words on pages to a book guiding the reader through its pages by the use of visual storytelling. Left and right header design, page number placement, chapter title style, and grids for different elements of the book were all carefully constructed.
The plan so far is to publish three formats of the book — an 8x10 hardcover, a 5x8 paperback, and an e-book. And yes, that means I'll need to format the book three different ways (which is a welcome challenge because I love Adobe InDesign!).
Got any questions?
Drop questions in the comments below or send me an email at raquelgfrohlich@gmail and I'll work to answer them all in the next blog post.
Want to share a memory about the Sunset Grill, or know someone who does?
I'd love to hear from you --- feel free to get in touch!
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