"The Scenestar Dozen" is where we feature fascinating culture cultivators. Meet DJ and photographer, Unfun and Goldenvoice's Furn Zavala. Read more about this wunderkind below!
What is the best and worst thing about your profession?
I have a history of working in record stores for close to 20 years but most recently, before Goldenvoice, I was at Amoeba Music in Hollywood for 8 years. Music was never just a teenage phase for me and as cheesy as it is to admit, I never really grew up, it’s been a dream to have a profession within/surrounded by music. That I would say is the best part of my daily job is to be around something I love so much and being able to connect and work with other passionate music lovers.
Worst part of the job is having the perk of being able to experience and see bands/artist but to choose between what shows to experience and which to pass on (HA). It’s a hard decision to make sometimes (HA).
What is something you didn’t know about Los Angeles that you recently found out or realized?
This isn’t really recent but I still can’t get over the fact palm trees in LA aren’t native trees. I grew up seeing them as a normal thing but had no idea they are directly planted and not a California thing (HA)
Where is your favorite place to eat in LA?
Living in Los Angeles there has been quite the abundance of veggie/vegan based pop-ups/locations that have opened up in the past few years. So, the selection of choice joints to eat has been a blessing. I love Cena Vegan which is a Mexican spot as well as Monty’s Good Burger which lives up to its name
What was the last good book you read that you recommend?
I haven’t purchased it myself, hoping that Santa will gift me a copy but the recent Beastie Boys book aptly titled Beastie Boys Book. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into that one.
Have you ever seen a work of art that stopped you in your tracks?
When I was younger, I was a snot-nosed lil jerk who wasn’t very good at skateboarding but tried to hang with the ‘cool kids’ to fit in and in doing so I got caught in the early 90’s So Cal graffiti scene. I wasn’t very good, in fact, I never really did much writing myself but I had sketchbooks that I would let various writers I met do a piece or two. Folders, notebooks, even study sheets were game for a quick little doodle here or there. Like, I said I never was very good and doing pieces myself but a 'throw up' - I was okay. The SGV/LA area had plenty of decent writers that would use lots of colors. It added way more depth than the Sharpie work in the sketchbooks I had. Because of my intrigue in the then current wave of early 90’s writers I looked into the history of graf itself and learned about Basquiat and Keith Haring. Although, I wouldn’t say they were graf writers in the sense like say Dondi White was but they definitely had their beginnings with street art & for me to see their level of creation turn into huge canvases/working alongside Warhol, etc. was very awesome for me to learn about. Not that I felt anything in my sketchbooks would be the next Haring but to know it started out that way, doodles and little 'throw ups' blew my mind when I first saw street art in museums. It made me feel that even as street-levelel fun hobby it can one day be a step towards museum respect.
What is the most remarkable movie you’ve ever seen and what was it about the film?
This may sound dark but I’d say The Elephant Man is a movie that I found to be extremely remarkable. It’s a push of boundaries & the true acceptance that the outer exterior of a person and how cold or loving we are to other individuals. I’m sure an easier answer would have been John Carpenter's The Thing because it’s badass but remarkable requires a bit more than just badass.
Name your pop-culture guilty pleasure.
I absolutely love Sex and the City, no shame at all. I love both the show and the movies. In fact, the only twice have I ever lined up early for opening midnight premiere for a movie, Sex and the City 1 & 2
What is the most underrated album you’ve heard and what about it is special?
The Avalanches “Since I Left You” I feel in the world of dance/electronica this album gets its fair due but outside of the genre, it seems to be largely ignored. Copy and Paste production has its high points - Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” & DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” are staples when it comes to sampling & Copy and Paste production - but I feel The Avalanches went a step above. Years before laptop creations “Since I Left You" is a stellar creation of music using the smallest of snippets of sound from TV commercials to full pieces from pop music to make one funky-dance-groovy masterpiece.
Who do you think is the best rock star who ever lived?
What is the scariest thing you’ve ever experienced?
11 hr flight to Europe and sat next to a crying 1-year-old baby, the flight was packed and I had no room to relocate. I wouldn’t wish that experience upon anyone else (HA).
Where is one place that someone can visit in LA for free that is a must-experience?
The Griffith Observatory, perfect for a picnic or just hanging with the friends taking awesome selfies with all of LA as your backdrop & peep some stars & learn about planets.
What is the weirdest thing about LA?
How calmly LA people react to earthquakes/aftershocks, I’ve lived in California my entire life and I’m still not used to earthquakes (HA).
Furn Zavala takes photos at various shows/concerts across California, it’s his hobby 'of sorts' that started in the late 90’s that he just never seemed to get old or grow out of: "I don’t take photos on a professional level or as commission work but instead I use the photos I take and print photo zines under the Unfun title." He also, hosts & DJs various club nights around Los Angeles, the most consistent one is a monthly indie/synthpop/electro nite at El Dorado in Downtown LA called C’Mere. Follow him at @xfurnx on Instagram.
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