Oliver Wang
Oliver Wang is a professor of sociology at California State University, Long Beach. He’s contributed to KCET since 2012 and also writes about arts and music for NPR, KPCC, the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Review of Books. He is the creator and writer for the audioblog, Soul-Sides.com and the creator, producer and co-host of the album podcast, Heat Rocks. Photo credit: Eilon Paz
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If you've listened to pop music over the last 40 years, you've heard James Gadson. The musician is one of the most successful and prolific session players in history.
Think LA's Citywalk is an amusement park or an "idealized reality" of city living? Oliver Wang investigates the forced perspective of one of LA's most perplexing attractions
The idea of a reality show, set in L.A.'s Koreatown, documenting the antics of young Asian Americans, made instant waves. As news of the show spread, the response to "K-Town" always combined amusement, outrage, and curiosity.
It was music that captured the LA Riots, Oliver Wang analyzes this music
After the Fung Bros. arrived in Los Angeles, they recognized the uniqueness of the local culture in the San Gabriel Valley and coined it the "626 Lifestyle," a nod to their area code, aka the "Boba Life," referring to that milk tea and tapioca ball co...