When Venice Beach Belonged to the Locals | Josh "Bagel" Klassman

This episode is presented in a more documentary-style format, cutting back and forth between the studio conversation and a walk through Venice Beach. As Bagel shares stories from his life and photographs, the episode follows him through the neighborhood, revisiting historic locations and connecting the past to what Venice looks like today. More than a traditional podcast, this is an episode best experienced by watching as the stories, photographs, and locations come together on screen. Josh “Bagel” Klassman is a photographer and longtime Venice Beach local who has spent decades documenting the people, places, and subcultures that helped define one of California’s most legendary neighborhoods. In this episode, Bagel sits down with Wayne to talk about growing up around Venice Beach, photographing the local skate, surf, graffiti, and punk scenes, and witnessing the changes that transformed Venice from a rough-and-tumble beach town into an international destination. The conversation covers the Pavilion, the Pits, the breakwater, the boardwalk, local characters, street photography, punk rock, surfing, skateboarding, and the importance of documenting places before they disappear.