Culture Pearls

Culture Clash is back with a new incarnation of its city-specific shows, taking on Orange County in Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, March 16–April 6 at South Coast Repertory. Scenes are political, social, satirical, ethnic, shrewd, fearless, often moving and generally hysterical. The Southern California-based troupe is made up of Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza. Montoya shares results of research for the show.

Question. Orange County would seem to be prime territory for you guys.
Answer. It's primo, man. The housing market is falling out the bottom, Social Distortion is on fire at the House of Blues. [Social D.'s] Mike Ness is the honest-to-god hero. The sheriff is under indictment, the real estate guys are going to prison. O.C. is upside down. It rocks my world. It's prime pickin's.

Q. So what did you discover about Orange County?
A. It's a beautiful place—not just the beach community, though that's certainly a part of it. I absolutely love the complexity of it. You get off the freeway, and it's amazing terrain, psychological terrain as well as physical terrain. It's got the most swingers per capita in the country, for sure.... I went to eight sold-out Social Distortion shows. The music that has come out of Orange County—Gwen Stefani, Social D., Manic Hispanic—is better than Seattle. At House of Blues, you see who's there and it's a cross section—guys with greasy hair and tattoos, girls with bouffants, white guys in low-riders, Chicano guys in hot rods. The lines blur. In Los Angeles, we're a little more stuck in our neighborhood, what side of the freeway you're from. I might have to go to that televangelical Christian center off the 405 and get my L.A. sins washed away.

Q. What would you do with a free weekend here?
A. I'd find one of those swanky hotels on the beach and hole up, facing the Pacific. L.A. beaches are pretty urban. There seems to be a modicum of tranquillity on some of the Orange County beaches.

Q. Got any favorite eating spots?
A. Scott's is really affordable—that's an awesome seafood place. Jerry's Deli has a brisket burrito—they actually have a brisket burrito! The food in Santa Ana is just pretty fantastic. We have a Pulitzer Prize–winning food writer, Jonathan Gold, and I want him to venture deep into Santa Ana. By the way, I really like Rueben Martinez's bookstore [Librería Martinez] in Santa Ana, world-class. I drive down there from L.A. to find stuff.

Q. You live an hour north of Orange County.
A. I can walk to Dodger Stadium. I also go to Angel Stadium, and they couldn't be more different. Angel Stadium is so civil! Dodger Stadium tends to be a little bit more diverse, Angel Stadium a little bit more vanilla. But you know what I love about Angel Stadium? I love it that the heroes on the Angels are Latinos with difficult names to pronounce and the O.C. fans cheer them on. Every blond kid wants to be Vladimir Guerrero.

Details
Angel Stadium 2000 Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, 714.634.2000 • House of Blues 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, 714.778.2583 • Jerry’s Deli 3210 Parkß Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.662.3354 • Librería Martinez Books and Art Gallery 1110 N. Main St., Santa Ana, 714.973.7900 • Scott’s 3300 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714.979.2400 • Trinity Christian City International 3150 Bear St., Costa Mesa, 714.832.2950