Slake: John Albert's "Running with the Devil"

John Albert in Claremont, on the last non-suburban stretch of Baseline Boulevard. This is where he first heard Van Halen's "Eruption," and it would change his life. He writes about it in the new edition of Slake, LA's literary quarterly.
Deedee Cheriel

Off-Ramp® | March 26, 2011

Listen to story

05:34

LISTENER WARNING: This interview -- Off-Ramp host John Rabe's conversation with writer John Albert about his piece in Issue 2 of Slake magazine -- includes frank and non-judgemental descriptions of drug use, teenage sex, unsupervised partying, and the groundbreaking nature of early Van Halen.

Enjoy Off-Ramp®? Try KPCC’s other programs.

See all of our programs

AirTalk®

With Larry Mantle

Weekdays 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Lively and in-depth discussions of city news, politics, science, entertainment, the arts, and more.

FilmWeek®

With Larry Mantle

Friday 11 a.m. - noon

Reviews of the week's new movies, interviews with filmmakers, and discussion.

Take Two®

With A Martínez

Weekdays 2 to 3 p.m.

News and culture through the lens of Southern California.

The Frame®

With John Horn

Temporarily on hiatus so that our staff can help out our colleagues in the KPCC newsroom and on our other shows.

Movies, music, TV, arts and entertainment, straight from Southern California.

What's popular now on KPCC

In Executive Actions, Trump Extends Unemployment Benefits, Defers Payroll Taxes

Police Fire Tear Gas As Thousands Express Outrage Over Beirut Explosion

Children Can Get Severe COVID-19, CDC Says — Especially Black And Hispanic Children

TikTok To Sue Trump Administration Over Ban, As Soon As Tuesday