Product Description

Fantasy Land is a new book about Venice Beach, California. It is a composition of 27 interviews and photographs with some of the most captivating characters that contribute to the fame and reputation of this very special beach. Fantasy Land is more than a simple tourist book: it is a documentation of the magic of Venice Beach and the true story of its amazing characters.

This book brings attention to a side of society that has always been present and yet has been only superficially represented. It uses an unprecedented, and therefore controversial, approach by giving equal weight to people of such varying social standings as a homeless person, a policeman, or a rock star.

The questions asked of each person were of a personal and philosophical nature, allowing for insightful and often surprising answers. Provocative and vivid photographs serve not only to initially attract attention, but also to enhance and add depth to the stories of these ! eccentric characters.

This book consists of a series of interviews accompanied by exclusive photographs of some of the strangest, weirdest, freakiest characters of Venice Beach, California. Each of these 27 intensely unique characters is bound to the rest by one common thread, which is their compelling honesty in answering a very personal list of questions.

Venice Beach is a show case of the American society, a postcard of the America dream, and the characters that compose its scene give a great deal of insight into the nature of this society as it nears the millennium. It is one of the last places where people can be themselves and still be appreciated for what they really are.

I believe that there are issues raised here that reflect on our society. As history has proven, many time-tested searches for the truth came from dialogues between people. At its base, Fantasy Land should be taken as nothing more than a series of dialogues between people living! in a historical place.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4283933 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-20
• Binding: Paperback
• 104 pages

About the Author
Marc Lo Porto was born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1975. The son of and Italian dad and a Spanish mother was 7 years old when his family moved to Paris. Attending school in a suburb, he learned a totally different way of life. When he was 19, he graduated and started working for a year. On January of '96, he left to go study in California. His love for the ocean brought him to live in Venice Beach. While studying photography and journalism, in which he graduated two years later, his curiosity for people grew. In April 1998, his father was in a fatal airplane accident in Colombia. After a few months with his mother and family, he decided to self-publish the book he had worked on for several years, in memory of his father.

Customer Reviews

Subculture or Avant Garde?
I sometimes think that one of my kids thinks that I live in some sort of vicarious way. Youngest daughter gave me a book which consisted of interviews of 27 of the more outstanding persons of Venice Beach, CA. Folks come and go, but a Venice Beach website tells me that many of these "persons" are still at Venice Beach.

What can one say about Venice Beach? Is it a subculture or is it avant garde? Are these folks dropouts or are they what a lot of us really would like to be like? If I say I wouldn't want such a life as those folks, how do I explain the fact that I find the idea of visiting Venice Beach to be terribly interesting.

Savor the flavor. Tell me what you think later.

Amazing photos and amazing people!
I love Perry Farrell! He is the only reason i purchased the book in the first place. He is a poet, a prophet, and my inspiration. He is not just an aging rock star with a drug infested past, he is a father, an idol, and a God. I love everything about him and wish there were more books about him out there. I was a little dissappointed that his photo in Fantasy Land wasn't bigger.If I were ever fortunate enough to meet the genius we all know as the front-man of Jane's Addiction, I would definately try to get a better photograph of him. He is extremely beautiful and the photos in the book do him no justice whatsoever.Other than that the book is pretty darn good.