Today we’d like to introduce you to George Jojo Baghdassarian
Hi George JoJo, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Good LOVE of cheers to you all, and without delay I’m thankful to my good brethren – the Fine Artist: Dominic Wordlaw for welcoming me into VoyageLA’s Q&A by way of Sid Reddy.
I was bounded by a versatile artistic family that I was born into on August 11th, 1974, as George JoJo Baghdassarian – in Beirut Lebanon; while also having a life in Aleppo Syria until the age of 8. My genetic name derives from two mystical names of Saint George and Balthazar. In the early 1980s, my mother Osanna, father Garabed, sister Maria and I, took refuge from the Mediterranean/Middle East Civil War’s by immigrating to the City of Angels, California.
We broke out of a large scale of violently organized conflicts; primarily over regional power to achieve religious might in an inhuman way – utter terror of mass destruction upon innocent civilians as it continues on today throughout our planet. The greatest hate persists to reveal itself within the worldly hurdles of religious love!
Years before our arrival to L.A, my uncle Abraham Koushian; a genuine begetter of an artist and an expert jewelry designer – settled his family in Los Angeles, Ca. He equally helped to reinforce the Baghdassarian family by leading the way for us to rent a home in Glendale, Ca. We’ve been in the City of Glendale ever since (for the most part).
Now that I’m halfway to being a centenarian and my daughter Graysee is 8 years of age (we’re both Leo’s : ) I’ve come to be mindfully conscious of all things under the indigenous guide of mother nature; within the everlasting and ever-expanding areas of the Lively Arts, Healing Arts, Social Arts, Fine Arts and my ideals around the Culinary Arts – exceedingly palatable! Throughout my upbringing, my mother and father have collaborated together upon their craftsmanship as imaginative Fine Artists, textile experts, fashion and furniture design.
In the Mediterranean; my family was speaking Arabic, French, Turkish and primarily the Western Armenian language. Since I grew up utilizing my Mediterranean languages; I adapted diplomatically to learn the American language on the streets of Los Angeles; California – while also attending the curriculums of the LA Unified School District.
In those days of the 80’s & 90’s; my neighborhood friends and LA collectives who we played street basketball and pastime sports with were raised in families that were associated with scores of Los Angeles gangs (the “Gang Capital of America”); so as the matter of course, I meshed abnormally with the gangsters from those various rings since they were also present at the same schools/classmates that I was attending. On the contrary, I became more in-tuned with the street breakers (break dancers), punk-rockers, fine art painters, skateboarders, surfers, fashionistas, graffiti artists, DJ’s, musicians and eventually the party crews that would utilize abandoned L.A warehouses and backyards of their homes for privatized underground parties – setting up generators to guest carloads of like minded social creatives from all walks of life. Our squad was given the name of The Unknown Family and Street Beat Magazine was the publication that would cover the underground/rave youth culture of our times vs Lowrider Magazine would cover the Lowrider automotive culture. We were groups of young teenagers from all cultural backgrounds that planned and hosted underground events, parties, and raves during the late 80s and early-1990s. I’ve been collectively hosting the Lively Arts ever since…
After graduating from Glendale High School in 1992, I attended Pasadena City College for the Arts. I quickly came to the realization that college for me was high school with ash trays 🙂
That’s when my ultimate calling kicked into gear so I dove deep into the Music Industry and got hired right about the grand opening of Backside Records in Burbank, California.
From December 1994 to the summer of 2016; while in due course – I became a gratified employee, manager, partner and owner of the record shop. Backside family of creative executives of talented artists welcomed and nurtured a clubhouse of subversive scenesters of counterculture, musicians and fine artists from around the globe. Providing a space for live performances, media broadcasts and continued to evolve as a music distribution sanctuary for all visionaries, up and coming artists and street brands from all sectors of society and cultures for over two decades – including iconic artists and fashion labels; in particular: DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Xero (now known as Linkin Park), System Of A Down, Touche Amore, OBEY Giant, Akomplice, The Hundreds, WU-Tang Clan family, Hieroglyphics, Downset and Soul Assassins Radio/SHADE45 and hundreds upon hundreds of acts that you can view on YouTube and Google by searching Backside Records. When we closed the doors in 2016 for the reasons of “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. Our life’s lesson became lucid within the shock of letting go of our shop – that to be open to everything and never get attached to anything; while it’s all happening!
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time: Thomas Merton’s quote suggests that art allows people to discover themselves while also losing themselves in the creative process.
To my goddess – my wife. We married a year before Backside’s farewells. The following year around our establishments closing, our daughter Graysee was born. I felt the ever-present immortality of my celestial mind, body and soul at that moment of Her birth and forever now. As James Brown would sing “Good-God”. Lately, we’ve been co-parenting; we’re no longer legally recognized partners. Paternity for life without a goddess of a wife – fancy that!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a reminder, struggles create results and healthier/stronger results continue to make me into a progressing human being. Like the Sufi poet Rumi wrote “How will you ever be polished if you are irritated by every rub?”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about I AM FINE ARTS ?
Lately, I’ve been re-constructing and soul searching my fanciful sides of life as an artist; as the “Host of the Lively Arts” via @iAmFineArts as an executive venture with affiliated creative media and marketing agencies – namely with Hoviks Fine Arts, @JackhammerMovement, @WebsiteDepotHQ and PopTechStudio.com ; by ways of spirituality, self discovery, inwardness, aliveness – while providing marketing solutions, PR, consulting clients and their utility in the Arts of business to enhance creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills, we also work with the action sports industry, accommodate brands and their development, fostering new business, stimulating the music industry and help sustain ethical consumerism. I also most inwardly work with sound alongside @VfreshMusic ; producing global music with beat machines, samplers and turntables as a true blue turntablist/wax DJ of 30 years. Yup, my vinyl weighs a ton!!
Since 2015, I’ve also become dearly devoted to my in-law’s. While in essence, assisting my father in-law’s legacy; the listed fine artist Hovik Kochinian. Hovik is a maestro of the Fine Arts and a renaissance man. Most significantly, I continue to activate an industry of artistic creativity out of the North Hollywood Arts District (NoHo Arts District) at Hoviks Fine Arts (HFA) – from the private Art Studio and Art Gallery of Señor Hovik. HFA is neighbors with Iliad Bookshop; parallel to The Chandler Bikeway – off 5422 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood, Ca. 91601; make an appointment and come mingle and make ART with us!
At present, I AM FINE ARTS client services is upon the grounds and around the ancestry of HFA. Our families services encompass the areas of art restoration to museum quality, art appraisals, COA’s, custom portraits, printing, custom framing, art consulting & art investing; also fine art sales – our other actions are around interior/exterior design, facade design, art commissioning’s, PR, marketing, live events, project management, private and group fine art classes from Hovik direct. We as well aid unlisted artists to be listed fine artists on ArtPrice.com – a world leader in art market information. we’re also relaunching our staging division this year. Since our family’s art services are extensive; let us know what’s in your inspired heART – we’re open to it all! <3
I want to give a shout out to my brother-in-law’s automotive business that I also was the VP of Marketing for alongside the creative in-house collaborations of Graphic Designer Paul Scott pauljayscott.com and Industrial Designer Mark Tirado. Much love to dynamicwheelgroup.com family which I had the opportunity to co-design the concept of the “Reflection” wheel with the one and only Mark Tirado of Tirado Design.
diablowheelsusa.com/wheel-collection/reflection-x
Here is a link to my radio broadcasting side that I have yet to re-launch – since the pandemic 2020.
I was broadcasting with Indie100, LA Radio Now & Delicious Vinyl Radio Station/powered by Dash Radio.
www.mixcloud.com/GratefulHourShow
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
No bad/good luck!
We all ought to practice maturing from the mentally inspired/in-spirit attitude of contentment – like the wisdom of the sages. Processing the process of the present moment vs. of being anxious of future results or consequences is my daily routine of habit. Our personal and sacred joy of truth is what creates our aliveness – nourished by happiness! So let’s forage and study native plants, lets consume the nakedness of nature back into our daily diets & re-indigenize. InJOY!
Sharing all this with VoyageLA is ultimately calling me to pilot off the 2nd coming of where I left off in 2016 with Backside Records.
Another mom-and-pop shop? in the summer of 2025? The legacy continues…Take it away maestro – in my own right!
Pricing:
- Our rates are honorably generous and civilized – individually as needed; by any and all inquiries.
- Phone +1 (213) 316-8722
- Email: [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iAmFineArts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamfinearts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iAmFineArtsInfo
- Other: @iAmFineArts
Image Credits
All images belongs to George JoJo Baghdassarian.
(1) Self photo with vinyl record art backdrop in NoHo. (2) I Am Fine Arts company logo. (3) I’m holding my first 7″ vinyl record release with @VfreshMusic – photo by @HasAlexandra . (4) Daughter Graysee & I. (5) Holding up the “Hang Loose” hand sign at Hoviks Fine Arts; wearing @OptimysticBanks hoodie.
(6) I’m broadcasting on Delicious Vinyl Radio Station at Dash Radio headquarters in Hollywood. (7) I’m DJ-ing at Rocksteady Lounge in AKBAR Silverlake.
(8) Hovik, @FineArtBling & I at Randall Byers group art exhibit in West Hollywood. (9) My family alongside my uncles family in Aleppo, Syria in the late 1970’s. (10) Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan doing an in-store at our Backside Records shop, Burbank, Ca.
