Inside The Chart Of Jasmine Johnson
As the Sun reaches the final echelon of the sign of Twins, brimming with mercurial excess, over-saturated in the stimulus and thought forms that Gemini season brings- this is the very moment that Jasmine Johnson entered our dimension. The day before the solstice. The Sun at its zenith. Light swallowing shadow. What was once hidden or underground steps boldly into view. A portal opens. A new era of culture begins.
Cusps? Please. No such thing.. This is Gemini in its final form. The grand finale. The evolution. The Gemini to end all Geminis.
Playwright, DJ, poet, party-host, director, producer, pioneer, prophet—Jasmine Johnson is a walking plurality. A human prism. An LA staple. Having single-handedly restored the West Coast literary scene, theatre scene, party scene- You’ve never seen anyone move through so many worlds at once, while remaining refreshingly elusive.
Factory Made. PCH & HEROIN. THE DEATH OF A STAR.
She appears in flashes—at the center of a party you weren’t invited to, behind the scenes of a play you heard about from someone who “was there,” in prose that feels like it was written for you and also not meant to be read in public. She moves between high and underground like the distinction never existed, because in her world, it doesn’t. She possesses the rare gift of being able to witness Los Angeles in its raw duality, mirroring it back to us through her work. She Reports her findings with cool objectivity, and we’re fascinated. We trust her, as she oscillates between the glamor and the grit, the fickle and fragile, the elite and indiscreet.
In the process of her local journeying, she has become a Muse to many, friend to some- known by all.
She wears her multitudes with a fluid charisma that allows her to be everything, everywhere, all at once- without getting tied down or pigeonholed. She can't be quantified. At times we’re flattered. Other times, revolted. It's honest. Putrid honesty. Holy honesty.
“L.A. is dead.” They say.
“Culture is dead”
“Art is dead.”
“We live in an endless rehash of what’s already been done.”
Jasmine proves otherwise. In a dry sort of nonchalance, and usually from behind sunglasses, she keeps doing things we’ve never seen. She resurrects the culture and provokes us out of boredom. Jasmine Johnson is not the moment. She’s the glitch, the echo, the origin point. The future remembering itself. You feel her before you understand her. And by the time you try to pin her down, she’s already somewhere else. Directing something, remixing something, writing a new mythology in the exclusive margins of your city.
Stars Align: Your Venus is in Taurus conjunct your Midheaven (the point of your career) alluding to having a knack at attracting the right people towards you at the right time. What do you look for in someone when casting a play? What do you value in friends/individuals?
Jasmine: I naturally seek out people who desire something greater than themselves. The people who’ve stayed in my life or appear consistently in my work aren’t necessarily perfect; they're purely devoted individuals.
Stars Align: What's the difference between good taste and bad taste?
Jasmine: The only real offense is having no taste.
Stars Align: Your Mercury is in Cancer- conjunct your part of fortune (the sum total of your entire chart) stationed in the sector of community and friendships. Do you feel like there's a vulnerability you bring to your work that you otherwise keep reserved? If so, why is that?
Jasmine: I’m a very private person. In public, I operate on persona and stimulants. In my work, there's a barrier between the viewer and myself which allows me to explore aspects of myself I’d otherwise keep hidden.
Stars Align: If you could live in an era of LA, when would it be and why?
Jasmine: The New Hollywood era. If I were a young ingénue in the 70s I’d be at one of Sue Mengers’ famous dinner parties absorbing every micro-interaction before disappearing with Robert Evans. The culture is missing a good time and it’s partially due to the lack of quaaludes. I want to have fun and I want to live forever.
Stars Align: What do you find yourself writing about the most?
Jasmine: Recently, I’ve been hyperfixating on hopeless has-beens or would-bes who suffered a twisted hand of fate.
Stars Align: You give a lot to LA. I hope you know that. Do you feel like it gives back to you?
Jasmine: I’d like to live all around the world, but there is only one place I’d die and that’s Los Angeles. Growing up in LA, there was a masochistic idealism. It’s this continuous duality that’s guided my entire life. One moment you could be winding down Mulholland, blasting your favorite song, leaning out the window feeling completely free; the next you’re wrapping your car around a pole.
Stars Align: How do you stop yourself from getting jaded?
Jasmine: Motion.
Stars Align: Your Sun is square to Jupiter, planet of abundance, excess and faith. Do you feel like when you take risks you are rewarded?
Jasmine: If I do something with my entire being I can’t lose.
Stars Align: Do you feel like you take things to extremes?
Jasmine: Yes, often.
Stars Align: What do you believe in?
Jasmine: Beauty. Resilience. Freedom.
Stars Align: What don’t you believe in?
Jasmine: Mediocrity masquerading as innovation.
Stars Align: Worst thing about dating in LA?
Jasmine: Pansexuals.
Stars Align: Does controversy inspire you, or deter you?
Jasmine: It depends on the controversy.
Stars Align: Nostalgia-longing, these are all associated with mercury in cancer. In your journeys throughout LA, where have your most memorable moments been? Do you have any favorite spots/memories?
Jasmine: Camp Hollywoodland.
Going to the Drew League with my dad and seeing Baron Davis coach.
Stars Align: Your Moon is square Uranus, planet of invention, innovation and rebellion. It’s this placement that seems to mark you as a trendsetter, almost pathologically ahead of the curve.
Do you ever feel like you’re creating things people won’t understand until much later? Do you feel like people imitate you?
Jasmine: Yes.
Stars Align: If you could create/predict a trend, what would it be?
Jasmine: Gratitude.
Stars Align: If you could stop a trend, what would it be?
Jasmine:Player hating.
Stars Align: Do you feel like restlessness and a desire to explore is a part of your work?
Jasmine: I’m insatiable. My work reflects a desire for something beyond this realm, something perpetually out of reach.
Stars Align: What do you think people misunderstand about you?
Jasmine: A lot.
Stars Align: I feel like you need to make a movie. Has that crossed your mind? What are your favorite films?
Jasmine:I finished my first film at thirteen years old. It was called My Day at the Grove. The footage has since been lost.
My favorite films are impossible to rank but off the top of my head: Opening Night (1977), True Romance (1993), Somewhere (2011), Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003), and Nightcrawler (2014).
Stars Align: Sunglasses. How do you know they're the right pair?
Jasmine:If I can’t see anything.
Stars Align: South Node in Pisces: Musical staples. Pick three songs you're into at the moment.
Planet Ren by Ren G. The Phobia by Dalhaus and Silicone Valley. Shake it by DIME. GET OFF MY WAVE by FIDLAR. Sorry, that’s four.
Stars Align: What are you working on at the moment?
Jasmine: Being happy.