Lan Yan

A Day in the Life of a Severed Head: a Mural Lan Yan

One morning in Los Angeles, a noted homeless drunk wanders into a local market bragging that he killed a man the night before. When the store regulars dismiss him, he leaves and returns five minutes later with the severed head of the victim. The store owner places it in the meat counter and waits for the police. (This actually happened, in 1993.) During the hours that lapse, the head becomes something of magic. The store regulars recount their youth with fantastic stories. The young people in the neighborhood find their lives transformed for the better. And in the end, the local butcher, the reformed Artist in Meat, brings everyone together for a daybreak quinceañera dance.