Venice Beachhead | May 2014 | By Suzy Williams

Have you ever read a review of something in the arts and just wish they could come right out and write whether the artist was great or not? Well, I’d like to try that tack, which is to state the fact that our own Venice-based classical guitarist is a phenomenon – a master, a virtuoso, an exquisite performer. Michael Jost (pronounced like “Yo,” man!) – who has lived on Ocean Front Walk for twenty years, is a respected star in Europe. However, you know the old story: sometimes people take for granted high-end talents like Jost in the States. A prophet without honor and all that.
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The Argonaut | August 2007 | by Betsy Goldman

Looking out of his third-floor window with a spectacular view of the ocean, Michael Jost thrives on the sights and sounds of the Venice Boardwalk. His apartment, part music studio, has been home since 1993.

Originally from Germany, Jost visited here on vacation and was so excited by what he saw that he decided to move here “for up to year” a year later, to seek a challenge in his music career. He couldn’t leave.

“I came to the beach and saw this was everything I always wanted,” he says. “It’s multicultural — people from all over the world. It seems that if they don’t fit anywhere else, they end up in Venice. I was inspired by this.”

It wasn’t hard for Michael to find a challenge.

“I came to Los Angeles to find out that there are many musicians,” he says. “They aren’t necessarily all so good. It was a challenge because there are so many of them.”
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