‘Loser of the Week’ Selections Are Winners at Attracting Attention

Winning may be everything, but according to Marty Klein, the 45-year-old owner of a Westside car battery store, only the losers count.

Each week, Klein, who has made it his business to expose losers, selects a name in the news to put on the sign in front of his Delta Battery store near Venice and La Cienega boulevards. He calls it the “Loser of the Week,” and during the last five years, some of the most prominent figures in the world have earned a place on his sign.

For example, Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone was selected as loser of the week for his disparaging comments in September about the intelligence levels of American blacks and Latinos. Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi was deemed the top loser after U.S. jets bombed Tripoli. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini has been there several times. The Rev. Jerry Falwell has held the week’s top spot, and so has Black Muslim minister Louis Farrakhan.

Heads of State Chosen

Also, Presidents Reagan and Carter have been named losers, as have British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Philippine Prime Minister Ferdinand Marcos.

The losers have not been limited to people. South Africa is a frequent visitor. Jalisco cheese, killer bees and watermelon have been listed. And the Russian city of Chernobyl was a big loser after the nuclear power plant disaster in April. Klein has also allowed Los Angeles sports teams to share the loser spotlight.

Last week Klein’s loser was U.S. credibility after President Reagan’s controversial arms-for-hostages deal with Iran. He said the next loser will be the Reagan Cabinet.

The loser of the week is posted under a large, 30-foot-high sign advertising Klein’s store on Venice Boulevard.

“I used to advertise sale items in the space but I did not seem to attract anyone’s attention,” he said. “Now, at least I’m attracting attention. I don’t know whether it is bringing me any business.”

It has, however, become a favorite pastime for Klein and the eight employees in his shop. “I make the final selection, but we all contribute,” he said.

Occasionally, Klein said, the loser of the week becomes the loser of the month when good losers become hard to find.

Sometimes, the losers selected have not been popular with the public. Jose Puig, who works in the shop, said he received calls complaining about the selection of Japan Air Lines as a loser after the 747 crash in August, 1985, that killed 520 people.

“People don’t understand,” Klein said. “There are losers and then there are losers. It depends on how you interpret the word. In the case of the Japan Air Lines, that was a tragedy. That kind of loser is different from the time we ran John Belushi, who died from a drug overdose. He was a different kind of loser.”

Purpose Is to Stimulate Interest

For the most part, Klein said he tries to make the selections that are not controversial. “I try not to step on anyone’s feet,” he said. “There were a couple of times I decided against a selection because I felt that it would be unfair. The purpose is not to be controversial, the purpose is to stimulate interest to see my sign.”

One customer agreed. “I love it,” he said. “You are driving along and there is something with a sense of humor or something to make you think.”

Making people think was what Klein had in mind after the explosion of the space shuttle killed seven astronauts. Under the loser of the week, Klein simply listed “The United States.”

“I think we were all losers when that happened,” he said.