Coolest thing to do with 1 day in L.A.?? (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

Max's, up the street from the club, is a good way to "get started" on a Largo night. A few beers there, then walk on down to the club. It still has too much of a restaurant feel to it, but the acts are consistently good.

I prefer dives--but ones with good sound systems. Cat piss in the corners optional. Miss the days when smoke filled the rooms. It was evil and fun.

Anybody remember the old Gaslight? That was the place for committed rock'n'rollists ten years ago.

Club Lingerei was great, too. And the old Shamrock, from way back (late '80s, early '90s). True veterans remember the days of the Masque.

Anybody remember those places?

 

[Pamela]

Ah...Club Lingerie...remember it well. One time a group of guy friends talked me into going with them for Club Lingerie's free Monday show. Duchess De Sade was heading the show and I didn't want to go. I had seen them once before (sharing the bill with Tiny Tim ) and once was enough. But they talked me into it. Toward the end of the show, the lead singer, "the Duchess," came into the audience to kiss unsuspecting females full on the lips. Well, I became one of the targets. She body slammed me up against the back wall. Thank goodness I'm a tall gal. I was able to keep her at bay. After struggling for a few moments, she gave up and moved on to someone else, I was mortified to say the least. I detest attention of any kind. Fortunately, while this was going on, some guy had jumped up on the stage and his head was up the skirt of "Kitten," the dancer. She had a large smile on her face. Needless to say, most of the audience was focused on that. Ya know, maybe I wouldn't have been so repulsed if she wasn't so skanky. At least it could have been a good looking chick.
Haven't been back since.

 

[Max Leung]

Pamela, sounds like you didn't drink enough that night.
You big city folk are funny! Ha. Ha.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Helter Skelter, on occasional nights ... The Central, an excellent place to see new bands before it was taken over and changed into the Viper Room (thanks, Johnny--one less place for me to check out on regular basis) ... Hollywood Live (short-lived, but that old building with all those stages) ... I could go on.

The Palace stayed fun for an amazingly long time.

Never cared for the Whiskey, or the Roxy, in, my goodness, how long? But both have great sound systems. Used to talk with the engineers. (Do that at all clubs, actually.)

The old atmosphere is missing these days. Not to mention the better music.

 

[Pamela]

Pamela, sounds like you didn't drink enough that night.

Max, I had plenty to drink that night. After the show. I just felt so...so...dirty.

 

[Derek Miner]

Interesting to read the comments here. I was in the LA area about seven years ago on a trip paid for by the Campus Activities Board of my college. Did the uber-touristy things - saw a taping of The Price Is Right, went to Hollywood Blvd., saw the ocean, etc. I have a friend in Long Beach, and I'd love to go back to the west coast again soon.
When I make it back to the LA area, I'm quite interested in going to the Largo. I'm a fan of Aimee Mann, Michael Penn and Jon Brion, and I'm sure there's quite an interesting group of people I could connect to them in a six degrees of separation way.
Since some of you locals have mentioned the Largo, I'm curious what I should expect if I make it out there. I'm not usually one to go to bars or clubs. I go to a lot of concerts, which here in FL seems to mean run-down converted movie houses in downtown areas. Jack called the Largo "chic"... so would I have to dress up to go down there? Am I going to get turned away because I'm really lame?

 

[Carlo_M]

Just got back from Largo.

Jack calls it chic because it's not a "hole in the wall" type of atmosphere. There is no dress code there (other than you have to be dressed, I think). And you find the gamut of style in there, from people who are dressed nicely to the jeans-n-t-shirt crowd.

 

[Leroy]

Yikes...this thread sprung to life!! I wish I had more time in L.A., but I really want to check out Vegas while I'm in the area. I may have to extend my vacation by a couple of days.

 

[Pamela]

Am I going to get turned away because I'm really lame?

Hey, I can get in. It must not be too hard! There are no "velvet ropes." It's first come first serve.

How come no one mentioned Al's Bar? A classic!

 

[Jack Briggs]

I didn't mean to give the impression that Largo is a coat-and-tie establishment. My goodness, but I would never countenance such a place. Ever.

Back when we had the China Club, in the late '80s/early '90s, I hated being sent on assignments there. Though the sound system was great, the place was way, way too posh. And clean. Hell, one could have had open-heart surgery in the restrooms.

I like my rock'n'roll bars to be dives. Or at least showing signs of going to seed. That's the best way to enjoy live bands.

Largo is, essentially, a dinner club for the rock'n'roll crowd--as opposed to something edgy and hip, of which there are hardly any such clubs at the moment. A lot of this has to do with the economy as well as the dearth of really decent music these days.

 

[Jack Briggs]

How come no one mentioned Al's Bar? A classic!

Um, Pamela, that might be because Al's shut its doors a year ago. I broke the story, in fact--in a shithole little weekly called the Los Angeles Downtown News. I got the scoop! Even New Times quoted from my story.

Mark Kreisel, the "Al" of Al's Bar, was behind on his rent, and the American Hotel--the building in which Al's was housed, along with Bloom's General Store and Soul Folks restaurant--had been sold. Kreisel was behind on the rent, and legal action was in process.

I used to be friends with the woman who booked the bands there, "Toast" (her real name, no less)--she remembered me from my days at the late, great Los Angeles Reader.]

Al's Bar was great--and remained viable until the end, which is more than can be said for New York's CBGB's. Loved the cubbyhole patio, where one could imbibe with substances that are not in full compliance with federal and local statutes.

Hey, it was all cool with the Al's crowd.

Used to have a girlfriend ten years or so ago who played at Al's a lot, with her band. Loved the place.

Now, where are the really good dives? A dying breed.

 

[DanaA]

Used to live in L.A. and visit quite frequently. Here's what I'd do. Go to the Getty Museum. It is a marvel. You're right in Westwood, so go there and check it out and get something to eat. I'm a U.C.L.A. alumni, so, of course, I'll recommend a stop over there as it also is in Westwood. Then, go to Santa Monica or Venice Beach, but don't expect to swim much as it is pretty polluted water. Either one can be a blast, but watch out as there are some characters of less than noble character that hang out around there -- or anywhere in L.A. for that matter.

 

[Bill Kane]

Got your Whitney permits all lined up, right? Here's a cool website.