So I spent this past Thursday, June 21st -- the longest day of the year -- in Hollywood. And it was just one of those perfect days. You know, one of those days you have when everything goes just perfectly? Being the first day of summer, I guess, the weather could not have been more desirable: sunny and warm but never too hot, and certainly not a trace of that smog that is so often unfairly associated with LA. But besides the weather, every single person I encountered that day in Hollywood was genuinely warm and friendly and a pleasure to be around. Even the tragic bums along Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards all seemed to have vanished for the day. Not one person asked me for money all day. The opposite happened in fact: not once but twice, glancing down at the pavement I found money -- a quarter on Vine and a crisp new dollar bill blowing on Sunset. Damn! There really is gold on the streets here, I thought. What a perfect day. As I happily walked I couldn't help but remember in my head all of the songs about Hollywood and LA (there is even a Wikipedia page dedicated to them) that include Bob Seger's Hollywood Nights, Murs' LA, Jurassic 5's LAUSD, Kool & the Gang's Hollywood Swinging, Defari's Los Angelinos, and X's Los Angeles. And as I walked down Vine heading towards Sunset, humming Randy Newman's I Love LA, I kept a close eye on the pavement in case I might find even more money, when I noticed that Rin Tin Tin had his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wow! Even dogs are stars here.
Shortly afterwards at 6400 Sunset Boulevard at Amoeba Music Hollywood (the main reason
for my trip down from the Bay for the day) I ran into Amoebite Kara who was walking her cute and affectionate little dog. The last time I was down in LA -- several months previous -- she had just gotten the miniature pooch who she had rescued by adopting him from an unfortunate homeless woman who could no longer take care of her pet. At Amoeba Music I spent the day hanging out and meeting many Amoebites for the first time, like Irene (who works in the office and was sporting a cool Virgin Prunes t-shirt), and some that I knew from before like KP, Tim Ranow, and Ilene. It was about my sixth trip to Amoeba Hollywood since it opened and I tell you the cavernous store never fails to amaze me. It is truly a music fiend's dream! And despite the good amount of time I spent digging in the crates of the endless rows and rows and sections and sections of music, I still only barely scratched the surface of the store's seemingly never ending inventory.
It's exactly like Cee-Lo performing, but with perhaps a mouth full of hot dogs!
I don't know if any of you have seen my new favorite show yet, but you need to check it out if you haven't. The Flight of the Conchords just premiered on HBO this last Sunday at 10:30 pm. These guys have been around for a couple years performing as Flight of the Conchords. HBO recently picked them up for a new 12 part series. The show is basically about them trying to get a record deal and success in New York as a folk pop duo. Jemain Clement and Bret McKenzie are semi famous in their native New Zealand. They have a couple albums out already and have performed at South by Southwest and Bonnaroo. They are basically making fun of singers such as John Mayer and James Blunt. But do it brilliantly. They even just signed a deal with Sub Pop and will be putting out a single in a couple months.The show reminds me of the brilliance of another one of my recent favorites, The Sarah
Silverman Show. It is a situational musical comedy. They two boys are roommates in a small flat in New York city. The other characters are a horrible manager and an obsessed nerdy fan neighbor girl. It has a bit of the uncomfortable humor of shows like the Office. It's just brilliant. I have only watched the first episode but I am already obsessed. The first episode is about Jemaine's search for a girlfriend and the shooting of their first video. Each episode has a couple musical numbers. But don't be scared. It really works. You might recognize Jemaine from the Outback Steakhouse commercials. But he is really much more than just another Paul Hogan. He is also starring in a new movie called "Eagle vs Shark" which is out in August. Check out the preview on the website for the movie. It is destined to get compared to Napolean Dynamite. But I have been really needing another Napolean Dynamite in my life for a while.
