Once we were nearing The Whiskey, it was like I was narrating one of those Hollywood Tours...except this one covered my own life. Why are we taking this road? It's a shortcut; you avoid 2 lights. I used to live here. Drive a mile or more, and then another sneaky way - see? Here we are.
As with anything else in Dealville, you drive through famous streets and just as much point out places you remember, you also point out the things that are gone. The Sunset Strip always changes. It evolves. The only thing permanent, beyond a handful of clubs and buildings, is the street itself. One unexpected change, however, was a curious feeling: is the moment over? I'm not saying I was the only car on the road or anything, but it was a Friday night and...I had no trouble navigating the road. Parking was a breeze. Weird. Maybe we beat the traffic? It's kind of dinner time, I guess...
We passed Carney's (still there!) and the Artist Formerly Known As Smiley was thrown. "Whoa. What's this?" The Big Scoop herself told her it was Supreme's store. I added that there was a skate bowl inside. Confusion continued until I mentioned it was once Tower Records. "Oh!" Hey, it could be worse: so many things on our way had been replaced by 5-6 story buildings of various gaudy styles, all seemingly made by outsiders trying to fit in.
I looked around and saw other locales that very quickly put back in a state and time, roughly 2 decades ago. Your author spent much time getting drunk, seeing comedy and rock/punk shows, and just wandering. The streets were packed and, as the slogan used to say, "the best show IS the strip." I kept this inside as I arrived at The Whiskey. My name was on the guest list! I've arrived!
"Because she's under 18, she can't go in and out." Why not? "It's our policy." Okay...
As it goes, we entered as one act was going on. I was still taking it all in, keeping an eye on the Scoop (who was mildly enjoying it) and AFKAS who was trying to turn this into a wedding reception dance floor. As the evening wore on, the Scoop kept wanting to move farther and farther back from the stage. I probably should have bought her ear plugs. Just doing this activity was a lengthy discussion. "Why does it have to be a rock concert?" "Hey, I know you'd rather see smooth jazz, but we're trying something else. We don't have to stay all night. Plus, I found an Italian restaurant nearby." (Her face lit up)
So, she and I left and wandered up and down the strip. Outside a restaurant or 2, she didn't seem interested in anything else. She was annoyed by people smoking. I was mildly concerned by some of the strip's, uh, more colorful characters that were wandering around. The traffic continued to flow freely. Most times, we had the sidewalk to ourselves.
Upon return to The Whiskey, she said, "let's get dinner" and I tried to bargain - we haven't even been seeing the bands 90 minutes. That's it?! Then I remembered she couldn't even go back in if I wanted her to, and I had to go in to tell the AFKAS that we're getting something to eat - she won't hear or notice her phone. I left her alone on the street while I tried to tell someone who already has hearing problems to meet us whenever you're ready, but the Scoop's hungry and bored. I calmly and quickly got out to the street, a concerned parent, leaving my kid out there, but I needn't have worried: even if the security was more concerned with people going inside, no one else was around. But maybe my timing was perfect: as I talked with her outside the door, down the strip came a woman looking the very definition of "bad road." Like an 80's hair metal rock had been overturned and they crawled out. I had one eye on her talking to the door guy, and one on the scoop. The old groupie walked on and I heard the door guy say to a friend "Did you see her? I hadn't seen her in years. I thought she was fucking dead. And there she is!"
The Big Scoop was easily pleased by the pasta, headache and cares long gone as she regaled the owners of their high-quality garlic bread. People known and new wandered over from the show to join us. Most of us discussed YouTube's byzantine monetization policies. None of these things would've happened decades ago, nor would the following phrases have been used: "Yeah, it was dead in there." When the scoop and I dined, a to-go order customer said "Yeah, I haven't been by in a while. It's dead out there." In a brief moment, I remembered: Easter Weekend, around Christmas, I remember those were slow times on the strip. But this was a regular Friday night with good weather.
I discussed this with the help of the restaurant. It was almost a lament. I shared something I've probably shared on this blog. "I worked with a guy who was down here in the late 70s, early 80s all the time, and I'd say, 'you were there in the PRIME days.' And he'd shake his head and say no, you're in your 20's, you're going to look back at right now the same way." The help agreed. I said "yeah, I guess he's right, it was fun. But (gesturing outside) now?" The help said they get traffic during the day now from international tourists. They've all heard of it. They want to see it. They stop in for lunch. "Well, that's cool. Things keep moving."
Fortified, we continued around and saw vacant buildings (not forlorn, just ready to lease) and bars & clubs having trouble attracting anyone. We were at the early stages of the shank of the evening...and we figured we might as well head back. Nothing going on. I made a left turn with ease, something impossible 20 years ago. I had no problem making it home. Once inside, I took a moment to reflect: some things should pass me by, and some things I've passed by, that's how life goes. Melrose was a hot spot for decades because of what the people made it...until real estate found out, priced every weird thing out, and it is a shell of its former self if even that. The Strip, I figured, would continue to evolve but remain a hot spot. Maybe that, too, is in the long, slow fade. There is less that I can go "back to" out here, a vibe being one of things, especially while so many physical things still stand.
