I was at my parents’ house this past weekend organizing stuff in the shed where i came across a box of my old stuff. In that box i found some old cassette tapes and one tape in particular caught my eye. It was in my faded handwriting probably when i was around the age of 7 or 8 and the title of the tape read “Michael Jackson: Thriller”. I remember exactly where this tape came from. My birthday had just passed and one night my parents’ friends had come over and brought me a present. I excitedly opened up the gift and unwrapped a young Michael Jackson’s Thriller album.
Wow was I happy. Since my dad didn’t want me messing around with the record player, he recorded the album onto a cassette tape. I must have listened to that tape a thousand times, so much so that i was able to sing along to every song. Along with many others, I think that was the height of my adoration of Michael Jackson the performer and Michael Jackson’s songs. Although his later albums came with great fanfare and were much anticipated my me, they never even remotely lived up to that Thriller album. Coupled with MJ’s ever increasing strange behavior, I soon forgot about this man and his music. I was turned off by his crappy songs, deteriorating face, and allegations of child molestation.
When I heard the news that Michael Jackson had passed away last Thursday, my first thoughts were, “oh well, another freak off the street”. Not until i started hearing his old songs again that it hit me…we will never get to experience this wonderfully talented person EVER again. I really can’t think of ANY other person in this world who’s death would have such a profound impact on so many people. It’s truly an amazing thing to see. I think it’s tragic that somebody so popular globally was also somebody who was so incredibly lonely. Somebody who the media constantly thrashed, somebody who the public mocked and ridiculed, somebody who probably looked in the mirror every morning and saw an empty shell. Hopefully his soul will finally be able to rest in peace.
I’ll probably end up keeping that tape for old times sake. Another personal reminder of a very talented musician. Thanks for the memories Michael Jackson.
My Top 5 Michael Jackson Songs
1) PYT (Pretty Young Thing) - Off of the Thriller album, this song just makes you want to DANCE. The beat, the lyrics, the instrumentals, everything about this song is GREAT.
2) Thriller - Off of the Thriller album, no Halloween is complete without this timeless hit. I literally have this song on repeat every Halloween. I also have been wanting to learn the “Thriller Dance” ever since I saw those Filipino prisoners doing it.
3) Baby Be Mine - Again, off of the Thriller album (I told you I liked the album), I didn’t really start liking this song again till maybe 2 years ago but boy do I love it!
4) Rock With You - The only non Thriller song in my top 5, this song (on the Off the Wall album) used to be a dance hit back when I first started clubbing. I remember the crowd going crazy to this song whenever they played it.
5) Lady In My Life - One of the greatest slow jams of all time. The last 2 minutes of this song is just straight BUTTER.
One of the clubs that we checked out on our Shanghai trip was Bling. Located at 66 Danshui Lu near Jinling Xi Lu, this cozy nightclub/lounge is apparently owned by a bunch of TAS (Taipei American School) folks who all pitched in to create Bling.
Although I think the name of the nightclub is cheesy, the place is definitely nice. There is this huge sign out front that screams BLING. There was a Pommery Champagne promotion that night thrown by Severine and the folks at Riviera Events so they had this whole red carpet and billboard setup going on. We took some obligatory photos, signed our name on the billboard, and proceeded inside.
I think we arrived around 10:30 which we found out was way too early as Shanghai clubbers apparently don’t show up until around Midnight. I guess we are just used to the clubs in LA closing at 2am so we show up early. Bottle prices were very reasonable. I think it was around $200 for a bottle of Grey Goose. Of course it isn’t Thailand prices but the eye candy in Shanghai is much better.
So about the club. It’s two stories and not too big. The first floor has a bar on the left and to the right is a DJ stage and tables for bottle service. They have GOGO dancers on stage starting at midnight. The six girls were not too hot except for one. I think the GOGOs are overkill since they were dancing for such a small crowd (the dancefloor is tiny). Most of the people were locals which puzzled me because I had heard that this was more of an “expat club” which means that there most likely would be more white people there and foreign born Asians.
The upstairs is off limits to everybody except ladies and “members”. Members pay a monthly (i think) fee to gain access to the upstairs which is (i guess) a VIP style lounge. Luckily my girl Debbie had the hookups so she got a couple of us hand stamps to go upstairs. The upstairs was a LOT different from the downstairs. White people and English speaking Asians were all upstairs. I felt like I had stepped into a different club. It was mostly just bottle service tables up there but I felt like I was back in LA because most of the people were either from the States or spoke English. Weird!
Overall, a pretty nice place. I don’t know if I could go there every week though since it’s so small. Plus there is no smoking patio so that is a big negative (even though I don’t smoke). I would say that the “talent” there was pretty good when compared to a “local” club (which I will review on another post). The overall vibe was pretty chill. No wildness, no chicks puking in the corner, no massive crowds. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your party style.
According to the LA Times, Atlanta based rapper Dolla was shot and killed this afternoon at the Beverly Center on the Westside. The up and coming rapper from the Konvict Musik label had just flown in from Atlanta to work on his first album. LAPD have already detained a suspect trying to board a plane at LAX.
Another SAD event for the hip hop world. This shooting was so surprising because it happened in such an upscale part of town that is not known for violence. I guess I won’t be travelling to Beverly Center anytime soon. South Coast Plaza for me!
The first time I heard this track…I knew it’s going to be a club banger for the girlies this summer! Check out the video. The song is “KNOCK YOU DOWN” by Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo. I must say Ne-Yo looks pretty fly in that outfit. Actually, if you party much in the urban scene in Hollywood…you will notice a lot of the promoters in the house party video.
Keri Hilson broke into the scene with the hit “Turning Me On” featuring Lil Wayne. She just recently visited Hollywood earlier in April performing at various club spots launching her album. I have to admit…the girl’s got style and she’s pretty fly just something about the overall package that she presents…her voice, style, her eyes etc. This girl’s got cross-market audience written all over her. Rhianna better watch it!
Like any concept or idea there will always be copy cats. The question is who can execute it and brand it better than their respective competition. The recent debut of BoHo from Adolfo Suaya (now defunct - Goa), which is located in the ArcLight complex directly across the street from Amoeba Music on Sunset Boulevard, is flushed with mismatched furniture, elaborate table lightening, chandeliers, indoor ficus trees, a massively wide and worn wooden bar, a dead animal head on the wall….sounds like another possible MyHouse or H.wood or at least more of a Cheers interpretation of it. The bar and restaurant, in the old Charcoal space diagonally across from Cabana Club and Green Door, debuted in March of 2009. Boho is operated as a lounge open to the general public…think bar + lounge + food. The venue is too remind you the comforts of your home or at least if your home had 8+ beers on tap. The parking is convenient since it shares the lot as the Arclight Theater. The place is great for a bite before or after the movies too bad it closes at midnight.
The obvious question isn’t who started the original idea but rather whose going to remember after everything is said and done. It doesn’t matter if it reminds you of your house but more importantly if it’s hip and worth making you leave your house in the damn first place. If this place fails like its predecessor, at least the items in there will make for a GREAT garage sale. Hey, there you go, another concept…a garage sale where you pay for the bottle of Grey Goose and you get the table to take home with you at end of the night!
BoHo
6372 W Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-465-8500
The Ruby in Hollywood is as generic as you can get for a dance club. Think 18 and over with gallons and gallons of RED BULL with really generic music (think KIIS FM and POWER 106 on repeat). The space features 4 relatively empty rooms with different genre of music in each one. The drinks are watered down and served in plastic cups. This is literally one of those venues where you start your clubbing experience and part with your hard earned hourly wage pay by ponying up the $10 cover. So if you fancy partying with pimple-faced teens and girls with braces wearing abercrombie attire this is definitely the spot for you. You can even seem real cool buying a round of RED BULLS since RED BULL doesn’t come in bottle service format. Just becareful because you might be on that show “To Catch a Predator.”
Ruby
7070 Hollywood
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-467-7070
Given that the whole country is at the epicenter of a major recession, it’s not surprising that trend-sensitive night clubs have much shorter life-span than ever before. Prior to the economic downturn venues had a minimum livelihood of 2 to 3 years before any re-branding was necessary. Now venues go through remodels and face-lifts more often than Beverly Hills housewives. Perfect example would be the recent re-launch of H.wood which was previously named Stork. The space is located in the Hollywood Highland’s complex and under the management of Loyal Pennings (who also owns LAX which is famous for Banana Split Sundays where DJ AM spins). The original concept of the space was to be ultra exclusive hide-out for the celebrities in L.A. It turns out it was too exclusive because no one knew about the club. Anyhow, less than a year the venue Stork has been transformed to H.wood, a place where despite the name is suppose to be less Hollywood and more simply a chill and relax lounge/bar for artists and “really cool” people that don’t do velvet ropes. I guess if one extreme don’t work why not go completely the other direction. The area is designed with assorted leather-worn furniture, rustic lights, assorted board games, etc. Although the venue claims to be a bar/lounge it seems that they’re already going the promotion route by bringing on select promoters on throughout the week nights. It remains to be seen if this concept will have a longer shelf life than its predecessor Stork. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
H.wood
1738 N. Orange
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-462-3663
If you’re a writer, like writing, have a blog, had a blog or just have an opinion on just about anything, you’re perfect! You come to the parties and you read the blog so you know what we’re all about.
You’ll be blogging in front a large, regional audience so don’t be shy! Send your name, URL of your current blog or past blog(s) and why you’re so interesting to:
Violet [at ] GoProductionsLA.com
A video surfaced on the internet today showing 2 Dominos pizza employees doing disgusting things to the food they were making. The guy stuck cheese up his nose while making a sandwich and then threw the cheese on the bread and also farted on it. Ew!
This is one of the reasons that I TRY not to eat too much fast food. You have a bunch of minimum wage workers who don’t really give a crap who are preparing the food you eat. I’m sure MUCH worse things happen in these fast food joints. This is why I am EXTRA nice to waiters and such. I don’t want a spit burger deluxe.
These employees are such morons and they have (surprise surprise), a SOUTHERN accent!
Hey guys. I just wanted to let you know about a fundraiser concert event going down this week for West Coast’s hardest working DJ, DJ Hideo.
If you’ve lived in LA for any length of time, you’ve bumped him in your ride on a Friday night. He’s worked at your favorite radio stations - Power 106, 100.3 The Beat, and any hot club from here to Japan. They’ve called him the “Hardest Working DJ on the West Coast,” but we just call him DJ Hideo - our friend. “Best In The West” takes place on April 9, 2009 at CLUB MAYAN.
This concert is created for DJ Hideo, who is diagnosed with Level 4 colon cancer. He is one of the Hip-hop pioneers of the West Coast DJ movement. Hideo has touched so many lives in the Industry, that when a cause like this happened, he let those who love him dearly, hold hands again to reunite. This effort was to raise awareness on cancer, and to let those show their respect to the one and only, “DJ HIDEO.”
Each performance is a dedication to Hideo who has always given a helping hand. Now the community gives back, as we pray for Hideo to fight as one! He quotes, “Music was always an influence in my life. Music was something I was always able to turn to without it turning its back on me. Music always helped guide me through life.. Good times and bad times, music was always there for me.. “Let the music guide you.. Feel the music…” “LIVE LIFE!”
Let’s LIVE LIFE and GIVE LIFE by attending as well as letting others know about this LIFE CHANGING event. I’m definitely going to be there and support this great cause.
Stumble it!