Now, in Chicago “Last Call” means: “Hey everyone, we’re gunna close up soon so try and finish your drink while I tighty up my bar and dip these lipstick stained martini glasses into 3 sequentially less soapy sinks of water”… But in L.A. “Last Call” means large bouncers violate your personal space holding busboy tubs giving you thug looks while saying: “Let’s go, Let’s go, Let’s go now, NOW little man”, until you drop your .75% full drink that you just paid 8 dollars for into the bus-tub and walk away hoping you can make it to the door before getting pistol whipped.
After getting forced out of the club (right in the middle of T-Payne too), I retired for the evening.
The next morning I went shopping on Melrose… Now anyone that knows me knows that I do not swim… in fact outside of the spur of the moment cannon balls I did in St. Louis last summer with Tommy and 2Fresh in our underwear, I haven’t swam with premeditation since 2001 when I was in New Orleans. But when in Rome…
I stopped in a surf shop in what I then figured out was L.A.’s Boystown and found some sweet little Euro-Trunks. (I also found my 2010 Pride outfit but that’s for another blog).
The L.A. G-star is nice, albeit light in the cool jackets department, but the girls in the store were sweet and good re-folders of things I tried on and promptly discarded. One of them liked my pants so she was my favorite. I stopped in a few other stores and nosed around at a lot of bejeweled and distressed garments for the fall, nothing of which sparked much interest. I walked nearly 400 miles that afternoon in 176 degree heat so I needed a nap before rolling out to the show.
Apoptygma Berzerk was playing Knitting Factory and Brandon put me on the list so things were working out smooth. The show was full… full of L.A. Goths! I mean wildly dressed individuals in all manors of menacingly black layers of black on black in black with black accents. Some of them were so clad in black that they left a black trail of ashen liquid behind them – not unlike a squid or octopus would do – as their huge boots and tattered layers washed by me.
Aerodrone was on stage when I entered and I saw Carlton from The Dreaming looking a lot like Johnny Radtke. Tza was flipping her inhumanly pin strait hair around and looking cute as ever.
I talked with the dudes from The Surrender (who are fantastic by the way) and found about the after party plans. I watched Apop from the side of the stage. Logan played a song with them as did a heavily tattooed short guy in a little hat.
The after party was across the street at a club called Perversion. It looked like a lobby of a convention center with pounding goth jams in the main and side rooms. It felt like I was at Vampire High’s Home Coming 2009. No cool lights and no fog, just dark. I was at the bar waiting for a drink when a short guy covered in tattoos bellied up next to me and said hello. The music was pounding loud but we spoke back and for a while and he asked me where I was from. When I told him Chicago he asked if I knew Kill Hannah and I said that I was friends with Matt and he told me to tell Matt hello. I said I would and asked him his name, to which he replied “Vindy”. I remember thinking “Vindy is a strange name” but you know people have made up names all the time and he looked like a rock dude so Vindy it was, fine by me. So I texted Matt:
JR: Vindy says hello… P.S. I’m in L.A.
MD: Who’s Vindy? What, you’re in L.A.? Cool.
JR: Shorter guy like myself w/ little hat, covered in tattoos… how’s SWR tour?
MD: Vindy… No idea who that is, does he have a cane?
JR: No visible cane… little hat though
Hung with Apop and The Surrender at the Surrenders compound in West Hollywood till 4am talking about amps and drums and whatnot… Thanks for the ride Tyler… :D
----- next morning -----
MD: Yeah, no idea who Vindy is… have fun in L.A.
The next night I headed down town to an Art show that Kendra’s Chicago friend was having and ran into my friend Margot, promptly texted Peter in Boston to let him know I was having more fun then him now. I met up with my boy Hans who then brought us to the coolest night club I’ve ever been in. (Besides maybe Ghost Bar in Vegas). It was called the Edison and was in the basement of the historic Edison building down town. It was like a brick and Iron boiler room with LEDs and candle light accents. I guess this is 'Swank L.A.' Hans works for the club air brushing the models so he gets the hook up. After that we head to Das Bunker to catch the ‘secret’ Apop show. I begin to think that I’ve come to L.A. to study West Coast Goths versus Neo Goths for a compare and contrast term paper.
After the show (which sounded amazing), I’m back stage hanging with Brandon and in walks Vindy… I felt compelled to tell him but at the same time a bit nervous… finally I just say: “Matt said he didn’t know any Vindys”. He said “I’m Benji. Benji Madden” (from Good Charlotte). I then feel like a huge dick… Both of us pull out our phones and to text Matt. I can see what he’s typing
BM: You don’t know meeee mutha fuker? I’m with Jay Ramirez right now!
JR: I suck, it was Benji Madden from GC
MD: Tell him he owes me a steak!
We talked about the new GC record, which I guess is going to be huge and he was honestly the nicest guy ever, so down to Earth and cool.
Thanks for the Apop hoodie Stephen… (not pictured)The next day my friend Margot took us up into the hills and I saw L.A. in the daylight. It was hot as all hell but very pretty. I saw a horse and a few thirsty dogs along the way as well.
That night I was ready for some L.A. glam rock so I went to Viper Room on Sunset Blvd. There was a dirty punk band playing upstairs and right before I was going to leave Vinny Appice got up and played Rock you like a Hurricane with them. Totally sweet! Then to Rainbow, which is like a rock-n-roll Denny’s with dirtier floors and smellier bathrooms. I met some Australians, talked about crocodiles, music and Squid Billies. Talked to Johnny Haro for bit and that was it. (Everything closes at 2am remember).
Sunday was my last full day so I planned on taking it easy. I was at Skin Graft trying on stuff when Sara T called me. When I told her I was in L.A. she screamed “WHAAA… So is Dan”. Turns out Madina Lake was in town shooting a video for Welcome to Oblivion. I met them up at Rainbow that night and we caught up. I guess Dave Navarro was there and I remember for a second being mildly amused by the idea of inspecting his perfectly manicured facial hair but soon lost interest in all that noise…
Cut to around 3:30am
Me to Mathew: “Are you sure you know where the Chamberlin is?”
Mathew: “Yup, dude yup, I know right where it is”
Dan texted me yesterday, him and the twins wondered around lost just after that… HA.
Nathan trying on Kendra's jacket, (the same one I had to wear to get into The Edison, 'L.A. Swank remember... they don't take kindly to t-shirts with Motley Crue on them I guess)... 
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