Hippies, Trannies, and LA
Los Angeles defiantly lives up to its reputation as a crazy town. All walks of life are there, many dreaming of becoming something bigger and better. Though only a few achieve their dream of seeing their name in the marquee still many flock to the city in hopes of fulfilling their dreams. My friend Jon was one of these people.
Jon moved to LA not too long after high school with the ambition of becoming a great actor. He had the passion and drive, and had some talent at it. He even got a part as an extra in the film Coach Carter. If you know where to look in a few scenes you can even see him. Though he never made it big, he stuck it out for several years and lived the life of a struggling actor and musician.
One year I had the chance to go visit him for a week. It was defiantly not what I was expecting. The trip almost started on a bad note; my flight was going to be delayed due to some weather and I had to reschedule my flight for the next morning. On the upside, since I wasn't an asshole like the guy ahead of me was, I got a free breakfast at the airport the next morning. My connection was in Minnesota and after spending only two hours at their airport I realized why so many people are depressed in that state. It is not a cheery place to be.
So Jon picks me up at LAX and we head to his apartment. Los Angeles really is a beautiful city, and if you ever get the change to go, do so. There's palm trees everywhere, the beaches are amazing and the view from Griffith Park--by the Hollywood sign--is truly breath-taking. A co-worker of mine at the time said she would never go, because she would be afraid of getting shot. That would be East LA, and you really have to be looking for trouble to go out that way. There was not a moment that week that I felt unsafe.
I say visit LA, because there is no way I would ever live there. First off, the town also lives up to its reputation of craziness. You will run into some interesting characters, for sure. Another thing is it is ridiculously expensive to live there. I found this out when we got to Jon's place.
His apartment was located not to far from Hollywood Boulevard, which was great. We could walk own the sunny sidewalks lined with palm trees and be at the Walk of Fame within an hour. The small studio apartment had a main floor and a basement. Back in the glory days of old Hollywood, actors stayed in these apartments while filming at the nearby studios. The grand tour took all of five minutes. A futon doubled as a bed and couch, where I would sleep while he took the couch in the basement. The basement at one time must have been home to a recording studio, as the image of a winged horse with the words "Wild Horse Recordings, est. 1979" was painted on one wall.
"So how much does this set you back a month?" I figured something like this back home would run in the $400 range. Not so in LA. Jon's reply took me a back a little. "It's $800 a month."
Back in Louisville that would get you a really nice apartment, or a decent house payment. Another shock came when I realized he really was living the starving actor life style. While I had brought a few hundred bucks and was ready to go out an party it up in LA, he was eating oatmeal every morning and subsisting on Subway coupons. While looking for acting jobs he worked sporadically for a lighting company working events around LA County. Hand to mouth was a good way to describe his situation.
Seeing his situation, I had mixed emotions about it. On one hand I felt bad for him that we couldn't go out every night and do what I imagined that everyone in LA does; party every night. On the other hand, I was proud of him for still sticking it out and chasing his dream. Here was a guy who was essentially broke, but still opened his home to his friends back home. He told me later how much the visit meant to him, especially since a few months before his girlfriend who had come to LA with him had left him and came back to Louisville.
One advantage to having a friend that is broke and in LA, you don't do the typical touristy things. Sure, we went to Hollywood Boulevard and saw the Chinese Theater. We cruised the Sunset Strip and drove past such historic nightclubs as the Viper Room and the Whiskey. We did that all on day one. After that I got to see what normal people do for fun in LA.
The first night I was in LA I met Jon's friend Cody. Cody was a very cool guy who like Jon was a struggling actor, on top of being a part-time male model. Two things the guy offered me when we got to his apartment; a beer and a joint. Now, I'm not a big smoker, but when in Rome.
We hung out with Cody for a few hours, and then met up with his friend John and the three of us made our was to Formosa Beach. This is where all the locals go to party. There are several bars right on the beach, and there were plenty off good looking women there as well. We were having a pretty good time until I tried to go to the bar and get a round of drinks. I stood at the bar with a five dollar bill in hand, and patiently waited my turn. Several times the bartender looked in my general direction, and then went to another customer. I was quickly become frustrated.
It was at this point that John came up behind me. "How much do you got in your hand?" I showed him the five. He shook his head and reached in his wallet and took out a twenty. "You got to make them think you got money or they'll ignore you all night."
Sure enough, the bartender came right up to John moments after he raised his money in the air. He got our drinks and we walked back over to Jon and started talking to some girls at the club. That experience slightly soured my mood though. I mean, who did this guy think he was? He was just some bartender on the beach. Maybe I was just used to living in a place where they treated people better.
After a couple more rounds I forgot about the incident and we continued to enjoy our evening. I don't remember what time we got back, I just remember succumbing to sleep at some point. Jet lag and the booze won over me, and I woke up the next morning ready to take on the day. That evening we headed down to Fresno Beach, which is amazing. We walked down the waterfront and looked got some food at a beach side pizza shop. When the sun went down, that was when Fresno Beach gets interesting and the hippies take over.
Every Sunday at sundown, the hippie drum circle meets. It is just what it sounds like; a bunch of hippies and immigrants gather with various instruments, get high, and jam for an hour. Drums, guitars, flutes, and other instruments fill the night air in constant rhythm Walking around the circle you hear the music change as your perspective does; every cluster of new musicians playing their own variation of a common theme. In the center people dance in time with the music and one or two girls belly dance. It was an amazing experience, see people so in tune with each other making something beautiful.
Monday we decided to go down to Malibu as it was the first really nice day that week. One of our major plans was to go to Zuma Beach, to honor one of our favorite films, the Big Lebowski. In one scene two major characters, the Dude and Walter, pay tribute to their fallen friend Donny at Point Dume. This is an outcrop that is a short hike from the beach. At the top of the rocks is a view of the Pacific Ocean. We had a lucky time of it as well, as this was also the time the the sea lions were mating; we looked down the sheer cliff to the rocks below to seeing dozens of sea lions fornicating. Yes, the circle of life indeed.
It was also on this day, at a seafood restaurant in Malibu that I got to meet my first celebrity in LA. We had met up with Jon's friend Josh who, you guessed it, was also an actor. Josh had a little more success in LA, having gotten to be an extra in Wedding Crashers and now worked the door at several clubs around town. While we ate, we saw a man walk in with a beautiful woman by his side. He had a scraggly beard and aviator glasses on, but there was no mistake who the guy was; actor Luke Wilson.
Now Josh apparently became a little chummy with Luke's brother Owen, and had interacted with him a few times. Josh told us he could get our picture with him, but when he called out to him, Wilson simply waved and walked into the restaurant. We laughed at Josh, saying how Wilson had no idea who he was. Then moments later he appeared back on the patio and walked up to our table. "Josh, right?"
And that was when I had a beer with Luke Wilson. He talked to us for a few minutes, and was a very laid back guy. He then excused himself and went back to his date. It was only after he walked away that we realized we forgot to ask for his picture. But we decided against it; it seemed somehow in poor taste to just ask someone who was acting like a genuine human being to remind him that he is famous. It seemed like the exact opposite of what he wanted that day, just to eat a meal with his lady and forget he was a celebrity for a minute. Who were we to take that from him.
The last full day I was in LA Jon had to work. I decided to walk around and take advantage of the day. I was in walking distance of the Beverly Center, which is a major mall in town. And I also walked to Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard.
One thing I did not mention was that this area is better known as West Hollywood. This is also the area where most of the gay community calls home. Up until this point, I had never really been exposed to the gay lifestyle; in Louisville, especially at that time, it wasn't a good idea for gays to be too out in the open about it. Not so in LA. People were out and proud about it. I saw a woman dressed as a man, walking down the street with a man dressed as a woman. There were the stereotypical gay-biker dudes. While I admit it was weird at first seeing it, I saw it for what it was. People expressing themselves and enjoying life. It was an enlightening moment.
The next day, I said good-bye to LA and thanked Jon for having me. It was five days that were a great experience in my life. About a year later, Jon would decide to come back home to Louisville. Though his dream of making it in LA didn't quite work out, he still does some acting with local independent directors, and has even started a music career. Sure, some may say he failed because he didn't make it. But how many of us really have the guts to take a chance and chase our dreams?
Jon moved to LA not too long after high school with the ambition of becoming a great actor. He had the passion and drive, and had some talent at it. He even got a part as an extra in the film Coach Carter. If you know where to look in a few scenes you can even see him. Though he never made it big, he stuck it out for several years and lived the life of a struggling actor and musician.
One year I had the chance to go visit him for a week. It was defiantly not what I was expecting. The trip almost started on a bad note; my flight was going to be delayed due to some weather and I had to reschedule my flight for the next morning. On the upside, since I wasn't an asshole like the guy ahead of me was, I got a free breakfast at the airport the next morning. My connection was in Minnesota and after spending only two hours at their airport I realized why so many people are depressed in that state. It is not a cheery place to be.
So Jon picks me up at LAX and we head to his apartment. Los Angeles really is a beautiful city, and if you ever get the change to go, do so. There's palm trees everywhere, the beaches are amazing and the view from Griffith Park--by the Hollywood sign--is truly breath-taking. A co-worker of mine at the time said she would never go, because she would be afraid of getting shot. That would be East LA, and you really have to be looking for trouble to go out that way. There was not a moment that week that I felt unsafe.
I say visit LA, because there is no way I would ever live there. First off, the town also lives up to its reputation of craziness. You will run into some interesting characters, for sure. Another thing is it is ridiculously expensive to live there. I found this out when we got to Jon's place.
His apartment was located not to far from Hollywood Boulevard, which was great. We could walk own the sunny sidewalks lined with palm trees and be at the Walk of Fame within an hour. The small studio apartment had a main floor and a basement. Back in the glory days of old Hollywood, actors stayed in these apartments while filming at the nearby studios. The grand tour took all of five minutes. A futon doubled as a bed and couch, where I would sleep while he took the couch in the basement. The basement at one time must have been home to a recording studio, as the image of a winged horse with the words "Wild Horse Recordings, est. 1979" was painted on one wall.
"So how much does this set you back a month?" I figured something like this back home would run in the $400 range. Not so in LA. Jon's reply took me a back a little. "It's $800 a month."
Back in Louisville that would get you a really nice apartment, or a decent house payment. Another shock came when I realized he really was living the starving actor life style. While I had brought a few hundred bucks and was ready to go out an party it up in LA, he was eating oatmeal every morning and subsisting on Subway coupons. While looking for acting jobs he worked sporadically for a lighting company working events around LA County. Hand to mouth was a good way to describe his situation.
Seeing his situation, I had mixed emotions about it. On one hand I felt bad for him that we couldn't go out every night and do what I imagined that everyone in LA does; party every night. On the other hand, I was proud of him for still sticking it out and chasing his dream. Here was a guy who was essentially broke, but still opened his home to his friends back home. He told me later how much the visit meant to him, especially since a few months before his girlfriend who had come to LA with him had left him and came back to Louisville.
One advantage to having a friend that is broke and in LA, you don't do the typical touristy things. Sure, we went to Hollywood Boulevard and saw the Chinese Theater. We cruised the Sunset Strip and drove past such historic nightclubs as the Viper Room and the Whiskey. We did that all on day one. After that I got to see what normal people do for fun in LA.
The first night I was in LA I met Jon's friend Cody. Cody was a very cool guy who like Jon was a struggling actor, on top of being a part-time male model. Two things the guy offered me when we got to his apartment; a beer and a joint. Now, I'm not a big smoker, but when in Rome.
We hung out with Cody for a few hours, and then met up with his friend John and the three of us made our was to Formosa Beach. This is where all the locals go to party. There are several bars right on the beach, and there were plenty off good looking women there as well. We were having a pretty good time until I tried to go to the bar and get a round of drinks. I stood at the bar with a five dollar bill in hand, and patiently waited my turn. Several times the bartender looked in my general direction, and then went to another customer. I was quickly become frustrated.
It was at this point that John came up behind me. "How much do you got in your hand?" I showed him the five. He shook his head and reached in his wallet and took out a twenty. "You got to make them think you got money or they'll ignore you all night."
Sure enough, the bartender came right up to John moments after he raised his money in the air. He got our drinks and we walked back over to Jon and started talking to some girls at the club. That experience slightly soured my mood though. I mean, who did this guy think he was? He was just some bartender on the beach. Maybe I was just used to living in a place where they treated people better.
After a couple more rounds I forgot about the incident and we continued to enjoy our evening. I don't remember what time we got back, I just remember succumbing to sleep at some point. Jet lag and the booze won over me, and I woke up the next morning ready to take on the day. That evening we headed down to Fresno Beach, which is amazing. We walked down the waterfront and looked got some food at a beach side pizza shop. When the sun went down, that was when Fresno Beach gets interesting and the hippies take over.
Every Sunday at sundown, the hippie drum circle meets. It is just what it sounds like; a bunch of hippies and immigrants gather with various instruments, get high, and jam for an hour. Drums, guitars, flutes, and other instruments fill the night air in constant rhythm Walking around the circle you hear the music change as your perspective does; every cluster of new musicians playing their own variation of a common theme. In the center people dance in time with the music and one or two girls belly dance. It was an amazing experience, see people so in tune with each other making something beautiful.
Monday we decided to go down to Malibu as it was the first really nice day that week. One of our major plans was to go to Zuma Beach, to honor one of our favorite films, the Big Lebowski. In one scene two major characters, the Dude and Walter, pay tribute to their fallen friend Donny at Point Dume. This is an outcrop that is a short hike from the beach. At the top of the rocks is a view of the Pacific Ocean. We had a lucky time of it as well, as this was also the time the the sea lions were mating; we looked down the sheer cliff to the rocks below to seeing dozens of sea lions fornicating. Yes, the circle of life indeed.
It was also on this day, at a seafood restaurant in Malibu that I got to meet my first celebrity in LA. We had met up with Jon's friend Josh who, you guessed it, was also an actor. Josh had a little more success in LA, having gotten to be an extra in Wedding Crashers and now worked the door at several clubs around town. While we ate, we saw a man walk in with a beautiful woman by his side. He had a scraggly beard and aviator glasses on, but there was no mistake who the guy was; actor Luke Wilson.
Now Josh apparently became a little chummy with Luke's brother Owen, and had interacted with him a few times. Josh told us he could get our picture with him, but when he called out to him, Wilson simply waved and walked into the restaurant. We laughed at Josh, saying how Wilson had no idea who he was. Then moments later he appeared back on the patio and walked up to our table. "Josh, right?"
And that was when I had a beer with Luke Wilson. He talked to us for a few minutes, and was a very laid back guy. He then excused himself and went back to his date. It was only after he walked away that we realized we forgot to ask for his picture. But we decided against it; it seemed somehow in poor taste to just ask someone who was acting like a genuine human being to remind him that he is famous. It seemed like the exact opposite of what he wanted that day, just to eat a meal with his lady and forget he was a celebrity for a minute. Who were we to take that from him.
The last full day I was in LA Jon had to work. I decided to walk around and take advantage of the day. I was in walking distance of the Beverly Center, which is a major mall in town. And I also walked to Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard.
One thing I did not mention was that this area is better known as West Hollywood. This is also the area where most of the gay community calls home. Up until this point, I had never really been exposed to the gay lifestyle; in Louisville, especially at that time, it wasn't a good idea for gays to be too out in the open about it. Not so in LA. People were out and proud about it. I saw a woman dressed as a man, walking down the street with a man dressed as a woman. There were the stereotypical gay-biker dudes. While I admit it was weird at first seeing it, I saw it for what it was. People expressing themselves and enjoying life. It was an enlightening moment.
The next day, I said good-bye to LA and thanked Jon for having me. It was five days that were a great experience in my life. About a year later, Jon would decide to come back home to Louisville. Though his dream of making it in LA didn't quite work out, he still does some acting with local independent directors, and has even started a music career. Sure, some may say he failed because he didn't make it. But how many of us really have the guts to take a chance and chase our dreams?
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