Quality Day Off
We’re here out on the US part of the gig continuing with a Jazzapolooza, if you will. Starting yesterday, with a fresh production, no rehearsal, minimal prep we set sail (so to speak) in San Diego. Day off today in Hollywood, staying at the world famous “Riot House” in the heart of The Strip though Travelocity lists it as the West Hollywood Hyatt. Same place, save for a makeover and visit to IKEA for hotels. I’m no stranger to these parts as I lived some of the 80’s a scant few blocks from here. They say that Hollywood is for the shallow and vapid. That’s not entirely true. There is some arrogance in play as well. Sounds like the perfect place for me.
I manage to make it here a few times a year sometimes for a week or better at a time. I try to do the usual things. Breakfast at Duke’s (though Canter’s is good as well), hit Book Soup for an hour or so, hang on the strip reading The Times drinking lattes overlooking Holloway and Sunset and make the nightlife of the various sushi joints and perhaps the Rainbow. As per normal, I was able to hit one of the many arthouses in the area and check out the latest Jarmusch picture “Broken Flowers”. Been a big Jarmusch fan since Merril took me to see “Down by Law” many lifetimes ago. Ghost Dog was probably his biggest commercial success, (and a personal fav) but he has many other great films as well. Murray’s character in both “Broken Flowers” and “Lost in Translation” hits close to home. I can relate. The “Broken Flowers” soundtrack is great. I hadn’t heard anything from Holly Golightly in years, though the tracks he used were from 1999.
CK and I put away a fair amount of bait this evening at TA-KE Sushi on Sunset. Normally, I might troll the bars until last call like most of the others on the strip though tomarrow we have a big gig. Or so I’m told. I think it’s at some bowling alley, though I don’t know. I’ll need the sleep. We have a single truck production, backline, mons and control. We don’t have a production manager or stage manager. We have three crew guys. Me on mons, my pal Mikey at FOH (who gets all the PM questions) and Don Juan on audio utility and backline. This is a package that hires the artists and provides production. The bummer is they only take parts of each artists crew. There have been several hicups. Would be nice to see someone in charge on deck at least once in the day or possibly be told that we were starting the show. Most tours ask if I’m ready to go and if I’m busy linking the libs on the PM5D as the artist walks onstage, might want to make sure I’m ready to go. Most of the other tours I’ve done have been able to do that. But then they have stage managers and production managers.
It’s going to be a rough two weeks.