CicLAvia: The Valley
The last two Sundays have both been marked by me being surrounded by massive crowds of people involved in civic activities! After performing for the runners and spectators at the LA Marathon on March 15, Dylan and I participated in CicLAvia along with his sister, my brother, nephew Connor and Chris G. This edition of CicLAvia took place on Ventura Blvd. and Lankershim Blvd. in the valley, which are my old stomping grounds where Dylan and I met. It was quite a fantastic experience riding bicycles down these streets and going past so many places that were significant to me, so I thought I'd detail some of those places in this blog, starting at the beginning.
Jarod dropped Dylan and I, and our bikes, off at Burbank and Lankershim, where we began our journey!
1. George Tobin's Studio, 11337 Burbank Blvd. From about April 2001 until September 2002, I lived just north of Burbank Blvd. on Vineland Ave., about six blocks east of here. At that time, I was still pretty new to Los Angeles, and living here "alone" after my brother had moved back home for awhile. One very big thing that happened right after I moved to LA was that Tiffany had released a new album and began touring. Tiffany had been my first favorite singer, my favorite pop star throughout childhood, and I had felt almost like she was a long-lost big sister to me. So when I moved to LA and finally got to see her perform live, meet her, and became close with other fans, it had a really big impact on my life. When I found out that this studio, where she recorded most of her first two albums, was right down the street from me, I felt like I was really on the right path.
2. North Hollywood Metro Station, Lankershim Blvd. at Chandler Blvd. Having first lived way out on the western end of the Valley, moving to North Hollywood brought many advantages, not the least of which was easy access to public transportation. I lived just minutes from this station and began to use the subway whenever I could. When I was dating Davey, he had no car, so whenever he would come to my place, I would go pick him up at this station.
3. AMP Rehearsal Studios, 5259 Lankershim Blvd. When I think of the early days of my old band Shitting Glitter, this is probably the first rehearsal studio that comes to mind. We always enjoyed rehearsing here, and we even recorded quite a bit of drums for our debut album "Post No Bills" here, as well as filming some of the video for "Makes Sense" here. But what I remember most was the time we were rehearsing and I heard a familiar sound coming from the next studio... it turned out Tiffany was rehearsing with her band, although she turned down my note-under-the-door offer of a free beer. I've also rehearsed here with my other bands including Devin Tait & The Traitors (in the early days) and Invisible Material.
4. District Pub, 5249 Lankershim Blvd. This is a newer establishment. NoHo has changed so, so much since I lived there over a decade ago. This trendy pub and sausage shop is where Jarod and I go to watch Doctor Who for Gallidays.
5. Tokyo Delve's Sushi Bar, 5239 Lankershim Blvd. I've only been here a couple times but they were both memorable experiences. First was with my mom, dad, and roommate Dudley before we were going to see Moulin Rouge. The waiters seemed very let down when we told them we had to leave to get to the movies - they hadn't gotten to do their dance on the bar yet! The other time I came here was with Brandon and Robin when, in the middle of an Invisible Material rehearsal at AMP, we decided we needed a break to drink some shots!
6. Television Academy, 5220 Lankershim Blvd. This is where my partner of 12+ years has worked the entire time I've known him, so clearly there have been many memories made here, whether they were movie screenings at the now-gone Leonard H. Goldenson theatre, events in the courtyard, or just meeting Dylan for lunch or picking him up for out-of-town trips.
7. Pitfire Pizza, 5211 Lankershim Blvd. For a time this was one of the main Shitting Glitter hangouts, since we would go here before or after rehearsal at AMP. Many beers were drank and pizza slices eaten here! We even took some photos here once, and were later chastised by a photographer for using a brick wall as our background.
8. QP Sound, 4932 Lankershim Blvd. This is Mary White's studio where the first ever Shitting Glitter recording sessions took place, as Mary produced our debut EP, Hot Rod, which included the songs "Strapping", "Hero", and "Goddess Room". It seems so long ago now. I can't remember how many sessions it took to complete those three songs, but back then it felt like we were spending a lot of time (and money) there. Later, when I was about to leave the band, I went there and had Mary help me mix and master the first two solo songs I recorded, "Sleepytown" and "A Modern Life" which both ended up on my debut album, although in different versions that what we did here.
9. Skinny's Lounge / The Lodge, 4923 Lankershim Blvd. This used to be a gay bar that I would go to sometimes with Dudley or Christopher. Then, it closed and reopened as a live music venue so the Traitors and I played our first gig of 2014 here, which was Jarod's first gig with the full band.
10. Ernie's Mexican Restaurant, 4410 Lankershim Blvd. I think I only went here once, but it was one of the very few times I got to spend with Dylan's aunt, Candice Rialson, who was an actress in such cult films as "Hollywood Boulevard," "Chatterbox" and "Candy Stripe Nurses". She was a big influence on Dylan and it was very sad when she passed away back in 2006.
11. Universal Bar & Grill, 4093 Lankershim Blvd. This is sort of an interesting little bar and grill at the foot of Universal City, but a world away from it. It's just one step up from a dive bar. I've played or attended several shows here, both in Invisible Material and Shitting Glitter. Most notably, we had the release party for "Sexy Clown Circus" here, which my parents and sister were able to attend as well as quite a few friends and family members. We also did a very raucous interview here in the latter days of Shitting Glitter when it was me and 4 girls, although that interview has never surfaced online yet (although you can see this brief teaser spot we did here). Oh, we also did an interview for Italian TV here once which apparently did air, as we received an e-mail from a girl in Italy saying she saw us on TV.
12. Universal City This was one of the places I visited on my first trip to LA with mom, dad and Brandon, and also one of the standard places I took visitors when they would come to LA for the first few years I lived here. I still come here occasionally for movies or entertainment.
13. Oil Can Harry's, 11502 Ventura Blvd. I remember the first time I came here I thought I had been transported to another world, or at least another decade. It was when I first had proof that there was such a thing as gay cowboys! Although the line dancing and two stepping failed to evoke any rural nostalgia for me, I have always enjoyed coming here for Karaoke upstairs. The Traitors and I had an awful gig here once, and Myles DJ's here often.
14. Apache, 11608 Ventura Blvd. Sadly now closed, the "creepy tee-pee" was definitely my "Cheers" for quite awhile when I lived in the Valley. This was the first place I got to hear my band's music being played loud, as we convinced the DJ to play "Strapping" after we recorded it up at QP Sound. I met a DJ here who I became infatuated/obsessed with (sorry, David!). And I made some great friends here and sang a lot of karaoke here! I even sang "Mama" by the Spice Girls to my mom (and dad) here! This was also one of the many spots Dylan and I spent time at on our very first date back in October 2002.
15. Laurel Canyon and Ventura Blvd. This is just one of those really significant intersections because it usually meant I was either coming to or leaving the Valley. Although it's also where my bank was, with many rushed visits to try to get my account balance above zero before overdraft fees started racking up back in my mid-twenties. And there's a grocery story where I did a lot of shopping. Oh, and in 2002, Shitting Glitter played the LA Valley Gay Pride Parade at an intersection just west of here. We thought it was one of our first "big" gigs, and Amy and I were supposed to serve as television MCs for the parade, but as would happen many, many times later, it fell very short of what it had been cracked up to be. However, later that day is when I met Dylan!
16. Queen Mary, 12449 Ventura Blvd. This was where Dylan and I ended up on our first date, after first stopping by Apache, Starbucks, and Quiznos! I remember we were watching a Gwen Stefani drag queen when Dylan first held my hand, and out on the patio is where he told me all about his (then-recent) trip to Europe where he had backpacked for several months. It's sad that this is no longer there, such a big piece of our history together. But Dylan pointed it out while we rode our bikes by it. Somewhere around here is a church parking lot, where Dylan and I had our first kiss at the end of our first date!
17. Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Blvd. When I first met Dylan, I had moved out of the apartment that Dudley and I shared and into my friends Denny and Jen's townhouse, but that's a story for another time and place. The townhouse (18) was just a few blocks west of Coldwater, so for a few months, this was my home turf. It was a very weird time in my life, but I remember the gas station at the corner where I filled up with gas before I went and picked Dylan up for our first date, and thinking that things would be OK. And, they were!
Jarod dropped Dylan and I, and our bikes, off at Burbank and Lankershim, where we began our journey!
1. George Tobin's Studio, 11337 Burbank Blvd. From about April 2001 until September 2002, I lived just north of Burbank Blvd. on Vineland Ave., about six blocks east of here. At that time, I was still pretty new to Los Angeles, and living here "alone" after my brother had moved back home for awhile. One very big thing that happened right after I moved to LA was that Tiffany had released a new album and began touring. Tiffany had been my first favorite singer, my favorite pop star throughout childhood, and I had felt almost like she was a long-lost big sister to me. So when I moved to LA and finally got to see her perform live, meet her, and became close with other fans, it had a really big impact on my life. When I found out that this studio, where she recorded most of her first two albums, was right down the street from me, I felt like I was really on the right path.
2. North Hollywood Metro Station, Lankershim Blvd. at Chandler Blvd. Having first lived way out on the western end of the Valley, moving to North Hollywood brought many advantages, not the least of which was easy access to public transportation. I lived just minutes from this station and began to use the subway whenever I could. When I was dating Davey, he had no car, so whenever he would come to my place, I would go pick him up at this station.
3. AMP Rehearsal Studios, 5259 Lankershim Blvd. When I think of the early days of my old band Shitting Glitter, this is probably the first rehearsal studio that comes to mind. We always enjoyed rehearsing here, and we even recorded quite a bit of drums for our debut album "Post No Bills" here, as well as filming some of the video for "Makes Sense" here. But what I remember most was the time we were rehearsing and I heard a familiar sound coming from the next studio... it turned out Tiffany was rehearsing with her band, although she turned down my note-under-the-door offer of a free beer. I've also rehearsed here with my other bands including Devin Tait & The Traitors (in the early days) and Invisible Material.
4. District Pub, 5249 Lankershim Blvd. This is a newer establishment. NoHo has changed so, so much since I lived there over a decade ago. This trendy pub and sausage shop is where Jarod and I go to watch Doctor Who for Gallidays.
5. Tokyo Delve's Sushi Bar, 5239 Lankershim Blvd. I've only been here a couple times but they were both memorable experiences. First was with my mom, dad, and roommate Dudley before we were going to see Moulin Rouge. The waiters seemed very let down when we told them we had to leave to get to the movies - they hadn't gotten to do their dance on the bar yet! The other time I came here was with Brandon and Robin when, in the middle of an Invisible Material rehearsal at AMP, we decided we needed a break to drink some shots!
6. Television Academy, 5220 Lankershim Blvd. This is where my partner of 12+ years has worked the entire time I've known him, so clearly there have been many memories made here, whether they were movie screenings at the now-gone Leonard H. Goldenson theatre, events in the courtyard, or just meeting Dylan for lunch or picking him up for out-of-town trips.
7. Pitfire Pizza, 5211 Lankershim Blvd. For a time this was one of the main Shitting Glitter hangouts, since we would go here before or after rehearsal at AMP. Many beers were drank and pizza slices eaten here! We even took some photos here once, and were later chastised by a photographer for using a brick wall as our background.
8. QP Sound, 4932 Lankershim Blvd. This is Mary White's studio where the first ever Shitting Glitter recording sessions took place, as Mary produced our debut EP, Hot Rod, which included the songs "Strapping", "Hero", and "Goddess Room". It seems so long ago now. I can't remember how many sessions it took to complete those three songs, but back then it felt like we were spending a lot of time (and money) there. Later, when I was about to leave the band, I went there and had Mary help me mix and master the first two solo songs I recorded, "Sleepytown" and "A Modern Life" which both ended up on my debut album, although in different versions that what we did here.
9. Skinny's Lounge / The Lodge, 4923 Lankershim Blvd. This used to be a gay bar that I would go to sometimes with Dudley or Christopher. Then, it closed and reopened as a live music venue so the Traitors and I played our first gig of 2014 here, which was Jarod's first gig with the full band.
10. Ernie's Mexican Restaurant, 4410 Lankershim Blvd. I think I only went here once, but it was one of the very few times I got to spend with Dylan's aunt, Candice Rialson, who was an actress in such cult films as "Hollywood Boulevard," "Chatterbox" and "Candy Stripe Nurses". She was a big influence on Dylan and it was very sad when she passed away back in 2006.
11. Universal Bar & Grill, 4093 Lankershim Blvd. This is sort of an interesting little bar and grill at the foot of Universal City, but a world away from it. It's just one step up from a dive bar. I've played or attended several shows here, both in Invisible Material and Shitting Glitter. Most notably, we had the release party for "Sexy Clown Circus" here, which my parents and sister were able to attend as well as quite a few friends and family members. We also did a very raucous interview here in the latter days of Shitting Glitter when it was me and 4 girls, although that interview has never surfaced online yet (although you can see this brief teaser spot we did here). Oh, we also did an interview for Italian TV here once which apparently did air, as we received an e-mail from a girl in Italy saying she saw us on TV.
12. Universal City This was one of the places I visited on my first trip to LA with mom, dad and Brandon, and also one of the standard places I took visitors when they would come to LA for the first few years I lived here. I still come here occasionally for movies or entertainment.
13. Oil Can Harry's, 11502 Ventura Blvd. I remember the first time I came here I thought I had been transported to another world, or at least another decade. It was when I first had proof that there was such a thing as gay cowboys! Although the line dancing and two stepping failed to evoke any rural nostalgia for me, I have always enjoyed coming here for Karaoke upstairs. The Traitors and I had an awful gig here once, and Myles DJ's here often.
14. Apache, 11608 Ventura Blvd. Sadly now closed, the "creepy tee-pee" was definitely my "Cheers" for quite awhile when I lived in the Valley. This was the first place I got to hear my band's music being played loud, as we convinced the DJ to play "Strapping" after we recorded it up at QP Sound. I met a DJ here who I became infatuated/obsessed with (sorry, David!). And I made some great friends here and sang a lot of karaoke here! I even sang "Mama" by the Spice Girls to my mom (and dad) here! This was also one of the many spots Dylan and I spent time at on our very first date back in October 2002.
15. Laurel Canyon and Ventura Blvd. This is just one of those really significant intersections because it usually meant I was either coming to or leaving the Valley. Although it's also where my bank was, with many rushed visits to try to get my account balance above zero before overdraft fees started racking up back in my mid-twenties. And there's a grocery story where I did a lot of shopping. Oh, and in 2002, Shitting Glitter played the LA Valley Gay Pride Parade at an intersection just west of here. We thought it was one of our first "big" gigs, and Amy and I were supposed to serve as television MCs for the parade, but as would happen many, many times later, it fell very short of what it had been cracked up to be. However, later that day is when I met Dylan!
16. Queen Mary, 12449 Ventura Blvd. This was where Dylan and I ended up on our first date, after first stopping by Apache, Starbucks, and Quiznos! I remember we were watching a Gwen Stefani drag queen when Dylan first held my hand, and out on the patio is where he told me all about his (then-recent) trip to Europe where he had backpacked for several months. It's sad that this is no longer there, such a big piece of our history together. But Dylan pointed it out while we rode our bikes by it. Somewhere around here is a church parking lot, where Dylan and I had our first kiss at the end of our first date!
17. Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Blvd. When I first met Dylan, I had moved out of the apartment that Dudley and I shared and into my friends Denny and Jen's townhouse, but that's a story for another time and place. The townhouse (18) was just a few blocks west of Coldwater, so for a few months, this was my home turf. It was a very weird time in my life, but I remember the gas station at the corner where I filled up with gas before I went and picked Dylan up for our first date, and thinking that things would be OK. And, they were!
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