Wang Chung – “To Live And Die In L.A.”

The final selection in our week of L.A. Songs is a bit on the obvious side. But I’m a child of the Eighties, and when I caught it in the theaters as a young teenager, William Friedkin’s film electrified my nerve endings. It was the second time I’d heard Wang Chung in the theaters. The first was “Fire In The Twilight,” their contribution to the Breakfast Club soundtrack. That tune was sort of a throwaway, but I saw TBC twelve times before it left theaters. I knew the song well.

This song is about as romantic as it gets when it comes to songs about Los Angeles, and when seen in the context of the film, it demonstrates how a nifty song can completely elevate what is otherwise a bland scene. I say this because I have a vivid memory of the film’s electrifying first few moments. But having watched it again recently, I realize that in those first few moments, nothing actually happens. Wang Chung kicks off. There’s a motorcade. And that’s it. But Los Angeles sure as hell looks beautiful, doesn’t it? All gauzy and gorgeous.

Anyway, enjoy. I’ve still got packing to do. Next time I write something in this blog I’ll be doing it from the warmth and sun of Redondo Beach.

And incidentally, that’s obviously not Jack Hues and Nick Feldman in that photo. It’s William Petersen and John Pankow. You wanna know how many decent, high-res images of Wang Chung there are on the Net? None. That’s how many.

on the web: Wang Chung image search, wikipedia, itunes

Death Cab For Cutie – “Why You’d Want To Live Here”

I’m not entirely certain why I want to move back to L.A. This New Mexico sabbatical was supposed to be a break from the smog and the water and the panic, but I’d forgotten how much I love the Land of Enchantment. The air is clean and cool. The vibe is chilled out. The wilderness is huge and absurdly beautiful.

This song doesn’t help matters in the least. Chalk up another one against the City of Angels. Death Cab For Cutie weigh in heavily against Los Angeles in a characteristic sing-song, free-verse style.

It’s a lovely summer’s day
I can almost see a skyline through a thickening shroud of egos.
Is this the city of angels or demons?
And here the names are what remain: stars encapsulate the golden lame
and they need constant cleaning for when the tourists begin salivating.

Yowtch. But I’ll tell ya something. For me, there is a certain joy to be found in contrast, in good mingling with bad, in beauty vs. desolation. The beauty is enhanced by the presence of the wicked. And I’d even go so far as to say that the desolation itself takes on a certain wistful beauty. Sunset Boulevard is a crass, capitalistic nightmare (at least between Doheny and Fairfax) but when the sun is just right, and the breeze carries, beneath the exhaust and the perfume, that subtle tang of salt, it takes on a sort of melancholy luster.
So bring on the bad. L.A. is nothing if not a contradiction.

on the Web: official site, Vivian Stanshall, itunes

The Decemberists – “Los Angeles I’m Yours”

Today’s Los Angeles song comes from those proggy, anachronistic minstrels from Portland, The Decemberists. From Her Majesty, comes this off-kilter and oddly pleasing tune. It’s considerably more upbeat than yesterday’s Go-Go’s tune, and may not be the quintessential L.A. cut, but it’s a nice balance.

From Saturdays to Mondays
You hill and valley crowd
Hanging your trousers down at heel
This is the realest thing
As ancient choirs sing
A dozen blushing cherubs wheel above
Los Angeles I love

I’m off to Las Vegas (New Mexico) again to hang with relatives and take a few pics of my old house. I’ll be back tomorrow with more words and another Los Angeles tune.

The Go-Go’s – “This Town”

I really shouldn’t be doing this. I’ve got way too much packing to do. And I’ve still got many people to see before I hit Interstate 40, which, incidentally, was the scene of a major accident yesterday as snow turned the stretch of asphalt into a shuffleboard. But here we are anyway, checking in with another song.

Off of The Go-Go’s 1981 debut full length, Beauty and the Beat is a keen, double-edged tune about Lotus Land. There’s some good, and some bad, just like anyplace. I guess it just depends where your eyes point. Yes, we’re all abut glamour and beauty, but look over there. A discarded human shell, washed up and abandoned on the shore of Hollywood.

This town is our town
It is so glamorous
Bet you’d live here if you could
And be one of us

Change the lines that were said before
We’re all dreamers – we’re all whores
Discarded stars
Like worn out cars
Litter the streets of this town

I can’t wait to get back.

And hey, I think Lotus Land is slipping from usage as a nickname for L.A. These days it seems to mean Vancouver more and more. Anyone know where the story on that? Am I right in remembering that Lotus Land used to be another name for L.A.?

on the web:official site, excellent fan site, itunes

Bran Van 3000 – “Drinking In L.A.”

This week I’m taking a break from the profound, insightful posts. On Sunday I’m driving back to Los Angeles after an eight month stint in Santa Fe, so I’ll be packing and having drinks and otherwise appreciating the clean, crisp desert goodness. But I don’t want to let the blog sit idle. Last time I left this blog unsupervised, I returned to find it had chewed its way free of its harness and slipped out through the cat door. Eventually, someone identified it and called me, but not before it gotten itself a deluxe suite in a Miami Beach hotel and maxed my American Express on comic books and pop rocks.

So right. I’ll keep blogging while I pack. This week? I think I’ll post some songs about Los Angeles. Some of my faves. Songs that are not only about L.A, make me think of it as well.

on the net: wikipedia, official site, karaoke version at itunes

The Writers have returned to the table with the producers. So says Variety. There’s a press blackout, which is okay, because that frees up speechifying time for actual bargaining. Pressure’s increasing. One blog lists the names and positions of folks who’ve lost their jobs since the strike began. I imagine it’s much greater than the 400+ names they’ve actually got listed. As for me? I will be arriving in Los Angeles late this week to participate in the strike, so watch out, everyone!

Oh, alright. Truth is, I’m going to crash the annual Amoeba holiday party, but if the strike’s still happening come Monday, I’ll do my best to find out where I can grab a sign. And as reps for the writers and producers play Hatfield & McCoy I thought it would be appropriate to drop one of my favorite Soul Coughing tunes. There are, of course, many faves, but this one sits right up there on top.

Listen while you peruse the Variety poll on the strike (downloads a nifty pdf file.)

Soul Coughing – “Screenwriter’s Blues”