The Smog Cutter: It was all yellow
Last night I went to a bar on Virgil Avenue called the Smog Cutter. My companion, Los Angeles troubador Boom Sandfly, informed me that this bar had been featured in the montage of Bukowskian dives at the beginning of Barfly.There was a homeless guy guarding the curtain that served as a door and the room inside was being run by three drunk and hilarious Asian ladies, who halfheartedly sang Bread songs to incite the crowd to use the karaoke machine.
The karaoke machine was by the wall, and it was the kind that superimposed the lyrics on soft-focus videos more or less connected with the song. I wondered how much karaoke actors make.
I watched Donna Summer's version of "MacArthur Park". The two actors were dancing around in a city park, smearing cake all over each other.
A quick Google search yielded several websites of performers who had done karaoke video acting as well as its companion in dignity, infomercial acting (let me clarify: if I were to be offered an infomercial for the Jagermeister tap machine or if Ronnie James Dio needed help making karaoke versions of his catalog, I would jump at the chance because I believe in those products).
Anyway, one of the proprietresses came up to me and we had the following conversation:
Her: My head come up to your hip. You very tall.
Me: Yes. Can I take a picture of you and your sisters?
Her: Who my sisters?
Me: The other ladies behind the bar.
Her: All white man think Asian look the same.
Me: That's not true. You were all yelling, and I thought you were -
Her: We not all yellow!
Me: I said "yelling".
Her: They speak bad. They say "Ang Lee", I say "Angry". I am angry.
Me: Please don't be angry.
I met a woman who had been in a New York band called "Jailbait" in the 80's. Her band had just missed the $100K prize on "Star Search", she said, because the other band suddenly started moonwalking. She said Ed McMahon (birthplace: Lowell, MA) was very kind. I also met the owner of a residence hotel/hostel called The Vibe (it doesn't look like the pictures - havng been to parties there, I think it looks more like the type of place I'd rent if I wanted to drink myself to death while watching cable), where an acquaintance of mine had just had his motorcycle destroyed by the roommate of a guy who is on "Deadwood" all the time.
Anyway, we had great fun. Since I realized I can't go back to Boston this Christmas, I have been to a lot of bars. I suppose that's just a coincidence.
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by Marty Barrett at Monday, December 05, 2005
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