west coast guest blogger

one day during college i met a boy named john in a band called alula. alula is a palindrome. we went out for like 4 years after that, then he had a luthier make him this guitar out of koa wood and he moved to LA, where he has been since. he's in a band called the fresh with another rhode island friend named kurt. in typical LA style he was also in a movie. here's his debut in a short film that won a prize at the malibu film festival: ed's dead.mov
john used to co-write a column with me about dating, on this very site. and today he's your guest blogger.

When all the actors are home from their auditions and the agents have turned off their Bluetooth devices, I drive the streets of LA. It’s really a much better city at night without the cell phones, vanity plates and yellow Boxters to get in the way, the landscape and architecture changes like music in my new, 32 year old, car.
When I think of certain streets there are songs to go with them. I tend to avoid the freeway because I’ll get shot or be on KCAL9 due to a police chase. If you have some time, which I obviously have a lot of, check out the songs with the streets…

Cahuenga Blvd. S. of Hollywood Blvd.
I'm A Ram.mp3 -Al Green
When the man wasn’t singing about Love and Happiness, he was a ram. This funky tune goes well with the unusual high amount of bars in the area.

Grand Av. S of 1st
Ridden_Pony.mp3-Fila Brazillia
The Walt Disney Hall is a remarkable building sitting outside of one of the strangest downtowns in America. During the day it’s full of people, at night it’s skyscrapers and you. The Zappa hook in this Fila Brazillia cut brings the city into the car.

Western Blvd
Million miles.mp3 - Bob Dylan
Western is the dividing line in LA. where you’re driving through in the middle of wealth and poverty. Bukowski speaks of Western often and Dylan’s imagery in million miles lets me know he’s driven it and seen the characters.

Sunset Blvd W of Fairfax
Babylon Sisters - Steely Dan [ed. note: in his email to me john said he wasn't sending this song because he was "sure i had it". he was wrong. although i was sort of surprised to learn i didn't have it either, i guess it never made the jump from my cd collection to itunes]
The Dan covered the feel of NY and LA better than anyone. The obscure drug references and flashy producing goes just as good on Santa Monica as it does on Broadway.
This one is pretty easy, the opening line is Drive west on Sunset to the sea.   

Ventura Blvd. The Valley
Dosed.mp3 -Red Hot Chili Peppers
Usually the valley is only good for porn, weed and rehearsal spaces but the Peppers are the quintessential So Cal band that forgives all that when you’re forced to go there.

Comments

[Alula fan numero uno]

Where is the yellow school bus!!!!

[jen]

pshh, yellow schoolbus?! how about SUNFLOWER?! (john you need to get me an mp3 of that, it's the only song that was every written for me!)

[The Fresh]

Yellow school bus gets brought out once in a while and I actually might have a tape of it. As far as Sunflower goes, I can't find the rocking oceanmist tape but that song remains the only nice song I've ever written for a girl. I promise we'll play it at the Alula reunion!!

[wes]

i enjoyed that short

[Traci]

As John's current girlfriend, I'm think I'm jealous of Sunflower... go Jen. ;)