"From the cesspools of excitement, where Jim Morrison once stood..." go lyrics from the Frank Zappa song "Tinseltown Rebellion." Not a cesspool, but equpped with a swimming pool, the Tropicana Motel, at 8585 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, California, was a place where Morrison stood, ate, and did other rock-star things. Other rockers favored the location as well. The median strip is the former right of way of the Pasadena and Pacific Railway, later the Pacific Electric Santa Monica Boulevard/West Hollywood line, and finally the Southern Pacific West Los Angeles branch. The motel was torn down within two years after this photo was taken. 4/7/1985"
From The Infamous Tropicana Motel Hollywoods's Facebook pages:
The Tropicana Motel
At one point, this hotel/motel was the property of baseball great Sandy Koufax. Sadly, it was torn down in 1988 and an unattractive Ramada Inn built on the site.
In the 1960's and '70's, the Trop was the West Coast base of many musicians. It was often the first hotel sort of place many band members stayed at on their first trips to Los Angeles. There were several bungalow [sic] behind the motel that offered more private lodging.
The Tropicana was basic and affordable. It was located on Santa Monica Boulevard close to the clubs in West Hollywood and the west side.
There are many stories of long, late-night parties going on there in the '60's and '70'. Jim Morrison of the Doors lived there, and would often spend days sleeping off his party binges. Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits were residents too. Frequent guests included Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Bruce Springstein, Eddie Cochran, the Beach Boys, Jim McGuinn of the Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, Martha and the Vandellas, and Frank Zappa, whose "freak-outs" were legendary. It was a first stop on the way up the rock and roll ladder, as well as a place to stay once you'd made it. The big record companies grew on Santa Monica Boulevard and the Sunset Strip during this era, and made LA the rock and roll recording center of America.
info source: LA Time Machines
Dukes Coffee Shop was located at the Tropicana motel on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Over the next few months, Facebook will be archiving all groups created using the old groups format. If you would like to continue using this group, you can ask the admin to upgrade to the new groups format, which makes it easier for members to connect and share.
Some say that the beginning of the END will start on May 21, 2011.
Plan your Rapture parties now, if you wait it will be too late.
“Judgment Day begins and the Rapture on May 21, 2011… The end of the world on October 21, 2011… Are you crazy? You’re just another one of those lunatics like Nostradamus or the Mayans who say the apocalypse will be in 2012 and all the other crazy, absurd people who have predicted dates for the end of the world throughout history only to be proven wrong each and every time. And doesn’t the Bible say that no man knows the day and hour? You’re just playing on the fears of people because you’re some kind of a sick control freak or something.” read more from May-212011.Com
When I was playing in the recording industry in LA in the 60s, Fender bass-man Ron Brown would speak animatedly about fellow bass player James Jamerson who was recording albums for “Little” Stevie Wonder, among others, at the time. Ron showed me a couple of licks and I was pretty much hooked.
Over the years I could almost always pick out Jamerson’s erratic, yet perfect bass lines. Soon he became the “star” regardless of who was up front on a record. More and more I realized how important this cat was to the music. All those Motown hits like: “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops; “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas; “I Was Made to Love Her,” by Stevie Wonder; and “You Can’t Hurry Love,” by the Supremes, and countless others were standout hits greatly due to the excellence of Jamerson’s bass lines, which were in the background – but were they? He played the bass like it was a lead instrument, and he had the stuff to do it. My contention is that Jamerson’s bass lines were the preconscious, so to speak, “hooks” that helped these records soar to great heights. In other words, while the listener was focused on a voice or lead instrument or whatever, these soul-nudging “background” notes were registering on a different level, nevertheless, they were registering. This is not to take anything at all away from the other artists’ abilities, bet they would agree with me.
I’ve often tried to describe his playing like this: He would go up when you expected a note to go down, and would do just the opposite of what a hundred other guys would do.
When you were sitting in a Deuce Coup at the drive-in or cruising down Colorado Boulevard and that song came on that switched on your night in that indescribable way, chances are very good that James Jamerson was driving the music that night in a way that only he could. Thanks Mr. J.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says it best:
“One of the unsung heroes of the Motown sound, James Jamerson was described by Motown founder Berry Gordy as “a genius on the bass…and incredible improviser in the studio and somebody I always wanted on my sessions.” He was the anchor of the in-house group at Motown dubbed the Funk Brothers. Though few among the record-buying public ever never knew Jamerson by name, they were well-acquainted with his work, which included the bass lines on such Motown classics as “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops; “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas; “I Was Made …” read more from The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson” is the title of a book to which there is a link at the R&RHOF website.
Originally published February 1, 2011 Even though I assembled this post, I think it might be questionable! BC Rachelle Spector
From Rachelle Spector’s website:
“A chance meeting that same year at the famed industry hangout Dan Tana’s would change her life forever. Introduced by a mutual friend, the 23-year-old small town girl and hopeful singer spent the next several hours in deep conversation with one of music’s most renowned producers. She had no idea who he was or that he would soon be indicted for a murder that dominated the headlines for the next few years.”
Dan Tana's Street View
“We talked about religion, politics, he told jokes, stories about his past, growing up, normal getting-to-know-you questions,” Rachelle says of that first meeting. “But the most important thing was a comment he made: ‘Timing is everything.’ That has stuck with me till this day.”
“They spoke until six the next morning and Phil (Spector) was smitten, declaring his love for the pretty blond and asking for a kiss, which Rachelle politely declined. For her, love developed more slowly, and over the course of a more traditional courtship, the couple became inseparable. This of course set Hollywood tongues a-wagging that the much-younger Rachelle was nothing more than a gold-digger. A notion she understands, but dispels with a girlish giggle when asked about what she finds attractive in her husband.”
“I like the way he looks,” she says. “He’s boyish and cute, witty, smart and we are so much alike even though we are generations apart. We share common interests, a love of music, people, life, old films, a strong work ethic, even certain mannerisms.”
“The pair married three years later in September 2006 and started working on the CD that fall, though completion on the project was delayed several times during the first and second trials, where Rachelle stood determinedly by her husband’s side. The recording clearly served as an emotional outlet for the producer and a special time for the couple to enjoy the creative process together” read more from RachelleSpector.Com
This is a photo of the late Lana Clarkson. Phil Spector was convicted of fatally shooting Ms. Clarkson at his Alhambra, California mansion on February 3, 2003.
The late Lana Clarkson
The real irony here is that Spector met both Lana Clarkson and present wife, Rachelle Spector on nights he dined at Dan Tana’s. On the fatal evening of Lana Clarkson’s demise Spector had dinner at Dan Tana’s and then, later in the evening, went to Hollywood’s House of Blues where he met the beautiful blonde actress. Spector met the blonde Rachelle Spector for the first time at Dan Dana’s. I’m not not saying anything here other than it’s an ironic twist.
These two gorgeous blondes are so similar in appearance they could have been twins. What a terrible American tragedy this is. These two ladies were poised for success, now one is gone and the other lost her husband – possibly for a long time. And her husband’s story is as tragic as Ms. Clarkson’s. Phil Spector is hands-down the premiere Rock and Roll music producer of all time, some might say (including yours truly) not just a producer but an artist in his own right read more…
This video “Here in My Heart” is from Rachelle Spector. The song was produced by Phil Spector.
The moon will be 100% full Tuesday, Dec 21 at 12:15 A.M. Las Vegas time. (Full Moon names below)
“As Earth’s long shadow falls across the Moon, the part in the shadow will turn dark. It will look as though a chunk were missing from the Moon. About an 70 minutes later, the shadow will completely cover the Moon, an event known as “totality.” This will last for more than an hour, then the shadow will exit the Moon’s opposite side over another hour or so”
“The entire event will last just over 3.5 hours and can be seen from coast to coast. See table below for eclipse times and graphics for different U.S. time zones. Note that the eclipse begins on December 20 in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, and on December 21 in the Central and Eastern time zones” read more from StarDate.org
FULL MOON NAMES:
BACK EAST:
“Historically, the Native Americans who lived in the area that is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons.”
“Each full Moon name was applied to the entire month in which it occurred. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.” – The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
According to this information, The December full Moon is referred to as the: “Full Cold Moon”
“This is the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark. This full Moon is also called the Long Nights Moon by some Native American tribes.”
Shoshone woman and child Shoshone woman and child
OUT WEST:
“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months.” – read more from The Old Farmer’s Almanac
One of those names for the December, 2010 full Moon is in the Shoshone (Shoshone – Great Basin, Nevada, Wyoming) language; that name is: “dommo-mea'” – meaning, winter.
The above information is from StarDate.com and The OldFarmer’sAlmanac.Com.
More Moon information, from Wikipedia:
“A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, there is always a full moon the night of a lunar eclipse. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon’s location relative to its orbital nodes. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on December 21, 2010 at 0817 UTC[1].” read more from Wikipedia”
Friday, November 26, 2010
Grand Garden Arena at The MGM Hotel.
“Roger Waters, co-founder and principal songwriter of the band Pink Floyd, is commemorating the 30th anniversary of the original release of The Wall with a monumental tour featuring a full band and a newly-mounted state-of-the-art production of his epochal masterpiece of alienation and transformation performed in its entirety. See Roger Waters live at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Show starts at 8pm.”
$250, $125 & $75
Grand Garden Ticket Office open from 9:00am – 9:00pm, daily.
By Kyle Hansen, LasVegasSun
Published Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 | 2:11 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 | 4:14 p.m.
Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge Dedication
The dedication ceremony Thursday of the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge brought together states and cultures.
The bridge is the centerpiece of the Hoover Dam bypass, joining Nevada and Arizona with a quicker and safer route for U.S. 93 between Las Vegas and Phoenix.
The dedication featured both states, with an honor guard from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the national anthem sung by students from Kingman, Ariz., and politicians from both states praising the structure.
The event also incorporated representatives of the native people who once lived on the land and used the Colorado River where the dam and bridge now stand. A spiritual leader from the Southern Paiute Tribe in Nevada offered a blessing and members of tribes from Nevada and Arizona took turns dancing on the new bridge.
The project was a group effort under the direction of the Federal Highway Administration along with the Arizona Department of Transportation; the Nevada Department of Transportation; the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the Hoover Dam; the National Park Service, which runs the Lake Mead National Recreation Area; and the Western Area Power Administration, which runs the power transmission lines that go to the dam.
“The bridge shows what we can achieve when we set aside individual agendas and work toward a partnership,” said Victor Mendez, the federal highway administrator. “I hope that serves as a model for the future.”
Work on the $240 million bypass project began in 2003. The bridge itself cost $114 million and is 1,900-feet long. It includes the longest concrete arch in the Western Hemisphere and is believed to be the second-highest bridge in the nation, at 890 feet above the Colorado River. Read more from The LasVegasSun.Com…
The Associated Press, October 8, 2010
NEW YORK (AP) — HBO says Al Pacino is set to star as legendary record producer Phil Spector in a TV film to be written and directed by David Mamet (MAM’-eht).
The film will tell the story of Spector, who long ago recorded such acts as the Beatles, Cher and the Ramones. Now, at age 70, he’s serving a prison sentence of 19 years to life for murder. He was convicted for the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
Phil SpectorAl Pacino
The 70-year-old Pacino starred in the HBO film “You Don’t Know Jack” earlier this year as Jack Kevorkian, who served time in prison for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill man.
The as-yet-untitled Spector film is in the early stages of development, HBO said. The project was first reported by The New York Times.
The Phil Spector story-ending is a terrible tragedy for all concerned.
The following image is a screen shot of a generic, music sound file. It is not the Mel Gibson vocal, audio file for the tape that has been in the media for the past several days. A vocal file has clusters of peaks and valleys with more white space in between “sounds.”
I’m not a bona fide audio engineer, however I’ve been way down in the bottoms of audio files and I know what can be done with a few strokes of a computer keyboard or mouse. I’m going to weigh in on the Mel Gibson tapes.
When I first heard the tapes I thought that he sounded like an animal in a trap, screaming in vain, not fully cognizant of the fact that he is trapped in the futility of trying to best a vindictive? woman.
Now I’m wondering (after hearing more of the tape) if the tape was edited. I’m thinking: is it possible that someone removed Oksana Grigoriev’s dialogue from the tape (either by erasure or by just lowering the volume handles,) re-recorded her “part” then mixed it into the original audio file containing gibson’s voice? In other words “a mixed overdub.”
Is it also possible that Grigoriev’s words were provocative on a (the original) sound track which was later altered to present a softer speaking voice (and words) which were more defensive than provocative?
It’s not that tough to do. Nor would it be that tough to find someone who could do it, especially in Hollywood. There seems to be just too much difference in the sound quality of the two voices. I realize that the difference could be due to the microphone’s close proximity to Grigoriev.
There’s just something about the woman’s (too) calm, collected, easy manner of speaking that doesn’t ring true. If I’m totally wrong I apologize to the woman.
The following story was culled from a Zimbio.com post. Written by Jake on Mar-29-10 1:21pm
Maria Conchita Alonso at Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Cup press conference at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA. (May 24, 2010 - Photo by Photo Agency)
Maria Conchita Alonso, an actress best known for her work in movies such as The Running Man, has written an open letter to Sean Penn, asking Penn to stop supporting Hugo Chavez. Alonso, who is Venezuelan, castigates Penn for supporting a man she considers to be a dictator.
She brings up a number of points, including elections she considers rigged, Chavez’s cult of personality, and Chavez’s nationalization of many industries.
The full letter can be read below:
Dear Sean, WHY?
Even though I have great respect for your artistic talent, I was appalled by a recent television interview where you vigorously showed support for the regime of Hugo Chavez. Therefore, I’ve decided to set the record straight for you regarding the Chavez regime, supporting my case based not only on my political ideologies, but on proven facts you choose to ignore. Otherwise, I believe your position would be different.
Being born in Cuba, a country where freedom of speech is non-existent, it’s startling to observe how Venezuela, where I was happily raised, is fast becoming Cuba’s mirror image: Dismantling of fundamental democratic rights deserved by its people and citizens of the world.
For example, you said that all Chavez-winning elections in Venezuela were “transparent.”
Then WHY didn’t the government allow a manual recount of the votes and computer information when doubt set in? After all, how do you explain how these votes that were strongly favoring the opposition mysteriously reflected the opposite results the morning after, thus permitting Chavez to continue on? On what are you basing your conclusions? I strongly recommend that you read a report by the U.S. State Department written in 2009 entitled “The Fraudulent Elections in Venezuela”.
We live in a Republic comprised of three autonomous branches of government: Supreme Court, Congress and Executive, thus, a true democracy. Then WHY do you accept violations by part of the government of Venezuela to ignore its Constitution whereby one man, military-educated Chavez, controls all branches of government? His military background is revealed by his philosophy: “I order, you obey and if you disagree you’re a traitor to the country.” And your voice is silenced along with the ability of freethinking. Did you know solely the government controls 92% of media communications?
You’ve strongly criticized your own governments’ overspending and corruption, whereby the budget for We the people never ends up in the hands of those who need it most. Then WHY do you support a government with over $100 million in oil revenue that has 71% poverty? Or don’t you know that corruption is so rampant that the rightfully deserving poor never sees a “red cent”? In addition, the fact is that Chavez gives away millions of dollars; belonging to the Venezuelan people, to other countries in order to build a false sense of philanthropy of a man whose self-proclaiming ego is blinded by power behind a communist Cuban-style revolution, expanding such regime.
We live in the U.S.A., the land of opportunity to do and say what we desire, respecting dissenting points of view, of course and without reprisals. Then WHY do you defend a government whose stronghold upon its people is so oppressive that a big price is paid for exercising freedom of speech: Persecutions, closing of radio and television stations, jail…and even death?
You are fortunate enough to live in a country where you can buy property and claim it as your own to do whatever you want with it. Then WHY do you promote the interests of a government that violates the Constitution by hindering the possibility of development: Land, industries, commerce, communications companies, foreign investment opportunities, financial institutions and private property? This is an everyday scenario in Venezuela.
Then WHY haven’t you informed yourself on these facts by reading Venezuelan and international newspapers exposing thousands of cases?
Given your sense of community and respect for all people, I think you would defend the security of the citizens in your country. Then WHY do you validate a government that has converted Venezuela into the second most dangerous country in the world, where impunity is above 90% and its people live in a constant state of stress and fear of getting killed? Many wonder if this situation isn’t but a diabolic strategy by the part of the government, something to think about. Do you know that the weekend of March 13th there were 67 counted homicides only in Caracas? Furthermore, in the first 50 days of this year, there have been 140 express kidnappings for fast money (a 50% increase in 2009 versus previous years). After 11 years of the Chavez government, more than 16,000 people has been murdered by armed gangs and we’re not even at war like in the Middle East.
In the U.S.A. the arm of the law comes down hard on government or private sector where cases of fraud and corruption are discovered. Then WHY do you defend a politician who promised to sweep corruption, but has ended up sponsoring illicit enrichment by part of his closest allies and civil servants, placing Venezuela as the most corrupt country in the Americas and in its political history? Corruption has increased 68% and inflation 31% in 2009. What a coincidence, Sean that the majority of those “corruptors” are members of the government you have chosen to embrace.
You’ve demonstrated admirable assistance to those in need, due to natural disasters or poverty, those with desperate pleas to get their misfortune exposed for the whole world to see.
Then WHY do you applaud the efforts of a government that has notoriously increased poverty (65% to 71%), produced scarcity of staple products and created an energy and water shortage crisis never seen in Venezuela? Not to mention the numbers of children begging in the streets. You may have missed it because the government tends to take the scenic routes for its guests. I invite you see the real Venezuela, stay for a couple of weeks without the logistics the government of said country organizes for you and you’ll be amazed with the results in your unaided observations.
Sean, you live in a country where your parents had the freedom to teach you principles and respect for entities and human beings, where education hasn’t been manipulated by political agendas of those in power. Then WHY are you in favor of a country where day after day education isn’t plural by obligating a single-minded agenda and lack of respect for family structure? Did you know Sean that in Venezuela there is political indoctrination at a very early age, better known as “brainwashing”? And let me tell you that if parents don’t agree, they will lose custody of their children, just like in Cuba, a country you’ve placed on a pedestal.You are a product of a Jewish father.
Then WHY is your fascination with a government that has overtly stated its hatred against the Jewish community worldwide, to the extent that the State of Israel condemned anti-Semitic attacks in Venezuela? Do you think it’s fair that many Jewish-Venezuelan families have emigrated because the Chavez government robbed their personal files when their temples and offices were under attacked in 2008?
I don’t think so, Sean, that you would support violence as a means to impose your agenda.
Then WHY do you support a government with close relationships with FARC, ETA, Cuban G-2, Government of Iran, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, among others, which are the most feared terrorist movements in the world?
You have said that you applaud the actions that Chavez has instituted for his “pueblo”.
Then WHY do you back him up when he himself has recently publicly recognized his failure for effective social programs (missions) in the areas of education, social service and hospitals; where each day the number of the uncared rises for lack of appropriate facilities and respective upkeep, and a country where the mothers give birth in the streets? This you can see on YouTube in investigative programs run on German, Swedish, Italian and Spanish television stations.
Sean, have you considered researching the existence of the growing list of political prisoners, including journalists, on your own? For your information Chile, Peru and Costa Rica has that data. Furthermore, many of these prisoners are tortured and their families persecuted and threatened, just like the Cuba you stand up for.
Is that what you support when you publicly declare that all those that say that Chavez is a dictator should go to jail?
Sean, you have the right to say what you want, but as far as I know, your statements are contradictory to “Freedom of Speech”, the same one you enjoy in this country; by coincidence, “The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.”
My intention isn’t to convince you, but to let you know what is truly happening in this beautiful country of noble people, Venezuela. I would encourage you to investigate in depth the “inside story” and realize for yourself the dark side behind the person you choose to idolize.
Agreed, Chavez did win his first elections, but like Hitler, he betrayed what the country gave him: The vote of confidence. Read this story, and more from Maria Conchita Alonzo on the web
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