Jason in Hollywood (That's the Hollywood sign in the background)
Way back in the Spring, a trip this Halloween began to take form. Danny Elfman, the frontman of my favorite band Oingo Boingo was going to be singing again, live in concert. This is something that he has not done since the final concert on the Oingo Boingo Farewell tour in 1995. He's long held that the band would never have a reunion, Farewell meant farewell, and this is not something I expect will change (although it would be a dream of mine to see the band live even once in my life). Instead, he is joining the orchestral live rendition of Danny Elfman's Music from the films of Tim Burton to sing the songs from Nightmare Before Christmas, which he sang in the movie. He originally did it last year, and from reports online I really missed out, so when a second round of shows was announced for this Halloween, I knew I had to be there. The only catch? It would require travelling to Los Angeles.
Those that know me well know that Oingo Boingo is a band that I consider integral to my identity on this Earth. While I was originally drawn in by their better known songs like Dead Man's Party, at the impressional age of seven, over the years I grew to embrace their entire musical oeuvre. Their unusual band structure (a rock band with a 3 man horn section and frequent use of melodic percussion instruments and invented instruments), quirky style, elaborate instrumentation, and inventive lyrics directly contradicted the sound of all the pop music I heard growing up. Songs like "On the Outside" helped me come to terms with my status as a geek, comfortable in my own skin. I would derive my main online identity, ReptilianSamurai, from their song Reptiles and Samurai. Some of the earliest communities on the internet that I frequented were the Boingoloid fan communities (originally on a collection of fan pages and Yahoo! clubs, later on various forums, and today continuing on Facebook groups.) I would watch the dvd of the Farewell concert, wistfully wishing I could have been there. Live, their music acquires a whole new energy, with completely different versions of the songs from the studio recordings. It is no exaggeration to say that if a time machine were invented, the first thing I would do would be to pop back into time to go to an Oingo Boingo concert.
Back in 2005, on the ten year reunion of the Farewell tour, the drummer of Oingo Boingo, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez reassembled some of his former band-mates to play a "tribute to Halloween". Since then they began more regularly playing shows as "Johnny Vatos Boingo Dance Party", a sort of pseudo-reunion of Oingo Boingo with some new members filling in the gaps. But since they only played in southern California, I couldn't afford a trip to see them. Later I self-justified that it wasn't really the full band (not without Danny singing) so it wasn't a true reunion. But now I was travelling to Los Angeles to see Danny Elfman sing on Halloween, so I had to go to a show of the former Oingo Boingo members playing Boingo while I was there. I was seeing Danny Elfman on Halloween, but Boingo Dance Party also had a show scheduled the weekend before Halloween. And thus a vacation began to take form, what would be my Oingo Boingo pilgrimage, and a tour of Los Angeles. The trip surpassed all my expectations.
Thursday, October 23, 2014:
The original plan was for Mom to drop me up on her usual day off, but she changed her schedule so she could be in chorus rehearsals on Thursdays since the Library of Congress chorus was selected to perform with Billy Joel when he was being honored. So instead I pick up Dad from the brand new Wiehle-Reston East silver line station, and grab a delicious Indian buffet at my favorite Indian place in Herndon, VA, which is perfectly situated in between the silver line station and Dulles airport. I was really looking forward to the food, since I used to go there during lunch when I was working in Herndon, where there is one of the larger Indian communities in the mid-Atlantic, but now that I work in D.C. I haven't gotten much opportunity to have good Indian cuisine. Sadly, the mood is dampened due to my Dad having had his iPad stolen on the metro; he had left it unattended on the seat beside him when he got motion sick. (And I still haven't heard anything about my missing 3ds either, which I lost on the Marc train that Monday when it slipped out of my pocket, so I was certainly sympathetic!)
Airport security is expedited for some reason, which meant you could keep your shoes and jacket on, and only get checked if the metal detector beeped. I don't even have to get the customary opt-out pat down (they only randomly chose people for the cancer box). Anyway... the flight was long, departure was delayed due to a missing tray, there was just a bit of turbulence but nothing too bad (although I had to carefully protect my beverage from spilling over the sides by stacking another cup upside down on top of it. You have to wonder why they don't give you lids on airplanes). Then we flew right past the city and the airport and circled over the sea, waiting for a free runway to finally land on. But after we landed the adventure really began.
My first view of Los Angeles as we circled around the city forever waiting to land
I am exhausted since it was really late for me, and I have to get to my hotel. So I ask at the information desk... they do not recommend taking the metro at this time of night, apparently it passes through some bad areas you don't really want to be with all your luggage. So I figure I'd rent a car, since I pretty much need one anyway. But all the car rental places are a shuttle ride from the airport. I go to wait and only one shuttle from Hertz was there, but I ask the driver about "Thrifty", which I saw appeared to offer the best price online, and he says they own them, but Hertz rates are competitive. Stupidly believing him, and since he's the only bus, I board. I check rates on Priceline while riding and find that, as expected, Hertz appears to be the most expensive, but the driver says I'd have to board a different bus to get back to the airport. So I go inside the place, what the heck, I'll find out the price first hand... nobody seems to want to help me, the place is huge and there are various lines and finally I ask someone and get directed to a weird tv interface... and talk to an agent appearing on the screen, holding a phone to my ear... Really weird and impersonal... And the eleven days on the cheapest economy car with taxes and fees comes to... $1,024. Yeah... So back to the airport I go and I instead find a group shuttle that was only $15 and would drop me off right at my hotel. By now I'm incredibly tired, and the trip is long (especially as he drops off other passengers). I finally check into my motel, the Coral Sands Motel, and collapse for the evening.
Cozy, affordable, and centrally located in Hollywood. What more do you need?
Taken during the day, this is the motel courtyard, that all the rooms connect to
Friday, October 24th, 2014:
In the morning I decide to look up rental options. My motel is a block away from the red line, so that's a possibility, but they also have free parking. (A rarity in L.A.!) On Google I discover a rental place a brief walk away called Hollywood rent a car. I call them up and they quote me $280. So I walk the five minutes to get there, and they're very friendly. When I mention the hertz rate, the guy jokes that maybe they thought I was buying the car, not renting. And he's very helpful, treks me to take photos of the car to prove any damage is pre-existing and such. Anyway, it's a cheap Nissan Sentra, but it gets me where I need to go. (I have to get used to the gas pedal reaction from even slight pressure.)
So now I'm all set. Except my plans with an online acquaintance through the Oingo Boingo fan community to get a tour of universal (where she works) fell through since the day got busy for her. Luckily I'm able to rearrange my itinerary, and instead meet another online acquaintance, Patricia, through the community who works at the Natural History Museum. She gets me in for free, I poke around, it's pretty much what you'd expect from the National Museum of Natural History, dino and mammoth bones, gem stones and minerals, etc.
We grab lunch on her break at a cool place called Pizza Studio, where you get to choose the crust, sauce, and unlimited toppings and they bake it fresh. I went a little crazy and got a half pesto, half tomato, pizza with tomato, onion, garlic, zucchini, pineapple, every meat (chicken, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, etc.) and a balsamic glaze on the pesto and bbq sauce on the bbq side. I think it was overkill... if I encounter this place again I'll try for ingredients that mesh a little better, though it was still tasty (especially the pesto).
Jason and the Pizza of Doom
It was really cool getting to talk about Oingo Boingo with someone, back home nobody knows who they are! We had to rush out with pizzas half eaten since she had to return to work, so I finish mine in the beautiful rose garden in between museums, then checked out the free science center, which houses the Space Shuttle Endeavor. The shuttle was amazing and they had a cool exhibit on the Space program, and another on habitats (with actual animals in some of them). The Pompeii exhibit cost money, but I've seen the real thing so I didn't feel like I needed to go.
The Rose Garden sits between several museums
This is where I finished my lunch
Mission control
The final resting place of the Space Shuttle Endeavor
Habitats Exhibit: Ready to take on any Samurai that show up
Since my hotel is down the block from Thai town, I walk down several blocks checking out places, trying to see what seems good, before realizing I'm short on time and grabbing something from a carry-out place that seems to have decent prices. On the way out I also grab delicious steamed sticky rice with taro dessert from the store next door, and take them back to eat at my hotel.
Take-out in the hotel room: Drunken Noodles and a disappointing Thai Iced Tea
That night I met up with Jim and Andrea, two more online friends. Jim is a local, but Andrea has been making this pilgrimage from Canada for a few years now (and had encouraged me to come). We went to Carpe Noctis, a vaudeville style show that promised to be unusual.
With Andrea and Jim
Before
After
One act had a sword swallower and a knife thrower... And he selected an audience member to be part of the show. And I was sitting in the second row, and he asks Andrea how she knows me, she says the internet. He asks how brave she thinks I am on a scale of ten, she says seven. I'm like.. no way am I going up there... But now the whole audience wants me to do it... And I caved and got on stage. And they put a balloon under each arm, and another between my legs. To "protect" me, he put a small metal cup measure on my belt buckle. And thankfully had a bucket placed over my head so I couldn't see the blades coming at me. I just felt each balloon pop after he counted down. And felt something clang off the measuring cup. I just had to hope he knew what he was doing and wait for it to be over... thankfully I can report that I am still able to have children. Also I handed Andrea my camera to video the whole thing, so if seeing me getting knives thrown at me is your thing, well I have bad news, I've checked out the video now and they didn't actually throw the knives at me. But I thought they were being thrown, so you still get to see me acting courageous!
Band with a live painter
There were some weird acts (nunchuck... a weird play about a guy hiring a prostitute to act like a nun, then abusing her and taking things too far, ending up in her throwing up on him [hence the title]), some stupid ones (a guy playing cards against humanity with the audience... now CAH is a hilarious game, but that's just completely unoriginal!) And unfortunately the Thai food was giving me some distress, so in between acts I excused myself to use the restroom... And returned to find confetti everywhere, the audience applauding wildly, and the show over. Jim said "It was amazing... I can't even explain what just happened". So I guess I missed something, but it was too funny how perfectly I had apparently missed the best, indescribable, magician act. In the other room there was a band playing with a live painter in the background, which we checked out for a bit before heading out.
Afterwards Jim, Andrea and I hung out at a diner nearby (which was surrounded by cop cars, apparently something had happened!) I couldn't think about having any food though, so we just chatted while they ate, and again it was great talking about my favorite band with everyone.
Saturday, October 25th, 2014:
La Breaaaaaaaa.... Tar Pits!
Patricia arranged for me to get into the La Brea Tarpits for free this day, so I drove there, and enjoyed checking out the fossils and learning how the animals got trapped in the tar and then their bones were preserved. It was interesting that they found many more predators... who got trapped when they saw the trapped prey and went after it. Lots of ice age skeletons, but the cool part was there is still active excavating going on, and you can watch scientists working on fossils. (They literally have a glass wall around the lab, like they're in an aquarium. Must be weird to have to focus on work while being gawked at!)
The Mastadon
Science!
What the bones look like in the tar pits
Careful where you walk... you might get stuck, and in thousands of years they'll be researching your bones
Sweet giant sloth
We're pals
I went to find food nearby and found myself faced with a hike up and down several blocks looking. At one point an old lady asked me for assistance, she was being harassed by a homeless man she had offered food to, and wanted someone to walk with her past him. She was a sweet old lady and he started yelling and insulting and cussing at her, and it was scary, he even followed us for a bit, but we got safely away, and she recommended a good place for me to eat, Four Cafe. It was an organic, hippie kind of place with sandwiches, vegan options, tea.. But the food was pretty good, if pricey. (I particularly liked the curry squash+ pumpkin soup).
French Dip, Curry Pumpkin soup, iced tea
That night was a long drive out to Agoura hills to the Canyon Club to see Boingo Dance Party. Danny Elfman (the singer-songwriter from Oingo Boingo) wouldn't let them use the name, but for all intents and purposes, it was them... most of the original members, minus two of the horn section (Dale Turner and Leon Schneiderman) and Danny. Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, the drummer, started the pseudo-reunion band. Sam "Sluggo" Phipps on saxophone, Carl Graves on keyboard, and Doug Legacy (who played with the original band but wasn't an official member) on accordion. Joining them occasionally, and thankfully this time, was Steve Bartek on guitar. Supporting players on the other horns, on rhythm guitar and bass. The vocalist, Brendan McCreary, is actually the brother of Bear McCreary, the composer of the Battlestar Galactica series, among others. While waiting for the show to start, I started up a conversation with some of the people I was sitting near, and they told me about Oingo Boingo shows they had attended, and I told them this was my first time seeing their music live!
Brendan had amazing energy and every band member was incredible. Steve was incredible on guitar, he and Sluggo traded off solos on guitar and saxophone. There was so much energy and emotion and amazing renditions of the songs, which are always tweaked when played live.
Oingo Boingo had played their farewell tour in 1995, and even though I was already a fan, I was too young to see them live. They are amazing live, and I had seen videos and heard stories, and heard bootleg recordings. And here I was, for the first time in my life, seeing and hearing my favorite musicians play my favorite music, music I have loved for 21 years and never thought I'd experience live. Music that has defined my personality and found its way into my soul. It was incredible; especially once, halfway through, John Avila, the bassist, showed up as a surprise and played the rest of the show. I tried filming the show, since it was such a special opportunity, but my camera started to die just before Avila arrived (videos embedded here). So I took my inability to record anymore as a my cue to get on the dance floor, and bounce, and sing, and let the spirit fully wash over me. I've never lived so much before. This was my music, this was where I belonged.
With my friends from the online Boingoloid community after the show
And after it was over, I hung around and got to meet and get my picture with each of the band members, and tell them individually how much they're music means to me, that I had been a fan since I was seven, that I had flown here to see them. And I could tell they were genuinely flattered.
With Steve Bartek (Guitar)
With Johnny Vatos (Drums)
With John Avila (Bass and background vocals)
With Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (Saxophone and vocals on a couple of songs)
With Carl Graves (Keyboards, background vocals)
Before they cleared out the venue, I hung out with Jim, Andrea, and several other people I know online and chatted with them, and Brendan McCreary, and Steve Bartek who was just incredibly approachable and friendly. Here I am hanging out with some of the band at the end of the night.
Hanging out after the show
Just the whole thing was a dream come true. Afterwards some of us fans again again went to a diner, although some of us heard back to their hotels. This time I was hungry, and had some delicious pumpkin pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and a milk shake. It was a very late night, much like the night before, especially when you consider my home time zone.
Sunday, October 26th, 2014:
Hard to believe the weekend wasn't even over. I slept in, and then went to check out Amoeba Music, a huge record store like the kind they just don't make anymore, which Jim recommended. And it's like the physical media age hasn't even ended, so many records and CDs, both new and used, and even dvds. I ended up spending two hours and over $100 there, and I have no idea what happened.
Amoeba Music is Cavernous
In fact, I spent just long enough there that my validated parking ticket didn't exactly cover everything, and I had to pay for the 7 minutes I was past the time!
Delicious authentic ramen and bubble tea!
I had reserved a ticket to Harmontown at the Meltdown comic shop, which has a theater in the back for Nerdist shows. Harmontown is a podcast put on by Dan Harmon, creator of Community. I found parking on a street nearby, and found a promising sounding Asian restaurant to eat at on Yelp, called Chibiscus. I got taro milk tea with tapioca (bubble tea), pork buns, and spicy miso pork ramen. It was the first time I've had real ramen, and it was the best food I've had in L.A. so far. Coincidentally, the couple at the next table were also going to Harmontown. They advised me to get there early, but I had to wait to eat.
I may not have been sitting nearby, but I do have a great zoom lens! Dan Harmon and surprise guest Joel McHale
I didn't have the best seat, since there was already a line, but it was good enough to see and take pictures. Harmontown was hilarious... And then halfway through, he welcomes special surprise guest Joel McHale (star of Community). It was amazing, the banter was incredible, and at the end they played a game of d&d that was funnier than the Community episode. Since its a podcast, the recording will be out there. At the end I waited for then to come out, then asked Joel for a photo. He said "not with that nice a camera" indicating my dslr, but was joking. Nobody nearby would take it for me, so Joel grabs the camera and starts snapping selfies of us! I didn't manage to get one with Dan Harmon by the time we got kicked out, but at this point I'm already feeling tremendously lucky.
This girl got brought on stage because she came all the way from England... and Joel surprised her by paying for her flight! (Also, darn, I hadn't come the farthest to see them).
Even his shadow! (If you don't get that, why don't you watch Community?)
Monday, October 27th, 2014:
My first studio tour, at Warner Brothers studios. I had checked on my phone, which I have been using as my GPS with Google Maps, and it claimed the drive would take 11 minutes. I had to check in 20 minutes in advance, so I left the hotel 35 minutes before my tour. Big mistake. There's a lane closed, and I get snagged in traffic. I call them to let them know, and I finally got there, parked, and through security just a couple minutes after the scheduled start, but I just miss the intro video and nothing else (which is good, because it's the $250 deluxe tour that I splurged on). There were only eight people in the tour group. Our guide, Thom, was incredible. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of all the tv series made by Warner brothers, past and present, and was a senior guide who worked there eight years, and you could tell he loved what he did. I could even discuss obscure favorites, like Pushing Daisies. He took us around the backlot, including through their fake jungle and lagoon, through fake New York, the Midwest, and so on, detailing everything that had filmed in each location as we went, stopping so we could take pictures, and letting us walk around on foot in some places. We then went to the sound stages, and got to tour the Selfie sets, and see the two and a half men set (I would've been more interested if it were Big Bang Theory, but it was cool seeing an actual set, and see how a multi-camera with studio audience set up differed.) I've never seen Selfie, although apparently it starred Karen Gillan, and was cancelled not long after I returned from the trip.
And the Oscar for photo-op picture taking goes to...
Lunch was included, and was at a nice restaurant, where we ate surrounded by staff and Hollywood people. At a table near us, the president of Warner brothers television sits down with the star of the show Arrow, and I overhear a bit about them discussing the show, like being a fly on the wall in a Hollywood meeting. (Haven't watched that series. Though I hear good things about it.) This was a nice restaurant, and the best food of any of the tours I went on.
Just getting off the Subway in New York City in Los Angeles
This is how they make it "night time"
This here's gazebo parking. You better find another spot!
This must be where all those Hollywood reboots keep coming from
With the bat tires
Then we toured the props department, which was massive and housed tons and tons of props for rental. We got to walk on the reconstructed coffee house set from Friends, and take pictures. We went to their 75th anniversary of Batman exhibit, which included all the batmobiles and other vehicles used in the various films. At the end we also went to an exhibit showcasing more Batman stuff and costumes, and upstairs Harry Potter props and costumes! I really loved all the glimpses behind the scenes, and the knowledgeable guide, and felt the tour was really worth it!
Welcome to "Central Perk", can I take your order?
No, I don't know any songs about smelly cats.
A laptop prop from the set of Friends. Wow this thing looks ancient!
I wish I knew how to summon a Patronus!
I am the night
Tuesday, October 28th, 2014:
Returned to Warner Brothers, this time to be in the studio audience for Conan. It's free, but you reserve in advance, and they overbook. I had no idea what guests they'd have, as they weren't announced at the time I got my ticket. Showed up early, got my spot in line, then they said to return by 2pm, so I had some time to grab lunch. I drove out to a fancy sandwich shop called Olive & thyme, it was pretty good (and I was quick enough to make it with the half hour street spot I found. Parking in the city is always a challenge!)
Then back for more waiting, before finally being led into the sound stage, and seated in the fourth row, midway down the left section (stage right). More waiting, and phones had to be off the whole time, so I amused myself by studying everything, the set, the cameras, all the lighting and mics hanging from the ceiling. Eventually a guy came out to talk to us and give us an introduction, and crack some jokes. (At one point he interviewed an audience member named Will, who was here with his friend Will. He asked if they met onwill.com, the site for if you don't want to have to learn any other names.)
Finally it was time for the show. The band played a few songs to further warm up the audience, then they introduced Andy Richter and Conan O'Brien. Much applause. He did the monologue, the band played, then he spoke directly to us, letting us know the guests and that while Beck would be playing on the aired show, he recorded earlier and wouldn't actually be here. They riffed on it (this is what's wrong with America) and played it like we're being let in on the secret to the illusion. So we would clap, and then pretend we just saw Beck.
They did a sketch with "mascots that should never dunk" with ridiculous fake mascots trying to shoot a basketball. It was cool watching all the sets being brought out, the cameras positioned (especially the crane camera) and all the crew people doing their thing, efficiently getting everything ready. Guests were Ashton Kutcher (never seen him) and Kristen Ritter (of Breaking Bad and Veronica Mars!) The guest interviews were pretty light and mostly fluff (taking about Ashton's new baby, or people reacting to Kristen as a real person rather than her character.) My favorite moments were the rapid wit of Conan and Andy, but the actual content was clearly designed to be basically promotional and aimed at the typical tv audience. Then "Beck" was introduced, Conan and Andy turned towards the empty stage expectantly, we applauded wildly... And then once they cut they joked more to us (Andy said he only came into work today for Beck, Conan said "It wasn't the paycheck") I didn't mind Beck not playing for us, because the off the cuff improv and taking directly to the audience, rather than the cameras, was fun, and really felt like being behind the scenes. At the end of the show, Conan sang a song directly to the audience "the end of the show song, the song that you don't hear on tv" filled with more improv about how Beck wasn't there. Then, in what seemed a very brief time, it was over.
Met an online friend I've known for 12 years, and we only got one picture together
That evening I met up with my long-time internet friend (from when we were 15/16), Talia, and we grabbed Indian food and would have gone to an Upright Citizens Brigade comedy show, but sadly they were sold out, so one of her friends joined us and we saw Gone Girl (although we missed the beginning, which was a little frustrating. Good movie, though!) Talia is the singer in a band now, and in her day job she got to work on the new Simpson's World website, watching episodes and picking out clips for the site, which just sounds like an amazing job. It was cool catching up, and finally meeting in person, after knowing each other for as long as we have. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't line up to hang out again during the trip (she actually would be working on a music video that weekend).
Wednesday, October 29th, 2014:
Universal Studios has a lovely view... of Warner Brothers Studios
The one tour that let us photograph sound stages and sets!
My VIP experience tour of Universal Studios was today. This was the most expensive tour (nearly $300) and also ultimately my least favorite. It includes valet parking, and a complimentary breakfast in the fancy waiting area, then we met the tour guide, Lary. There were twice as many people in this tour group. The initial tram tour through the backlot was fun, and unlike regular tours it was longer and we got to get out and walk around a bit, and tour (and take pictures in! The only set that allowed this) the set of the show Parenthood. Another show I've never seen, but it was fun to explore anyway, and see just how detailed the sets are.
On the set of Parenthood
This tour felt a lot more scripted though, and touristy... less an insider tour and more an attraction. We went through some special effects/rides like Jaws, King Kong, a subway station that has an earthquake, and a flood. They were interesting at least! We also toured costumes (no photos here) and props departments here.
And somehow I'm in New York again?
A flash flood, in drought-stricken California? (Don't worry, I'm told they recycle the water for this effect.)
And an earthquake in the Subway station
Need a light?
The mummy returns!
E.T. really want to phone home now
Then on to the theme park, where we got to skip lines, and the guide led us to the transformers simulator and the mummy indoor roller coaster. I think my motion sickness is getting worse with age, because while I could mentally enjoy the rides, physically they made me uncomfortable, and at a certain point I was waiting for them to be over. Lunch was next, a fairly extravagant buffet reserved for VIP tours only, we only had 45 minutes there.
I loaded up my plates
Then on to more rides. On my full stomach I opted out of the despicable me simulator, and sat in a motionless seat for Shrek 4d. We then went to the Waterworld special effects show, which was actually pretty fantastic, although I'm unfamiliar with the movie.
One example of the special effects at Waterworld
Lots of water effects, boats, diving, fireballs, and a plane crashing through and gas tanks exploding. Lary said not to stay for the VIP behind the scenes look after so he could take us on The Simpson's ride, but I said I'd rather stay, I could always get to the front of the line for the ride later. They brought out the main performers and discussed some of the stunts and effects for a few minutes, then the guide found me after and said he thought I'd be interested in checking out the special effects show, the last one starting soon, rather than go on rides, so he took me there, and that was the end of my tour (the rest of the group was elsewhere). They showed off some practical effects, and some blue screen effects, it was interesting for a theme park show geared towards all audiences, although they had some annoying gags (such as a "new" guy who kept trying to be in bits, abs hamming it up abs being a nuisance for the sake of comedy or audience sympathy. It was so transparent and unfunny.)
After this I did go find The Simpsons ride, and the pre show was hilarious. The simulator was actually a lot of fun, but again partway through triggered my motion sickness. So while I was glad I went, I didn't feel like using front of the line privilege to go again. At this point the park was getting close to closing time, so I decided to go to another showing of Waterworld rather than any more rides, and this time capture the stunts on camera.
Black Sabbitch, the all-girl Black Sabbath cover band at Lucha Va-Voom
Since the park closed at six, I decided to join Jim, Andrea and some other online friends, Brad, Tom, and Jeff for the show Lucha Vavoom, a Mexican wrestling and burlesque show. Unfortunately there was traffic, parking was a rip off (luckily I got the $10 parking, but the guys at one lot were aggressively trying to get me to park there, even standing in front of my car and waving me there. The lot signs read "Parking $3" and in tiny print you can't read from your car "first 15 minutes". Which is just ridiculous, because you wouldn't park there that briefly!) Unfortunately, my friends had gotten ringside tickets in advance, which were sold out, so I ended up sitting on my own, but had a decent view from the second floor. I didn't know if this show would appeal to be, I'm not into wrestling. I was thirsty, so got a mixed drink. I asked for the cheapest, the bar tender recommended a Los Angeles iced tea, which had red bull in it, I said whatever since it was noisy, there was a long line, and I just wanted to get out of the way, then he tried to charge me extra since it had red bull, but when i reminded him I asked for the cheapest mixed drink, he let me pay the $11 "just this time". It tasted awful. Water would've been $5 though, so I had figured I'd get my money's worth with a real drink. I still ended up drinking it through the show because I was thirsty, and it tasted a but less repulsive once the ice melted and watered it down.
And the big surprise, the show was actually awesome. It wasn't real wrestling, it was four guys each match on teams, wearing masks or complex outfits, doing well choreographed very acrobatic moves. Between each match was a burlesque performance. In all I was glad I attended, as it was an experience. It was also in the very beautiful Mayan theater, which was just amazing.
Hanging out after the show
After the show I did finally meet up with my friends, and we went to a Jewish deli that was open late. I had more breakfast food and we chatted more about Oingo Boingo. Sadly they were all going to another Boingo Dance Party Friday, when I was going to see Danny Elfman, and then they were seeing Danny at another show that wasn't announced when I got my ticket, so my planning was backwards what it should've been. (Also I would love to see them play again! Maybe I'll make it back another year.)
Thursday, October 30th, 2014:
A more personal tour of Universal's backlot
After the initial plan to go last Friday fell through, this is the day I had arranged with my acquaintance Heidi to visit Universal again. She works there in finance, but is also an actor, mainly in plays and commercials. She got me in add a guest, with free parking, and was able to take me around the backlot again by golf cart, and I got to see and take pictures in a lot more places than on the VIP tour I took the previous day. It was a completely different experience, and she was able to get a lot of photos of me around the lot. It was really awesome being escorted around privately on a real behind the scenes tour, and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity!
Gazebo on the backlot
Old-timey gas station
It was an excellent opportunity to actually pose for a lot of pictures this time, as you can see!
The tank where they film under-water scenes
A bit of cinema trickery: The doorways that ladies would go through were made wider so that they appeared slimmer on film
The neighbors could only afford half a house
This seems like a good place to stay the night
Scenic overlook
Think any desperate housewives might live here?
After she had to get back to work, I went on Yelp to find a place for lunch. I ended up going to a small, cozy hole in the wall called Fortyone Fortyone, a Swedish place that was walking distance away, and had the friendliest service, and delicious food. I got Poutine, a Swedish meatball sub, and elderberry juice, and it was delicious and so filling I didn't finish it all and I didn't eat again that day.
Fortyone Fortyone: So delicious I had to get my picture there
After this, I had plenty of daylight left, so I decided to go up the mountain to hike to the Hollywood sign. I parked at the Griffith Observatory, which had amazing views down the mountain at L.A., and across the mountain to the Hollywood sign, and took many photos.
You can see me in front of the sign at the top of the blog. Here's one of my own shots of the sign
A view of the city
The Griffith Observatory
Then I ventured inside the beautiful observatory... and ended up spending the rest of the day there. The hike would've been over two miles to the sign, anyway. The museum was amazing, featuring several space and telescope science exhibits that were very well done. I took in two planetarium shows, and watched a film about the observatory narrated by Leonard Nimoy. I got photos of the sun setting, and later of the city at night. I met some nice people, including Juan, a photography teacher, who offered to teach me a bit about using my new dslr Canon to take great shots at night, and gave me effectively a few five minute lesson! I learned a few things about some of the manual settings on my camera, and got since beautiful night time shots.
Exited the planetarium just in time to capture the sunset!
Captured with my DSLR zoom lens, thanks to some tips from the photography teacher!
Overlooking the city at night
And luckily they opened the big telescope to the public, they weren't sure if they would due to the overcast sky and the dome not opening. I stood in line and got to look through the telescope at the moon, very cool. Right as the museum was closing, a staffer recognized my Serenity shirt, and volunteered that she'd worked on the space suits in the movie. Sadly the doors had to be closed before we could chat very long, but it's really amazing how anyone in this town could be involved on some level in the movies (or is aspiring to it!)
It was definitely spur of the moment for me, but I'd say that Griffith Observatory, which is free except the planetarium shows, is absolutely a must see in Los Angeles. The amazing views alone are worth the trip (the parking is free too, and it's a rare museum that is open till 10pm).
Looking through the telescope at the moon
The door has become self-aware
Friday, October 31st, 2014:
Paramount Pictures studio tour
Halloween: Finally, the big day! During the shuffling of my schedule at the beginning of the trip I freed up Friday morning (originally I was going to do tar pits) so I booked a VIP tour of Paramount. This tour was closer to the Warner Brothers one, and very interesting. A small group (just five of us) were with Kristina, our guide who is an aspiring writer. Again, we drove around the backlot. We had a decent lunch on the park they filmed the paintball episode of Community in!
Hanging out on Greendale Community College campus
Forrest Gump sat here
Lighting props
Movie bark, and stone skins
We toured the set of a new show called Marry Me, which occupied the soundstage where Community used to be before it got cancelled (and saved at the last minute by Yahoo for a fabled sixth season.) We also got to see the vault where they store all the old film, and are working on preserving it, and go through the workshop where they made signs for sets, and see costumes.
One of many signs on display. Oh look, those names seem familiar!
When you don't have the rights from the credit card companies to use their names...
Sound Stages
In the Paramount vault, where so many films are preserved and stored!
At this point in the trip I originally sent out a report, awaiting the the reason I went on this trip to begin with... Danny Elfman's Music From the films of Tim Burton, in which he is going to be singing live the songs from Nightmare Before Christmas.
Jewelry used in movies, such a glamorous office!
The first show was last year, and it is the first time he has sung live for an audience since the Oingo Boingo Farewell concert in 1995. I made plans to take a quick shower and then check out Whacko on my way to the show, but then something unexpected happened, the one dark spot on the trip.
Almost immediately after I emailed out an early version of this trip report to some of my family, without warning, my cell phone suddenly stopped connecting to the network. This entire trip I had been relying on my cell phone (and my grandfathered unlimited data plan) for everything. I used it to make plans, to get in touch with all the friends I was meeting throughout the trip. It was my GPS in my rental car, getting me from place to place. It enabled me to buy tickets to shows, and in several cases to access my e-mail to find confirmation numbers for tickets so I could get into those shows! During down time it was my entertainment, keeping up with news and Facebook. I normally rely heavily on my smart phone, but out on the other side of the country I realized I was completely reliant on it, it was my lifeline. I couldn't make calls, I couldn't access data. I rebooted my phone. Nothing. I pulled out the battery and the SIM card, re-inserted them, booted up again. Nothing. I tried calling the Verizon help line (the only thing I could call) and ended up in a ridiculous phone tree that didn't work, it kept taking me in circles to the same menu no matter what I chose, and I couldn't default to an operator... finally somehow it ended up putting me on hold (probably figuring out I was a crazy person, but maybe it listened to my yelling at it. At one point it asked for an account password, by it's a family plan, I don't know the password and actually cried out "I DON'T KNOW!" to it.) I couldn't even call my Dad to ask him what it was. By this point the concert was getting nearer and I started to realize I had to just get my phone working and get down there, I wouldn't have time to shower, I would once again miss going to Whacko (which I had planned on other days to hit up but ended up passing up since I was doing other things). Missing Danny Elfman was not an option.
I had no idea how long I might hold, so I went to the front desk to see if I could call my Dad, still holding my phone to my ear. They said it was long distance, the most they could do was credit me for $5 worth, but it wouldn't be a long call. Then I realized I could e-mail him from their computer (they have one available for guests to use for 15 minutes), so I sent out a panicky e-mail, and also got them to print out google map directions to the Nokia Theater since I realized without data, my GPS wouldn't work to direct me there. Finally I decided hold wasn't working and I had to get this taken care of, so I asked where the nearest Verizon store was. I stepped outside to go drive there... and with just as little warning, after an hour of no service, my phone started working again.
So I called my Dad and got the full story of what happened. He got an iPhone since his stoled iPad never turned up. Without asking me first, he used my line for the upgrade. The Verizon representative screwed up badly and gave him my line, rather than using the upgrade. So my phone immediately disconnected. Meanwhile, because he used my upgrade, he also broke my grandfathered unlimited data plan. We're still trying to resolve that.
Upset over everything that had happened, my day having been thrown into disarray, and still reeling over losing the plan I had kept a two year old phone to keep as long as possible, I drove down to the Nokia Theater. At first things did not improve. The parking I had seen advertised online as $12 cost me $30 at the garage. I couldn't pre-pay because my internet hadn't been working, so I ate the extra $18 and parked. Then I waited in line at the VIP entrance, since I had Danny Elfman VIP tickets, and found out I had to get mine at the box office. They have Nokia Theater VIPs which are different from the Danny Elfman VIP tickets. Finally, I was able to get into the VIP lounge, but discovered that the buffet there was only for the Nokia Theater VIPs, I couldn't have any of it. Luckily my lunch had been large enough that I was able to make do without any food, but it was sad watching others eat and not being able to have any.
Then I made a new friend in the lounge, Rob. He was a long time fan of Oingo Boingo, and we chatted about the band, and about Danny Elfman, and it really cheered me up and brought me back into the moment. Here I was, amongst my people, fans of the music I've loved all my life, but never been able to discuss because so few people on the East Coast know of them.
And it begins
Then the show began. I took my seat, in the fifth row center of the pit. I chatted with Suzy, who was sitting next to me and had a fantastic Burton/Elfman tattoo. And then the show began. This time I was smart, and decided to save my camera battery for when Danny came on and record his parts. Hearing the music live, having such amazing seats that looking at the screens was actually not as good a view, and seeing all the little clips from Burton films really was incredible. It made me want to rewatch these movies (or in some cases see them for the first time. I'm really more a fan of Elfman's than of Burton). During the intermission I saw Rob again, getting pictures with Richard Elfman (Danny's brother, director of the Forbidden Zone.) I got my picture with Richard as well, and I think it came out really well!
With Richard Elfman (Director of The Forbidden Zone)
After intermission, they continued and things became even more spectacular. An incredible violin soloist came out partway through Edward Scissorhands and blew me away with her performance. And finally Nightmare Before Christmas started... and Danny came on stage to wild applause, and he sang. Here I was, sitting so close, watching the former frontman for Oingo Boingo singing. He was clearly getting into being back on stage, often smiling ear to ear, and gesturing and stalking around the stage in character as Jack Skellington. Afterwards they brought out a young boy to sing to Alice, and he was incredibly professional for his age and sang amazing high pitched notes (I suspect they need to find new children to sing the parts as soon as their voices drop in puberty.) Then Danny came back out for an encore performing the Oogie Boogie song, with the conductor himself taking Santa Claus's lines.
And then after the show I got my autographed poster from the basement of the Nokia Theater, which was included with my VIP ticket, and headed back to the VIP lounge. Since he's never done it before I didn't expect that Danny Elfman would put in an appearance, but I did see the conductor, the violin soloist, the kid who sang to Alice. I chatted with some of the people I had met that day about the show and about Oingo Boingo... and then a guy I was talking to suddenly said "Danny is here", and I looked behind me, and there he was, surrounded by fans. We promised each other we'd get pictures with Danny, so I took his on his smart phone, then I introduced myself to Danny Elfman, told him I had been a fan of Oingo Boingo and his music all my life and that I flew to see him from Washington, D.C. He smiled and nodded, and may have said a few things very quietly that I couldn't really hear. I think he was saving his voice. He posed for a picture with me. The one thing I wanted from this trip that I thought would be impossible, I met Danny Elfman, and I got a picture with him! Everything has been worth it for this magical moment.
The reason I travelled to L.A. in the first place, Danny Elfman
Since I didn't want to take more of his time, I stepped back and found some other people nearby to chat with: Linda who I met previously, and Matt and his mother, who had, like me, flown in from the east coast (from Philadelphia) to see Danny. We were instant friends, and hung around until the venue finally closed down. And then I experienced the rarest thing of all, out in California. It was raining outside! Which meant running across the street to the parking garage trying to keep our signed posters dry. At the parking garage I met Kevin and his niece Reilly, and we hung out with Linda and chatted while waiting to see if Danny exited the theater. We didn't see Danny again, but I made more new friends and enjoyed more great conversation.
Hanging out after the show
Saturday, November 1st, 2014:
This day I had one thing planned, which was to go see Dead Man's Party, an Oingo Boingo cover band, with some friends from the Boingo Facebook community. We had a table reserved at the place, I had purchased my ticket in advance, and I was just looking into ways to fill the earlier portion of the day, or the afternoon once I woke up at least. (I was quite exhausted by this point in the trip, so indulging myself by sleeping in more.) This was a day where my plans kept getting flipped on their head, and everything changed.
First I was making plans to stop at Comikaze, a convention happening this weekend. A day pass was only $30, and I always love cons, so it was pretty opportune that there was one going on when I had some time to kill. But I had gotten a late start, so wouldn't have much time there since I also had to drive down to Long Beach for the DMP show around dinner time.
Then I got a message from Reilly, inviting me to hang out with her and Kevin (whom I had met the prior evening). We discussed all going to Comikaze, but settled instead on the plan to finally get to check out Whacko (the strange store that had been recommended to me), some record stores, and then they would join me and drive down to see Dead Man's Party. This was a pretty awesome plan!
Whacko was as advertised, a store selling unusual gifts, and lots of artwork, with a small art gallery.
Hanging out at Whacko
Dia de los Muertos stuff
We had so much fun checking it out that Kevin had to run out more than once to replenish the parking meter. Then there was a flurry of activity on Facebook messaging. April wasn't feeling well, and was giving up her ticket to see Danny Elfman that night, again at the Nokia Theater. She would feel better just knowing someone was using it, and wasn't asking for any money for the ticket. I hoped she would find someone to take it, but as time passed, I mentioned that I might be interested - the ticket being free. But it was an agonizing decision, after all, I had already seen Danny last night. Also I was talking with Jim about buying his spare ticket to see Danny on Sunday, since I didn't have plans for that day, and I figured three times in a row was too much. I had my heart set on checking out the cover band, hearing some Oingo Boingo music live, and enjoying food with friends.
Since I had already visited Amoeba Music, we drove out to another record store that Kevin recommended, and browsed while I considered my plans for the evening. This store had the actual surf-board featured on the cover of the Beach Boys albums. It also had better prices than Amoeba, although it was much smaller (back in the day it used to be huge, but has since sold off a lot of the store space in order to stay in business.)
Yup, it's the original
Kevin had a lot of great rare Oingo Boingo live recordings, which we listened to in his car while we drove around. He is a true collector of Oingo Boingo memorabilia, and regaled me with stories of driving to all the record stores in LA, hunting for elusive items, and how he finally scored a copy of the ultra-rare numbered Oingo Boingo Demo EP. He has saved and collected many posters and articles and memorabilia for the band. And while some might see this as hoarding, for me this was treasure worthy of a museum. If there had been time, it would have been interesting to have seen his collection, and if I make it back again next year, it's something we'd definitely do.
Finally I had to make a decision for the evening. I realized that here was a free ticket to see Danny Elfman again, the entire reason I had traveled to the west coast, in an incredibly rare performance (that he's said he would only do for one more year, most likely). A ticket that would go to waste for the man himself, up against a very inexpensive ticket to a cover band that would keep performing for years to come. Kevin and Reilly encouraged me to go for it, since they were going to accompany me to Dead Man's Party mainly because it was my idea, and could go back to their original plans for the day instead. Patricia (who reserved the table, and was the one I met at NHM at the beginning of this odyssey) also said I should take it. So in the end, I went for it.
This meant we had time to grab dinner somewhere in L.A. rather than going down to Long Beach to the Gaslamp, where DMP was playing. So I immediately suggested taking Kevin and Reilly to my favorite place of the entire trip, Chibiscus. And I again enjoyed the delicious pork buns, authentic ramen, and taro bubble tea, we chatted more about the band, and then they dropped me off at my hotel where I got ready to drive back down to see Danny a second time.
More Day of the Dead festivities outside the Nokia Theater
This time I came armed with my mp3 player which has an audio recorder. I had sadly forgotten to bring it the prior day in all the commotion just before the show, so I was glad to have a second chance to record the show. I also decided to video the beginning of the show, now that I already had my precious recording of Danny singing from the best seats I would have. After getting caught up in traffic, I made it and met up with Tom, Jim, Andrea, and the others. We saw John Avila (Oingo Boingo's bassist) in the lobby, and I chatted briefly with him again. After the show we also saw Steve Bartek (the guitarist, as well as Danny's orchestrator for his film work), and as a group went and talked with him again. It was really cool that all these years later they all still support each other and come out to see Danny's shows.
This show had one difference, which was that Catherine O'Hara came out to sing Sally's song, which she did this show only. Also my camera batteries died a bit after intermission, but I did capture a lot of the show on film, and unlike the Boingo Dance Party rock show, my audio recording of the orchestra came out excellent.
And it turned out that I had made the right decision on which shows to go to. While I regretted missing seeing Boingo Dance Party again on Halloween when all my friends were going, Bartek didn't end up playing that show since he wasn't feeling well. Meanwhile, the Nokia Theater didn't allow any of the VIP ticket holders into the VIP lounge after the show on Saturday, saying it was closed for a private event, and there's no knowing if Danny would have come to meet people again. So I got the best Boingo Dance Party show of the season (with most of the original band members) and I got the chance to meet Danny Elfman, the two main reasons I travelled all the way to the west coast.
We again went to a diner after the performance and hung out in the wee hours. By this point I really felt like I was part of the group, these people I had known online for years, but never met until this trip. And I decided to definitely buy Jim's spare ticket for the Sunday show, mainly to have one last hurrah on my last day in Los Angeles.
Getting dinner after the show
Sunday, November 2nd, 2014:
This was it, the final full day. During the trip I had gotten in touch with Steacy, a friend from middle school who now lives out here with her longtime boyfriend. We ended up making plans to meet for lunch this Sunday. We met at a fairly popular place (honestly the name is eluding me) and enjoyed good food and caught up. She had gone to school and lived all over the world since middle school. Her boyfriend works as a film editor, and was a pretty cool guy.
Lunch with Steacy and her bf
After lunch I headed back to my hotel, and was too exhausted to do much of anything. It was my last day, and I wanted to make it count, but I was dead tired from the long trip, so I ended up just resting in my room until it was time to drive down to Orange County for the final show. I met Jim, Andrea, Tom, April, Patricia, Jeff, and Nancy after the long drive at JT Schmid's near the Honda Center, where Danny was playing this day. The menu looked amazing, but I was still pretty full from lunch, so I instead decided to get dessert, and after an agonizing choice, ended up selecting a delicious banana bread pudding. The waitress was very friendly throughout, to the point where I am certain she was actually flirting with me. The group hung out and chatted until it was time for the show, perhaps a little too late because we ended up getting in right as it was starting... and then being unceremoniously herded to the other side of the Honda Center to access our seats, thus missing the opening number entirely (but it wasn't a big deal for me since it was, after all, my third show in a row.)
Outside the Honda Center
I ended up joining Jim's sister and her daughter the tenth row. The Honda Center was more a sports venue than a performance theater, and the difference definitely showed, since the folding seats on the floor didn't have as good a view of the stage. But this time we spotted Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez sitting right across the aisle from us, yet another former bandmate who had come to see Danny perform, and during intermission and after the show we chatted with him and got pictures. He was a warm, super-friendly guy (we're even Facebook friends now.)
Hanging out with Vatos just before the Honda Center made us vacate
This show I saved my camera to finally get a recording of the stunning violin solo and also recording Danny one last time, even though the view wasn't so great here, and the little kid singing Alice at the end. It was again a great show, but by this point I've definitely had my fill for the time being!
After the show the group got together once more, at a nearby Denny's. It would be the last time we got to hang out. The group camaraderie was great, after only a week I felt like we were all great friends, and I hope I get to visit them again next year.
The last supper for the Mystic friends of the Oingo Boingo
Monday, November 3rd, 2014:
And that was my trip. I packed my bags, checked out of the hotel, drove the rental car back, paid $30 for the rental place to drive me to the airport in the same car (a great added value!), and grabbed an overpriced, but delicious, burger at The Counter to take on the plane and eat during the long flight back home, since I realized if I didn't buy something I'd not get to eat until very very late.
This trip was more than I ever expected it to be, and I'm so glad I went. Now I really am considering trying to find a way to make it back out to Los Angeles, to see all my friends again and catch more Boingo Dance Party shows.
