This Actually Happened – May 5th, 2012

Unique Party

Brian is a family member who lives down the street from our apartment. He’s been on Los Angeles for over 5 years and works for a record label. This past Saturday, he asked us to help him prep the bar for a party in Hollywood. We arrived at the venue around 8pm and finished up fairly quickly. The original plan was for us to help with the set-up and then leave. I had to work in the morning and E was exhausted from a long work week. The space is a clothing store during the day but, with the clothing removed, was perfect for a party. There was graffiti all over the walls and the main dance floor was on the second level, overlooking Hollywood Blvd. After realizing that the night would be a different experience, we made the decision to drive back to the apartment in order to change, and then we would return for a few hours. We arrived back at the location around 10pm. We called B and entered through the back door; that’s when we learned about the music video. The record label was shooting a promotional video for the company and there was a camera crew and some dancers. We didn’t get the memo about proper dress, but apparently it was ‘80s/thrift store clothing night. This was a group of extremely original individuals who all seemed to scour through the racks of the best thrift stores in the City of Angels. Some people had custom hairstyles and vintage footwear. There were guys who looked as if they were rivals of Bernardo and his sharks in the movie, The West Side Story. One girl looked like she was from an ‘80s pop band and she even had on a fanny pack. Although everyone had a unique style, they all one thing in common; these people were friendly and welcoming. The performers in the video were pretending to drink a glow-in-the-dark liquid that turned out to be the fluid from many broken glow sticks. The shoot continued throughout our time at the party, but we did have one major complaint. Apparently, the DJ created a new beat that morning and he played it for an hour straight. The beat was on when we walked in and I thought it was pretty groovy. (Sorry, I just had a Brady Bunch flashback!) After his “great” beat, the DJ began playing some great tunes; covering the last three decades. For some inexplicable reason he decided that his beat is the only beat that the revelers wanted to hear. He mixed in vocals from classic songs, but continued to loop his beat. There is nothing more annoying than listening to the same song over and over for an extended period of time. (I don’t remember the beat, but if DJ Replay ends up selling it to an artist who creates a hit song, I will hate that song for the rest of my life!) We learned that these parties happen more frequently during the summer and the roof doesn’t usually get set on fire until after the bars and clubs let out; that’s when the place gets crowded with many inebriated “wild ones” who are all looking to keep the party going! Other than the hot girl who assisted with the bar tending duties, there was one individual who stood out from the crowd; we called him “gas mask!” There was a guy who had on shiny silver pants and no shirt. Instead, he wore what appeared to be a top made out of chains. (We didn’t get close enough to actually see what he had on, but it was “different,” to say the least!) He was pale, had a shaved head, and wore a gas mask on his face. This guy must have been on speed, ecstasy, or steroids, because he didn’t get off the dance floor for one second. It was as if someone hired him to be a go-go dancer, but there was no stage or platform for him to dance on. We left around midnight, so we didn’t get to see how everything turned out, but the place continued rocking until 5am or so. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we attend such an event. I know it sounds like one, but this was not a rave party. The next time, I’ll have to stop at a thrift shop and try to out due the competition! BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and would like to get an invite to the nest event, let me know and I’ll make it happen!

@PeteTeix617