Last Friday night, I DJed at the Burgundy Room in Hollywood with my soul brother Iiad. The Burgundy Room is located on the Cahuenga Corridor, with a hub of other interesting places like the Hotel Cafe, the Beauty Bar, The Room, Velvet Margarita, and Tokio... and just spitting distance from Star Shoes and Amoeba and Cinespace and a bunch of other places.
But the Burgundy was there first. It was actually a speakeasy at one point, so there! The Burgundy was a home away from home when people were too scared to hit up the seedy streets of Hollywood because somebody could pull a knife on you at any moment, steal your car, or vomit on your jeans.
It makes sense, then, that the Burgundy has been and remains a regular hang of the "Jackass" crowd.
Loomis, he formerly of the band Wax with a very tailored in a peculiar way beard and a cap worn low over his eyes, is a regular DJ at the Burgundy and former neighbor of mine. And a really sweet guy. He also hosts and participates in many "Jackass" (and "Jackass" related) type shows. He recently had his nose broken while playing in hockey in Russia with some nationals who double teamed the little guy, and now he's going to require major surgery to fix the damage. He claims that he's going to get some reconstruction done, so he's just decided to get Johnny's nose.
Johnny, as in Knoxville. Star of the (horrifyingly) number one movie in America this weekend, The Dukes of Hazzard. (Hey, well, Bush got re-elected too. Don't ask me to explain my countrymen.) Friday night, Johnny and crew stumbled down to the Burgundy, where he could be amongst friends in his time of nerve-wracking opening night anticipation. I've spent many a night at the Burgundy with these boys, and Johnny is like Dad to that crew. Someone is always wanting to jump from the bar to the space over the door holding the fan, or from a ceiling ledge to the booth table, or run naked down the street (which has happened and occasionally flashed on MTV).
The guys were sweet enough to come and support my very first Burgundy gig, which was my first ever DJ gig in LA, when I moved here a couple years ago. They were a blast and we all had a good time, as we did Friday. Johnny was packed in next to me for a while, so I asked him, "You nervous about the movie?" "Hey, whatever happens happens," he said. "I'm just gonna keep riding this train till it ends and pack away some money for later." Good thinkin', my man.
