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Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy!
Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy!
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A statue
of Lemmy Kilmister
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was unveiled last night
at The Rainbow Bar & Grill.
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The Los Angeles bar's outdoor
patio has now been dubbed
"Lemmy's Lounge".
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I just want to welcome
everybody here.
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This is truly
an event from the fans.
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Want to thank Mikeal,
the Maglieris here for putting
this on, and honoring Lemmy.
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Yeah.
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We're here
for a very special night,
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we're showing tribute
to one of our dear friends.
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Let's open up this statue.
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Lemmy!
Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy!
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Lemmy is always here, and now
Lemmy is permanently here,
not going anywhere.
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He's at home here,
and they've enshrined it.
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And this to me is going to be,
basically, rock n' roll mecca.
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Everybody from rock n' roll's
gotta come here one time
in their life and pay homage.
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Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy!
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Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy! Lemmy!
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Alright, we are Motörhead.
And we are going
to kick your ass.
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It was like a party
every night. It was crazy.
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It was absolutely insane, I've
never seen anything like that.
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If you were cool, you could
get away with anything.
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I used to get away
with murder in there.
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I'd see musicians
getting head under the table
and shit like that.
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I said do what the fuck
you want, I don't care.
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It was bacchanalia.
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It was exactly
how you'd picture it, times ten.
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It was the place to be.
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It was the rock n' roll café.
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I was here every single night
hanging out. All of us were.
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You'd see everybody here.
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Slash, Ozzy, Lemmy.
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- John Bonham.
- Motley Crue.
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- Keith Moon.
- Van Halen.
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- Jimmy Page.
- Janis Joplin.
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- Jimi Hendrix.
- The list goes on and on and on.
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Mikeal] It was different then.
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There was a culture,
a glamorous culture,
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the likes of which
will not happen again.
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And the watering hole
of all of it...
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The one great hub...
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The only rock mecca...
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The church of rock n' roll...
The Rainbow.
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The Rainbow
somehow was sort
of when the planets line up.
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A special place
at a special time.
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It didn't happen
in the Valley, it didn't
happen on Ventura Boulevard,
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it didn't happen
in Iowa or Wyoming.
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It happened in Los Angeles.
Perfect weather.
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00:03:46,143 --> 00:03:49,021
And up the hills,
everybody lived there.
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They all came
from all over the world.
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And at night they would all
come down and celebrate life.
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Anything was possible.
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My name is
Mario Maglieri Sr.,
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and I've been here 42 years.
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I've fed more musicians
you can shake a stick at.
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My grandpa had
a restaurant back in Chicago.
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Know what, I had rock n' roll
in my bar in Chicago
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before you ever heard
of rock n' roll.
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Lots of people
have been critical
of rock n' roll for a long time,
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but if I may say so,
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I think for the wrong reason,
because they thought
it was bad music.
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Well, actually,
it is worse than that.
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As here used it is a cynical,
commercial exploitation
of the emotions of children.
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Rock n' roll music
in the United States is dying.
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One of his partners
from the restaurant, Elmer,
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was gonna open
a business out here.
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Elmer Valentine,
he saw the Whisky in France,
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and he brought it to America.
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He went to Europe,
and in France saw a club
called Whisky A Go Go,
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that had these girls
standing behind the bar
on the ledge dancing.
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That's where
he came up with the concept
of the Go-Go girls.
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So he opened the club
January 16, 1964.
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When I went there about less
than 2 months after it opened,
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the guy couldn't run it.
They were robbing him blind.
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Elmer had called
my Dad and said "Come in
and straighten this out."
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Yeah, I'll come down there.
$200 a week, a lot of money.
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My Father came in, to like,
reorganize the business
and run the business.
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I fired everyone in the place,
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got all new help,
and uh, I straightened it out,
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and it became successful
the way it is.
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We had I think
three cages of girls
dancing on the stage.
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00:06:04,323 --> 00:06:08,285
And we had
more movie stars in there
than you could actually count.
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Packed house every night.
Was like a hang out.
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Here he is with a song
called 'Going to a Go Go',
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Smokey Robinson
and the Miracles.
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We were the first club
to integrate that we brought
black acts in.
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Los Angeles, they didn't
want blacks in the street,
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so I fucked 'em all, I brought
'em all for the whole year.
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Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves,
The Temptations, The Tops.
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You name 'em, I had 'em.
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He's color, a human
being, you know, God put us
all here for a reason.
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I don't care
what color you are.
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I don't give a shit.
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And the visitor
to Hollywood soon discovers
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that this small town has
a wealth of entertainment,
but much more.
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00:07:05,509 --> 00:07:07,928
My Grandpa moved out
to be a manager at first,
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00:07:08,011 --> 00:07:11,306
and you know,
eventually over time started
buying into the business.
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His whole family
at that point moved out here.
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Everyone, you know,
was living in LA.
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I was 16 years
old when I started
at the Whisky A Go Go.
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He was a busboy, God,
in the 60's at the Whisky.
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I was a kid,
he did not want me there,
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and I insisted that he bring me
in there, that I wanted
to come in and work there.
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I would come in and work,
maybe five, six nights a week,
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and I was still going
to High School, then College.
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But on my nights off
I wasn't allowed to go in there.
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He did not want me
in that environment.
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It was an era of peace
and love and free drugs,
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and he just didn't want me
to become a part of all that.
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He thought I'd fall prey,
so to speak, of what was
going on around me.
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I personally had a ball.
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My Father ran
the business as far
as the nightclub end of it.
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00:08:03,358 --> 00:08:04,568
The booking was done by Elmer.
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00:08:04,651 --> 00:08:07,029
Johnny Rivers
was there for a year.
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00:08:07,112 --> 00:08:11,283
And then after
rock n' roll started in, then
we started with rock n' roll.
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The Doors started
as the house band.
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We're paying them
about 50 bucks a week,
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a case of beer
a night, whatever,
just to keep 'em entertained.
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How The Doors got booked
in the Whisky to begin with
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was Chris Gowdy, who worked
in our office as a bookkeeper,
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and Charlotte,
who's a ticket taker
at the front door,
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went to a club
called The London Fog,
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they saw Jim,
and they wanted to screw Jim.
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That's why they got hired.
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The Doors
opening for Johnny Rivers
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and getting
booed off on the stage.
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They learned their trade.
They came and rehearsed all day.
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That 'Light My Fire' song
that became
12 and a half minutes,
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00:09:02,251 --> 00:09:04,211
I heard that for two
and a half hours at a time.
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00:09:04,294 --> 00:09:06,922
By the time it came out
on the radio and became famous,
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I was like, "Oh my God,
do I have to hear this again?"
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Mother.
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Turn it off!
Turn these fucking--!
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00:09:29,653 --> 00:09:31,613
Actually when I met
Oliver Stone,
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00:09:31,697 --> 00:09:33,782
this was years later, after he
did the movie 'The Doors",
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I had to correct him.
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Hey, come on, man!
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Here's your act right there.
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My Father
did not throw Jim out.
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Jim had a habit of like
kinda dropping his pants.
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00:09:47,129 --> 00:09:50,424
Now I know today, they wear
their pants below their ass,
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in those days
you didn't do that.
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The girls would go crazy
in the audience.
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And one night in particular,
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and this is where the movie
got it misinterpreted,
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is he decided
to do a frontal nudity,
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00:10:02,144 --> 00:10:04,438
and kind of showed
his works onstage.
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00:10:04,521 --> 00:10:08,066
My Father got so ticked off
that he pulled the plug.
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00:10:08,150 --> 00:10:10,110
Jim jumped off the stage
onto the dance floor,
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00:10:10,193 --> 00:10:13,530
went down the steps
of the dance floor, went up
on the second landing,
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00:10:13,614 --> 00:10:15,407
and peed over the balcony.
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00:10:15,490 --> 00:10:18,910
Literally like,
to say screw you back
to my Dad for unplugging him.
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00:10:18,994 --> 00:10:20,871
Went up
in the dressing room and hid,
154
00:10:20,954 --> 00:10:23,332
and at two
in the morning he came down
and apologized to my Dad
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00:10:23,415 --> 00:10:25,876
and they were
back onstage the next night.
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00:10:25,959 --> 00:10:27,544
Jim Morrison
used too many drugs.
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00:10:27,628 --> 00:10:30,505
He was not a bad kid,
he was a good kid.
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Like I'd tell him "Hey,"
you know I called 'em names,
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00:10:33,550 --> 00:10:35,427
"You get out
on that stage at 9 o'clock,
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not 5, not 5 after, you're not
I'll beat the shit outta ya."
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00:10:43,435 --> 00:10:48,357
The Whisky was the place
where the happening acts
were happening.
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00:10:49,941 --> 00:10:52,944
If you come
out to LA as a band,
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00:10:53,028 --> 00:10:54,571
you really
want that on your resume,
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that you've played
at the Whisky A Go Go, I mean,
it's a big thing.
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My Dad was 17, 18 years old
working in these clubs,
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00:11:01,703 --> 00:11:04,706
and it's mind-blowing
the people he had
to have come across.
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At the time you're not aware
of what's going on around you,
168
00:11:09,002 --> 00:11:12,631
you know, I'm hanging out
with Jimi Hendrix
and Arthur Lee from Love.
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00:11:12,714 --> 00:11:14,633
I mean, just
to be sitting at the Whisky
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00:11:14,758 --> 00:11:17,761
and have someone from
The Beatles or have Andy Warhol
sitting in there,
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00:11:17,844 --> 00:11:19,846
I mean that's just,
it's unbelievable.
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00:11:21,264 --> 00:11:24,142
And I was the busboy
for probably six, eight months
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and then I was the manager
when my Dad wanted
to take a night off.
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00:11:27,187 --> 00:11:31,108
I worked into bartending.
I learned the business
from the ground up.
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00:11:31,191 --> 00:11:33,944
Out of College, Law School,
everything else I did,
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00:11:34,027 --> 00:11:36,655
the best education I had
was right here
on the Sunset Strip.
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00:11:47,207 --> 00:11:50,085
Janis Joplin came in,
and her name's
Pearl by the way,
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00:11:50,168 --> 00:11:51,586
Janis was her stage name.
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00:11:51,670 --> 00:11:54,798
And she sat down in the middle
booth of the Whisky,
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00:11:54,881 --> 00:11:59,094
she had like four glasses
of Southern Comfort
on the rocks,
181
00:11:59,177 --> 00:12:01,012
and on or about
her fourth one,
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00:12:01,096 --> 00:12:05,434
my Dad said put
a case of Southern Comfort
into Pearls trunk.
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00:12:06,393 --> 00:12:07,686
She leaves with her manager,
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00:12:07,769 --> 00:12:12,858
the next morning on the news
they said that Janis Joplin had
died of alcohol poisoning.
185
00:12:12,941 --> 00:12:16,027
I thought, well,
the booze I gave her,
I must've killed her.
186
00:12:16,111 --> 00:12:18,071
She had all those drinks,
and I mean, I was a kid.
187
00:12:18,155 --> 00:12:20,490
So for like three days,
I thought I killed her
188
00:12:20,574 --> 00:12:24,244
until the coroner's report came
out and found out
she actually OD-ed,
189
00:12:24,327 --> 00:12:25,787
and no, I did not
kill Janis Joplin.
190
00:12:25,871 --> 00:12:28,457
And here's
the world famous
Whisky A Go Go on the Strip,
191
00:12:28,540 --> 00:12:32,419
a favorite dancing spot for both
the mods and movie stars
who want to get it on.
192
00:12:32,502 --> 00:12:34,921
Let's drop in and see
what's happening tonight.
193
00:12:40,051 --> 00:12:42,971
The Whisky
was pretty essential,
194
00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:46,808
it was one
of the first great
rock n' roll clubs.
195
00:12:46,892 --> 00:12:51,229
It's the Old Marquis
in London, it's the CBGB
of the West Coast,
196
00:12:51,313 --> 00:12:54,441
it's the place that you know
everybody's gone through.
197
00:12:58,445 --> 00:13:00,989
You thought it was
this big, massive concert hall,
198
00:13:01,072 --> 00:13:04,451
you can't fit more
than 200 people inside.
199
00:13:04,534 --> 00:13:09,456
It was just a regular bar
with people, and yet anybody
who's anybody played there.
200
00:13:09,539 --> 00:13:12,250
A lot of great artists
over the years, Led Zeppelin.
201
00:13:12,334 --> 00:13:14,377
Buffalo Springfield
is another big band,
202
00:13:14,461 --> 00:13:15,962
Fleetwood Mac
is another big band,
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00:13:16,046 --> 00:13:18,757
Alice Cooper,
you know, all these bands
when they were nothing.
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00:13:18,882 --> 00:13:21,927
When you first start out,
and before you figure out
your game,
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00:13:22,010 --> 00:13:23,428
The Whisky's the place to do it.
206
00:13:23,512 --> 00:13:27,057
I cannot tell you how many
thousands of people got
started on this street.
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00:13:27,140 --> 00:13:32,270
Everybody, they've all
done their first tour
through the States in clubs,
208
00:13:32,354 --> 00:13:34,773
so they ended up
at the Whisky in LA.
209
00:13:34,856 --> 00:13:37,859
The first time we ever
played in Los Angeles
was at the Whisky,
210
00:13:37,943 --> 00:13:41,238
and there was like a line
around the block twice.
211
00:13:41,321 --> 00:13:44,783
We had opening nights
probably two to three times
a week with major groups,
212
00:13:44,908 --> 00:13:48,954
and then you always had
the house band, Chicago,
CTA at that time.
213
00:13:50,622 --> 00:13:52,415
They were, like,
I think seven guys
214
00:13:52,499 --> 00:13:55,085
living in
a one bedroom apartment
on the Hollywood Boulevard.
215
00:13:56,002 --> 00:13:59,506
We didn't have
much of anything. I mean
we're just trying to survive.
216
00:13:59,589 --> 00:14:05,345
We all lived together
in a little house
on Holly Drive under the 101
217
00:14:05,428 --> 00:14:07,973
and, you know,
coming to the Whiskey to work
218
00:14:08,056 --> 00:14:11,935
was a chance to make
some dough to feed ourselves
219
00:14:12,018 --> 00:14:16,565
and to possibly get, you know,
220
00:14:16,648 --> 00:14:18,567
a connection
to something even better.
221
00:14:18,650 --> 00:14:21,528
We were opening
for Velvet Underground,
222
00:14:21,611 --> 00:14:23,947
they were promoting
their very famous first album
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00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:26,616
with the Andy Warhol
banana on the cover.
224
00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:29,828
And not only did we,
sort of, become the house band,
225
00:14:29,911 --> 00:14:33,707
that would be on the off nights,
not the nights when--
226
00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:36,334
- Like the big names.
- The big names
would come through.
227
00:14:36,418 --> 00:14:40,380
But we did get access
to the club during the daytime.
228
00:14:40,463 --> 00:14:44,551
We were in here rehearsing
that was to become
Chicago Transit Authority,
229
00:14:44,634 --> 00:14:45,635
the first album.
230
00:14:49,514 --> 00:14:51,558
This was a sounding ground,
231
00:14:51,641 --> 00:14:56,396
and a place for us to really
write and arrange the music
232
00:14:56,479 --> 00:14:58,523
that put us on the map.
233
00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:08,450
Next thing you know, we had
record company executives
in here
234
00:15:08,533 --> 00:15:10,660
and bidding wars
were starting.
235
00:15:10,744 --> 00:15:15,498
And so we wound up acing a deal
with Columbia Records,
236
00:15:15,582 --> 00:15:19,085
which started here.
237
00:15:26,176 --> 00:15:28,053
West Hollywood's
a popular part of LA,
238
00:15:28,136 --> 00:15:30,055
you know obviously
you had Tower Records there,
239
00:15:30,138 --> 00:15:32,015
you had a lot
of nightclubs around there,
240
00:15:32,098 --> 00:15:34,100
and it just had cemented itself
241
00:15:34,184 --> 00:15:37,312
even before the Whisky
as being sort
of the entertainment strip.
242
00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,734
You know, this is the Whisky
on the Sunset Strip
in Hollywood.
243
00:15:42,817 --> 00:15:47,030
Palm trees, suntan chicks,
and it was just, it was cool.
244
00:15:47,113 --> 00:15:51,076
Sunset Blvd was packed
with people strolling,
245
00:15:51,159 --> 00:15:53,244
you know, it was like
a party on the sidewalk.
246
00:15:53,328 --> 00:15:58,083
Going to a concert
was an event, it was
the gathering of the tribes,
247
00:15:58,166 --> 00:16:02,462
and the streets were just
filled with really interesting,
248
00:16:02,545 --> 00:16:04,631
attractive, glamorous people.
249
00:16:04,714 --> 00:16:08,843
And you'd just hop
from one club
to the next, you know,
250
00:16:08,927 --> 00:16:12,514
passing joints and just,
"Hey brother, what's happening?"
251
00:16:12,597 --> 00:16:16,476
You'd walk
up the street and people
would hand you a hit of acid.
252
00:16:16,559 --> 00:16:18,436
Every night there
was people on the street,
253
00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,438
the street
was full of young people.
254
00:16:20,522 --> 00:16:24,901
Just strolling
up and down the street
you would meet movie stars,
255
00:16:24,985 --> 00:16:26,987
rock stars, everyone.
256
00:16:28,947 --> 00:16:34,077
A wandering band of members
of a so-called religious cult
with a leader they call Jesus
257
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:36,830
has had three
of its followers arrested
258
00:16:36,913 --> 00:16:40,959
in the investigation
of the murder of Sharon Tate
and six others.
259
00:16:41,084 --> 00:16:42,961
Charles Manson.
260
00:16:43,086 --> 00:16:46,339
The girl called me at home
and said there's
a guy downstairs,
261
00:16:46,423 --> 00:16:48,633
we're closed, he won't get up.
262
00:16:48,717 --> 00:16:52,679
So I'll be right down there,
so I drove down all the way
to the Whisky,
263
00:16:52,762 --> 00:16:55,640
and I go downstairs and said
"What are you doing here?"
264
00:16:55,724 --> 00:16:57,267
He said "You know who I am?"
265
00:16:57,350 --> 00:17:01,146
I stopped him,
"I don't give a fuck
who you are, okay?"
266
00:17:01,229 --> 00:17:05,233
"Now you
gotta leave or you don't,
I'm gonna kick your ass."
267
00:17:05,316 --> 00:17:06,568
He says "I'm Jesus."
268
00:17:06,651 --> 00:17:10,572
I tell him
"I'm God, motherfucker,
now get up from that chair."
269
00:17:10,655 --> 00:17:15,118
He got up, or I'd of had to beat
the shit out of him. Either one.
270
00:17:15,201 --> 00:17:18,913
The Whisky was a club
where groups came to see
other groups play.
271
00:17:20,123 --> 00:17:21,499
That was a change in time,
272
00:17:21,583 --> 00:17:24,419
and if you give credit
to an individual,
it'd be my Dad.
273
00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:28,840
He literally came out
and stood at the front door
of The Rainbow,
274
00:17:28,923 --> 00:17:31,217
so the groups started
coming in here to hang out.
275
00:17:31,301 --> 00:17:32,927
The Rainbow was
originally the Villa Nova,
276
00:17:33,011 --> 00:17:34,721
which was
a famous restaurant in itself.
277
00:17:34,804 --> 00:17:39,017
I was here
with my parents when it
was Villa Nova in the 50's.
278
00:17:39,142 --> 00:17:41,478
It was loaded
with movie stars.
279
00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:45,440
Marilyn Monroe dated
Joe Dimaggio in that booth
right behind us.
280
00:17:45,523 --> 00:17:47,525
I was friends with Tony Curtis.
281
00:17:47,609 --> 00:17:50,737
I believe it was around the time
that they were making
'Some Like It Hot',
282
00:17:50,820 --> 00:17:54,783
that Marilyn Monroe
and Tony Curtis would
meet here at The Rainbow,
283
00:17:54,866 --> 00:17:57,786
then called the Villa Nova,
and have their little liaisons,
284
00:17:57,869 --> 00:18:00,830
and then went out
to the bungalows
up by the ocean.
285
00:18:01,623 --> 00:18:04,334
She was cheating
on Arthur Miller,
her playwright husband.
286
00:18:04,417 --> 00:18:06,878
Arthur Miller found out,
and wanted to fight with him.
287
00:18:06,961 --> 00:18:09,672
And then it was
either the director
of 'Some Like It Hot'
288
00:18:09,756 --> 00:18:12,842
broke it up, or Arthur Miller
decided it wasn't worth
fighting with him.
289
00:18:12,926 --> 00:18:16,054
Tony promised
to stop the relationship
with Marilyn Monroe,
290
00:18:16,137 --> 00:18:18,681
and they all agreed
and shook hands, and that was
the end of that.
291
00:18:22,977 --> 00:18:26,064
The Whisky was a place
where groups came
to see other groups.
292
00:18:26,147 --> 00:18:29,901
Now the groups were coming
up to The Rainbow to hang out,
to hang with one another.
293
00:18:33,363 --> 00:18:36,533
We had a private club upstairs
called The Vampires Lair.
294
00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:40,370
The Hollywood Vampires,
it was a club of people
that just all hung together.
295
00:18:40,453 --> 00:18:42,789
It was Micky Dolenz,
and Alice Cooper.
296
00:18:42,872 --> 00:18:47,752
You had Ringo,
John Lennon, these people
hung in here all the time.
297
00:18:47,836 --> 00:18:51,256
The Hollywood Vampires were me,
298
00:18:51,339 --> 00:18:57,053
Alice, Harry, Keith, and John,
that was kind of the core.
299
00:18:57,137 --> 00:19:02,976
So they were hanging
out up there, and then...
Oh, I can't look.
300
00:19:03,935 --> 00:19:09,232
Shortly after
it opened, we were kind
of a drinking men's club,
301
00:19:09,315 --> 00:19:14,154
like you would have in England,
you know, call it
the Priars or something.
302
00:19:18,158 --> 00:19:20,743
I think maybe it might have had
something to do with the fact
303
00:19:20,827 --> 00:19:24,330
that this had such a cool, like
private, private, private--
304
00:19:24,414 --> 00:19:27,417
you know, it was tough enough
to get downstairs,
305
00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:32,255
you know, and then to get up
here, over The Rainbow was
like another level,
306
00:19:32,338 --> 00:19:35,341
and then to get up here was
basically impossible
307
00:19:35,425 --> 00:19:38,553
unless you were
one of those guys.
308
00:19:48,771 --> 00:19:51,357
Every kind of act
you could imagine,
309
00:19:51,441 --> 00:19:54,152
every kind of drug
you could imagine,
probably went through there,
310
00:19:54,235 --> 00:19:56,154
I'm not going
to point fingers at anyone.
311
00:19:56,279 --> 00:20:00,575
We were
just smoking and drinking
and laughing and puking.
312
00:20:01,451 --> 00:20:04,662
There probably wasn't a whole
lot of people that even
wanted to go up there.
313
00:20:04,746 --> 00:20:06,664
It's like all those weirdoes.
314
00:20:10,919 --> 00:20:12,962
Contrary to a little bit
of urban myth,
315
00:20:13,046 --> 00:20:18,760
Alice and I,
we were into sports,
Harry was a basketball player.
316
00:20:18,843 --> 00:20:23,181
And Alice's idea was
to start a softball team
317
00:20:23,306 --> 00:20:25,099
called the Hollywood Vampires.
318
00:20:30,813 --> 00:20:35,485
He got t-shirts made and we
would play these charity games,
319
00:20:35,568 --> 00:20:40,198
and we'd go out and raise money
and stuff, then we'd
come here and get hammered.
320
00:20:49,415 --> 00:20:51,960
But The Rainbow is just
a great restaurant,
321
00:20:52,043 --> 00:20:55,213
and it got to the point
where it was probably
322
00:20:55,338 --> 00:20:59,384
one of the premiere rock places
along the Sunset Strip.
323
00:21:00,426 --> 00:21:03,054
The Rainbow became the home
of the moving stars,
324
00:21:03,137 --> 00:21:07,934
where rock stars and musicians
and the movie stars came
to see one another.
325
00:21:08,017 --> 00:21:10,728
Literally to be seen
or to see who's here.
326
00:21:11,562 --> 00:21:14,107
It was more than instantaneous,
it was kind of unbelievable.
327
00:21:21,572 --> 00:21:25,660
Gene]Anybody who was in town,
whether they were
recording or playing a show
328
00:21:25,743 --> 00:21:26,536
would come here.
329
00:21:26,619 --> 00:21:30,415
This was the hub.
Main acts would come to LA,
330
00:21:30,498 --> 00:21:33,001
they'd come here
on a night off to see
what was going on.
331
00:21:33,084 --> 00:21:36,629
Bands who were
actually the innovators
of all, of all music.
332
00:21:39,382 --> 00:21:41,551
James] The Who, or The Stones.
333
00:21:41,634 --> 00:21:43,553
Well, I met 'em all.
I talked to them.
334
00:21:43,636 --> 00:21:45,179
Give 'em booze,
whatever they want.
335
00:21:45,263 --> 00:21:48,182
Was it James Brown wouldn't go
in any other restroom but here?
336
00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,435
You'd never know
who you were gonna see.
337
00:21:50,518 --> 00:21:52,395
Zeppelin would come in
all the time,
338
00:21:52,478 --> 00:21:55,940
they'd put the big
round table in the middle,
all of Zeppelin were there.
339
00:21:56,024 --> 00:21:59,819
Deep Purple would come in,
The Who, and it was packed,
340
00:21:59,902 --> 00:22:03,906
it was absolutely packed, and it
was really a fun different era.
341
00:22:11,164 --> 00:22:14,167
And it's really
a restaurant in a club.
342
00:22:15,877 --> 00:22:18,338
I have a lot
of memories of that kitchen.
343
00:22:19,589 --> 00:22:21,466
So busy, all the time.
344
00:22:23,301 --> 00:22:26,846
Always having something to eat,
even if you had no money,
I mean he would--
345
00:22:26,929 --> 00:22:28,806
Mario was always,
346
00:22:30,308 --> 00:22:35,313
"Eh, pay me later, you know,
whatever, I didn't
hear anything."
347
00:22:40,318 --> 00:22:44,113
It's not just the location
of it, because it's right
in the middle of everything,
348
00:22:44,197 --> 00:22:45,573
but the food's really good.
349
00:22:46,866 --> 00:22:49,869
They have the best
damn soups, the pizzas
are notorious,
350
00:22:49,952 --> 00:22:54,582
I always tell my friends
you get a Spago steak
at a Rainbow price.
351
00:22:54,665 --> 00:22:57,794
The steak, you gotta
pay 60, 70 dollars for a steak,
352
00:22:57,877 --> 00:23:00,004
I've got the best steak
in this city right here.
353
00:23:00,088 --> 00:23:03,299
You feel sick, you gotta
eat some Rainbow chicken soup.
354
00:23:03,383 --> 00:23:05,510
It's the only way
to cure your throat.
355
00:23:06,719 --> 00:23:10,348
My name is Miguel Murillo,
and I'm the chef at The Rainbow.
356
00:23:10,431 --> 00:23:15,686
Miguel is a mainstay,
without a doubt, he makes
sure this place runs right.
357
00:23:15,770 --> 00:23:21,359
I started
working here April 1972,
358
00:23:21,442 --> 00:23:23,986
started as a busboy,
I'd never cooked before.
359
00:23:24,070 --> 00:23:26,322
He used to clean toilets,
now he's the chef.
360
00:23:26,406 --> 00:23:30,451
Miguel did the movie
Up In Smoke, Cheech and Chong
used to hang in here.
361
00:23:30,535 --> 00:23:33,329
In fact, Cheech married
one of our waitresses.
362
00:23:33,413 --> 00:23:36,207
We smoked
this whole lid, man, and I
haven't even had a buzz yet.
363
00:23:36,290 --> 00:23:38,709
We had a French chef
that we first opened
The Rainbow with
364
00:23:38,793 --> 00:23:42,130
and Miguel
watched him prepare the food,
365
00:23:42,213 --> 00:23:45,508
and then with my mother's
recipes he incorporated into it
366
00:23:45,591 --> 00:23:47,218
and developed
the menu we have.
367
00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:49,595
The consistency
is unbelievable,
368
00:23:49,679 --> 00:23:51,973
since I was a kid it tastes
exactly the same.
369
00:23:52,056 --> 00:23:53,808
Miguel's been here 43 years,
370
00:23:53,891 --> 00:23:57,895
we have not one or two, but many
long, long time employees.
371
00:23:57,979 --> 00:24:00,857
It's not unusual for someone
to be here 25, 30 years.
372
00:24:01,816 --> 00:24:03,901
The same chef
and the same owner
373
00:24:03,985 --> 00:24:07,029
have been around for about 30,
at least 30 some odd years.
374
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:11,033
It was like, you know,
go in the kitchen.
It was like your house.
375
00:24:11,117 --> 00:24:13,494
I remember being there
as a little kid
running around,
376
00:24:13,578 --> 00:24:16,414
my whole childhood
my Grandfather
would work late nights
377
00:24:16,539 --> 00:24:19,417
until three in the morning
every night, my Dad same thing.
378
00:24:19,542 --> 00:24:22,920
As kids we didn't go to bed
until two, three in the morning,
379
00:24:23,004 --> 00:24:24,755
because it was just
what our family was used to.
380
00:24:24,839 --> 00:24:28,926
I made it a family, I want
my family. What else you got
in life? Nothing.
381
00:24:31,971 --> 00:24:34,056
I took care
of my people that came in,
382
00:24:34,140 --> 00:24:37,018
"Hello, how are ya, how's your
kids, how's your wife?"
383
00:24:39,437 --> 00:24:41,272
It's like
that TV show Cheers,
384
00:24:41,355 --> 00:24:43,483
people like to go where
everybody knows your name.
385
00:24:49,238 --> 00:24:51,991
And to this day,
we are now 43 years later,
386
00:24:52,074 --> 00:24:54,285
and they are still
coming here on a regular basis.
387
00:24:54,368 --> 00:24:57,538
You can come on
a Monday or Tuesday, which
you wouldn't even expect it,
388
00:24:57,622 --> 00:24:59,999
and you may have
five or ten rock stars.
389
00:25:00,082 --> 00:25:02,418
Ozzy's here
about three, four times a week.
390
00:25:02,502 --> 00:25:06,631
Lemmy from Motörhead bought
a place right down the street
so he would be near The Rainbow.
391
00:25:06,714 --> 00:25:09,091
He makes no bones about it,
he has to be by The Rainbow.
392
00:25:17,558 --> 00:25:21,187
Lemmy is a God. Lemmy is
awesome, he's always
been a part of this club,
393
00:25:21,270 --> 00:25:24,357
he loves
hanging out at The Rainbow.
He's always at The Rainbow.
394
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,442
He's like furniture there,
he's always there.
395
00:25:26,526 --> 00:25:29,111
People call and they
think he owns the place,
396
00:25:29,195 --> 00:25:32,281
you know, I get all these calls,
what does Lemmy have
to do with The Rainbow,
397
00:25:32,365 --> 00:25:33,699
it's like
he just hangs out there.
398
00:25:33,783 --> 00:25:35,993
Lemmy, he still comes here.
399
00:25:36,077 --> 00:25:38,746
Plays the machine on the bar,
that's all he does.
400
00:25:38,829 --> 00:25:41,082
But he minds his own business,
such a nice guy.
401
00:25:41,165 --> 00:25:45,002
He's in front
of the machine all the time,
drinking his jack and cokes,
402
00:25:45,086 --> 00:25:47,505
and uh, you don't bug him.
403
00:25:47,588 --> 00:25:50,258
One of the coolest
things about The Rainbow
404
00:25:50,341 --> 00:25:53,469
is celebrities like to hang
out there cause they don't
get messed with.
405
00:25:53,553 --> 00:25:56,973
People who are
famous can hang there
and kind of sit in a corner
406
00:25:57,056 --> 00:26:00,351
and keep to themselves,
and not get fucked with
by every person that walks by.
407
00:26:50,693 --> 00:26:54,488
That guy helped me out in Vegas
one time with another joint
we had there,
408
00:26:54,572 --> 00:26:57,950
and Lemmy's a good man.
409
00:26:58,034 --> 00:27:01,287
He's an amazing guy,
he's a great person,
and we all adore him.
410
00:27:27,438 --> 00:27:29,315
It was the kind
of crowd that I liked.
411
00:27:29,398 --> 00:27:32,526
I wasn't really crazy
about like the Sky Bar,
or the W.
412
00:27:32,610 --> 00:27:34,904
These places
struck me as a bit pretentious,
413
00:27:34,987 --> 00:27:38,699
you know, leisure suit attitude,
you know sports jackets,
it's just, I don't know.
414
00:27:38,783 --> 00:27:41,661
This is rock n' roll. This is
as rock n' roll as it gets.
415
00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:55,800
A rock star
is a peculiar thing,
416
00:27:55,883 --> 00:27:58,427
it's come to mean
you're extraordinary.
417
00:27:58,511 --> 00:28:01,013
You can be Bill Clinton,
you're a rock star,
418
00:28:01,097 --> 00:28:04,433
or Obama, or whoever
it is you think is cool.
419
00:28:04,517 --> 00:28:07,103
You can't say,
"See that guy over there,
he's a hip-hop star,"
420
00:28:07,186 --> 00:28:08,521
it fucking means nothing.
421
00:28:08,604 --> 00:28:10,564
"That guy over there,
he's a country star."
422
00:28:10,648 --> 00:28:14,735
Take your pick, "That guy's
a heavy metal star,"
it means fuck all.
423
00:28:14,819 --> 00:28:19,949
There is only rock, because
as much as we love Sinatra,
and the Rat Pack,
424
00:28:20,032 --> 00:28:21,242
it's not this thing.
425
00:28:22,201 --> 00:28:25,579
Mom and Dad
and outside culture
didn't effect it,
426
00:28:25,663 --> 00:28:29,667
so peoples
hair grew longer, they wore
more flamboyant clothes.
427
00:28:29,792 --> 00:28:33,754
Straight guys like Robert Plant
were wearing chick clothing,
428
00:28:33,838 --> 00:28:38,092
and the sort of ambiguous
nature of guys moving
like girls, and stuff.
429
00:28:38,175 --> 00:28:42,680
It was not judgment,
in fact, I don't remember
the word gay being uttered.
430
00:28:42,763 --> 00:28:44,515
You just did whatever you
wanted to do.
431
00:28:45,516 --> 00:28:48,602
When people
say tell us a story,
it doesn't have to be sexual,
432
00:28:48,686 --> 00:28:52,022
if it's rock n' roll,
it's always about sexual.
433
00:28:52,106 --> 00:28:56,652
If it's country music it's
about your beer and your truck
or your hog or whatever.
434
00:28:56,736 --> 00:28:59,488
That's why we picked up guitars
in the first place.
435
00:28:59,572 --> 00:29:02,700
What do you think, we have
some great secret to impart
to the world?
436
00:29:02,783 --> 00:29:06,454
I don't look like Bob Dylan,
nobody pretends to be that.
437
00:29:06,537 --> 00:29:07,621
We just wanted to get laid.
438
00:29:07,705 --> 00:29:11,667
The Rainbow
was really a place
where rock n' roll musicians
439
00:29:11,751 --> 00:29:14,587
could go and hang out,
and just be themselves,
440
00:29:14,670 --> 00:29:17,089
and be able to you know,
have a good time.
441
00:29:17,173 --> 00:29:19,008
The kind of good time
that a musician wants to have.
442
00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:23,262
You know, the reputation was
rock n' roll-- sex, drugs
and rock n' roll.
443
00:29:24,263 --> 00:29:28,225
People want to live
a kind of a rock n' roll
gypsy lifestyle
444
00:29:28,309 --> 00:29:30,227
where you don't have
to apologize.
445
00:29:31,771 --> 00:29:34,023
There was
even a magazine called Star,
446
00:29:34,106 --> 00:29:37,234
and on the cover of every
issue of star were groupies
447
00:29:37,318 --> 00:29:40,362
who would tell their stories
of bedding down Robert Plant,
448
00:29:40,446 --> 00:29:44,116
or the Aerosmith guys,
or whoever.
They were celebrated.
449
00:29:46,410 --> 00:29:49,955
We get to fuck
the prettiest boys, you get
to smoke the best dope.
450
00:29:50,039 --> 00:29:53,375
You get to meet all
the most far out people.
It's magic.
451
00:30:01,801 --> 00:30:04,678
You just had to be cool
about it. That was the sort
of fine line.
452
00:30:20,152 --> 00:30:24,156
Once I finally got out
of high school in 1978
453
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,743
my first thing to do
was to pack up the car
and come to Hollywood.
454
00:30:30,788 --> 00:30:34,250
It was in the heart
of the disco era,
455
00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:37,419
rock was a secondary thing.
456
00:30:38,546 --> 00:30:42,758
The very first night I came out
in '77 I came to The Rainbow,
457
00:30:42,842 --> 00:30:46,804
and then I came every night
after that for years.
458
00:30:48,180 --> 00:30:52,059
There were all these guys
waiting for a chance,
going through different bands.
459
00:30:53,644 --> 00:30:57,481
I'm talking about me
and Nikki Sixx, Blackie Lawless
460
00:30:57,565 --> 00:31:00,442
and we were all hanging
here wondering what was
going to happen to us.
461
00:31:09,243 --> 00:31:11,203
I was an aspiring
rock n' roll musician
462
00:31:11,287 --> 00:31:14,373
and hanging out at all
the various clubs in LA,
463
00:31:14,456 --> 00:31:19,086
you know, sort of doing
that thing that you do which is
going to check out bands,
464
00:31:19,169 --> 00:31:21,171
going to sort of network
so to speak.
465
00:31:28,971 --> 00:31:31,599
I mean all kinds
of interesting stories
466
00:31:31,682 --> 00:31:34,101
about things that have developed
at The Rainbow,
467
00:31:34,184 --> 00:31:38,063
from record deals
to songs, to bands,
members of bands meeting,
468
00:31:38,147 --> 00:31:40,900
I mean all kinds of, you name
it, it's happened there.
469
00:31:48,324 --> 00:31:51,577
Rock music
in the 80's all came out
of The Rainbow and The Whisky.
470
00:31:58,167 --> 00:32:02,880
I was a stalwart at The Rainbow.
I have a long history
with Mikeal and Mario.
471
00:32:02,963 --> 00:32:06,175
I first met them
unbeknownst to them
472
00:32:06,258 --> 00:32:09,553
probably when I was like 15.
473
00:32:09,637 --> 00:32:13,974
I used to make
fake IDs and we'd go
in there on the weekends.
474
00:32:14,058 --> 00:32:16,560
Mikeal was always
hanging around the door.
475
00:32:16,644 --> 00:32:19,021
He finally busted me
with my fake ID
476
00:32:19,104 --> 00:32:21,440
and I'd gone down
there with Steven
477
00:32:21,523 --> 00:32:24,276
and he was using
the fake ID I made for him.
478
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,570
He walked right in,
and I got held up.
479
00:32:26,654 --> 00:32:30,532
I was drunk too,
and I was pissed,
so I went back to my pad,
480
00:32:30,616 --> 00:32:34,870
and I went
into my Mom's clothes,
481
00:32:34,954 --> 00:32:37,164
cause it was Tuesday,
it was ladies night.
482
00:32:37,247 --> 00:32:39,375
So I went through
a bunch of her shit
483
00:32:39,458 --> 00:32:43,045
and I put together
this makeshift female
sort of get up,
484
00:32:43,128 --> 00:32:46,173
and some make-up and that,
and I padded my chest up
485
00:32:46,256 --> 00:32:48,926
and did the whole nine
and went back
up there and got in.
486
00:32:49,051 --> 00:32:52,346
But then suddenly I
realized the grim reality
487
00:32:52,429 --> 00:32:56,308
is that I'm dressed
as a girl in The Rainbow.
It did work though. I got in.
488
00:32:58,352 --> 00:33:01,105
Well, I would
probably be breaking
the law by saying
489
00:33:01,188 --> 00:33:02,940
the first time
I was let in here.
490
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:07,611
As a musician you could live
on a bowl of chicken soup
and a loaf of bread
491
00:33:07,695 --> 00:33:09,613
because they always gave you
a loaf of bread,
492
00:33:09,697 --> 00:33:12,157
which was like the thing
you fill up on
493
00:33:12,241 --> 00:33:14,785
but then you get a little bit
of nourishment with it.
494
00:33:14,868 --> 00:33:16,537
It was a big bowl too.
495
00:33:16,620 --> 00:33:20,457
There's so many that literally
give credit to my Dad
496
00:33:20,541 --> 00:33:24,461
because yeah, he supported
them while they were coming up.
497
00:33:24,545 --> 00:33:26,088
And he always
took them under his wing.
498
00:33:26,171 --> 00:33:28,841
If someone came in
and it looked like they were
down and out on their luck,
499
00:33:28,924 --> 00:33:32,302
or trying to get started,
my Dad was always like,
here, gotta feed you.
500
00:33:32,386 --> 00:33:33,637
Have a bowl of soup.
501
00:33:33,721 --> 00:33:35,973
I met Mario
in The Runaways days,
502
00:33:36,056 --> 00:33:40,185
we had an apartment
around the corner
up here on Clarke street.
503
00:33:40,269 --> 00:33:42,980
And we would come
to The Rainbow every night
504
00:33:43,063 --> 00:33:46,692
and Mario would take care of us
every night 'cause
we didn't have any money.
505
00:33:46,775 --> 00:33:49,278
You know, in those days I might
have had enough for a beer.
506
00:33:49,361 --> 00:33:51,405
Mario was always very,
very cool about it.
507
00:33:51,488 --> 00:33:55,242
He'd hook me up with the next,
maybe, even a refill.
508
00:33:56,702 --> 00:33:59,329
You know, I don't know
why he was so sweet
to me but he was.
509
00:33:59,413 --> 00:34:01,999
And to this day
I always thank him for it.
510
00:34:02,082 --> 00:34:07,838
Mario really gave us a place
to put a roof over our heads.
511
00:34:07,921 --> 00:34:11,341
We were trying
to be rock stars, learning,
512
00:34:11,425 --> 00:34:15,679
and reaching out for different
people to help us,
and Mario was there.
513
00:34:17,931 --> 00:34:21,435
The Runaways had the largest
attendance record
514
00:34:21,518 --> 00:34:24,855
in the history
of the Whisky a Go Go
515
00:34:24,938 --> 00:34:28,317
that wrapped around The Rainbow
four nights in a row.
516
00:34:48,003 --> 00:34:51,340
Your Grandpa let me
in there, he'd buy me a meal,
I didn't have any money.
517
00:34:51,423 --> 00:34:55,010
I've seriously heard
that story from a thousand
different people.
518
00:34:55,094 --> 00:34:56,637
It's me, it's my nature.
519
00:34:56,720 --> 00:34:58,597
I feel sorry
for the guy down there,
520
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:00,224
not the guy up,
but the guy down here.
521
00:35:00,307 --> 00:35:02,226
You gotta
treat everybody well,
522
00:35:02,309 --> 00:35:03,936
no matter who they are,
it don't matter.
523
00:35:04,019 --> 00:35:06,855
Except Manson,
he's nuts that guy.
524
00:35:21,495 --> 00:35:24,665
Around that period
that I came up
to Hollywood, you know,
525
00:35:24,748 --> 00:35:27,251
that was the era of Van Halen.
526
00:35:27,334 --> 00:35:30,587
You know, Van Halen
got signed out of the Whiskey
in the late 70s.
527
00:35:35,634 --> 00:35:39,263
I got to see them do
their first album at The Whisky,
528
00:35:39,346 --> 00:35:43,058
and it was insane,
I'd never heard of them.
529
00:35:45,894 --> 00:35:47,688
Me and my friends
were all into Van Halen
530
00:35:47,771 --> 00:35:49,898
and they were playing,
they were doing some
release party.
531
00:35:49,982 --> 00:35:51,775
So I come down,
I was a little kid,
532
00:35:51,859 --> 00:35:55,362
and there's just thousands
of people in the street.
533
00:35:55,445 --> 00:35:58,240
I mean you've never seen
so many people in your life
534
00:35:58,323 --> 00:36:01,243
and they're all in front
of the Whisky trying
to get into the Whisky
535
00:36:01,326 --> 00:36:02,202
to see Van Halen.
536
00:36:02,286 --> 00:36:04,496
And someone announces
that the tickets are on sale
537
00:36:04,580 --> 00:36:06,206
at Tower Records
down the street,
538
00:36:06,290 --> 00:36:08,667
so everyone runs from The Whisky
over to Tower Records
539
00:36:08,750 --> 00:36:11,670
trying to get their tickets,
and then some fuck up
happened over there,
540
00:36:11,753 --> 00:36:13,505
the tickets end up
being sold here.
541
00:36:13,589 --> 00:36:16,884
Sold the 500 tickets
in about four seconds,
and it was just mayhem.
542
00:36:16,967 --> 00:36:18,552
I mean,
the SWAT team, you know,
543
00:36:18,635 --> 00:36:22,764
the whole nine yards was
out here protecting
the Sunset Blvd from this,
544
00:36:22,848 --> 00:36:25,601
like, potential riot
from this Van Halen crowd.
545
00:36:25,684 --> 00:36:29,229
I went up to The Rainbow
just to, you know,
say hi to my Grandpa and stuff,
546
00:36:29,313 --> 00:36:31,148
and he made me walk
Weird Al Yankovich
into the show.
547
00:36:31,273 --> 00:36:34,151
So I got to go see
Van Halen with Weird Al.
548
00:36:34,276 --> 00:36:36,069
And it was the coolest
night ever.
549
00:36:40,908 --> 00:36:45,162
When we saw Van Halen take off
and it was a local band,
550
00:36:45,287 --> 00:36:49,041
and everybody was aware
of who they were,
and how good they were.
551
00:36:49,124 --> 00:36:52,294
We knew a door had
flung open on that.
552
00:36:59,301 --> 00:37:01,053
I've seen a lot of bands
at the Whisky.
553
00:37:01,136 --> 00:37:04,556
But one of the important gigs
for as far as The Whisky,
554
00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:08,143
and LA and all that
was I saw Motley Crue there.
555
00:37:10,437 --> 00:37:13,398
Motley Crue,
this leather
and chain clad band
556
00:37:13,482 --> 00:37:16,360
pushed their way
through the LA club circuit
just two years ago.
557
00:37:16,443 --> 00:37:19,196
Now with the release
of their second album
Shout At The Devil,
558
00:37:19,279 --> 00:37:23,200
Motley Crue has them
waiting around the block
for hours in the cold and rain.
559
00:37:23,325 --> 00:37:24,993
Motley Crue!
560
00:37:25,911 --> 00:37:27,704
A lot of us
got record deals.
561
00:37:27,788 --> 00:37:32,167
Quiet Riot, Motley,
W.A.S.P., Ratt, Dokken,
562
00:37:32,251 --> 00:37:34,711
that's when we really
took over the strip.
563
00:37:34,795 --> 00:37:36,797
It was just crazy here.
564
00:37:46,890 --> 00:37:51,019
From right here at The Rainbow
down to the edge
of The Whisky corner,
565
00:37:51,103 --> 00:37:53,188
it was just packed.
566
00:37:53,272 --> 00:37:56,775
Get set for three hours
of the loudest, rudest,
567
00:37:56,858 --> 00:38:00,362
crudest, heaviest, meanest,
music around.
568
00:38:00,445 --> 00:38:04,825
It's time
for the Headbangers ball.
569
00:38:07,661 --> 00:38:11,498
It was just total domination
on TV, radio, concerts,
570
00:38:11,581 --> 00:38:16,420
everything was dominated
from the bands that came
from this strip right here.
571
00:38:16,503 --> 00:38:18,755
I think Poison
are fucking great!
572
00:38:18,839 --> 00:38:22,676
And there were so many
signed bands living
here and all friends,
573
00:38:22,759 --> 00:38:25,470
so it was a real,
real community
and a really cool scene.
574
00:38:25,554 --> 00:38:30,559
I was signed
with W.A.S.P. for four years,
all the way up to about '87.
575
00:38:31,351 --> 00:38:33,395
We were all touring so much,
576
00:38:33,478 --> 00:38:37,691
we weren't even aware
that there was a second wave
of metal coming out of LA.
577
00:38:43,822 --> 00:38:45,324
How the fuck are you doing?
578
00:38:46,033 --> 00:38:47,993
Is it fucking hot
in this fucking place?
579
00:38:52,914 --> 00:38:54,374
Been a long time.
580
00:39:06,053 --> 00:39:07,637
Approximately one year ago,
581
00:39:07,721 --> 00:39:10,307
an LA club band
hoping to gain recognition
582
00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:12,768
released their first album
Appetite for Destruction.
583
00:39:12,851 --> 00:39:17,064
They say
the stones to the 60's were
the kings of their genre.
584
00:39:17,147 --> 00:39:19,858
They say Aerosmith in
the 70's was the same thing,
585
00:39:19,941 --> 00:39:24,112
they say in the late 80'
going into the 90's it is
Guns N' Roses.
586
00:39:26,782 --> 00:39:29,159
It was
just Guns N' Roses, LA Guns,
587
00:39:29,242 --> 00:39:32,579
Faster Pussycat thing
happening and the whole city
was buzzing,
588
00:39:32,662 --> 00:39:37,584
and I was fortunate,
I got right out of WASP
and right into LA Guns.
589
00:39:37,667 --> 00:39:41,630
I just watched that whole thing,
that whole second wave
take over too,
590
00:39:41,713 --> 00:39:43,507
especially GNR,
how big they got.
591
00:39:45,509 --> 00:39:48,845
Axl Rose,
he came on stage
and he started talking,
592
00:39:48,929 --> 00:39:51,807
he said we played
this town in Florida,
593
00:39:51,890 --> 00:39:54,768
and the Mayor said we'll
never play there again.
594
00:39:54,851 --> 00:39:58,855
Well he can suck my dick,
he grabbed his privates.
595
00:40:00,565 --> 00:40:02,484
One of my biggest
shows as a kid
596
00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:05,570
was Guns N' Roses and Metallica
at the Rose Bowl,
597
00:40:06,863 --> 00:40:09,950
and I run into my Grandpa
at like 12 years old,
598
00:40:10,033 --> 00:40:11,701
and he's like, what the fuck
are you doing here?
599
00:40:11,785 --> 00:40:14,329
Like the last person
you'd think you're run into
600
00:40:14,413 --> 00:40:17,374
at a venue that holds
a hundred thousand people
is your grandfather.
601
00:40:17,499 --> 00:40:18,500
But that happened.
602
00:40:19,626 --> 00:40:20,377
He's hanging out.
603
00:40:20,502 --> 00:40:23,380
They invited him down,
he was there, you know,
he had his laminate on,
604
00:40:23,505 --> 00:40:24,673
you know,
he was going backstage.
605
00:40:24,756 --> 00:40:27,217
I was trying
to go to the bathroom
and I ran right into him.
606
00:40:27,300 --> 00:40:32,055
Guns N' Roses was
a good show, good group,
I like them.
607
00:40:32,139 --> 00:40:33,390
I still like 'em.
608
00:40:35,392 --> 00:40:37,811
In the early days
of Guns N' Roses,
609
00:40:37,894 --> 00:40:40,063
we used to hang out
at The Rainbow all the time.
610
00:40:40,147 --> 00:40:43,316
When I joined
Guns N' Roses,
we always came back here.
611
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,069
You know,
we had our booth,
which is the corner booth.
612
00:40:46,153 --> 00:40:48,697
Slash's name is on that booth.
613
00:40:50,824 --> 00:40:53,285
We all sat there,
but he claimed it.
614
00:40:54,453 --> 00:40:57,622
You know the booth
thing is just something
that materialized,
615
00:40:57,706 --> 00:40:59,833
I don't know
if it was intentional.
616
00:40:59,916 --> 00:41:03,378
They just put this one picture
of me in the back booth,
617
00:41:03,462 --> 00:41:07,883
and that sort
of just turned into,
like, Slash's booth somehow.
618
00:41:07,966 --> 00:41:11,178
They probably thought maybe,
you know, with all
those pizza's and stuff,
619
00:41:11,261 --> 00:41:14,181
maybe it's time to give him
some sort of a booth, you know.
620
00:41:20,770 --> 00:41:23,356
We always felt
protected in our booth
621
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:28,111
and people didn't
really bother us
because this was our place.
622
00:41:29,738 --> 00:41:33,575
And Mario, the guys
and Mikeal would say,
"Hey, this is your home.
623
00:41:33,658 --> 00:41:35,535
You could do
whatever you want here.
624
00:41:35,619 --> 00:41:37,621
You want
to film a video, do it."
625
00:41:37,704 --> 00:41:41,541
there was no contracts
or asking for money,
or any of that bullshit.
626
00:41:49,132 --> 00:41:52,385
The first video
that I performed
in with Guns N' Roses
627
00:41:52,469 --> 00:41:54,429
was shot right here
at the Roxy with Arnold.
628
00:41:55,514 --> 00:41:58,725
We all sat in here
waiting for our scenes
to come up
629
00:41:58,808 --> 00:42:01,645
because as you know,
filming stuff,
you gotta set cameras or lights.
630
00:42:01,728 --> 00:42:05,482
Arnold had a trailer that
was parked in the parking lot,
we'd all go over there.
631
00:42:05,565 --> 00:42:10,320
I remember we went in there
and he's smoking cigars
and drinking Goldschlager.
632
00:42:11,404 --> 00:42:13,740
And we all did shots with him.
633
00:42:16,159 --> 00:42:19,162
So by the time we shot
the last scene where Arnold
comes out of the Roxy
634
00:42:19,246 --> 00:42:21,122
and we're
all standing in a line
635
00:42:21,206 --> 00:42:24,167
where it's Slash, me,
Duff, Dizzy and Axl,
636
00:42:24,251 --> 00:42:26,878
we'd been in here
for about four hours
drinking heavily.
637
00:42:28,380 --> 00:42:31,508
So, by the time we got
to the film set, if you watch,
638
00:42:31,591 --> 00:42:35,011
we're very wobbly
on that last scene,
specially Slash.
639
00:42:43,478 --> 00:42:45,355
You know,
we shot many videos here.
640
00:42:51,152 --> 00:42:54,864
When we shot part
of a video called Estranged,
641
00:42:54,948 --> 00:43:00,453
which is one of a three
part epic video series
642
00:43:00,537 --> 00:43:01,913
that Guns N' Roses did.
643
00:43:01,997 --> 00:43:03,957
I remember
going to that,
644
00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,335
and that was just
amazing to see a video
being filmed at our club.
645
00:43:07,419 --> 00:43:10,880
And then I gave them a guitar
that I threw off a cliff
646
00:43:10,964 --> 00:43:12,966
for the "Don't Cry" video.
647
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,970
That was a good Les Paul too,
it went neck first
off this cliff,
648
00:43:17,053 --> 00:43:22,392
and it came back
in three pieces, and we sort
of tied it back together.
649
00:43:24,811 --> 00:43:27,439
We don't buy any
of this memorabilia
or the guitars and things,
650
00:43:27,522 --> 00:43:29,357
they're given to us regularly.
651
00:43:30,191 --> 00:43:34,070
Phil Campbell from Motörhead
gave me the one that's over
my head somewhere here.
652
00:43:34,154 --> 00:43:37,574
That's like a $5000 guitar,
but he wanted it to be
in The Rainbow.
653
00:43:37,657 --> 00:43:40,702
We got Eddie Van Halen's guitar
up there, we've got tons
of drum heads.
654
00:43:40,785 --> 00:43:42,454
I mean all sorts
of cool memorabilia.
655
00:43:42,537 --> 00:43:43,913
And all
the pictures on the walls
656
00:43:43,997 --> 00:43:46,166
of all the famous rock stars
that have been here or--
657
00:43:46,249 --> 00:43:48,043
I've given
them their gold albums.
658
00:43:48,126 --> 00:43:49,711
It's
a little bit of a museum,
659
00:43:49,794 --> 00:43:52,380
it's like we're the real
Hard Rock Café, you know.
660
00:43:52,464 --> 00:43:56,259
The story I heard is
that the guys
who started Hard Rock,
661
00:43:56,343 --> 00:43:59,137
got the idea from The Rainbow.
662
00:43:59,888 --> 00:44:01,306
I would not be surprised.
663
00:44:02,182 --> 00:44:06,478
So Mario, you know, I brought
him one of my Guns N' Roses
snare drums,
664
00:44:06,561 --> 00:44:11,066
which was like
a signature series
drum that they made for me,
665
00:44:11,149 --> 00:44:15,654
it says "To Mario
and The Rainbow, Matt Sorum,
Guns N' fucking Roses".
666
00:44:16,237 --> 00:44:20,158
And Mario says, "Matt, what's
with the language?
667
00:44:20,241 --> 00:44:21,993
You know
I don't like it when you cuss."
668
00:44:22,077 --> 00:44:26,289
You know, I'm like, "Mario,
I mean, we're in The Rainbow,
I mean, really?"
669
00:44:26,373 --> 00:44:30,251
He takes a piece of tape
and covers up the "fuckin'."
670
00:44:30,335 --> 00:44:33,880
He thought
I should be respectful
of what's on the wall,
671
00:44:33,963 --> 00:44:36,675
and not everybody wants to see
the word "fuckin'," okay?
672
00:44:37,926 --> 00:44:41,388
So, still up there and it still
got that old piece of tape
673
00:44:41,471 --> 00:44:44,432
from over twenty years ago.
674
00:44:45,433 --> 00:44:46,935
Are you still doing
rock n' roll?
675
00:44:47,018 --> 00:44:49,229
A few heavy metal
comedians around.
676
00:44:49,312 --> 00:44:50,814
Yeah, I had
a lot of fun with it.
677
00:44:52,774 --> 00:44:56,528
I was good friends
with Sam Kinison, who came
to The Rainbow all the time.
678
00:44:56,611 --> 00:45:00,824
We used to come here,
and the funny thing is
that Sam would often drink,
679
00:45:00,907 --> 00:45:04,577
and yet we would be
called upon to help walk some
of the rock stars out the door.
680
00:45:04,661 --> 00:45:07,163
Like Ozzy Osbourne,
he'd get a little tipsy.
681
00:45:13,211 --> 00:45:16,881
And then me and Sam Kinison
would walk them out to the car.
682
00:45:22,262 --> 00:45:24,305
And it was an honor, here I am
with a legend like this,
683
00:45:24,389 --> 00:45:27,142
and I'm helping
him walk to his car.
Hooking up under his arm.
684
00:45:27,225 --> 00:45:29,227
"Oh thank you Ron,
appreciate it.
685
00:45:29,310 --> 00:45:30,562
Thank you very much,
thank you Sam."
686
00:45:30,645 --> 00:45:34,774
And then of course, me and Bill
used to help Sam Kinison
get to his car.
687
00:45:35,692 --> 00:45:38,194
He had this great car,
it was a corvette,
it said EX REV,
688
00:45:38,278 --> 00:45:41,948
'cause Sam was
a Pentecostal minister
in a former life.
689
00:45:42,031 --> 00:45:44,826
Nobody ever
helped me out the door
and I'm kind of jealous.
690
00:45:44,909 --> 00:45:47,662
- What was Ozzy like?
- Oh Ozzy's great,
so funny, so mellow,
691
00:45:47,746 --> 00:45:50,457
you know I was expecting,
"Ah, you got any bats on you?
692
00:45:50,540 --> 00:45:53,543
Rawr! Can I get some
raw meat, you know?"
693
00:45:53,626 --> 00:45:55,253
And he's not
like that at all, he's so kind.
694
00:45:55,336 --> 00:45:59,382
You know, he's so British,
"Hello, how are you? I've always
been afraid to meet you."
695
00:45:59,466 --> 00:46:00,341
That's what he told me.
696
00:46:00,425 --> 00:46:03,553
"I'm afraid to meet you because
I heard you were too wild
for me to hang out with."
697
00:46:03,636 --> 00:46:06,598
Oh yeah, yeah, great,
Ozzy Osbourne's
afraid to meet me?
698
00:46:49,390 --> 00:46:53,144
I can't tell you how
many people that my father has
lectured on their drug issues.
699
00:46:53,228 --> 00:46:54,479
Of using drugs.
700
00:46:54,562 --> 00:46:57,565
He will turn to customers here
that are regular drinkers
701
00:46:57,649 --> 00:47:00,318
still to this day and say
"You drink too much."
702
00:47:00,401 --> 00:47:04,030
We sell drinks for a living,
okay, he will sit down and tell
them "You drink too much."
703
00:47:04,113 --> 00:47:06,991
There's a few
characters like that in town
704
00:47:07,075 --> 00:47:11,287
who cared about the people
that frequented
their establishments.
705
00:47:11,371 --> 00:47:14,707
That wasn't uncommon, it is now.
706
00:47:15,458 --> 00:47:16,668
Mario's an exception.
707
00:47:16,751 --> 00:47:21,798
That's why I didn't care so much
when my daughter Amy
would come around.
708
00:47:21,923 --> 00:47:23,925
Because I knew
that there was this
709
00:47:24,008 --> 00:47:28,012
protective almost family thing.
710
00:47:36,229 --> 00:47:38,273
Matt] When I got some success,
711
00:47:39,148 --> 00:47:41,901
I remember my drinking getting
a little out of control.
712
00:47:41,985 --> 00:47:43,736
'Cause now
I had money to buy beers,
713
00:47:43,820 --> 00:47:47,490
and buy beers for my friends,
you know, and do some shots too.
714
00:47:47,574 --> 00:47:50,451
And I remember Mario
pulling me aside one night
715
00:47:50,535 --> 00:47:53,913
and he literally gave me
that fatherly talk,
716
00:47:53,997 --> 00:47:56,291
because my Dad wasn't around
up here in Hollywood.
717
00:47:56,374 --> 00:47:59,252
I was a kid running around
on my own, you know.
718
00:47:59,335 --> 00:48:02,547
And he said "Matt, I don't like
how you're acting kid,
719
00:48:02,630 --> 00:48:03,840
you're drinking too much."
720
00:48:04,799 --> 00:48:06,467
I was like
"Aww, come on, Mario."
721
00:48:06,551 --> 00:48:11,180
"No! Listen to me.
I'm telling you you drink
too much, simmer down."
722
00:48:12,932 --> 00:48:17,520
And, you
know, that really stuck
with me, you know, because he--
723
00:48:18,688 --> 00:48:23,192
he was like a father figure
to a lot of us
who had come to Hollywood,
724
00:48:23,276 --> 00:48:24,861
you know,
looking for the dream
725
00:48:26,362 --> 00:48:30,909
and we were away from family
and any sort of grounding,
you know.
726
00:48:32,994 --> 00:48:35,580
Over the years, you
know, I had different issues,
727
00:48:36,748 --> 00:48:39,959
and Mario had taken care
of me a few times.
728
00:48:40,043 --> 00:48:42,587
He definitely
saw where I was at,
729
00:48:42,670 --> 00:48:46,841
and he did give me sort
of a speech as to, you know,
what the fuck am I doing,
730
00:48:46,925 --> 00:48:48,301
why would I, blah blah blah...
731
00:48:48,384 --> 00:48:52,805
And, you know, and I listened
to him within reason.
732
00:48:52,889 --> 00:48:54,557
You know, I took it to heart.
733
00:49:00,355 --> 00:49:02,941
The grunge era
came in the 90's,
734
00:49:04,317 --> 00:49:05,902
it cut down
everybody on the streets,
735
00:49:05,985 --> 00:49:08,821
you know, it wasn't craziness
out on the streets in the 90's.
736
00:49:12,867 --> 00:49:16,037
Because
it is more overcast here,
737
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:21,292
we don't spend 300 days a year
playing volleyball like
they do down in California.
738
00:49:21,376 --> 00:49:25,213
You tend to spend more time
indoors. Whether reading a book,
or seeing films.
739
00:49:25,296 --> 00:49:27,966
Or practicing
music in your garage.
740
00:49:47,527 --> 00:49:50,029
Musical tastes changed,
741
00:49:52,448 --> 00:49:55,660
the glamorous part
of the scene came and went.
742
00:49:56,744 --> 00:49:59,330
Once the guys started
cutting their hair
743
00:49:59,414 --> 00:50:03,584
and looked like, let me see,
are you a Domino's
pizza delivery boy?
744
00:50:03,668 --> 00:50:05,920
Do you work
for the sanitation department?
745
00:50:06,004 --> 00:50:08,131
Or are you in a band?
You're done.
746
00:50:14,220 --> 00:50:18,808
As far as the flow
when it comes to The Rainbow,
it kept a consistent thing.
747
00:50:18,891 --> 00:50:21,811
The Rainbow was
still kind of catering
to the 80's people.
748
00:50:21,894 --> 00:50:25,356
You know, The Rainbow
kind of kept that rock n' roll,
749
00:50:25,440 --> 00:50:27,900
that old, you know,
80's rock feel alive.
750
00:50:27,984 --> 00:50:32,155
But, as far
as The Whisky, it definitely
affected the business.
751
00:50:33,489 --> 00:50:36,951
The economy changed,
and when the economy changed,
the industry changed.
752
00:50:38,703 --> 00:50:41,748
You had the record companies
that backed every group.
753
00:50:41,831 --> 00:50:45,501
When we threw a party
at the Whisky, you had Capitol,
you had Atlantic.
754
00:50:45,585 --> 00:50:48,296
You had all these major
companies that literally
came behind the groups
755
00:50:48,379 --> 00:50:49,422
and backed them up.
756
00:50:49,505 --> 00:50:51,507
The record companies,
they weren't throwing out
757
00:50:51,591 --> 00:50:55,344
several thousand dollars
a night to promote a new group
that was coming out.
758
00:50:55,428 --> 00:51:00,016
And back in the late
90's when the record sales
started to drop
759
00:51:00,141 --> 00:51:02,393
and music became free,
760
00:51:02,477 --> 00:51:05,021
the bands stopped making money,
so the bands stopped touring.
761
00:51:05,104 --> 00:51:07,231
That's when it got bad,
and that was my generation.
762
00:51:07,315 --> 00:51:11,319
Money got tight. There were
times that it was strained.
763
00:51:11,402 --> 00:51:13,029
My grandpa got real sick.
764
00:51:13,112 --> 00:51:16,157
He had cancer, and they had
to take him for chemotherapy.
765
00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:19,869
He had a very rare type
of cancer that was in his face.
766
00:51:19,952 --> 00:51:22,830
They actually had to remove
his nose at one point.
767
00:51:22,914 --> 00:51:27,043
He had a 10 percent survival
rate, well he beat that,
he was tough.
768
00:51:27,168 --> 00:51:29,045
And my Dad
was by his side,
769
00:51:29,170 --> 00:51:31,172
so it was basically
my Dad and my Grandpa,
770
00:51:31,255 --> 00:51:33,758
for a long time,
were just non-existent.
771
00:51:33,841 --> 00:51:35,426
When it comes to my son,
772
00:51:35,510 --> 00:51:37,595
at first it was like,
you have to cover the business,
773
00:51:37,678 --> 00:51:39,764
you know, you run the weekends
and answer the phone.
774
00:51:39,847 --> 00:51:43,684
And I'm actually quite amazed
that he picked everything
up just like that.
775
00:51:43,768 --> 00:51:46,437
Within two years
all of a sudden
he's booking groups.
776
00:51:46,521 --> 00:51:49,857
I've been around
it my whole life,
so it was just natural,
777
00:51:49,941 --> 00:51:51,859
I just took over and started
doing everything.
778
00:51:51,943 --> 00:51:54,153
No matter what was going on
in our personal life,
779
00:51:54,237 --> 00:51:55,738
no matter
what was going on at home,
780
00:51:55,822 --> 00:51:58,199
it was like, I couldn't let
that effect business.
781
00:51:58,282 --> 00:52:00,743
Like the business needs
to go on, this is
what we live off of,
782
00:52:00,827 --> 00:52:02,745
the show must go on, literally.
783
00:52:21,430 --> 00:52:24,684
I started off, I did all
System of a Down's
first shows here,
784
00:52:24,767 --> 00:52:26,018
all Hoobastank's first shows,
785
00:52:26,102 --> 00:52:29,063
I was booking Hoobastank
for 10 years before they
got a record deal.
786
00:52:29,147 --> 00:52:31,566
Linkin Park, I booked
those guys for years,
787
00:52:31,649 --> 00:52:33,693
we did Eminem's
first LA show.
788
00:52:33,776 --> 00:52:36,487
You know, we heard
about this white rapper Eminem,
789
00:52:36,571 --> 00:52:39,365
and it was all the big rage.
You know, he wanted
fifteen hundred bucks,
790
00:52:39,448 --> 00:52:41,951
we were like, wow that's a lot,
but we'll give it a shot.
791
00:52:42,034 --> 00:52:45,121
That show is the first show
that Dr. Dre saw him,
792
00:52:45,204 --> 00:52:47,540
and that's when he got signed,
right after that show.
793
00:52:48,916 --> 00:52:53,421
Anything out of that late 90's
early 2000's generation
we helped out,
794
00:52:53,504 --> 00:52:56,841
and we booked all their shows
and started them
from the ground up.
795
00:53:01,053 --> 00:53:03,723
My grandson,
thank God he came along,
796
00:53:03,806 --> 00:53:06,767
you know if it weren't for him
forget about it,
it wouldn't happen.
797
00:53:06,851 --> 00:53:10,479
I'm very proud,
proud of the fact that my son
was able to take over,
798
00:53:10,563 --> 00:53:13,149
and this kid was born
with a silver spoon,
or gold spoon in his mouth,
799
00:53:13,274 --> 00:53:15,568
doesn't have to work,
didn't have to do anything
800
00:53:15,651 --> 00:53:19,071
and he gets out and works
as hard if not harder
than I worked.
801
00:53:19,155 --> 00:53:20,156
Day and night.
802
00:53:20,239 --> 00:53:24,952
And that brought a joy
to my father, that was
his pride, was his grandson.
803
00:53:26,954 --> 00:53:28,998
He keeps that place
open seven days a week,
804
00:53:29,081 --> 00:53:32,126
when we used to open maybe
three, four days a week.
805
00:53:32,793 --> 00:53:36,714
And he knows
the music better than my son,
probably better than me.
806
00:53:36,797 --> 00:53:38,507
He's a booker,
that's what he does.
807
00:53:38,591 --> 00:53:41,427
To me it was never
about the partying
or about the fun.
808
00:53:41,510 --> 00:53:44,972
Like I'm just a music freak,
I love music, I love concerts.
809
00:53:45,056 --> 00:53:48,476
And now he runs the whole show over there.
He runs it all for us.
810
00:53:48,559 --> 00:53:52,271
I don't really have an actual
position at either place,
I'm just the boss.
811
00:53:52,355 --> 00:53:54,607
I rarely will
walk into the Whisky,
812
00:53:54,690 --> 00:53:57,652
and to be quite honest with you
I'm at an age where I can't
stand the noise.
813
00:54:02,323 --> 00:54:04,450
I've had some
pretty crazy shows.
814
00:54:04,533 --> 00:54:06,994
I've had some shows
where they get pretty violent.
815
00:54:07,078 --> 00:54:08,371
It just depends on the crowd.
816
00:54:08,454 --> 00:54:10,623
I had a friend over
at Taang! Records,
817
00:54:10,706 --> 00:54:12,500
he was like, "Oh let's
put these British bands,
818
00:54:12,583 --> 00:54:17,046
you know like really just
like Oi! type punk rock bands,"
819
00:54:17,129 --> 00:54:20,299
and I mean, this place
just broke out into a riot.
820
00:54:23,261 --> 00:54:26,305
There was like skinheads,
and the non-skinheads,
821
00:54:26,389 --> 00:54:30,935
they're fighting, I mean you had
every type of bad person
in the punk rock scene
822
00:54:31,018 --> 00:54:34,772
all at one place at one time,
literally just fighting.
823
00:54:34,855 --> 00:54:39,735
Somehow a gunshot went off,
the place was berserk,
824
00:54:39,819 --> 00:54:43,614
SWAT team, the barricades,
the whole nine yards,
I mean it was insane.
825
00:54:43,698 --> 00:54:47,660
Another one,
it was like a hardcore show,
pretty rough crowd.
826
00:54:47,743 --> 00:54:49,996
These thugs came in
and started a big fight.
827
00:54:50,079 --> 00:54:51,664
There's trash cans
getting thrown,
828
00:54:51,747 --> 00:54:53,499
people getting the shit
kicked out of them.
829
00:54:53,582 --> 00:54:56,544
We had it to the point
where all the security
guards were inside the club,
830
00:54:56,627 --> 00:54:58,212
and the maniacs were outside.
831
00:54:58,296 --> 00:55:01,173
My sister's husband
was just hired
as a security guard here.
832
00:55:01,257 --> 00:55:03,342
He doesn't really know how
to deal with these situations.
833
00:55:03,426 --> 00:55:06,554
He goes outside,
the second he walks out there
he gets clipped in the jaw.
834
00:55:06,637 --> 00:55:08,848
And I mean, there's just blood
gushing everywhere,
835
00:55:08,931 --> 00:55:12,226
so we go out to help him,
he goes around the side
trying to help somebody else,
836
00:55:12,310 --> 00:55:13,894
and gets hit again.
837
00:55:15,938 --> 00:55:17,440
Fully destroyed his jaw,
838
00:55:17,523 --> 00:55:20,276
like broken
every little piece of his jaw.
839
00:55:20,359 --> 00:55:22,320
And then that was
his last day of security.
840
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:25,906
Um, he sells real estate.
841
00:55:25,990 --> 00:55:28,534
You know.
It's a lot calmer of a job.
842
00:55:33,748 --> 00:55:36,292
This is tradition
at its core, you know.
843
00:55:36,417 --> 00:55:40,171
And thank God,
because I'd hate it to fall
into somebody else's hands.
844
00:55:47,303 --> 00:55:50,306
Sunset Strip
as we know it is being
stripped away a little bit.
845
00:55:50,431 --> 00:55:53,309
You can find
construction going up
everywhere on the strip.
846
00:55:53,392 --> 00:55:57,897
Developers buying
old buildings to replace them
with luxury hotels.
847
00:56:29,136 --> 00:56:31,097
The Rainbow
hasn't changed at all.
848
00:56:31,180 --> 00:56:33,307
I came
back to Los Angeles,
849
00:56:33,391 --> 00:56:38,145
and I remember walking
into The Rainbow after
not seeing it for 15 years
850
00:56:38,229 --> 00:56:42,108
and going
"It hasn't fucking changed."
851
00:56:42,191 --> 00:56:47,154
They've always seemed
to keep the integrity
of the club intact.
852
00:56:47,238 --> 00:56:49,323
It's so real.
853
00:56:50,282 --> 00:56:52,701
And it has been--
I don't know how they do it.
854
00:56:52,785 --> 00:56:56,288
It goes back
to the atmosphere, you keep
that comfortable atmosphere.
855
00:56:57,248 --> 00:57:01,669
This is still the base décor
that you see around here
from the old Villa Nova.
856
00:57:03,421 --> 00:57:06,048
Finish the booths,
or redo the tops of the tables,
857
00:57:06,132 --> 00:57:07,967
but you have to keep it
looking the same.
858
00:57:08,050 --> 00:57:09,844
If you change it--
my father taught me that.
859
00:57:09,927 --> 00:57:12,346
If you change it, you'll change
the face of the business.
860
00:57:12,430 --> 00:57:14,890
And so people today are
still comfortable being here.
861
00:57:17,017 --> 00:57:20,855
We want people to feel
like they're in rock n' roll.
862
00:57:20,938 --> 00:57:26,152
Now we have
a whole revitalization
of the 80's rock movement,
863
00:57:26,235 --> 00:57:29,613
and I love the fact
that you can go to The Rainbow,
864
00:57:29,697 --> 00:57:32,783
feel the rock vibe,
come to the Whisky
and see Dokken,
865
00:57:32,867 --> 00:57:34,994
or see Warrant
still in this day.
866
00:57:35,077 --> 00:57:36,620
That's what we're going for,
867
00:57:36,704 --> 00:57:41,041
I'm not really a fan
of music of today,
and where music's going.
868
00:57:52,678 --> 00:57:56,307
Technology is
the new crack of music.
869
00:57:56,390 --> 00:58:00,352
It's too easy to press
a button and sound better
than you normally do.
870
00:58:00,436 --> 00:58:03,397
So almost everybody
that gets up on stage,
871
00:58:03,481 --> 00:58:06,859
I'm talking about big bands,
are not playing live.
872
00:58:21,916 --> 00:58:26,462
It really isn't this thing
of wanting to learn
how to play a guitar.
873
00:58:26,587 --> 00:58:29,798
Wanting to master drums,
wanting to play bass or sing.
874
00:58:34,261 --> 00:58:36,138
It's part and parcel
of the digital age
875
00:58:36,222 --> 00:58:38,432
and also
the way the record companies
876
00:58:38,516 --> 00:58:40,267
have decided the direction
that they've gone.
877
00:58:40,351 --> 00:58:43,187
But I think that the magic
that you hear on a record
878
00:58:43,270 --> 00:58:46,148
comes from people really
interacting in the same room.
879
00:58:46,232 --> 00:58:50,736
It's not something that you
can do from different people's
living rooms from a distance.
880
00:58:57,159 --> 00:59:00,204
Having outlets, you know,
venues for young bands
881
00:59:00,287 --> 00:59:03,415
to get together and do
their thing is essential.
882
00:59:03,499 --> 00:59:05,167
Especially
if we're discovering music,
883
00:59:05,251 --> 00:59:08,003
I mean that's an art
that is close to dead.
884
00:59:10,464 --> 00:59:12,049
I think it's a shame,
885
00:59:12,132 --> 00:59:17,721
it makes
it really difficult
for new young acts and artists
886
00:59:17,805 --> 00:59:19,515
to get a foot in the door.
887
00:59:20,975 --> 00:59:24,979
The music business
itself is not catering
to rock n' roll at all.
888
00:59:26,230 --> 00:59:27,773
I miss those times.
889
00:59:32,653 --> 00:59:36,156
You know, as far
as rock is concerned,
it's not viable to make music.
890
00:59:39,034 --> 00:59:42,371
Here, I'll play a game
with you and see if you
can answer this question.
891
00:59:43,163 --> 00:59:46,417
From 1958 until 1988
892
00:59:46,500 --> 00:59:52,172
name 100 classic,
iconic bands that will
stand the test of time.
893
00:59:52,256 --> 00:59:56,218
Let me see, I've got Elvis,
The Beatles, The Stones,
894
00:59:56,302 --> 01:00:00,055
Led Zeppelin, Hendrix,
in pop and R&B and stuff
895
01:00:00,139 --> 01:00:02,558
you've got The Jackson Five,
Michael Jackson, Madonna,
896
01:00:02,683 --> 01:00:05,311
even disco,
Donna Summers on that level.
897
01:00:05,394 --> 01:00:09,732
Motown, The Supremes,
it all happened
at the same time. Okay.
898
01:00:09,815 --> 01:00:13,319
From 1988 until today,
899
01:00:13,402 --> 01:00:16,530
give me 5 bands that will stand
the test of time.
900
01:00:18,282 --> 01:00:19,617
It's not on that level.
901
01:00:20,576 --> 01:00:22,244
Good evening,
thanks very much for joining us,
902
01:00:22,328 --> 01:00:24,163
the breaking news
tonight is sad.
903
01:00:24,246 --> 01:00:27,791
A founding member
of one of the most popular music
acts of all time has died.
904
01:00:27,875 --> 01:00:31,587
Just 67 years old,
and he was quite simply,
a rock star.
905
01:00:31,670 --> 01:00:34,882
The rock legend
David Bowie has died,
906
01:00:34,965 --> 01:00:37,676
he was 69 years of age.
907
01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:40,554
Tributes
from around the world
this morning for Tom Petty,
908
01:00:40,638 --> 01:00:44,433
who died
overnight at the age of 66.
The legendary rocker--
909
01:00:44,516 --> 01:00:48,187
Musician Prince
has died at his home
in Minneapolis,
910
01:00:48,270 --> 01:00:50,314
he was 57, and had been--
911
01:00:50,397 --> 01:00:55,527
Paul Katner, a giant of the 60's music scene has died.
He was 74--
912
01:00:55,611 --> 01:00:57,029
Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister,
913
01:00:57,112 --> 01:00:58,906
the front man for the heavy
metal band Motörhead
914
01:00:58,989 --> 01:01:01,075
has died at the age of 70.
915
01:01:01,158 --> 01:01:06,705
Sunset Strip
rock club owner Mario Maglieri
has died at the age of 93.
916
01:01:22,596 --> 01:01:25,557
That day I was in such
a state of shock, there was--
917
01:01:25,641 --> 01:01:27,893
I mean,
just people on top of people,
918
01:01:27,976 --> 01:01:29,520
and literally
in a state of shock.
919
01:01:31,313 --> 01:01:33,524
He was the godfather,
he was the icon.
920
01:01:34,274 --> 01:01:36,985
And nobody
could ever take his place.
921
01:01:37,069 --> 01:01:39,780
He was my hero, my hero.
922
01:01:42,700 --> 01:01:46,662
He gave us
this block of rock n' roll.
923
01:01:47,538 --> 01:01:49,581
I don't know where
we would be without it.
924
01:01:58,132 --> 01:01:59,508
An era is gone.
925
01:02:05,848 --> 01:02:09,685
But Mikeal will carry on
and become an icon too I think.
926
01:02:09,810 --> 01:02:13,814
And Mikey, the grandson,
he's just amazing.
927
01:02:16,734 --> 01:02:19,361
I think my son
is the future of the club,
928
01:02:19,445 --> 01:02:24,283
and he's done a tremendous
job of carrying on
that generational thing.
929
01:02:27,035 --> 01:02:30,289
My two daughters,
they keep it strong,
keep it alive,
930
01:02:30,372 --> 01:02:32,708
we're a very close knit family.
931
01:02:32,833 --> 01:02:35,043
- She lives across the hall.
- She works down at the Whisky.
932
01:02:35,127 --> 01:02:36,420
- She works at the Whisky.
- I do.
933
01:02:36,503 --> 01:02:39,339
I worked here for many years.
Now I'm raising those cuties.
934
01:02:39,423 --> 01:02:40,966
Now I have a grandson,
935
01:02:41,049 --> 01:02:43,010
I have another generation
that will come into it.
936
01:02:43,093 --> 01:02:45,220
And hopefully he'll be
the next one to come through.
937
01:02:45,304 --> 01:02:47,097
I've got a daughter, we're good.
938
01:03:08,535 --> 01:03:10,954
The premise
of rock n' roll
939
01:03:11,038 --> 01:03:13,749
and the understanding
of what the word really means.
940
01:03:16,001 --> 01:03:20,631
Icon, which yeah, eventually
will we lose those icons,
941
01:03:20,714 --> 01:03:22,841
are they making any new ones?
942
01:03:25,385 --> 01:03:29,890
And I think
that's what Mikeal Jr
has holding in his hands.
943
01:03:29,973 --> 01:03:32,726
What kind of entertainment
is he gonna bring
to Sunset Boulevard
944
01:03:32,810 --> 01:03:34,520
that's gonna say
that's the next big thing?
945
01:03:34,603 --> 01:03:36,355
Where's the next
Guns N' Roses?
946
01:03:36,438 --> 01:03:38,774
Cause when you look
at Guns N' Roses,
947
01:03:38,857 --> 01:03:41,777
it wasn't just a band,
it was a cultural shift
948
01:03:41,902 --> 01:03:45,489
of music, fashion, style,
949
01:03:45,572 --> 01:03:48,242
as sense of being of who
you were as an individual.
950
01:03:48,325 --> 01:03:51,036
Like The Doors, like Van Halen.
951
01:03:51,119 --> 01:03:54,915
Like any other band that came
out of the Sunset Strip.
952
01:03:54,998 --> 01:03:58,377
The one great thing
that I learned
through rock n' roll
953
01:03:58,460 --> 01:04:02,172
is that something
big will happen,
954
01:04:02,256 --> 01:04:04,174
where everyone
all of a sudden,
955
01:04:04,258 --> 01:04:08,720
you stop in your tracks
and go "Holy shit.
Something is exploding."
956
01:04:11,348 --> 01:04:14,017
So if you're a rock
n' roll musician, you know
the history of rock n' roll,
957
01:04:14,101 --> 01:04:17,271
you know that rock n' roll
will never die.
958
01:04:39,293 --> 01:04:42,087
The Rainbow is
a right of passage
for the world of rock n' roll.
959
01:04:42,170 --> 01:04:45,048
This is the strip.
This is the home
of rock n' roll.
960
01:04:46,508 --> 01:04:48,176
I'd hate
for that place to go,
961
01:04:48,260 --> 01:04:50,512
it'd just
sort of kill what's left
962
01:04:50,596 --> 01:04:54,474
of a really iconic chapter
in music history.
963
01:05:31,094 --> 01:05:34,640
This thing,
this small little place,
964
01:05:34,723 --> 01:05:37,893
just serves burgers
and beer and booze and stuff,
965
01:05:38,894 --> 01:05:41,521
but both Whisky
and The Rainbow
966
01:05:41,605 --> 01:05:44,566
mean bucketsful
for the culture.
967
01:05:45,609 --> 01:05:47,319
This place
still breaks records.
968
01:05:48,362 --> 01:05:51,365
People from all over the world
come here just to see it.
969
01:05:52,950 --> 01:05:56,328
Major, major artists,
major, major movie stars
970
01:05:56,411 --> 01:05:58,664
still come through here
on a regular basis.
971
01:05:59,706 --> 01:06:01,625
I don't think
rock will ever die,
972
01:06:01,708 --> 01:06:04,086
I don't think the music
will ever die so,
973
01:06:04,169 --> 01:06:07,255
The Rainbow and this strip
will be here forever
as far as I'm concerned.
974
01:06:07,339 --> 01:06:11,551
It's not the biggest place,
but it's the place.
975
01:06:12,719 --> 01:06:14,763
For me it was
the greatest time of my life.
976
01:06:17,683 --> 01:06:20,227
Rock n' roll
is about celebrating life.
977
01:06:35,033 --> 01:06:36,618
I want that feeling
to continue on.
978
01:06:36,702 --> 01:06:38,870
I want them all to feel
like they can always
come back.
979
01:06:38,954 --> 01:06:40,414
This is their home.
980
01:06:43,625 --> 01:06:48,380
It's gonna stay,
and it is the history
of the Sunset Strip.
981
01:06:51,883 --> 01:06:56,805
This classical period,
where possibly the best records
of all time were made.
982
01:06:59,099 --> 01:07:02,602
Being in the atmosphere
of Hollywood and creativity
of that era.
983
01:07:03,395 --> 01:07:07,482
It was just the coolest
feeling and vibe
that I ever experienced.
984
01:07:09,943 --> 01:07:15,866
The idea of pursuing
your dreams, and that energy.
985
01:07:17,367 --> 01:07:21,580
And I really
believe that The Rainbow
is the vortex for that energy.
986
01:07:23,123 --> 01:07:26,126
This is the history,
these are your roots.
987
01:07:26,877 --> 01:07:29,379
The next kid can come in here,
988
01:07:29,463 --> 01:07:31,965
and some old guy like me
can sit him down and say
989
01:07:32,049 --> 01:07:37,971
"Listen kid, once upon a time,
there was a special place,
it was called The Rainbow."