Sunset, Hollywood, Vermont

Our Nicole fell under the weather this weekend but I managed to get over to Hollywood on Saturday evening and poke around.

I hadn’t been to Wacko’s “new” location on Sunset Boulevard in years. I was impressed with their current selection of goofy novelties. I saw a lunchbox that I mean to get for my brother Jim for Christmas, should have bought it Saturday. My favorite thing I saw there was a 12” action figure of Bela Lugosi from “White Zombie”, it fully looked just like him. Nicole is a big fan of the movie “Ed Wood”. Martin Landau gives a great performance as Bela Lugosi in that movie. So I thought she would enjoy it if I got her that “White Zombie” action figure since she didn’t get to go to Wacko with me. Then I thought maybe my reasoning was flawed: A fan of the movie “Ed Wood” is not necessarily a fan of Bela Lugosi action figures. What if I got her this “White Zombie” man and it didn’t result in the response I wanted from her? Ultimately I decided not to risk my feelings getting hurt. I could just see myself bringing “White Zombie” Bela Lugosi home to her, and maybe I imagine a wave of lack of enthusiasm sweep over her face. The result would be that I would have a tantrum and throw the “White Zombie” off of the balcony into the swimming pool. It’s not worth the risk.

But it was fun visiting Wacko.

Next I visited the comic book shop Secret Headquarters on Hollywood Boulevard. It came highly recommended to me and it was indeed an interesting space. Polished wood floor, dark lighting, obscure ‘60s ska music playing on the speakers. I could wish that it had a larger selection of stuff, but at the same time it wasn’t cluttered with the endless toys that really belong over at Wacko anyway. It did have a few Adrian Tomine books. Giant Robot magazine is constantly printing articles about him and now he’s done some covers for the New Yorker, so I finally bought one of his books, Summer Blonde. It’s pretty entertaining so far.

I had a cheeseburger for dinner at Fred 62 just because it was convenient. Sat there listening to a couple of twits talk to each other (“Beverly Hills sucks!” “I know!”, “I’m not high maintenance, it just takes me a long time to read menus.”).

I wanted to go see a movie at the Vista theater, but it was playing Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster”. I’m sure I’ll see that one eventually, but I was in the mood for a comedy. I couldn’t remember ever going to the Los Feliz 3 theater on Vermont but it was playing “The Darjeeling Limited” so I bought a ticket. I won’t be going there again. How was I to know that the movie would be playing in a pillbox theater, the screen was about six feet tall by twelve feet long. A bushy-headed hippie sat alone in front of me. Gross. Whenever I watch a new Wes Anderson movie I’m always disappointed that it wasn’t better, then almost immediately I forgive the film and accept it for what it is. These are movies that I look forward to seeing the second time because I’ll enjoy them more. My favorite moment in the movie was right at the beginning when gangly-legged Adrian Brody overtakes Bill Murray as they’re both running for the train and jumps on the last car leaving Bill Murray behind. Someone will have to explain to me why that was so amusing to me.

Nothing really happened Saturday night, and yet everything happened. It was just…a happening. I think that’s what the hippie was supposed to symbolize.