Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Ok, it’s almost the end of July. We’ve been to the beach and I watched my 4 year old, Jonah take to swimming and a sun tan. I’m crusin’ through my list of summer activities, one of which is none other than an Idelic tradition; the Summer Playlist.
I’m calling this Hour’s set “Sum Fun.” The first half hour is songs inspired by going to the beach with a “go” attitude—call it, Hollywood surf- punk. The second half of the set is what I’ll call, “Beach Blanket 2012.”
Funny… I was thinking about that summer in 1980, the days I moved from NYC to LA. As a young punk rocker, I thought punk was over, so what’s next? Might as well move to California and learn how to surf and see what California chicks were like. I was thrilled to find out that surfers were just turning onto punk. LA had Rodney Bingenheimer playing a mix of local punk bands and old surf legends.
Once or twice a week I’d drive to the coast and pick a beach and “paddle out” to test my NYC surfing skills. The Hollywood spot to hang late night was not a club, but a grubby Hawaiian style burger stand on Santa Monica Boulevard called Oki’s Dogs. Dude! Teriyaki burgers and burritos—stuff with a crazy mixture of hot dogs, chilli pastrami, and cheese. What a kooky mix, but what a blast!
Southern California is where the city meets the beach like absolutely no other place in this world! Let’s explore it—past and present—on this week’s Idelic Hour!
The Idelic Hit of the Week:
Poolside – California Sunset
