Oh, Susanna!

 

As I mentioned earlier in the week, three very Kenneth events happened while Damian and I were on the coast, including a performance by Susanna Hoffs. Ironically, the last time I was in L.A. was exactly 10 years ago, when I made a special trip to see the Bangles beauty perform ... at Largo! That outing was nearly derailed by an epic snowstorm here in NYC -- my flight kept getting canceled and eventually I made it there for only one of the two shows I had tickets for, which both featured guest Belinda Carlisle.

This time around, we were fortunate that my friend and former roommate James was available to join us. He happened to work on (Susanna's husband) Jay Roach's "High Desert," so we chatted with him after the show and found it adorable how the famed director went out of his way to make sure James's selfie was to his liking. 

Before the concert, we ran into our mutual pal and film reviewer extraordinaire Glenn Gaylord, whose write-up is so spot-on I will just share it with you here. 

He writes:

I went to see Susanna Hoffs & Friends at Largo last night. She did a wonderful 14 song set of Bangles classics, a couple of new songs, and, to our delight, she and her small band performed the first 7 songs off of The Beatles' classic album, HELP! She sounded as good as ever, with that angelic yet raspy voice which always cuts through. If you've never been to Largo, it's a small, intimate 200+ seat venue and artists keep things SUPER casual. No photos or recording was allowed, which made it feel evern more special. 

Susanna, admittedly scattered, gave off a "you're in my living room" vibe, stopping and restarting songs, forgetting lyrics, changing tempos, all while being beyond adorable. In the biggest surprise of the evening, Conan O'Brien came out to workshop jokes from his upcoming Oscar monologue. If the jokes he told are any indication of what he's gonna do, this will be one for the books. I really hope he goes there with the Timothee Chalamet bit.

As much as I love The Bangles...and why, oh why, are they not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame yet????...I have really worshipped her three cover songs albums she recorded with Matthew Sweet (another favorite of mine). Their voices blend together so well. Did I mention I'm a huge power pop fan?  Each album covers a specific decade in music....60s, 70s, and 80s.  

I have been hungering for their 90s collaboration, but tragedy struck Matthew in October 2024 when he suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour in Toronto. It's been a long, slow road to recovery and it's not clear he'll ever be able to play guitar or sing again. Visit his GO FUND ME page for more details and if you have felt he (and Susanna) have enriched your life with their artistry, maybe consider donating. 

In the meantime, here's the setlist from Susanna's concert last night.

1. In Your Room

2. None of Them Were You (The List)

3. Bad Case of Loneliness

4. Help!

5. The Night Before  

6. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

7. I Need You  

8. Another Girl

9. You're Going to Lose That Girl

10. Ticket to Ride  

11. Manic Monday

12. Hero Takes a Fall

13. Hazy Shade of Winter

14. Encore: Eternal Flame

Kenneth and James on the real Melrose Place, circa 1992

We finished the night off with James by cruising Melrose Avenue before getting a bite at Canter's. xo

Westside Story

Yesterday we did a full tour of the Westside, starting with a visit to my first L.A. apartment (on the notorious South Bundy Drive) followed by stops in Santa Monica, Venice — Muscle Beach is still hopping and we ate lunch at the most fantastic Italian joint to prepare us for a tour of the canals(!) — before driving up to Malibu in time for the sunset.

I then planned to dazzle Damian with the drive along Sunset Boulevard back from Pacific Coast Highway to WeHo only to be jolted by the sight of the lingering devastation through the Palisades, where burned-out houses and empty lots abound.

Eventually we reached (the) Beverly Hills (Hotels) where things remain one percent status quo, just in time to valet the car at the Sunset Marquis and race down to Largo in time to meet my good friend and former roommate James for the Susanna Hoffs concert -- more HERE -- where one of her special guests was Conan O'Brien, who used the crowd to try out some material for his upcoming gig hosting the Academy Awards. (Sue apparently has a monthly residency at the Coronet and yesterday she was experimenting with covers of the Beatles' "Help!" album.)

Afterward we grabbed a bite at Canter's Deli — no kugel but terrific as always — and cruised Melrose a bit before collapsing into bed.

I surprisingly woke up at a reasonable hour so took a stroll over to Book Soup and Sunset Plaza to get coffee at the Butcher, the Baker and the Cappuccino Maker, where I am writing this now. (And wait'll you see my new Ron Dorff shirt!)

Tonight we eat with friends at my beloved (and newly reopened) Marix (where I celebrated my 25th birthday) and then see "The Mismatch Game" and then we head back to NYC tomorrow.

Kudos to the City of Angels for reminding me what I was missing — and that I really blew it by not being born bicoastal!

California

Griffith Observatory hike at sunset? Take me as I am, California. I'm your biggest fan.

Sunset People

When I booked our stay at the Sunset Marquis hotel, it felt almost like a consolation prize to make up for the demise of my beloved Standard.

But now that we've arrived on these 3.5 acres of lush gardens — and eaten at the divine Cavatina — I am not sure what I was thinking!

Throw in the fact unbeknownst to me two of my friends' longtime performances — Danny Casillas's "Chico's Angels" and Dennis Hensley's "Mismatch Game" — are happening while we're here as well as a Susanna Hoffs show at Largo (walking distance from the hotel) and this is shaping up to be quite a return to the City of Angels!

Austin Powers

I met Tracy Austin in 1981 at the Wells Fargo event in Rancho Bernardo -- on my family's first jaunt to Southern California -- when I was 14 and didn't own a camera yet.

I was hoping to run into her yesterday -- she was in town receiving the Tennis Mom of the Year award -- but no such luck. I did, however, get to see her fabulous mosaic at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and threw my back out in her honor while taking these pictures! 

Read HERE.

Postcard From Indian Wells

UPDATE: Woke to realize this never posted — I am guessing this blog-by-email technique doesn't like photo-intensive posts — but I will add images as technology permits!

Just back to the hotel from spending the day in/at Indian Wells and am too tired to write much more than to say we had a swell time — and to share a few photos before I turn in for the night, including sex bomb Valentin Vashero, who came up short against cutie Casper Ruud, and Djokopas, the doubles team we didn't know we needed!

Tomorrow is Joshua Tree en route to L.A., where I am looking forward to catching up with more friends and some R&R by the pool. xo

My two husbands!