Studies of Mouths, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Recommendations, plugs endorsements — call ‘em what you want, the tips that travel person-to-person carry a certain je ne sais quoi. Or, actually, I DO sais quoi, and it’s (pardon my French) cache. Secret mall apartments know what I’m talking about, but so do speakeasies, midnight movies, b-side tracks, and off-menu specialties. If you know, you know — y’know? So this month we attempted to extract some of that underground wisdom from our friends, and put a call out for people’s favorite “word of mouth” recs. But the initial results were…confused.
Were we asking for, like, cultural touchstones that had achieved fame organically? Or businesses that had no social media presence whatsoever? Or tailored recommendations that were meaningful on a personal level? (Look buddies: I’m no philology scientist; I just thought it was funny that “words of mouth” boil down to “mouthwords” if you drop the highfalutin preposition.) The point is, the prompt wasn’t working. But then my brother came over and helped clarify what it is we were really after (and also reminded me why we talk about “Words of Mouth” as though they’re Lords, and not just sewer magicians). Let me explain:
Wyatt comes over now and again to play some songs on his acoustic guitar. Under normal conditions, this would be lovely; but fifty percent of our children are extremely hostile to songs/music/joy, so it is not the sort of thing that one would expect to go over well, given that context. But Wyatt’s no fool. He sticks to the hits, panders to the crowd, and leaves before anyone goes Woodstock ‘99. The last time he came over he played something new: his rendition of MJ Lenderman’s acoustic cover of “Dancing in the Club” by This Is Lorelei. And when I say that this out-of-right-field offering was a hit, I am underselling it by a factor of [my music-fearing child tentatively picking up a guitar in the corner and giving it a gentle strum].
I was just genuinely moved — wordplay for wordplay’s sake! exhausted-sounding half-rhymes! “I’m a loser, always been!” — and after we’d heard it again and compared it against the original track, I was all-in. I was also torn: was the cover the true version, revealing the hidden poignancy of the original, or was the original the true version, revealing the triteness and verbal impoverishment not only of the cover, but also of pop music/love songs more generally?! (The fact that the original band’s name runs head-on into Spotify’s own playlist-naming conventions gives at least some hint of their intentions — as does the music video — but the question still remains!)
Generally speaking, I am not a show-going man, but following this high-speed descent into This Is Lorelei fandom, I purchased two tickets to see them open for MJ Lenderman at the Shrine Auditorium in the fall — and I’ll be very happy to hear either band perform this song with whatever levels of irony or sincerity seem appropriate to them at the time. And that’s what a good word of mouth can do: it can make a beleaguered adult go see an actual human music band perform in the actual world. It also forces me, at the risk of wasting other people’s time and patience, to evangelize for my belief in something’s fundamental greatness.
Following all of this… enthusing, I also started asking that “word of mouth” question a different way; I started asking: “what’s something you think more people ought to know about, or what’s something that you can’t stop thinking about, everyone else be damned?” For me, right now, it’s this song, and the question of whether a thing can be both heartfelt and mocking at the same time (but I guess I should’ve known). But luckily, other people answered too. We’ve got some diamonds down below, so grab ‘em up where you find ‘em and then pass ‘em on — or, alternatively, throw ‘em all away, like the man says.
- Daniel Harmon
P.S.: Thanks to all who contributed!
The Rundown
Semi-secret views at The Top Floor of City Hall, Downtown: During business hours of the work week you can check in at City Hall, and go to the top floor for 360-degree views of the city. Is it beautiful? Yeah, sure in spots. But more importantly, it’s massive, sprawling, and strange— and you get all of that from here. It’s not the most obvious thing to do with a friend from out of town, but that’s all the more reason to give it a shot, right? Plus, when you’re done, you’re smack in the middle of downtown. (h/t Ben Cassorla)
Irish music at the Mayflower Club, North Hollywood: “There’s not really an Irish Cultural Center in Los Angeles, so the Irish have apparently flipped the script and colonized the Mayflower Club (a “British-American social club”) on Monday nights from 7-11pm and converted it into a Celtic Arts Center. What that means in practice is that from 7-8 there’s an all-levels welcome traditional music session, an open Irish dance session from 8-9, and then an all-out Irish jam session with the pros from 9-11. (There’s also a very wholesome and reasonably priced bar, if you need to get your courage up.)” - Wyatt Harmon, Band Member, TV Girl
Pickup racket sports at Angel City Badminton, East Hollywood: “A vibrant and diverse club at LA Community College hosts pickup badminton nights 4 times a week this spring. The six courts welcome all play levels, from beginners to advanced, with a special challenge court for expert players. The cost is $10 per session, $5 for a racket rental, or $50/mo for unlimited play. Check IG for the latest schedule.” - Shaun Galanos, Love Coach
Unpretentious wine tastings at Vendome Liquors, Toluca Lake: “On Wednesday nights at Vendome the owner does a tasting in the back. It’s a square bar surrounded by beer refrigerators and empty wine boxes, and the crowd is local and unexpected. Real salt of the earth folks. The tasting is usually from many different regions, and sometimes he’ll open a really good old bottle of something expensive. In any event, the tasting usually concludes with a mystery bottle in a paper bag, and the whole group discusses and guesses where it’s from: New world, old world; what country; what side of the hill, etc. It’s a fun trip to the valley and you’ll go home with some great wine.” - Otto Arsenault, Creative Director, Microsoft
Almuerzo at Bar Siesta, Silver Lake: “I may be biased, but our Bar Siesta just started opening up at noon for Spanish sandwiches, snacks, conservas, and drinks, and it’s a beautifully chill, delicious spot for whiling away an east side afternoon. You can pretend you’re on vacation with multiple glasses of vermouth and copious jamón, or have a Spanish working lunch of a beer and a bocadillo.” - Heather Sperling, Owner of Botanica and Bar Siesta
A quieter museum experience at The Wende Museum, Culver City: “The Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City tends to get overlooked (especially because it’s so close to the Museum of Jurassic Technology), but it’s in a great space with great exhibitions and cool events —really everything you’d want from a small museum. Highly recommend the next time you’re struggling to figure out how to spend an empty afternoon.” - Erin Dunigan, Community Manager, Getty
Art for art’s sake at Art in the Park, Hermon Park: “Hermon Park is not a destination park by any means, but it’s got plenty of parking, a decent amount of shade, and for a few midday hours each Saturday, it becomes positively Edenic. That’s when Art in the Park puts out an art project for kids (usually something with a connection to the local plant- and/or wildlife) and an amateur band gathers to practice and perform a blend of covers and original songs. It’s just…it’s beautiful, man. And it’s a great reminder that just because we can’t all be artists doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t all benefit from making more art.” - Daniel Harmon, Sometime Newsletter Guy
Great food at Good Food Market, Pasadena: “This Armenian grocery is my go-to place for everyday necessities like pita and feta (“French” is my favorite) and seemingly all the za’atar in the world, plus more occasional buys like: gemlike dried peach halves sparkling with sugar, homemade smoked yogurt, cured meats arranged on styrofoam trays (ready to go for parties), and bottles of Gerolsteiner to wash it all down.” - Erica Wrightson, Writer and Oral Historian
Sri Lankan dinner at Kurrypinch, Thai Town: “There’s a new Sri Lankan spot in East Hollywood called Kurrypinch that I’ve been vibing on big time. The restaurant experience itself is a little hit or miss, and YMMV on some of the chef’s more fusion-y dishes, but I’m excited to have somewhere to try more Sri Lankan food—which is woefully underrepresented in LA in general—so close to home. Bonus: it’s down the street from Tabula Rasa, so you can make a night of it!” - Jamie Feldmar, Food Writer and Cookbook Author
A serene soak at Beverly Hot Springs, Koreatown: “Southern California was once home to plenty of natural hot springs, but Beverly Hot Springs is the sole vestige of this tradition, sourcing its hot water from a well nearby - Oxford Springs - apparently discovered in 1910. It’s not the most upscale of the Korean spas - and the price point is higher (LA’s only natural hot springs!) - but it’s the most peaceful of them all I’ve experienced. They ask for little to no talking, so it’s golden for a truly immersive and peaceful dip.” - Ben Evans, Artist and Designer
A sometime bar at The Mid-City Yacht Club, Mid City: “This place is kind of on the DL — the owner’s a kooky guy who used to own a place called Abbott’s Habit on Abbot Kinney, which is how we first knew about him. This sometime bar (see instagram for times) is essentially a ground-floor loft with a door. There’s a guy who announces when they’re open via instagram if you want to play it safe/be sure, but otherwise they keep roughly regular hours — with a few gaps here and there. Anyway, once you’re inside you’ll find frosty mug beers, a full bar, and a giant boat smack-dab in the middle of the place.” - Blaine Rucker, Art Director
Spinning at the BonaVista Lounge, Downtown: “When my husband and I aren’t having a burger at the bar at Dunsmooror or lurking at Bar Etoile, I like to surprise him with what I call “Bon adventure!” That’s when we go to the Bonaventure spinning bar downtown to watch the world turn (an experience that’s especially nice on a rainy night).” - Karen Spector, Designer and Founder of Lovers Unite)
Hollywood history at the Margaret Herrick Library, Beverly Hills: “The Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library is home to one of the greatest collections of film-and television-related material in the world. The main library has a copy of nearly every book ever written about motion pictures, but the crown jewel is their special collections. There you’ll find all the primary source material about cinema you could ever want: screenplays, posters, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, production files, marketing material, budgets, animation cels, concept art, props, costumes, and anything else you can imagine. The library itself is housed in a former wastewater treatment facility, but before you make the obvious joke about Hollywood filmmaking, remember: It’s a former wastewater treatment facility in Beverly Hills, which means it was built to look like a Romanesque church, complete with a faux bell tower. Today, it’s a lovely place to spend an afternoon learning about movies. The main library is open to the public; special collections require an appointment.” - Matthew Dessem, Culture and Film Writer
Bonus tip: Free (secret!) parking at the beach!, Venice: "Readers to assume all responsibility! If you park here, no one has any idea whether the parking meters will work or not. I have this on the authority of a parking inspector who was parked up on the side of the street. There are clean public toilets once you get to the beach and doggos (unofficially) run free. (Humans can too!) - Laura Rule, Artist
Ode To A Strip Mall: The La Pergoletta Strip
1802 Hillhurst Ave
There aren’t a lot of restaurants that I would say I’ve missed since we left Los Feliz in 2020, but La Pergoletta is certainly one of them. My first time there I got the lasagna, just because it seemed like the thing to do, but that was a mistake. The lasagna is great, but the star of the show is the freshly-made pasta, and lasagna has too many other things competing for your attention. It wasn’t until we popped in one night when we didn’t really have a plan — just because outdoor seating next to a laundromat seemed so inviting, somehow — that I fully appreciated the virtues of the restaurant. That night, we ordered a simple pasta and a simple salad, and it was extraordinary. And that’s La Pergoletta: the pasta noodle in this strip mall’s lasagna. It doesn’t need to be excellent, but it is.
And I’m not sure it’s prudent to continue with this metaphor for this strip mall’s other businesses, but, if I had to, I guess I’d say that the Drawing Room is the long-simmering tomato sauce (to say nothing of the delicate sprinkling of “parmesan” on top), and then I suppose Tub Tim Siam and the the coin-op laundry place would be the balanced elements of meat and cheese? Or…no. Probably not. This was a terrible idea that I regret. On to the categories!
One Essential Neighborhood Business: La Pergoletta (see above)
Whimsy Factor: Trash cans painted with the colors of the Italian flag and rows of plants obscuring diners’ views of extremely proximite tailpipes? Yeah, I’d say it’s pretty whimsical!
Variety Level: Moderate. This strip could really use a Hot Wheels dealership or a psychic or something on both the whimsy and variety fronts, but it does hit the basics of foods, drinks, and laundry.
Life Expectancy, if Forced to Take Residence for an Extended Period of Time: 48.5
Quality of Life Under Same Conditions: High if you are the animated lead in The Lady and the Tramp and/or you aspire to the life of a dissolute street poet/musician; low in most other circumstances.
