Sunset Blvd Billboards From 1974

Follow this link to a great Flickr page full of billboards along Sunset Blvd. from 1974. I was 19 at the time and we spent a lot of time on the blvd. I remember many of these billboards. The album above reminds me of those days. Thank you Larry the Frog.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/larrythefrog/sets/72157616537275243/

Joe South

I just found out Joe South died this past September 5th at the age of 72. He was one of the great singers and song writers of his time. He belongs in the Rock Hall of Fame. I remember the first time I heard Games People Play on KHJ. Humble Harv introduced the song and said you have to listen to this man he is heavy. He was right.

Below is a link to a YouTube video of my favorite Joe South song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AirBbS4R7Z0

Toy Cars

Here are pictures of what is left (sigh) from my childhood toy car collection. I gave most of it away years ago to my cousins son. Some of the cars in the pictures are more recent as people still give me cars for Christmas:

My Apartments

Recently on Facebook people from the SF Valley and LA pages have been posting pictures of their old houses. All my years in the Valley were spent in apartments. So being short on ideas for a post, here are my apartments:

13760  Sherman Way Van Nuys CA

Center building top front

7347 Haskell Ave. Van Nuys CA

8070 Langdon Ave. Van Nuys CA

7924 Woodman Ave. Van Nuys CA

Was Jane Russell's Aprtment building

14341 Chandler Blvd. Van Nuys CA

Memory Park Ave. Sepulveda CA

Kittridge, North Hollywood CA

12364 Magnolia Blvd. Valley Village CA

I forget a few of the addresses and am too lazy to look them up. They span from 1960 to 2006. Thanks to Google Street View for making this egotistical exercise possible.

Village Recorders Tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpT-q4aKWac&feature=youtu.be

Lake Effect Studio

I recently bought a small audio mixer which can be plugged directly into your computer through the USB slot. Since I got rid of all my fancy equipment I wanted something small to record songs and other projects. One of the othe projects we are working on is a Van Nuys Boomers podcast. Right now it is going back and forth between the Rats. If we do something good I might share one or two here. A little music in the backgorund and personal memories.

This small table houses some of Lake Effect Studio. I had to have a name and that seemed to fit the project. The guitars, keyboard, tower speakers and 1,000 watt amplifier are elsewhere. But this is all it takes to complete the task. Two mics, a mixer, an iPod, MP3 player and some misc. equipment.

I keep asking myself why I have less room in a three bedroom house with an attic and a basement than I had in a two bedroom apartment in the Valley. Ah, tenants! One is gone, two to go!

It Was the Sixties

Below is our brand new dining room set in our apartment at 13760 Sherman Way. The year is 1964. This set went well with our aluminum Christmas tree and the bright orange plastic dishes and cups.The name of the bird in the cage is "Kookie". Named after the character from the TV show "77 Sunset Strip". Kookie used to wait in between the venetian blinds for me to come home from school. Kookie also like Vodka and orange juice. When my parents had friends over and they had drinks you had to share it with the bird. If you tried to shoo the bird away he would bite you. Yeah that's pudgy me and Mom.

Oscars Restaurant

Who remembers Oscar's Restaurant at the corner of Sepulveda and Vose in Van Nuys. We used to eat there all the time. Seems like my Dad always ordered a Chili Size. Here is a picture of the restaurant which replaced Oscar's. I believe this is the place that had red hamburger buns. 

(Picture from The San Fernando Valley Relics page on Facebook)

Vintage Stereo System

One of my childhood memories was visiting a friend who had a console stereo system, which to a young kid sounded great. No this is not the actual stereo system or the friend, sigh. But I thought it was a great looking console stereo.

Cruising Van Nuys Blvd 1972

Below is a composite of images from 1972 of Van Nuys Blvd on a Wednesday night. Photos by Richard McCloskey.