COOL-ASS LOCAL CULTURAL LANDMARK: SOUND CITY, PART 2

So I'm shooting a commercial down the street from this dingy, unassuming CULTURAL LANDMARK in the middle of an industrial neighborhood. I found this nice video tour of the place online - so no, the bearded gentleman in the video is not yours truly. Maybe I'll get up the courage to knock on the door and check it out for myself. Dang. I'd be starstruck just looking at an empty studio.

COOL-ASS LOCAL CULTURAL LANDMARK: SOUND CITY

I was shooting a commercial in Van Nuys and I recognized the neighborhood so I had to walk a block over and check this place out. I love locations like this. Growing up and living in this city I’m constantly learning about amazing, innocuous places like this that are all around us. Places where artistic and cultural brilliance occurred.

This is Sound City Studios. It’s tucked back on a dirty, industrial street deep in The Valley surrounded by metal shops and auto garages which only adds to the allure, in my mind. It doesn’t have the obvious, “look at me” glamorous façade of other temples of music like Abbey Road, but a mind-scrambling list of artistic geniuses practically lived here while they spawned some of the greatest masterpieces in music history. It happened right here. A lot. As dingy and unassuming as this building is, in my mind it should be a national landmark and should be preserved.

Who recorded here, you ask? A short list:

Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumours here, for God’s sake. Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers recorded “Damn The Torpedoes” and “Wildflowers”, Neil Young, Nirvana (“Nevermind” was recorded here! Holy Crap!), Johnny Cash, Metallica, Dylan, The Breeders, The Cult, Guns & Roses, George Harrison, Donovan, Garbage, Cheap Trick, Rage Against The Machine, Dio, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails and many others came in, opened up their hearts and became immortal. All within these dirty, stucco walls.