Yuku free message boards

I'm all ABOUT making a scene!!


March 9, 2007. Thirty years ago almost to the day, I came to the Starwood in Hollywood with my sisters to watch Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz (and Peter Tork!) live in concert, courtesy of the fact that my sisters were good pals of a young club owner and man-about-town named Rodney Bingenheimer. It was a wondrous experience in my life, and it would be an understatement to say that Rodney literally made my day.

Now it was Rodney's day to be made as he received his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Quite a journey for Rodney - from autograph-hunting fandude to scene-spectre to Davy's double to club owner to world-famous disc jockey of KROQ-FM and impresario to focus of a lauded documentary to Walk Of Famedom.

From dreamer to star. And he did it all his way.

A beautiful day in Hollywood - sunny, bright, and jammed along the sidewalk in front of the Knitting Factory currently being upgraded and renovated. Johnny Grant, venerable Hollywood Hizzoner, performed his homage to the Mayor of the Sunset Strip in his own flashy, splashy style that brings to mind the color and character of Hollywood back in its heyday.

The Honorable Johnny Grant, Mayor of Hollywood.

Then Rodney himself came onto the scene in a limo, surrounded by a crush of admirers.

The guy on the stairs probably had the best view on the block for Rodney's arrival!

Rodney is finally presented before his public on his day of honor.

Here's a highlight for you from YouTube - the Bangles give Rodney his props!

The Bangles at Rodney's star celebration by PennyLane6383


Here's all the pertinent information on the event - it was such a madhouse there that I was too distracted trying to get pictures to be able to give you a coherent rundown of every scrap of action! But among the attendees of note were The Bangles, Brian Wilson (who left early, alas!), Michael and Pamela Des Barres, "NCIS"s Pauley Perrette, and Rodney's family and close friends.

RodneyOnTheRoq @ MySpace. (Photos and videos!)

One totally godhead celebration to honor Rodney on the Roq. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - great article on the forces behind Rodney's star.)

Renowned Disc Jockey Receives Star On Walk Of Fame. (CBS)

LA rock DJ Rodney Bingenheimer gets star on Walk of Fame. (Associated Press / San Francisco Chronicle)

Dormand L. talks about his experience on Rodney Bingenheimer Day in Los Angeles on Yelp.com.

Yelper MsTiza's pix from the big day!

There's A Starman by Lina Lecaro at L.A. Weekly.

Rodney expands his jurisdiction for the day - Johnny Grant sportingly names him the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, too!

My own position could've been better - we arrived at about 11:10 and although the ceremony wasn't to start for twenty minutes, it was already impossible to see the ground level where the star would be unveiled! Missed a lot of the ground action, but Six and my buddy Tony were game to try to get photos from the inside of the shoe store where it seemed enough people had congregated by the window overlooking the ceremony without getting run off by management.

DSW Shoe Store...and coming soon to a theater near you, Richard O'Brien as Hunter S. Thompson in "Being John Malkovich AGAIN".

There was glare through the window, but I did get a handful of pretty good photos. The crush around Rodney was amazing - everyone wanted to talk to him!

Rodney - the center of attention!

And for the gentlemen...

Movie and television bombshell Pauley Perrette was one of the special guests at the event.

And of course, Six had to get a pic of the star of HIS favorite lady on television!

After the main crush of congratulations and crowd had thinned out, I greeted my sisters who as friends of Rodney got some great V.I.P. locales amidst the mob! Their husbands (one of whom is also an old pal of Rodney's) seemed to be having a really great time. I think this was a first star ceremony for all of us, and how could it get any better than having the recipient being someone you know?

One of my sisters and her husband went back to their hotel to freshen up - the rest of us trooped over to Canter's Deli a short hop away as Rodney was going to have his lunch away from his usual table to be the focus of pride in the Kibbitz Room. Although it was reported that V.I.P.s only would be allowed in to congratulate Rodney, the folks in charge were extremely lenient.

The Kibbitz Room was packed solid - there would be no opportunity to stay in there very long, as waiters still had to move past all of us to serve their customers at the bars and tables. But my sister, despite a raging case of laryngitis, managed to get Six and me in there and present us to Rodney as he sat at lunch with his party of family and friends. I shook his hand, congratulated him, and said how proud we all were of him, and I presented to him in a little something special for which I was honored and privileged to act as agent of delivery - a message of congratulations from Peter Tork and his manager for his accomplishments.

...complete with a cheesecake shot of the back of my hat! Rodney's response: "Oh, wow!"

We cleared out pretty quickly as Rodney's lunch was ready to be served, so we all returned to our seats and I celebrated my victory with the best Reuben sandwich ever made before we headed back to our respective corners and errands to gear up as best as our energy would allow for the rest of the evening.

Before we left, my sister Diana was able to present a homemade quilt to Rodney!

We rested uneventfully at the Hollywood Liberty Hotel before being joined up by most of the rest of our party for a little rest and relaxation and chit-chat regarding a small future project for my website, among other things, before heading out to the Henry Fonda Theater's Music Box for the "Rodney's ROQ of Fame" concert.

The marquee at the Henry Fonda Theater. The guy on the right in the leather jacket and red shirt is my brother-in-law Gunnar, an alumnus from Rodney's English Disco.

The show threatened to be a sell-out, but the Blue Palms Restaurant within the theater guaranteed preferred seating for those who would observe a two-drink minimum, and we weren't averse to that, so we sat inside the lounge, which currently doesn't serve coffee, Bloody Marys, or food, but it does have terrific service for those who drink up and don't want to stand in line!

Tamra, Jonathan, and Karen kicking back before the ROQ of Fame.

They also did us the favor of snagging another ticket for us since my sisters were able to meet up with another member of the Sunset Strip Old School and were determined that Rodney's classic posse of pretties should have a chance of seeing some of the concert together.

The line-up was Channel 3, the Nymphs, Red Kross, and the Donnas, but considering the long, long day and strenuous labor for all the preps amongst the whole group (including the majority of the group having come from hundreds of miles away), it must be admitted we made trips up to the smoking patio atop the theater quite frequently to keep us lively and on our feet with what passes for fresh air in my part of the country. Despite the efforts, we only got as far as Channel 3 and missed out on the rest of the concert, Rodney introducing the Donnas at the end of the evening, and the opportunity to go backstage. I'm hoping to hear some feedback and am still on the look-out for reports on this show from other attendees - let me know if you see anything, you sleuthers!

A rotten thing about me at my age is my body turning capricious on me at times after a big event. I'm not sure if it was the new job, or the event linked with all the mental and emotional flashbacks of thirty years ago wearing on me, or the anticipation of logistics or other problems in upcoming events or a combination of all of that which caused this massive outburst of radical dyspepsia that laid me flat over the weekend and is still bothering me. But the combination isn't agreeable to my constitution. I think I over-plan events like this. If only they would take place at my local farmer's market once in a while!

But enough of my bellyaching, if you will...