My Favorite Weekend: John Debney
Composer John Debney is the man behind the music of the “Iron Man” films as well as the current Top 10 hit “Predators,” but his skills extend far beyond the action-flicks realm. He’s earned three Emmys scoring for television and got an Oscar nomination for his work on the 2004 biblical epic “Passion of the Christ.”
“I’ve always had broad musical tastes,” said the Burbank resident, whose father was a producer with Disney for 40 years. “When I was growing up and playing in a series of garage bands, my guitar heroes were the usual suspects like Clapton and Hendrix, but I also liked Chicago’s Terry Kath and John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.”
FOR THE RECORD:
My Favorite Weekend: The My Favorite Weekend feature in Friday’s Calendar section identified John Debney as “the man behind the music of the ‘Iron Man’ films.” Debney composed the music for this year’s “Iron Man 2.” Ramin Djawadi composed the music for the 2008 film “Iron Man.” —
His weekends are a stretch too, from L.A. Live to the sands of Santa Barbara.
Lounging around
I love to meet people at the Sidebar in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for drinks. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Beverly Hills. Never too crowded or loud like other lounges. You can actually have a conversation here. It is a great place to meet people at the bar and nosh on their Rough Cut menu, like the Kobe sliders or the amazing French fries with a Garlic béarnaise aioli.
Of course, if we want a full-blown steak dinner, then we’ll walk across the hall to Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Cut.
The L.A. way
My hobby is cars. I love fast cars, and I own several, including my favorites, a Jaguar and a Ferrari 599. I love to just go on Mulholland and cruise or take a long drive along the coast.
Also, my wife, Lola, and I love to hear live jazz, and we’ll go to the Baked Potato on Cahuenga or Herb Alpert’s club, Vibrato, off Mulholland in Bel-Air — another excuse to cruise Mulholland.
And going to Staples Center for Laker games is a favorite thing to do for the family. We’ll go to three or four games a month during the season. Before the games, we’ll have a bite to eat at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. I love the tuna tartare, and the barbecued flank steak is unbelievable.
Up the coast
We also love going up to our house in Santa Barbara on weekends, and when we do, we always stop at Trattoria Mollie in Montecito. Mollie is the owner and is there all the time. Order her spaghetti and meatballs — I think Oprah Winfrey goes in there specifically for that.
Another wonderful place is Jeannine’s, which is sort of the neighborhood hang in Montecito. You have to order the latte, and make sure Beto makes it for you. Then, if it was breakfast, I’d order one of their great omelets or scrambles. If it was lunch, then it would be the tuna sandwich. Everything’s good.
One place that’s fun is the Boathouse, a little north of the pier. If you’re lucky, you grab a table outside, get a couple of appetizers and a great bottle of wine and just sit and watch the waves crash and the world go by. Some restaurants have great views, some great food, this has both. And try a watermelon martini.
Back in town
I grew up in Glendale and my parents would take me to Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, and we used to get the original double-decker cheeseburger. When I became a dad, I took my boys there, and even today I love to go back because it holds such great memories.
Bob’s still feels like our own place even though everyone in the world knows about it. I mean, the Beatles ate there. It’s the oldest Big Boy still around, and it’s a historical landmark. And the burgers are still great.