It’s All Fair in Love and Night Life

A handsome stoolie who’s no foolie told me that certain club owners are ratting out promoters who set up shop in restaurants without proper dance and/or entertainment permits. The point is, the club owners are annoyed that they’re losing business to those who aren’t going by the books. I say, it’s bad karma all around. Face it, honey, if Hollywood players went by the books, there’d be no night life.

This ciudad isn’t known for making it easy on purveyors of the night, but basically, this is how it works: If the officials don’t get complaints, people can keep partying. If they get complaints, the party’s over, capice? And just remember, it goes both ways. Everyone on the night train’s up to something, so in the words of one of my favorite local poets, Richard DeDeaux of the Watts Prophets (who I believe was quoting his neighbor): “If everybody was minding they own dang business, they wouldn’t have time to be minding yours.” Words to live by. . . .

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Sunday’s all-day fund-raiser for L.A. punk pioneer Keith Morris (whose insides were to’ up from the flo’ up by a sudden illness, landing him whopping hospital bills) was a huge sold-out success. The Viper rented the Whisky for all-ages shows featuring the likes of Pennywise, the Vandals and Fishbone, then later on, guests were treated to more music madness at the Viper Room, where the original lineup of X headlined.

Thursday’s Playroom promo, the dance club Pop, has invited Nancy Raygun to perform tonight. Seeing as the group’s singer, a lovely lass named Monet, is dating guitarist Dave Navarro, he’s supposedly going to lend an ax or two for the show. . . . Speaking of the Playroom, Friday night’s Cherry was da bomb. The 5-year-old dance club is fueled by drag divas who know a thing or two about the fine art of performance art: Performer Alexis Arquette (can he be considered the black sheep in a clan so eccentric?) graced the stage in a peroxide-blond wig, and to perfect his ‘80s glam look, he dyed the roots black. It was a marvelous touch. . . . Cherry’s former location, the Love Lounge on Robertson Boulevard, is currently being transformed into a new space called the Factory. Methinks it’s an homage to the Warhol years. As long as they don’t play any Nico, things should be fine.