Rock Spots That Resuscitated the ‘90s

In the words of that hairy old singer, keep on rocking in the free world. If there’s one thing the Hollywood club scene does well, it’s rock ‘n’ roll, and in the wee final minutes of the ‘90s, rock ‘n’ roll hath saved our soul yet again. In reviewing the clubs that made hearts go pitter-patter, rock spots rule the decade.

It took some time for Hollywood to recover from the ‘80s. Early images of the ‘90s include former hell raisers toting bottles of Evian, grateful to have “lived through this.” But somewhere in the mid-’90s, Los Angeles started to get that fever again; you know the one: all hopped up with no place to go. These 10 clubs came to the emotional rescue:

The Viper Room. If I had a nickel for every loser who mourned that old rock dump the Central, I’d be phoning Mars. At the time, few people appreciated what Johnny Depp was giving us when he launched his Viper: a first-rate music club for first-rate performers. The Viper Room’s going down in history as one of the best clubs ever to hit the Sunset Strip and not because it left behind a beautiful corpse, but because it rocked harder, it rocked louder and it rocked deeper.

Club 7969 (formerly Peanuts). From Bordello to Grande Ville and everything in between, this Santa Monica Boulevard burlesque club offered sexual healing to those in need of a spanking good time. Thursday’s Vibrator, one of the most exciting contemporary dance clubs, just passed its glittery entrance exam. Baby, take a bow wow wow.

Small’s K.O. The late great bar Small’s preceded them all--Jones, Three Clubs, Good Luck, Lava Lounge--and it was sooooooooooo rock ‘n’ roll. From the music, to the smoke, to its art-damaged look, Small’s was the only place to be for last call. Rumor has it that if Kane (its new name) ever goes belly up, original owner Jon Sidel’s gonna reclaim the Melrose Avenue bar.

Cherry. It’s difficult not to get gushy when it comes to Cherry, from the melding of drag and rock to its gay and straight fusion. The weekly dance club, now at the Playroom on Highland Avenue, came along just when we needed reminding that, from Freddie Mercury to Axl Rose, all the great icons of rock wore dresses.

House of Blues. The House of Blues continues to be a mess. Too-long lines for valet, too many doors to chose from, too little Isaac. (Visionary founder Isaac Tigrett was noodled out of the pic a couple years back.) But oh, the memories: watching Madonna and Prince do the Foundation Room hustle, while James Woods gets his flirt on. That’s the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it, uh-huh, uh-huh.

Spaceland. When migrating east for music, I much preferred Sucker at the Garage, a Sunday afternoon beer bust that always ended in fun or, at least, with a 7-foot-tall drag queen on your arm. But Spaceland not only came first, the funky Silver Lake discotheque’s got staying power. We even hear renovations are in the works. Those who run it deserve a medal, not only for giving a tiny art colony a voice but also for putting up with the player-hater attitude leveled at them when that voice got heard.

Chocolate Bar. We got one word for you: groovilicious. This floating Saturday night club (currently anchored to Gabah on Melrose Avenue) gave us one of the sweetest delights of the ‘90s. Run by young promoters Shakespeare, Kjell and Aurelito, Chocolate Bar gives hip-hop heads a no-drama dance club to call their own.

The Derby. Remember when grunge was king for a day? Back in those dark ages, a little Los Feliz club called the Derby dusted off its dance floor and invited folks to dress to the nines and dance till the twos (a.m., that is). It worked. It’s now the stuff of fairy tales: a hit movie (“Swingers”), a hit soundtrack (Royal Crown Revue, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) and a zoot-suited trend that’s still got a few years left in its seams.

Make-Up. The newest kid on the block, this monthly glam club at El Rey Theatre is vital to Hollywood’s glittery resurgence. Famous for its colorful live performances (such as Friday’s Cirque du Soleil extravaganza), the real treats are the locals, the best eye-candy in town.

Dragonfly. The Dragonfly makes the cut because it offers more good times per square inch than you can shake a funky stick at. When disco was big, the Boogie Nights were there. When rock en espanol was big, Ozomatli was there. Before Sugar Ray got big, it was the house band there. Dragonfly is willing to take chances. Hey, you can’t win if you don’t play.