Man, what a trip it was to roll up to my friend’s new bar on the Sunset Strip in LA!

Back in the day, the Strip was where it was all happening.

I used to live at the top of Larrabee, just up from the Whisky A Go Go and the Viper Room. I used to literally wheel my Fender Twin down the hill to go to sound check.

Tower Records, Geffen Records, Book Soup (which is still there, I think).

Hamburger Hamlet, Chin Chin (which is also still there), Coconut Teaszer, the Roxy, the Roxbury!

We used to play at the Roxy a lot and I once did a gig on the same bill as Harry Dean Stanton at the Roxbury (what a trip that was).

The Strip was the center of my life for many rock ‘n’ roll years in LA.

But today, it’s mostly a tourist attraction, with many empty storefronts and just a few of the destinations that made the Strip THE destination.

But this spring that all changed when my good friend and former colleague Brynn Smith (above) opened Bar Next Door in a building that once housed Marilyn Monroe’s first talent agency.

I know Brynn from our Sotto days together (I wrote the list there for seven years). She is one of the city’s coolest mixologists.

And now she’s leading the revival of this once magical stretch of road.

Brynn is also publishing a nifty print newsletter where she shares some of the history of Strip and the many stars who have come through that part of town (below).

I can’t wait to get back and spend a proper evening there. Check it out the next time you visit Hollywood.

Congrats, Brynn! I’m so thrilled to watch your success!