***Important Ethical Dilemma! Bikes Involved!!****8***8
Thread started by
PC at 07.16.08 - 1:39 pm
I have just learned that Beachwood Sparks will be playing at Sunset Junction this year. I love Beachwood Sparks and this may be my last chance to ride my bicycle to one of their shows; however, Sunset Junction can suck a nut.
What do I do? What DO I do?
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show up right before the show and leave right after. DUH.
stillline07.16.08 - 1:41 pm
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Yeah, but I mean the whole thing of being forced to "donate" to get in.
PC07.16.08 - 1:44 pm
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Go to Burning Man, or be forever a naysayer, PC.
Sunset Junction Sucks. Why do we have to go over this again? We need your help. hippie.
Joe Borfo07.16.08 - 1:47 pm
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You should come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to see or hear anything at the unseeable-unhearable-junction-festival and if you do almost anything else that night the chances of having someone pee down your leg in a huge crowd are greatly reduced.
Or go to the show and be ready to suck a nut. Have fun. Whatever you do don't pay to get in.
xo
frumble07.16.08 - 1:48 pm
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"this may be my last chance to ride my bicycle to one of their shows"
????
Are they retiring?
Are they moving to Jakarta?
Are you moving to Jakarta?
toweliesbong07.16.08 - 1:49 pm
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Well now, you might get peed on at Burningman also.. but you'll dry off in no time.
Borfo, you gonna mosey tonight?
frumble07.16.08 - 1:50 pm
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but isn't burning man like $2million bucks or something?
is there a way to get in for free?
Jazzy Phat Nastee07.16.08 - 1:54 pm
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When Redd Kross played SJ, we just found a way to sneak in...F'em and those forced donations. I reccomend the pollo loco back entrance (if you are familiar with it) go in pretend to order and just walk out the front, it worked for us.
DeKadenzy07.16.08 - 2:01 pm
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@ Fumble - not sure yet.
@ Jazzy - nope.
.
Joe Borfo07.16.08 - 2:03 pm
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@Toweliesbong: Beachwood Sparks, although not technically broken up, hasn't played a show in approximately forever. They just reunited for that Seattle Sub Pop festival thing, and now it turns out they're playing Sunset Sucktion. After that, who knows? THAT'S WHY THIS IS SUCH A DILEMMA.
PC07.16.08 - 2:05 pm
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I am familiar with the fast food location of which you speak. If you mean the one at Sanborn. Excellent advice. Thank you, Luis, you're the best Mexican-American guy ever!
PC07.16.08 - 2:08 pm
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i live between beachwood and sparks... ???
yeah, what's the deal with that sunset junction festival thing anyway? people are always talking about it... and how it's not worth it... or that it used to be good, but now it sucks... or something.
but because everyone's always talking about it, it seems like it's one of those things I should do once, no?
canadienne07.16.08 - 2:11 pm
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Sunsey Junction is pretty sucky.
+1 avoid paying
(or avoid going)
@PC I saw Beachwood Sparks years and years and years ago. I like some of their recordings, but I remember them being a fairly boring live act. So prepare yourself for that.
theroyalacademy07.16.08 - 2:22 pm
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dude guys you dont know what you're talking about...
i love sunset junction.... its one of the oldest events in LA..
and may i have you know that you owe a lot of credit to that area cause that was one of the only places left that had remains of what LA was before..... you cant say you hate something if you dont know where its coming from and you cant hate until you loved first....
i grew up there and my dad owns a shop there hes been there for 25 years
further more thats where La began to remake it self , we wouldnt have all this growing if that place wasnt rebuilt and we also owe a lot of this the the gay community..... sunset junction a good event that hasn't changed..
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 2:36 pm
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Keep telling yourself that.
PC07.16.08 - 2:40 pm
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Wasn't Sunset Juction free in the past?
kyber07.16.08 - 2:42 pm
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Sean, I've seen 'em and they were good! My introduction to them was when I saw them open for the (reunited) Pretty Things at the Whisky in 2000. I just want to see them again, is all.
(I am going to laugh if the boring show you saw was the same awesome show I saw.)
PC07.16.08 - 2:45 pm
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pc were you even born in LA? just asking cause you sound like those people who move to LA then start complaning thats its not the same.....
i'm not trying to talk shit just trying to understand..
15 bucks isn't much and the junction has always had a good band line-up... the food is good, the poeple are nice, etc,etc,etc
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 2:49 pm
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I remember it being free too.
@thefrenchconn
You're just a hipster, that's why. ;)
Back to going or not going- yeah, sneak in and do what stilline said.
imachynna07.16.08 - 2:52 pm
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I believe technically, technically they cannot make you pay. they put a lot of pressure on you to pay but I didn't pay a few different years including last year.
studiodrome07.16.08 - 2:54 pm
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@PC I think I did actually see them at the Whiskey, but it was in 1999.
@frenchconn Eh, Sunset Junction is fine for what it is: a street fair. I just think street fair's are more or less universally sucky -- especially if you have to pay to get in...... A lot of waiting around for the bands to play, vendors either selling ridiculous crap (I recall "battle kilts" from the last SJ I went to) or decent stuff at ridiculous prices, lots of annoying people wandering around, and then when bands do play their sets are often short, the sound is terrible, and the crowd is composed of those same annoying people one has been dealing with all day.
Ugh.
But, if it's your cup o' tea, more power to you.
theroyalacademy07.16.08 - 2:56 pm
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I listened to their songs on myspace and dozed off.
WTF?
I thought you had different taste in music Russ.
Yeah I wouldn't want to pay 15 bucks to see them either.
Still yawning...
Listen to
this to perk you up.
marino07.16.08 - 2:56 pm
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good point there my rider friend.... then lets just seek in... or if i get enough tickets from my dad i'll give you one. i'm going cause i want to see kinky and its free for me all the shops that have to close get free tickets.....
yeah it was free but i think that was awhile back i was like ten when it was free.. it was also my first time i realized what a gay person was cause i saw the weirdest stuff ever and i was ten.... it was pretty funny///
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 3:02 pm
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@Frenchconn: I was born in LA, and probably before you were. Play the "I have native cred" game with somebody else. Sunset Junction can tongue my balls. But Beachwood Sparks can...rock my nuts!
PC07.16.08 - 3:06 pm
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PC HAHAHAHA
So, guys.. how about some bikes, eh? :)
imachynna07.16.08 - 3:09 pm
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Just go see the Tyde, they play regularly and are a worthy substitute.
Or stay home and listen to your Flying Burrito Brothers and Byrds records. Use headphones.
cabhauler07.16.08 - 4:11 pm
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unless you like heat stroke, sweaty wetties dont bother.
Roadblock07.16.08 - 4:14 pm
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For the record I like Beachwood Sparks too, that wasn't some kind of snarky diss at all.
cabhauler07.16.08 - 4:23 pm
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last year a friend of mine made color xerox copies of the wrist bands and they worked. then you just walk thru the gate with a bunch of people.
i think the residents get a few free tickets each. if you know someone in the area maybe they can do it.
barleye07.16.08 - 4:29 pm
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hey frenchconn, what's your store there? or how does your dad get free tickets?
barleye07.16.08 - 4:36 pm
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dude i'm 30 and i love LA..... so i doubt you're older than me......haha
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 5:13 pm
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where is an auto parts store around there?
barleye07.16.08 - 5:19 pm
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Dude, I'm older than you. I'm glad we both love LA, but you're hitting my sloppy seconds.
PC07.16.08 - 5:22 pm
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@ bareye, yeah its next to the good brew or in front of the 99 cents store...
shut-up you killed it! no i'm not 30 loser i'm 24, but hey thanks for killing it for me! jeez only a gentile would do something like that...
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 5:24 pm
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Now we have to determine who loves LA more.
Tangs to San Pedro.
kyber07.16.08 - 5:24 pm
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@ pc, haha no man i'm just 24 dude.... hey you riding tonites mosey? you should i think you earned a pbr from me....
thefrenchconn07.16.08 - 5:25 pm
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I agree with majority of the point thefrenchconn was making.
Sunset Junction and Silver Lake may take lots of heat and shit talk now it was and still is a epicenter of a culture that started spreading in L.A. and started bringing people from across the country to neighborhoods that otherwise were down the drain.Before "Echo Hills","No-HO","DownTown" there was a festival and hood that united gangsters,families,gay community,hipster,hippie,riders,blahh.blahh.
I used to ride my bike as a kid thru Silver Lake dog park only to see a bunch of the homies hanging out and partying..no joggers or dogs.
It is over rated but we cant hold on to good things for ever.
Point, I got to give it some respect..and go check out Kinky.
deesimple07.16.08 - 5:33 pm
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Stand up for what you believe in PC. Fuck Sunset Junction, and don't give them your money.
Better things to do.
mikeywally07.16.08 - 5:35 pm
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True that..Always stand up for what you beleive in.
deesimple07.16.08 - 5:38 pm
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My dad is friends with those Kinky guys
imachynna07.16.08 - 5:38 pm
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Yes, Dee. Hey, didn't we have this same discussion last year?
OK, I'll play: I lived in the immediate neighborhood from '76 to '92, so I was there when the Sunset Junction festival started (what year was that?), truth is it has changed (as has the 'hood) a lot over the years. It was originally free and mostly locals, now they can force you to pay and people (& the bands) come from all over. One thing hasn't changed; seems like it's always just about the hottest weekend of the summer.
Now I live just a couple of miles east, once in a while I go if there's a band I really think I need to see. No judgement on anyone's musical taste; go if you must, just know what you're in for.
mr rollers07.16.08 - 5:44 pm
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ways to "ethically" get into sunset junction
- forge a press pass
- look for gaps in security where you can sneak in (maybe try those stairs on the north west side of the street).
- get there and hide before the barricades get put up.
- put that bandanna over your face while you are paying so nobody knows its you.
- get a job at rough trade then take a break when you band comes on.
the possibilities are endless ...
bring comfortable shoes, a lifeguard hat, and a tolerance for crowds and bullshit. you MAY get a good view of the band you want to hear and possibly hear something good enough to warrant standing for hours on blazing hot concrete.
Of course bicycle is the only way to travel ... but that goes without saying.
trickmilla07.16.08 - 6:05 pm
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Yeah Rollers , same conversation..and I knew there was a voice of reason last time..Rollers!!
We'll probably have this one every time junction comes around..amused
deesimple07.16.08 - 6:05 pm
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"pc were you even born in LA?"
My grandparents were born here. Do I have a right to complain?
toweliesbong07.16.08 - 6:09 pm
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PC get someone to record the show for you and you can watch it when you come back from BURNING MAN!!!!
p.s.
BURNING MAN IS THIS YEARS PORTLAND!!!
PDC! PDC! or COCOC...if you prefer!
mixtemotions07.16.08 - 6:12 pm
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Mikey, you know I stand up for what I believe in. See, that's the thing. As much as I believe in not going to overrated street fairs run by shady organizations, I also believe--fervently--in shimmering Byrds-influenced psychedelic country rock. THIS IS A STRUGGLE FOR MY VERY SOUL.
(Did you get chills when you read that part about my soul? I did when I typed it, and not just because I'm a heroin addict!)
Oh, and Patrick Miller, you fail, buddy. If I put that bandanna over my face,
everybody will know that it's me.
PC07.17.08 - 3:00 am
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OH OH OH...and that's so cute how some of you guys get all defensive about your neighborhood even though nobody actually talked shit about it. Least of all me! I would never denigrate any geographical space that contains Intelligentsia Coffee, Reform School, and redridinghood within blocks of each other. For that matter, nobody was insulting the street fair of olden days. The street fair of rightnowadays, though, can lick the bike sweat from my scrotum.
PC07.17.08 - 3:09 am
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All this pissin' and a' moanin' over some bands I've never heard of.
Do whatcha gotta do and live up your dreams of getting into that Billy Dean concert I never got to see when he rolled through here 'bout five years ago!!!
On the note of sneakin' in, there's that Huck-Finn festival that's held every June at Mojave Narrows.
All you got to do is ride along the train tracks and spot the lake.
After that, throw on yer' 'coon-skin cap, leathers, Bowie-knife and 30-30, and tell 'em yer a Mountain-Man/Woman/Boy/Girl/Person/G.O.A.T., etc.,
bentstrider07.17.08 - 3:38 am
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Hey, Adam, you know that thing you do where you talk about shit that I have no fucking idea what you're talking about? I like that. Keep doing it.
PC07.17.08 - 3:53 am
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Oh, you mean rabble on non-sensically because my points tend to be too brief?
Because that there's what I do BEST!!!!
Or, so the people thought.
bentstrider07.17.08 - 4:21 am
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PC:
Nice ReForm School reference!!!!
Owned by ridazz since 2005!!!!
barleye07.17.08 - 7:40 am
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I got chills when you said, "I also believe--fervently--in shimmering Byrds-influenced psychedelic country rock"!
BTW, I wasn't intending to come off all defensive about the olden days, just trying to provide a little history. I did see a few good sets there over the years (Thelonious Monster comes to mind), but when we lived about three blocks from the fair we usually just stayed in and cocooned while it was going on. Of course, if you gave up your parking space after about noon you wouldn't get it back til late.
mr rollers07.17.08 - 9:03 am
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there's your problem, PC, get rid of your soul. it's not doing you any good, having ethical dichotomies over it. IT'S NOT WORTH IT, SAVE YOURSELF, MAN!
ephemerae07.17.08 - 10:55 pm
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“ways to "ethically" get into sunset junction
- forge a press pass
- look for gaps in security where you can sneak in (maybe try those stairs on the north west side of the street).
- get there and hide before the barricades get put up.
- put that bandanna over your face while you are paying so nobody knows its you.
- get a job at rough trade then take a break when you band comes on.”
None of that is necessary. The admission is actually a voluntary donation. Simply inform the person working the gate that you know this and walk past them. They will pretend not to know about this fact but will not stop you. I suppose this is a little unethical if you are actually going to partake in the festivities but if just trying to go down Sunset or get to one of the businesses along the street it seems justified. I have done this several times. I do believe that the fair itself has become a god-awful event.
wise07.17.08 - 11:22 pm
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I understand what SJ was and now is. But last year I gladly took my one hour lunch break to pay my entrance fee to go see the Buzzcocks. Who the hell cares. If you want to see the band so bad just go. We all can't stand by and miss things we want to due to feeling bad about supporting something we don't like. It happens so much it hurts. THis is just more visible because everyone hates on SJ and from what I hear fairly Rightly so.
I did not sell out I bought in.
hahahaha
thedoad07.18.08 - 12:30 am
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Slippity sLIp Slip Slip!!!!
Put a Liberty coin in yer mouf and do a spinnin' backflip!!!!
It's a damn street festival, last time I checked, there's all sorts of passageways via, walking along peoples back fences.
It's not like they're going to have the Taskforce and the K9 units there.
No need to act all scared and weary.
bentstrider07.18.08 - 5:20 am
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****UPDATE***
So, now there really are bikes involved in this earthshatteringly important dilemma of mine.
A certain core elite Rida who shall remain nameless emailed me another method of gaining free admittance to Sunset Junction, but...but...it would involve doing something for the LACBC. And I'm just as peeved at them as I am at the shady people who run the street fair.
Do you see where this leaves me? Do you understand what kind of ethical tightrope I now have to walk? I have an opportunity to get in to see my beloved Beachwood Sparks play, without paying money to the shysties who put the fair on, and without having to try to sneak in like a common criminal. But at what cost, people? The cost of having to work publicly (albeit briefly and not very hard) for an organization that I rarely miss an opportunity to mock.
Is it worth it? I seriously don't know what to do now. Help me! Or just hold me, or something.
PC08.13.08 - 4:14 am
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Meh, fuck holding me. Just help me.
PC08.13.08 - 4:14 am
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Actually, now that I've posted this, the LACBC probably won't want my help anyway. Problem solved, or at least resolved. Sneaking in like a common criminal it is!
Thanks for the help, you guise. You're the greatest. <3
PC08.13.08 - 4:25 am
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Life is tough . . . and then you ride!
[cyper-hug]
mr rollers08.13.08 - 8:34 am
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Guess I won't be having any ethical dilemmas this year, right?
PC08.25.11 - 5:16 pm
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I can dream but don't dare to hope that this debacle is enough to inspire the overreachers at Sunset Junction, to take this back to the Sunset Junction of yesteryear. 2 big head liners, lots of local bands, and free entry with out hassle for local residents, and a $5-$10 recommended donation for entry.
We have a million venues for huge festivals.
We don't need a fucking coachella scale festival the middle of our town.
trickmilla08.26.11 - 9:39 am
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I think we should just let the Juggalos take over. They seem to make everything right in this universe.
sack or crack you choose responding to a
comment by trickmilla
08.26.11 - 10:16 am
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