“People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.” – Less Than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis.

I first visited California in August, 1985. I was 8 years old, and having seen the magic of Universal Studios as presented by a two-part episode of Diff’rent Strokes earlier that year, my father and I went on our first Dad-Son adventure to Burbank and Los Angeles. We did all the touristy things one does as a family; Disney Land and Universal, Knott’s Berry Farm and NBC Studios. We went to an Oakland A’s game and ate almost every day at Shakey’s Pizzeria.

The California I experienced back forty years ago was drastically different than the one Bret Easton Ellis wrote about in his 1982 novel, Less Than Zero. A tale of rich and debauched teens, focused on the character of Clay, back home after his first semester at college, Less Than Zero is drugs and sex and nightlife. I read it early into my own teenage life, but it wasn’t my first taste of a less than family friendly L.A.

“From Los Angeles, California, The Doors!”

Introduction to “Roadhouse Blues” on An American Prayer

Like so many, I fell under the spell Jim Morrison and The Doors as a teenager, with the gateway being No One Here Gets Out Alive, the first and arguably defining book about the band, written by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman. The story of how Morrison, Robbie Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek came together on their way to becoming one of the most influential bands in rock history was based in LA. I read about The Doors before I had absorbed their music, and the song that transfixed me the most was the title track to their sixth and final studio album, L.A Woman.

As you can hear and see, the title for this blog comes from that titular song; however City of Night isn’t about the music of Los Angeles. Rather, it’s about the seemingly countless films that have been set on its streets of motels, money, murders and madness. The city Jim Morrison and then Bret Easton Ellis introduced me to through song and novel.

Take a look at the Wikipedia list of films of Los Angeles and you’ll find hundreds of examples, from horror movies and dramas to crime stories and comedies. The purpose and plan for City of Night is to explore many of those films in a variety of ways, including but not limited to reviews, reflections and interviews with creators. We’ll look at story beats and histories, colour schemes and skylines. And we’ll both celebrate and understand the impact Los Angeles has had on writers, actors, and directors, along with audiences who may never attempt to merge on a Los Angeles freeway.

I have, and honestly, it wasn’t that bad.