Monthly Archives: December 2024

Adventures in L.A., Movies

I Saw Y2K and You Should Too

Y2K Kyle Mooney Movie Promo poster
Y2K Kyle Mooney Movie Promo poster

We were looking for a movie to see because it was Tuesday, when tickets at Alamo Drafthouse are close to half-price. The problem was that little looked particularly worthwhile. I have absolutely no interest in ever seeing Wicked, Nightbitch looks like something I might eventually watch if it turns up on streaming and, IDK if I was really in the mood to be terrified by Hugh Grant in Heretic. 

But, this Y2K, the new movie directed by Kyle Mooney, sounds pretty funny, especially since we’re old enough to remember the build-up to that New Year’s Eve. In real life, people spent a full year playing “1999” ad nauseam and hawking survival kits, but, then nothing happened. The sky was not all purple. People weren’t running everywhere. We didn’t even get a computer crash. The world remained somewhat normal, or so we thought. And another two decades would pass before I could listen to “1999” again. 

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Music

Here’s What I Played at House of Hearts Book Release Party

Cake celebrating the paperback release of Francesca Lia Block "House of Hearts" at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles on December 8, 2024. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
Book release party cake with cover of House of Hearts. (Pic: Liz O.)

When I was a teenager, I read Francesca Lia Block’s L.A. punk fairy tale Weetzie Bat for the first of many times. The book left a monumental impression on me— which is wild considering that it’s just a bit over 100 pages long— that it remains one of my favorites. In fact, every one of her books that I’ve read has left me in awe, including House of Hearts, which was just released on paperback last week. 

In an appropriately magical turn of events, I got to DJ the House of Hearts release party at Gold Digger’s last night. It was great fun, with live music from The Zero Collective and Movie Club, plus a VJ set from Crunch-ø-Matic. I played a 90 minute set at the end of the night with mainly indie and new wave jams. The set list is below. 

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The Playlist

Here’s What I Played In the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room at Nocturno on 11/30/24

Klub Nocturno at Catch One in Los Angeles November 30, 2024 in the New Wave vs. Darkwave Room. Photo taken from the DJ booth by Liz O.
The crowd in Nocturno’s New Wave vs. Darkwave room on Saturday, November 30, dancing to Mareux “Lovers from the Past” (Pic: Liz O.)

It’s 9 a.m. and I just poured my second cup of coffee after waking up an hour ago, so last night is a still kind of a blur. I played in the New Wave vs. Darkwave room at Nocturno, which was lit almost from the start. Like, I remember seeing people dancing in the line for the bathroom by the third or fourth song of the set. 

I finally had the chance to play “Digital Slaves,” from Gesaffelstein’s latest album, Gamma. I’ve been listening to the album for a few months now and keep going back to that song because the lyrics are very 2024, but the sound is very 2004, and that juxtaposition makes a lot of sense in my brain. But, I haven’t had a gig where I thought it would work until last night, right after I heard the screams for She Wants Revenge “Tear You Apart” and noticed that the room was packed. Tl;dr is that “Digital Slaves” did really well and it’s a total keeper in the sets now, which is nice because I haven’t really played his music out since The Lash closed. 

Anyhow, overall, the vibe was more darkwave than new wave, which is always fun. Thanks to Nocturno for having me play and for everyone who hit the dance floor last night. Check out the set list below. 

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