Bran Van 3000's Glee was actually released before I graduated and Drinking In LA was featured on one of those preview discs in the spring of 1998. I also recall the advertisements and posters sent from the record label promoting some sort of pinkish scene from the movie, Bambi. Hmmm – Glee: a rabbit sniffing a deer. There evidently was no glee in the song from my undergraduate peers, as I recall many of the hard-boiled rock jocks a little aloof to play the song.
It was a different story the following year, when I heard Drinking in LA more than I wanted as station manager at that other radio station. Does it sound like I didn't particularly care for the song? Well, there isn't any disdain, but I never really got the "sound" of the song - that whole "mixed bag of everything at once" approach to what sounded like someone trying to merge various styles of music and then pass it off as the latest musical fad.
I was in the minority of this opinion, which might please BV3 founder James Di Salvio, because the album, specifically this lead single, made quite an impact with a lot of station staff. Students with DJ names like Old English, Duke Nukem, Johnny's Nightshirt, and Lil Dope regularly featured the song somewhere in their two-hour shift, probably all wishing it was some sort of personal anthem.
And that's one thing I found interesting between the two stations: how certain music was accepted. My fellow undergrads ridiculed Korn and Limp Bizkit, yet the rock shift at my graduate station made frequent use of their tracks. Marilyn Manson was universally forbidden, while later-day Metallica was something everyone could have agreed on. Granted there is always going to be a difference of opinion between any two people, much less groups of people, but I guess I thought that kids the same age would like the same kind of music. Oh, well...I’ve been wrong before.
Di Salvio, and the Canadian crew he created to front Bran Van 3000, originated in Montreal in 1997, releasing their debut single that spring. Glee followed mere months later and shortly thereafter their brief star fizzled as the collective began work on other projects. Their second album, Discosis, hit the shelves in 2001 and was generally praised, but saw little promotion (I didn't know about it all these years later...).
Anyway, yeah, we got these lyrics to the song featured in the above article, happening right after this last paragraph. You can all go ahead and continue reading here or just jump ahead to the end and try to remember a few things about the song if you can. It’s difficult because you’re reading the words and may not have the pulsating and echoey sounds in your mind, which would help you remember. You can ask us questions to help you remember portions of the song, namely, who is Stereo Mike. We’ll pretend to get an answer....
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Drinking in L.A.
(Di Salvio/Larson/Vartzbedian)
Bran Van 3000
From the album Glee
1998
Hi, my name is Stereo Mike.
Yeah, we got three tickets to the Bran Van concert happening this Monday night at the Pacific Pallisades. You can all dial in if you want to answer a couple of questions, namely, what is Todd's favourite cheese. Jackie just called up and said it was a form of Roquefort. We'll see about that...
Give us a ring-ding-ding! It's a beautiful day.
Yeah Todd, this is Liquid ring-a-ding-a-dinging, want those three Bran Van tickets man. Waddya think? Todd, you there?
I woke up again this morning with the sun in my eyes,
When Mike came over with a script surprise.
A Mafioso story with a twist,
A "Too Wong Foo, Julie Newmar" hitch,
Get your ass out of bed, he said:
I'll explain it on the way.
But we did nothing, absolutely nothing that day, and I say:
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
I got the fever for the flavour, the payback will be later, still I need a fix.
And the girls on the bus kept on laughing at us,
As we rode on the ten down to Venice again.
Flaring out the G-Funk,
Sipping on a juice and gin,
Just me and a friend.
Feeling kinda groovy,
Working on a movie. (Yeah right!)
But we did nothing, absolutely butkis that day, and I say:
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
With my mind on my money and my money on my... Beer, beer!
I know that life is for the taking, so I better wise up, and take it quick.
Yeah, one more time at Trader Vic's.
Some men there wanted to hurt us,
And other men said we weren't worth the fuss.
We could see them all bitching by the bar,
About the fine line, between the rich and the poor.
Then Mike turned to me and said:
"What do you think we got done son?"
We've got a conclusion, and I guess that's something, so I ask you:
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
I got the fever for the nectar, the payback will be later, still I need a fix.
We need to fix you up, call me Monday and maybe we'll fix it all up.
Hell-A-L.A., Hell hell-A-L.A.! ...
So I ask you:
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
Hell-A-L.A., Hell hell-A-L.A.
