Brian's house on Laurel Way

[Mark H.]

I was in LA over the week-end and had a chance to take a drive up Laurel Way.  Was Brian's house all the way at the top of the cul-de-sac?  Beautiful views obviously but quite a steep drive towards the top.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Right at the top, on the left as you're coming up - #1448.

[PS]

AGD helped me with the same information about 10 years ago, and I came away with this interesting slab of concrete, excavated by the owner from the swimming pool in back when she renovated. You can see them (the concrete squares) in the pool sequence in the famous promo.

A unique memento, and it cost me a year of horrible back pain to get it home. Note the date - I believe he was working on Wonderful that week...





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[Andrew G. Doe]

One very important point about the Laurel Way house - the current occupants know who used to live there and are tolerant of folk taking photos, but please, don't go knocking on their door like some fans have.

BTW, I feel impelled to point out that PS didn't actually steal the slab, as might seem from his post. 

[Emdeeh]

Sometimes the current occupants will notice fans looking at the house and will come outside to chat with you. That happened to me during the CWF's historical bus tour in '02.

[PS]

...and that's what happened to me (after she took down my license plate numbers). Took some photos - discreetly - outside the house. She noticed and came out. We had a nice chat (I was on my honeymoon and the owner was charmed) and she showed me the slab (it was laying on the side of the house). She suggested a price, I told her I was not that kind of fan but happy to have seen it anyway, that I was purely into the music (sure), etc., but after obsessing over it for a night, I came back the next day and made a counter- offer.

Then I tried to lift it.

It was fun to imagine all the goings on up there, looking out over the Valley and the Hollywood Hills. Seems that most of the great stories are from this house, the creative energy and the endless potential...things start to get darker with the move to Bellagio...

I confess to liking the fantasy vision of it offered up in Lewis Shiner's GLIMPSES.

[Cam Mott]

AGD helped me with the same information about 10 years ago, and I came away with this interesting slab of concrete, excavated by the owner from the swimming pool in back when she renovated. You can see them (the concrete squares) in the pool sequence in the famous promo.

A unique memento, and it cost me a year of horrible back pain to get it home. Note the date - I believe he was working on Wonderful that week...

Ah, so there it is.  Great catch.

[Ed Roach]

I've mentioned my great 'find' before, but don't know if I've told the story here:  I was with a friend in his recording studio in Santa Monica, and was telling him tales of Brother Studios.  The studio was already an art gallery by this time, having been through it's final days of life as a recording studio for SST, and the likes of Black Flag.  When I told him the story of how Dennis had smashed a gold album to sink in the back steps, and of how the last time I'd passed by the album was still there, he insisted he just had to see it! 
Imagine my surprise, when after gazing at it for a few moments, he walked to the trunk of his Mercedes and pulled out a sledge hammer...  (I never did find out why he was carrying that around in his trunk.)  He walked over, took a few whacks at the surrounding area, and turned around and handed me a huge slab of clear resin, with the Surfin' Safari gold album inside!  He then tossed the hammer in the truck and drove us away as if we'd just stopped for coffee...  I never in a million years would have thought to do that, but I'm sure glad he did; it's a souvenir I'll always cherish.
(P.S.  Couldn't resist going by a few days later, and they'd paved over the hole with fresh concrete!)

[Mark H.]

Thanks everyone for the info and stories.  I get out to LA 3 or 4 times a years and always take 30 min. or so to make "fan stop".  I can't imagine going up to someone's house and poking around.  But the drive was great on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

[kirt]

I've mentioned my great 'find' before, but don't know if I've told the story here:  I was with a friend in his recording studio in Santa Monica, and was telling him tales of Brother Studios.  The studio was already an art gallery by this time, having been through it's final days of life as a recording studio for SST, and the likes of Black Flag.  When I told him the story of how Dennis had smashed a gold album to sink in the back steps, and of how the last time I'd passed by the album was still there, he insisted he just had to see it! 
Imagine my surprise, when after gazing at it for a few moments, he walked to the trunk of his Mercedes and pulled out a sledge hammer...  (I never did find out why he was carrying that around in his trunk.)  He walked over, took a few whacks at the surrounding area, and turned around and handed me a huge slab of clear resin, with the Surfin' Safari gold album inside!  He then tossed the hammer in the truck and drove us away as if we'd just stopped for coffee...  I never in a million years would have thought to do that, but I'm sure glad he did; it's a souvenir I'll always cherish.
(P.S.  Couldn't resist going by a few days later, and they'd paved over the hole with fresh concrete!)

Cool, story Ed, but I'm lost (ha) I'm guessing the concrete was wet when you say Dennis " had smashed a gold album to sink in the back steps"   .  Both of these stories are great, thanks!  (PS & Ed)