Tales from LA 1977 Part 2

Sunset Strip billboards mind blower

Seeing the Sunset Strip for the first time, and at night, was something I've never forgotten. I never realized how the billboards were the centerpiece to marketing rock and roll music back then. TV ads for rock music was a sell out event and was non existent.

Coming from small city Canada it blew my mind when we drove around that first corner and right above is Leo Sayer in super bright lighting leaping down upon us. It was jaw dropping to say the least.

Here's a very cool video interview with photographer Robert Landeau who got some great pics and insight of the the billboard scene and the artists that created these awesome works of art.

Continuing on, it was a fantasy street of the latest album covers galore as we moved down the strip in bumper to bumper traffic taking it all in.

What got crazier was the street people that were from some other planet. Some dude wearing a golden king's crown in a long blue sparkle robe in super platform shoes carrying a large paper flower walking down the middle of the street screaming bizarre shit. Today that would be a pretty common event in any city. But for small city guys in 1978 it was wild stuff, lol.

Then there was the pimp wars where one pimp in a fancy pin stripe suit and hat who stopped his 60's Cadillac, and got into a heated argument with some other pimp while traffic just sits there watching for about ten minutes wondering where this was going. Not a cop in sight anywhere.

After our last crossfire drive thru incident the day before we thought we were about to see a live murder ! Cooler heads prevailed thankfully, and onward we crawled down the strip to our next adventure, the Sunset Strip clubs.

Here's another great Youtube on LA billboards of that era.