Nightclubs of Hollywood, Ballrooms of Mars

Last night, rock writer Sarah Tomlinson celebrated her 31st birthday AND her love for T. Rex at Safari Sam's. Considering she's a recent transplant from Boston, the fact that several hundred glam heads, metal gurus, local glitterati (including MOCA minx Vanessa Gonzalez, above), and cake whores filled the club was even more impressive. Sarah, whose favorite T. Rex album is The Slider, brought a photo of the Ringo Starr-shot album cover to Porto's Bakery in Glendale. "I don't think they do too many album cover cakes," she said, adding that while sampling cake flavors to choose from, "I felt like I was getting married to Marc Bolan."

Three bands played a mix of originals and T. Rex covers: D-, also newly arrived from Boston; the 14-piece (!) Faraway Places, and the S'cool Girls, local satin-clad scenesters who almost everyone I talked to had partied with, but had never seen play live. (In fact, they attended the Style Council fashion party!)
They were a gas, singing songs about "loving you in my milky way," while thrusting out their packages. One woman I met pointed to the baby-faced blonde with the flying V and said, "You see that guy? He's from Sweden. I beat the shit out of him." Why? Because he went up to her (incidentally, a gorgeous blonde) in a club and said, "You're too old to be here." She gave him a shove and down, down, down, the drunk boy went.
But there was no fighting, only loving last night - except for some good whacking at the top hat shaped pinata (no bashing Marc Bolan's face, y'know) filled with candy and glitter. Sarah (pictured with pinata loot, above) revealed that her dream is to one day open a T. Rex themed bar, and she's already got the decor taken care of. This is, after all, a girl who owns The Slider on picture disc, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, gatefold LP and CD. She's looking for investors, naming Slash as a possible candidate - perhaps because of the top hat thing? But she's not in it for the money. "I often say that if I opened a T. Rex bar I would want people to feel as happy there as I feel when I listen to T. Rex." Awww, how sweet. Happy birthday Sarah, we're all just jeepsters for your love...uh, aren't we? I never quite knew what he was talking about.

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