Goodbye To The Spotlight Bar: Reminiscing About 'The Last Gay Bar on Earth'

Goodbye To The Spotlight Bar: Reminiscing About "The Last Gay Bar on Earth"

By Lina Lecaro Thu., Sep. 22 2011 at 9:34 AM

Peter Palladino

Peter Palladino's famous picture of The Spotlight

It's been a couple of weeks since Hollywood's oldest gay bar, the Spotlight, closed its doors for good. Having done the Cahuenga shuffle a couple of times since then (including on our way to Freak City), we must say that the street feels different.

Many considered The Spotlight "Cahuenga's ugly sore thumb," as we noted in our book Los Angeles' Best Dive Bars. But for others, it was a boozy beacon to individuality on the nightlife scene.

Rumors of the bar's imminent demise circulated for years, but it finally happened on Monday, September 5. There was weekend of wild goodbye parties beforehand, including the birthday bash for former club promoter Jeffrey Hilbert, who is currently working on a documentary about the place, tentatively titled The Last Gay Bar on Earth.

"I started doing research on the Cahuenga corridor gay bars of yesteryear last summer," Hilbert tells us. "Using The Spotlight as a jumping off point, I want to show how gentrification and queer homogenization are killing off the last of the gay bars, [which are] longtime refuges for outsiders."

Owner Don Samuels, who could usually be found sitting on a stool at the "delightfully crummy place" (as it said on his business card), had vowed to never vacate, but according to an employee the building's owner tripled the rent. Hilbert says Samuels is seeking a new venue for the bar, and hopefully it will find a new home. Still, there was something about the dichotomy of its trendy locale that made it special. While velvet ropes, glitzy clubwear and lots of cruising make the Cahuenga corridor a self-conscious clusterfuck, at The Spotlight the vibe was slower. Maybe it was sleazier, but it was welcoming to all.

Goodbyes and well wishes...

"Everyone was always so nice there," says Ginger Coyote, singer for punk band White Trash Debutantes. "People would say mean things about it, but most of them never even went inside."

Tags:

Cahuenga Corridor, dive bars, Ginger Coyote, Jeffrey Hilbert, Pauley Perrette, The Spotlight

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Lrtmar

Wow the end of an era... Many fun memories were made in that joint! People can say what they want but it will be hard to find another spot with such a diverse mixture of people in one place always having a good time! Good luck to all and farewell! Don Samuels you are the best!

Jon Christiansen

David Ashfield? Wow, you were in Pizza Boy. What do you look like now?

David Ashfield

The passing of an era, it's really so sad to see it go. I am a retired 1980's porn star, one of those young men who began life in Hollywood at The Spotlight, and cherished it for what it has done for so many. I knew the owner, Don Samuels, who made us quite welcome. He was an inspiration. Finding my way there through one of the other boys I knew, The Spotlight blossomed into a huge part of our lives. I share the same birthday as Don Samuels, October 21st, and have always felt a special connection. I followed an instict that drove me to go see him, last night, to find myself peeking through a small hole in the door at the last place I saw him. I'll think of you always, Don, take good care, see you soon..,Good ride, cowboy, good ride...signed, David Ashfield.

Ruby1948

I had a great time in this bar. Everyone was welcoming and friendly even to several straight gals. There was great karaoke and a celebrity sighting. I am sorry to see it go. I was hoping to spend some time there next time I was in Hollywood.