Nightranger

Cum on, feel the ’8os nostalgia (again) If you’re old enough to remember the band this column was named after, and ever sported a conch belt, Aqua Net or spandex (preferably all at once), the book HollywoodRocks!will serve as a sobering reminder of just how scary the Sunset Strip ’80s metal scene looked without a Jack Daniel’s haze. Still, bad hair be damned, it was a wild time (take it from a former Coconut Teaszer doorgirl). Cleopatra Records, which published the book, has just released a companion CD box set and, last Wednesday at the Key Club (formerly Gazzari’s), prepared a night of flashback-flavored cock-rocking. Silver-haired MC Kim Fowley looked totally outta place amongst the studded wristbands and leather pants (but didn’t he always?), while other old-schoolers seemed to have aged surprisingly well — especially headliners Jetboy (who were always more punk than the rest; lead singer Mickey Finn still sports his signature mohawk). An all-star jam never materialized, but Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy did lay it down for a rousing climax. Seen feeling the noize: porn star/Howard Sternregular Jasmine St. Clair, former Scream queen Dayle Gloria, Riki Rachtman (who introduced Jetboy by telling everyone in the crowd under 35 to fuck off . . . bitter, are we?), and White Trash Debutante Ginger Coyote. Cocktail Teases? The SuicideGirlsmay look foxy in their birthday suits, and they might even give some good sex advice on their Indie103.1radio show every Sunday night, but they ain’t good bartenders! We found that out last Friday night at the RBK(that’s Reebok to you non-logo-lingo-minded types) store on Robertson, when the tattooed tarts were tapped to serve cocktails at Vaporsmagazine’s party hosted by sk8er boy StevieWilliams.The drink line was brutally slow and when we finally got to order, they’d run out of cups! The upbeat sounds of DJStretchArmstrongnearly made up for it — as did the after-party, held at BoJesseChristopher’sMetronight at Concorde.And finally, the granddaddy of dance parties, ElectricDaisyCarnivalcame to town (well, San Bernardino) Saturday to prove once and for all that raving isn’t dead. Despite the rock stage this year, EDC was all about the pumping electro rooms, where kids in Technicolor plastic jewelry straddled speakers and stared at the pretty, pretty lights as they gyrated mindlessly into the wee hours. Heck, and we thought it was almost time for theirembarrassing retrospective book!