Photo by Chris Weeks


Last weekend's Flaunt magazine­sponsored party celebrating the opening of restaurateur FRED ERIC's AIRSTREAM DINER was undoubtedly the biggest gathering of trailer-park trash in Beverly Hills since the arrival of the Clampetts. Decked out in a ruffled pink shirt and flashy white suit, Eric, the man behind the restaurants Fred 62 and Vida, beamed as he looked out over a throng of curiosity seekers and well-wishers, including IONE SKYE, ROSANNA ARQUETTE, DJ SWAMP, BECK, GINA GERSHON, Project K's NICK SCOTT, KROQ DJ JED THE FISH and singer-songwriter ELENI MANDELL, who marveled at Airstream Diner's design, which mimics the sleek, curving shape of the stainless-steel '50s Airstream trailers. Following a languid pedal-steel-guitar interlude by Bob Dylan/Peter Gabriel producer DANIEL LANOIS, the seldom-seen DEVO (pictured) played a four-song set, highlighted by a radiant extended version of “Beautiful World” and a countrified interpretation of “Jocko Homo.” In keeping with the theme, founding members BOB (a.k.a. Bob 1) and MARK MOTHERSBAUGH and BOB (a.k.a. Bob 2) CASALE (brother Jerry was out of town and couldn't make the gig) sported bandannas, corny Americana T-shirts and trucker caps. “There are more trailers than cars in Ohio,” singer-keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh bragged, in a rare allusion to Devo's Akron roots. Before hitting the stage, he confided, “This might be really stupid.” He needn't have worried. As Bob 1 snarled his way through “Secret Agent Man,” the beautiful people pogoed wildly, partying like it was 1977. A perfect example of devo-lution. –Falling James


It's Wrong for Me To Call You Mom


An unfortunate word choice turned a compliment into a scary celebrity encounter at the opening night of the HUDSON THEATER's West Coast premiere of TELL VERONICA, Tony Jerris' episodic comedy. An extremely tardy curtain didn't dampen applause when CHARLENE TILTON entered as the self-absorbed Sally-meets-Springer TV host who ambushes guests with embarrassing revelations about their pasts. Wearing a short, reddish 'do, the energetic Tilton demonstrated quick comic timing when her real-life daughter, CHERISH LEE, took a seemingly unscheduled fall during her first entrance. Lee, a taller, leggier version of her mother during her Dallas glory days as teenage nymphet Lucy Ewing, tripped while struggling to maintain balance on mile-high platform boots. Our companion that evening had earlier drawn our attention to a chubby-cheeked matron (seated next to The Young and Restless' svelte KATE LINDER) dressed in canary yellow, insisting that the woman with the impossibly fried comb-over had to be part of the Tilton clan. (Our attention was further piqued by the yellow-garbed one eating candy out of a ceramic, cookie-jar-type purse during the performance, despite prohibitions against food and drink inside the theater.) At the after-party in the Hudson's adjoining café, we approached the sweet-toothed lady to inquire if she might be related to Tilton, perhaps her mother. “Are you outta your mind?” she screeched. The rhetorical “How old do you think I am?” was followed by the inevitable “Don't you know who I am?” before the bellowed answer: “I am CAROL CONNORS.” Known as Annette Kleinbard when she sang (as part of the Teddy Bears) on Phil Spector's 1958 hit “To Know Him Is To Love Him,” Connors, an Oscar-nominated lyricist for the theme from Rocky, technically could be Tilton's mother, although we didn't share that observation. In fact, we decided that we were “Gonna Fly Now” before we told the songbird she looked like Tilton's grandmother. –Sandra Ross


The Superman Cometh


It takes an exceptional front man to charm the pants off a crowd while bleeding from the forehead with his hand shoved up a monkey's ass — a feat pulled off with both barrels blazing by WAYNE COYNE of THE FLAMING LIPS recently. With stage blood and a chimp puppet in tow, Coyne led the Oklahoma trio's L.A. warm-up at the KNITTING FACTORY to promote their latest exercise in aural gratification, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. With no headlining dates scheduled until after the band's upcoming package tour with Cake, De La Soul and others, word got around about the little-publicized show, which resulted in tickets being scalped out on the Boulevard for as much as $250. Early arrivals got an unannounced FOLK IMPLOSION appearance plus Coyne and others bouncing huge confetti-filled balloons at the crowd, which included ex­Urge Overkill skins man BLACKIE ONASSIS, actors GIOVANNI RIBISI and ADAM GOLDBERG, and South Park's MATT STONE. The Lips thrilled with songs new and old, dazzling rear projections that incorporated footage of Leonard Bernstein and Cool Hand Luke, fuzzy animal costumes — just watching drummer STEVEN DROZD sweating in his bunny outfit made us sweat — and more confetti than Rip Taylor's New Year's party. The sensory spectacular prompted one fan to declare “Wayne is God” on the way out after the show. Having witnessed the miracle of hipsters grinning goofily while the singer warbled in front of a screen full of dancing Teletubbies, we're hard pressed to disagree. –Nicole Campos

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