Screen and Be Seen

Puppet-lovin’ pervs rejoice, John Roecker’s stop-motion Helter Skelter–inspired shock fest Live Freaky! Die Freaky! is finally coming to a video store (Wal-Mart . . . not!) near you. To celebrate the release of the filthy flick, which features the vocal talents of Billie Joe Armstrong, Davey Havok, Jane Wiedlin and “Nelly Posbourne” (hmm . . . wonder who that is?), the director threw a bash at TheSteve Allen Theater with a screening and live acoustic performances by John Doe and Rancid, the latter doing bitchen unamped versions of their classics and covering Green Day, Social Distortion and The Clash. Don’t be bummed if ya missed it; Rancid’s Tim Armstrong (who also produced Freaky) told us he’s starting a new night featuring artists from his Hellcat label at The Echo in March, and that his band will go unplugged again on opening night. Seen getting puppet-punked: No Doubt’s Tony Kanal, reggae monNative Wayne, Twiggy Ramirez, Tony Hawk and new bride Benji, Joel Madden and Tiger Army’s Nick 13 . . . Another big premiere party, for the new Coachella rock doc,beckoned us to TheOrpheum downtown the next night. We sat next to Thelonious Monster’s Bob Forrest and behind Jurassic 5’s Nu-Mark (seen spinning in the film), and relived big-screen concert moments including numbers from Iggy and the Stooges and The Mars Volta. We enjoyed the movie, but later overheard bitchy critiques (“It was too long”; “It’s just a giant infomercial”; “They didn’t even show so-and-so”). Guess the mixed reviews go back to what organizer Paul Tollet, also at the event, says in the film: “Everyone has a different Coachella experience.” Z-Trip got ziggy at the pre- and post-screening bashes while hot hangers including Chili Peps Anthony Kiedis [now making his 14,607th appearance in the Weekly’s gossip pages — ed.]and John Frusciante, Jem, Darryl Hannah, Roni Size,Junkie XL, Tim Burgess,The Thrills’ Conor Deasy, Pixie David Lovering, Bauhaus’ Kevin Haskins, and Tony Kanal (again) got their groove on, many also at the after-after party next door at Broadway Bar. . . . In related news, a mock Coachella flier has been making the e-mail rounds, and whether it’s insider info or wishful thinking we dunno, but it sure looks good. Rumored desert-fest ’06 bands include Depeche Mode, The Strokes, Smashing Pumpkins and Massive Attack. Rumored.

Flyin’ High

The lines outside LAX nightclub were not unlike those at its namesake landmark on Saturday thanks to the debut of Hot Lava, the new night from BoJesse Christopher and Steve Aoki. We witnessed some pissed exchanges between Christopher and anxious clubsters, including one gal who insisted it was empty inside while hundreds waited outside. (We got in right after, and she was wrong.) Fab types who surely didn’t wait included Jerry Bruckheimer, Lindsay Lohan, Junior Sanchez, Elisha Cuthbert, Emile Hirsch, Spike Jonze and members of Wu Tang Clan . . . Also packing ’em in: Prince’s surprise appearance at TheViper Room last week, where he played backup with Tamar (the newest member of his NPGband). No singin’, but we hear his fret foreplay was delirious.

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