Still in Hollywood

Have You Ever Been Still in Hollywood? Have You Ever Tried
Johnette Napolitano's home may no longer be “Still in Hollywood” — the title of a surging, mid-'80s anthem by her band Concrete Blonde — but her old hometown still plays a major part in her music and art. Based for many years now in a remote corner of Joshua Tree, the singer-bassist often is celebrated for her darkly romantic songs about vampires, ghost riders and crazy ladies on the bus, but she's also a longtime conceptual artist and poet. At this late-afternoon “Still in Hollywood” event, Napolitano will read from her first-in-a-series memoir, Rough Mix, and exhibit some of her artwork from the book. “I was born in Hollywood,” she says. “This show is what it's about to me, from silent films to a city gone to seed, rediscovered and occupied by the punks and runaways and dreamers back when the band started. There's always been a dark side,” she concludes, echoing the ambivalence and desperation of the song that inspired the show. Napolitano will be joined by local artist Jason Bogart — a fourth cousin to Humphrey — who draws upon his own Tinseltown background in reimagining film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Judy Garland as garishly face-painted, Alice Cooper–style rock & rollers. La Luz de Jesus, 4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz; Sun., April 22, 4-7 p.m.; free (signed book is $25). (323) 666-7667.

Sun., April 22, 4-7 p.m., 2012

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