Naked Music (The Gooch)

It was the mid 90's I got the call from my friend Ryan Steele. "hey, you wanna see a show up in L.A.?" "L.A.?" I said back. "kind of late isn't?" "They don't start till midnite." "midnite!? who is it?" "Dude I can't even describe it...you just have to see for yourself." "i"m suppose to take my cousins out from mexico." "Bring 'em along."" you think they'll like it." "Dude, its like nothing you've ever seen before....well not live anyway." I thought for a bit. "Okay"........"Cool." he said. " oh, and you're driving"...before I could rebutt...CLICK (when phones still did that)

My cousins Liz and Karina were visiting from Guadalajara. They were on tour with their group called "las perlitas tapatias" an all female mariachi band from Guadalajara, Jalisco. I have expected them to not want to go but they were surprisingly enthusiastic about going. They explained to me that people take them out and the first thing they take to is a Mariachi Show......so they were really excited to see something that wasn't what they played everyday.

I drove a 1969 ford falcon in those days. Black with burgundy interior (I really miss that car) The breaks were shoddy at best but that didn't keep me from picking everyone up. In about a 45 from the initial call I was picking up Ryan from where he was. Honked the horn and I see two silhouettes......"ah shit! Its Crazy Rene"

Rene was very talented painter I met through sammy tonic of the Bus-stop Hurricanes. I really admired him for his painting. Actually, I have one hanging on my wall as I write this. Its just that.....he was a little eccentric. Not that I minded that at all, its just that I was afraid of what impression my cousins would have of me and the people I associated with.

So there we were departing Fullerton making our way to the 5 fwy north. Ryan in the passenger seat, my two cousins in the back with crazy Rene. We were off to a good start. Ryan, charming as ever, really tried to communicate in his best spanish with my cousins. Rene chiming in every so often with a indiscernible burst of nonsense. about 20 minutes into the drive my cousin Liz tells me in spansih..."oli....uh whats with your friend?" "what do you mean?" " well, he's just staring at me." "Rene! you're freaking my cousin out!" Rene: its just that her bone structure.....so ....beautiful. He reached out to trace the line of her cheek slowly in mid air. " dude you're freaking her out" "oh...you mind if I smoke?" I asked my cousins if they minded if he smoked. we all gave him the green light.

The smell of weed first hit me but I thought for sure it was coming from outside. I looked in the rearview mirror and see rene's silhoutte again back lit with the head lights of the cars behind us and the cherry glow of a joint he pulled out from somewhere. Ah shit!!!! now my family back in mexico is gonna know what a degenerate I really was and it wouldn't be long before it got back to my parents ...Fucking Rene!!!

To my relief and disbelief they weren't phased by it at all. I later realized that Guadalajara was one of the hippest cities in mexico. I guess I had the wrong idea about my cousins and it was then I decided I liked them all the more!

We arrive in Hollywood about 10:45pm parking was a nightmare as usual. Back then I was really paranoid my car would get stolen because it was really easy to get into and all you had to do really was turn the ignition with a butter knife or a screw driver. I beleive it was on sunset. Cannot remember the name of the place .just one of those old buildings that looked more like a fortress or a castle. we walked up some dark steps lit only by a green lantern and made our way into the place. people were smoking cigarettes, cloves and it all mixed with peoples cologne and perfume giving a it a one big collective hollywood club smell. damp, darkly lite.

I finally had an opportunity to get my drink on....Glenn Levit in those days..make it a double! About half way through the drink I could feel the Glenn Levit taking effect. The bass from the lounge music being played slowly crept up on me and before I knew it I was bobbing my head and slowly moving my body to the same beat that had everyone else grooving along gently tapping or walking in step.

I explored the place. I imagined all sorts of things going on in the rooms upstairs. I heard little whispers that famous actors from the silver screen used to hang out in here when it was a house belonging to such and such. I immediately thought of clark gable and all those guys from back then with drinks in hand and a phonograph playing in the background. Imagined them speaking much the way I speak to my friends...with fuck this and fuck that and shit....things they would never be able to say in public or on the screen back then. I imagined them human and how wonderful it must have been back then to live in a place like this. What inspiration lurked around every corner......I imagined a lot of things when suddenly..........the music started.

across the room where I was standing I saw an enormous book shelf which ordinarily would seem to lodged into the wall but it was pulled out like a door and I could see another room. A large room with a small bop kit and stand up bass in the corner. The strings vibrating softly and the brushes stroked gently on the skins like sand pouring onto them. A trumpet joined with a harmon mute and god damned if it wasn't miles davis' ghost alive and well in this room slow hisses and squeaks echoing throughout....He appeared as if out of nowhere with a wife beater black pantaloons and gold chain hooped from his waist. you couldn't see his eyes as the brim of his hat was strategically placed. the band grew louder as he stepped out of the shadows like an alley cat. He began...... with a low husky voice " CIGARETTESSSSSSSS........TORN FISHNETSSSSSSS...." As the smoke from his cigarette billowed of his mouth and nostrils. Every movement cooly calculated to mach the river of sound pouring out of the room. "cigarettes....torn fishnets......" two girls looking like street whores from the forties sauntered out twisting and pivoting and inhaling from their home rolled cigarettes. And to the beat the reached out and let the cigarettes fall to the ground and used the front part of their heels to put them out. The motion carried into their hips and it was then I realized my mouth was wide open and I couldn't believe my eyes! It was like a movie only right in front of me. It was the Toledo Show.

Mr. Toledo continued in his beatnik verse and rhyme with several other cabaretic numbers and costume changes. The man was cool!

Imagine my surprise when years later I was playing trumpet for Save Ferris on the Van's Warped tour 2000 and there was Toledo and his ladies part of the entourage. They played on one of the side stages and I caught every show. It wasn't long before I sat in with them and I invited the girls to come and do their thing with Ferris. I think they came out on the beggining part of Save Ferris' "goodbye" it went over really well, but I'm not entirely sure it went over too well with Toledo. After all it was his choreography and all. Below is a very modernized version of the Toledo Show. Now very funky. I personally like the old jazz version but to each his own. Enjoy the clip of the Toledo Show.