Sacred Musings: August 2024
Ennui, the Chateau Marmont, and my top secret favorite LA activity.
Bonjour à tous et à toutes!
I am excited to announce an in-person Sacred Monster event in Los Angeles happening Wednesday, September 4th at the Philosophical Research Society. For more information and tickets, head to the link here. I can’t wait to see you there!
August is almost over, and I must confess, I’m quite happy about it.
There’s a quote out there (I forget who from) that compares it to the point of a ferris wheel just after it reaches the top and begins to circle back down. I’ve been thinking a lot about that idea, about how much I want to be in the darker, more terranean parts of the year. I am too much like the roses in my garden, which this year exploded with technicolor blooms at the first hint of warm weather, only to have spent all of their energy by the end of July, unable to produce more in this oppressive, end-of-summer heat.
The irony is that I have never been busier and have an abundance of reasons to be excited for the future — and yet I’ve never been more bored. August has delivered to me a classic case of ennui.
The last time I experienced it was during the same month, in 2021. I was in the process of moving into my now-home in Los Angeles and was shacked up at the infamous castle above Sunset Boulevard, the Chateau Marmont.
It was a fascinating time to reside there. The hotel was still relatively locked down. I was one of maybe five or six guests staying on the property and I rarely saw anyone else on the premises. I often felt like one of the many ghosts haunting its halls.
I would go to the garden restaurant for breakfast, where it was not uncommon for me to be totally alone. The waiter would ask how I liked my eggs, what I preferred in a smoothie. He then would apologetically ask for patience, as he was also going back to the kitchen to make it all. One particular morning I sat, marveling at how the Chateau could be totally devoid of people on a Sunday during peak hangover hour, while the iconic “Twin Peaks Theme” by Angelo Badalamenti played softly on its sound system.
It was a bit like living on a film set; it looked and smelled like the Chateau I knew, but hollowed out. And while the empty quiet was without doubt special to experience, I much prefer it as it was, for instance, when I was there to ring in 2024: full of life, buzzing with the various mysteries and indiscretions of its patrons.
All perceived stagnancy aside, there is one distinct thing that makes each and every Los Angeles summer incredibly unique, and that is the Hollywood Bowl. When I think about the greatest live shows I’ve seen thus far, several of them happened here — the venue is a large part of why these shows stand out in my memory.
Just off the top of my head:
— Grace Jones in 2009 (and 2015 and 2022)
— Glen Campbell in 2012
— New Order and Pet Shop Boys in 2022
— The Muppets (yes, as in Kermit and Miss Piggy) in 2017
— The Cure in 2016 (and 2023)
… and the list goes on, and on, and on.
One of the great pleasures of my address in Los Angeles is that I am a neighbor to this magical, historic wonder of nature, architecture and sound design. I often buy a ticket a few hours before a show and walk over on nights where I find my diary is blank; there are no bad seats.
Being a neighbor to this institution comes with its perks. I can hear sound checks on most afternoons. The sound waves travel far enough to reach my garden when there isn’t a crowd of roughly 20,000 bodies to absorb them. (In the clip below, you can hear The Cure rehearsing “Pictures of You”. A most special thing to listen to as I tended my roses!)
By far, my favorite thing to do during the summer in Los Angeles is attend the LA Philharmonic rehearsals. While, in theory, open to all who wish to attend, they are purposefully indirect about telling the general populace when rehearsals are scheduled to take place. But I am a neighbor who receives a weekly notice of the Bowl’s activities, which includes a copy of their schedule.
Just ‘across the street’, I’ve seen this world-class orchestra play classics of Mozart, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and more — totally free of charge, to a near-empty house. Some people have their morning prayers or meditation; I have LAP rehearsal at the Hollywood Bowl.
And that, my friends, is enough to make the Los Angeles summer ennui well worth it.
À très bientôt,
Chloë Helen America Cassens