Starwood Club

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

The Starwood Club was a popular club in West Hollywood, California during the 1970s and 1980s. Many punk bands and heavy metal bands started their careers playing at The Starwood.

The Starwood Nightclub and music Venue was located on the northwest corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Crescent Heights Ave. It had been a fashionable nightclub called PJ's in the 1960s, which attracted a large number of film and TV personalities. During its incarnation as PJ's, The Standells, Rufus Thomas and Trini Lopez recorded live albums there.

Eventually, PJ's was bought by organized crime figure Eddie Nash and run by Gary Fontinell for many years. In 1972, it became The Starwood. It closed in 1981, torn down by the City, after too many citations for underage drinking. Before it was torn to the ground, it caught fire, though not burning totally. Some say that it wasn't a coincidence, due to the unexplained fires that befell other Nash-owned properties at the time. Subsequently, the structure was torn down and a mini-mall was built on the site. Nothing remains of the great Starwood, except its reputation, both famous and infamous.

The Starwood was highly instrumental in the careers of Black Flag, The Germs, The Go-Go's, The Kats/The Nu Kats, The Mau-Mau's, The Motels, Mötley Crüe, Naughty Sweeties, The Plimsouls, The Quick, Quiet Riot, The Runaways, Van Halen, The Sterilles and X. Some of the acts from outside of California who played the Starwood included The Damned, Devo, The Jam, Cheap Trick, The Stranglers, AC/DC and The Fleshtones.