THE TROPICANA MOTEL

The Tropicana Motel was located at 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1942. Sandy Koufax, pitcher of the baseball team, DODGERS, bought the establishment in 1962 and added its name to that of the hotel marquee with the intention of attracting customers with more purchasing power than usual – musicians and actors of series B movies and television series-, although it did not achieve its purpose.

It consisted of 72 apartments that included kitchen and the rates were cheap since the idea was that it was an ideal destination for clients who could not afford the rent of a house.

Later, with the explosion of rock on the west coast, would become a redoubt of rock stars or aspiring to be as it was close to the Troubadour and other r & r clubs in West Hollywood And not expensive. It was considered as the ideal place to make the first stop on the road to fame and, also, where to run a good party, when you had already achieved it.

Jim Morrison and the Doors turned the motel into his playground and that’s where Jim would write some of his hits and where he would stuff himself with alcohol and other drugs to end up fainting on the Californian asphalt. They would also record their last album of -L.A. Woman-in the studio they had on Santa Monica Boulevard, very close to the motel.

When Elektra Records built an avant-garde recording studio near the motel in 1967, its artists were housed in the Tropicana.

Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppellin, the Mamas and the Popes, the Beach Boys, Jim McGuinn of the Byrds and Martha and the Vandellas visited the Tropicana.

Later, the explosion of punk brought new tenants: The Dickies or The Dead Boys and The Ramones or Blondie stayed there when they were in town. Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers also stayed there.

Tom Waits moved his piano to one of his bungalows and lived there for 9 years. He would write the letters of his Small Change record in his apartment.

And what will the Tropicana have to do with STRAY CATS? Here goes what could change everything …

First, it´s important to start telling the story of Levi Dexter and The Rockats.

According with Levi,  Lee (former manager of New York Dolls and representative at the time of Rockats) was the reason for all of our success! He is a man with vision and faith. He is fearless and never gives in. He’s the epitome of rock ‘n’ roll spirit. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for him. I learned so much from him and I will always be extremely grateful. He worked with Andy Warhol in the stage play “Pork” in New York and was very “in” with the Warhol crowd. He got us into Andy’s INTERVIEW magazine and also the Andy Warhol cable TV show where Debbie Harry from Blondie interviewed us. He also got us on the first ted/punk tour with Wayne County and the Electric Chairs in 1977. This would mark the end of the ted/punk wars. Lee brought us over to the U.S. in July 1978. Our first show was November 10th, 1978 (our 1st year anniversary) at Max’s Kansas City in New York City opening for the Cramps. We were selling out clubs in New York like Max’s and C.B.G.B’s, and then clubs in Los Angeles like the Whiskey-A-Gogo, the Starwood and the Troubadour. We performed live nationally on the Merv Griffin T.V. show and also played live on the Wolfman Jack Midnight Special. One of the other acts on the show was the Jackson’s without Michael. Leee and his long-time friend Tom Ayres got us on the Louisiana Hayride (the first rockabilly band to play there since Elvis in the ’50s).

In 1980 Levi Dexter separates from Rockats. Leee Black Childerswas looking for new options for his pupil and is responsible for reserving rooms in the Tropicana.

The guests are none other than Brian and Gary Setzer, Danny B. Harvey and Levi Dexter.
The idea is to make some trials and form a new project.

Levi already knew Brian from when he made some jam session with the Tom Cats in Massapequa and knows his talent with the guitar.

After four days, Levi is aware that Brian can not commit to traveling constantly.
On the way to the airport he says to Brian: “What you have to do is leave the east coast and go somewhere and then return become a hero.”
A few months after returning to Massapequa, the trio will pack their bags and fly to London … the rest is history …

Runaway Boys. The Stray Cats Story.

First book published on the exciting story of The Stray Cats.