Party on wheels
Charles Phoenix puts a whole new spin on Christmas and Doo Dah
By Carl Kozlowski 12/11/2008
Throughout its 31 “occasional” runs, the Doo Dah Parade has earned a reputation as the rambunctious stepchild of Pasadena’s staid and refined Tournament of Roses Parade.
Where the Rose Parade celebrates the Crown City with fine flower-bedecked floats before a global audience of millions, the Doo Dah offers beer-soaked fun-lovers and area eccentrics the chance to celebrate another side of Pasadena — the one where they feel at home.
So it only makes sense that the country’s kitschiest parade would team up with an equally flavorful and unique character for its 32nd occasional occurrence on Jan. 18; organizers announced last Thursday that Los Angeles “histo-tainer” Charles Phoenix would serve as its grand marshal.
Organizers say Phoenix, 48 and a former fashion designer, earned the honor for spending the past decade conducting wacky tours of downtown Los Angeles, creating outrageous slide shows of Southern California life since the 1950s, publishing colorful companion coffee-table books and, more recently, organizing jaw-dropping live synchronized dance spectacles that feature more than 60 costumed roller skaters.
This weekend, Phoenix will be hosting his Moonlight Rollerway Holiday Jubilee. In May, Phoenix debuted the skating extravaganza at Glendale’s Moonlight Rollerway, and this time the teams of dancers will perform celebrations of nearly every holiday in the calendar year.
“It’s jaw-dropping because no one’s used to seeing roller skaters performing like that,” said Phoenix over a Saturday morning pancake breakfast at vintage Pasadena diner Pie ’n Burger. “The Holiday Jubilee will feature a celebration of all the holidays, with costumed team dances celebrating New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Easter, the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The whole show is over two hours long, plus everyone can hang around for the skating party, of course.”
Phoenix has no shortage of good feelings for Pie ’n Burger pancakes — “how light and fluffy,” he exclaimed — or for all of Pasadena, really.
“I think that Pasadena’s crystal clearly the most civilized city in Southern California, because of the cultural institutions that are here. The Huntington Library and Gardens are the epitome of civilization no matter where you come from in the world, and the Rose Parade is the grandest parade in the world and one of America’s oldest great traditions,” he said. “The Doo Dah Parade is the dysfunctional crazy cousin of the Rose Parade, but in a wonderful way. The Rose Parade represents the epitome of civilization — it’s a giant arts and crafts project on wheels, done with military precision — and the Doo Dah … well, it’s a little bit looser and crazier.”
Recalling his favorite Rose Parade float, a 1958 entry by Van Nuys which featured a massive floral version of a slice of pie and ice cream on a plate, Phoenix proudly proclaimed his own vision for a Doo Dah float.
“I’m excited because I can make a big visual presentation, and I’ve already locked down a bright red fire marshal’s station wagon that’ll be towing a classic trailer, and roller skaters, a fire station wagon and car also following,” said Phoenix, who was wearing a rainbow-colored pinstripe suit and bright green dress shoes.
It’s Phoenix’s flair for the colorful side of life — he’s painting the walls of his Silver Lake apartment to match the look of a vintage Howard Johnson Motel — that inspired Doo Dah organizers Patty Hurley and Tom Coston to choose him to lead the parade.
“We’ve known Charles for a really long time, and we had heard about this oddball thing he does — this slide show — and somebody invited us to go see it at the Distant Lands bookstore in Pasadena about 10 years ago,” recalled Hurley. “We saw the show and were blown away. We also really support people who find an oddball way of making a living through doing what they love to do and following their bliss. Charles definitely is following his bliss. And even though it can be nerve-wracking for him to pick a career that he made up completely, that’s what he’s done and we want to applaud his originality.”
“Charles brings the party to the party,” added Coston. “I like the way he can look at something that’s very typical on the surface and point out the oddball, and we felt there’s plenty of that in our parade. He’s a master investigator of the absurd, and we’re giving him plenty to look at.”
Charles Phoenix’s Moonlight Rollerway Holiday Jubilee happens at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Moonlight Rollerway, 5110 San Fernando Road, Glendale. Tickets are $35. Call (818) 241-3630 or visit charlesphoenix.com.
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