11 Things You Didn't Know About the Viper Room
The Viper Room is a legendary nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. This iconic venue has been host to countless famous musicians and celebrities over the years, and it has a rich and storied history. Here are 11 things you probably didn't know about the Viper Room.
Before it was the Viper Room, the building had a checkered past
The Viper Room building has a long and interesting history, starting as Melody Room, a gangster hangout, where Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen used to get together and watch live jazz. It was later known as The Central and then as Filthy McNasty's, a divey Strip trendsetter that was featured on an album cover for the band Sweet and was a regular hangout for Tom Waits and Evil Knieval.
Adam Duritz and Christina Applegate were once bartenders
Adam Duritz, the singer from Counting Crows, and Christina Applegate, the actress, both worked as bartenders at the Viper Room.
The first band to ever perform there was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
On August 14, 1993, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers became the first band to ever perform at the Viper Room. This is notable because around that time, venue co-owner Johnny Depp appeared in the band's "Into The Great Wide Open" video.
The Pussycat Dolls got their start there
The Pussycat Dolls were once the best-known burlesque group in LA, thanks to their Viper Room residency. They went on to become a washed-up pop group, but they got their start at the Viper.
There is a secret whiskey bar downstairs
There is a hidden, secret whiskey bar located downstairs at the Viper Room, just past the cashier. It is open almost every night, is generally free to enter, and has a ton of artisanal alcohols, including Slow Hand white whiskey and Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock & Rye.
The backstage area has a stripper pole
It's not just a myth; the Viper Room's backstage area is indeed equipped with a stripper pole.
It's not the only Viper Room
There are other establishments with the same name, including a club in Portland and a brothel in Australia. There is even a total rip-off club in the Netherlands decorated to look like the Sunset Strip version of the Viper Room.
Queens of the Stone Age once played for $20 and 20 Coronas
In 2005, after they were already famous, Queens of the Stone Age played at the Viper Room under the secret name The Clocks. They just wanted to play, and they were paid $20 and 20 Coronas for their performance.
The Viper Room was the site of Hollywood's most high-rolling poker game in the '90s
In the 1990s, the Viper Room was the site of Hollywood's most high-rolling poker game, with a $10,000 buy-in and players that included Leo and Tobey.
Louis Carreon added art to the inside and outside of the club
Internationally renowned artist Louis Carreon recently added art to both the inside and outside of the Viper Room. The interior art covers the hallway to the club and looks like a wall of graffiti quotes, peace signs, and word soup. The outside now features a giant, seemingly stained-glass man smoking a cigarette.
The Viper Room has launched a line of licensed, high-end merchandise
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