Long Beach’s fabulous celebrities bring sexy funk to MoLAA

THE DIBS GET ‘SCHOOLED IN SONG’

You know how they do at museums, with the naming of the benefactors—just like in that one Curb Your Enthusiasm when Ted Danson out-philanthropizes Larry by showing up on the new museum wing wall as Anonymous.

Dr. Robert Gumbiner, whose personal collection of priceless Latin American art (along with his fortune made from pioneering the HMO) endowed the Museum of Latin American Art, has no such qualms or modesties. Dr. Gumbiner’s name appears as benefactor three times on the pretty, curved wall of MoLAA’s new Charter Communications film screening room—once alone, once with his wife, and once in the name of his eponymous foundation. In foot-high letters! Three times! I’m sorry, but that is awesome.

Following MoLAA’s $10 million expansion, with its new offices and new foyer and new even more awesome gift shop (perfect for your winter holiday needs), the museum—already incredibly well-regarded—attains a new level of elegance. (And it’s free on Fridays!)

And then there is the Charter Communications film screening room, brought to you by Charter Communications (and, apparently, Dr. Robert Gumbiner, Robert and Judy Gumbiner, and the Robert Gumbiner Foundation), with its streamlined and modern (but not streamline moderne) slate interior. How pretty is the Charter Communications film screening room? It’s so skinny, so sick and pretty . . .

And that’s where Jay Buchanan comes in, along with a reunited Mention, the Dibs, New Fi, Sas, Sarah Overall, and a cast of thousands. They performed in September at the Carpenter Center in a benefit for Schooled in Song, and now a concert film will screen Monday and Tuesday at MoLAA, like Schooled in Song was Woodstock, or The Last Waltz!

(Much-known fun fact about Waltz: They had to go through frame-by-frame, pre-digitally, to erase Neil Young’s coke booger, except it’s totally still there. Go ahead: Google “neil young last waltz coke booger.” What ever did we do before the Internet?)

If you are a longtime Long Beacher between, say, 32 and 41, you will probably be there, but make sure you’re one of the first 30 in line. The Charter Communications film screening room is actually sort of teeny.

The movie itself might not be The Last Waltz—could anyone ever be as hot as Robbie Robertson, or as coked out as Helm and Danko (and Robertson)?—but The Last Waltz was directed by Martin Scorsese. And it’s still pretty much completely awesome. Watch Sas folk out like she’s Long Beach’s Patty Griffin (accompanying herself on piano), while lovely Sarah Overall croons some sort of Sarah McLachlan rock, but neither gross nor annoying! Fall in love (as usual) with New Fi’s adorable, skinny-tied modness! Scare yourself with Leldon, in blue paint and slashed-throat-blood, who is really quite odd and Mansony! Bow namaste along with the Dibs’ Chris Hanlin! The god in me honors the god in you, Chris! Wonder at Bixby’s wet-looking hair while he sings what may be the prettiest song in the movie, “City Lights”! Jim Hall, in these District pages, recommends For Men Hair Slick from the Body Shop, Bixby, for all the hold and none of the grease stains.

And Mention—oh, Mention! When you left your sexy funk behind for that ill-conceived album of electronica, and when Handsome Handsome Erik married that hot angry chick and moved to Seattle, the Lava Lounge scene never really recovered. (Even without dastardly Frank Colonna getting into the act.) And here you are, with your sexy funk (though still no Handsome Handsome Erik) right where it should be: hanging.

SCHOOLED IN SONG MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART | 628 ALAMITOS AVE | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.437.1689 | MOLAA.ORG | MON-TUES 6:30PM | FREE | SEATING AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVED BASIS

Tags: Long Beach, mention, molaa, robbie robertson, schooled in song, the dibs, the last waltz