{{Short description|Nightclub in West Hollywood, California US}} {{Use American English|date=June 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox venue | name = The Viper Room | image = 250px | image_caption = The Viper Room in 2006 | nickname = | address = 8852 Sunset Boulevard | location = West Hollywood, California, 90069<br />United States | coordinates = | type = Nightclub | event = Rock | broke_ground = | built = | opened = August 14, 1993 | renovated = | expanded = | closed = | demolished = | owner = | former_names = | seating_type = | seating_capacity = 250 | website = {{url|http://www.viperroom.com}} }}
'''The Viper Room''' is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established under that name on August 14, 1993,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martino |first=Alison |date=August 11, 2014 |title=The Viper Room Turns 21 |url=https://lamag.com/music/the-viper-room-turns-21 |access-date=March 28, 2024 |website=LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> then co-owned by actors and ''21 Jump Street'' co-stars Johnny Depp and Sal Jenco.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/28/travel/the-young-and-the-restless.html|title=The Young And the Restless|author=Strauss, Neil|date=December 28, 1997}}</ref> The Viper Room has undergone several changes in ownership. The latest owner is Viper Holdings, Ltd CEO James Cooper. It continues to host music of multiple genres, including metal, punk, and alternative rock. While predominantly known as a music venue, the Viper Room also has a lower level which is home to a large whiskey bar.
The club became known as a hangout for the young Hollywood elite, and gained infamy for its drug-related incidents; actor River Phoenix had a fatal drug overdose in 1993, actor Jason Donovan suffered a drug-induced seizure in 1995 but survived, and singer Courtney Love survived an overdose in 1995 after Depp gave her CPR.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2022 |title=Courtney Love says Johnny Depp saved her life outside the Viper Room in 1995 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/johnny-depp-courtney-love-amber-heard-trial-b2084999.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> In 1997, singer Michael Hutchence played his last public performance in the Viper Room before taking his own life a week later.
==History== The location was originally a grocery store from 1921 into the 1940s. In the 1940s, it was converted into a nightclub called the "Cotton Club", entirely unrelated to the Harlem original. This was soon replaced by "The Greenwich Village Inn", the "Rue Angel" and finally "The Last Call" during the 1940s. From 1951 to 1969, the location was a bar called "The Melody Lounge". In 1969, it became "Filthy McNasty's".<ref>[http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2016/04/filthy_mcnasty_la_club_ow.php "Filthy McNasty, LA club owner of lore", LA Observed, April 21, 2016]</ref> and in the 1980s, a jazz club called "The Central".<ref>[https://www.wehoville.com/2016/04/23/filthy-mcnasty-icon-of-the-old-sunset-strip-has-died/ "Filthy McNasty, Icon of the Old Sunset Strip, Has Died", Whoville, April 23, 2016]</ref><ref>[https://www.visitwesthollywood.com/stories/feature-the-viper-room/ "The History (and Future) of the Sunset Strip's Viper Room", West Hollywood, July 5, 2018]</ref>
"The Central" was best known for its Tuesday jam nights where various well-known musicians such as Joe Cocker, Brian Setzer and Jeff Baxter performed and hung out along with others in the music industry.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Spurrier |first=Jeff |date=February 12, 1984 |title=Clubland |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/Clubland/140454850/ |access-date=February 7, 2024 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=385}}</ref> It also hosted many local music acts such as Chuck E. Weiss who was frequently accompanied by the Goddamn Liars.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Martino |first=Alison |date=August 11, 2014 |title=The Viper Room Turns 21 |url=https://lamag.com/music/the-viper-room-turns-21 |access-date=December 22, 2023 |website=LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> In 1993, the club was close to shutting down when Weiss suggested to Depp that he should revitalize the spot and rename it "The Viper Room".<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110930024452/http://www.tomwaitslibrary.com/rickieandchuck.html Tom Waits Library - Extras]}}. Tom Waits Library. Retrieved October 11, 2011.</ref> Tom Waits also had a hand in redeveloping the spot.<ref>[http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/ten-things-you-never-knew-about-tom-waits Ten Things You Never Knew About Tom Waits]. Clashmusic.com (also featured in the August 2011, issue #64 of ''Clash''). Retrieved October 11, 2011.</ref>
===The venue=== Despite the death of River Phoenix the year the venue opened, the club became and remained a hangout for Hollywood's most popular young actors and musicians. Adam Duritz, the lead singer of Counting Crows, worked as a Viper Room bartender in late 1994 and early 1995 to escape his newfound fame.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0244154/bio Biography of Adam Duritz] at IMDb</ref>
=== Ownership === As part of the settlement of a lawsuit against Johnny Depp and four others, involving allegations of mismanagement of profits, Depp relinquished his ownership of the Viper Room in 2004.<ref>[http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_285.html "A Christmas Murder In Hollywood, Part Three: Another Tragic Anniversary"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525035914/http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_285.html |date=May 25, 2006 }} by James Ridgway de Szigethy, published December 2004 on [http://www.americanmafia.com/ AmericanMafia.com]</ref> The club changed hands multiple times between 2004 and 2016; the club is currently owned by Viper Room Holdings, Ltd. CEO James Cooper.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 20, 2019|title=WeHo residents oppose Viper Room project|url=https://beverlypress.com/2019/03/weho-residents-oppose-viper-room-project/|access-date=March 26, 2019|website=Park Labrea News/ Beverly Press|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Business Search - Business Entities - Business Programs {{!}} California Secretary of State|url=https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=NUMBER&SearchCriteria=C4169370|access-date=September 5, 2019|website=businesssearch.sos.ca.gov}}</ref>
===Intellectual property and lawsuits=== A nightclub formerly called "The Viper Room" exists in Cincinnati. The club changed its name to "The Poison Room" on January 1, 2006, after they were told by the West Hollywood Viper Room to stop using the name.<ref>[http://boards.cincymusic.com/index.php?showtopic=25525 "Viper Room Changing Its Name Jan. 1..."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819004343/http://boards.cincymusic.com/index.php?showtopic=25525|date=August 19, 2006}} on CincyMusic.com (December 2005 forum post by club owner-manager)</ref> Another "Viper Room" in Portland was also told to stop using the name under threat of a trademark lawsuit, with the Viper Room's former owner claiming that "every dollar they make is the result of using our name".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071015074344/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_47_27/ai_n15933833 "Nightclub coils to strike in trademark infringement suits"] by Amanda Bronstad, ''Los Angeles Business Journal'' November 21, 2005</ref> Abroad, there is also a legal brothel in Brisbane called "The Viper Room" and nightclubs boasting the name (or a similar one) in Harrogate, Sheffield, Stockholm, and Vienna.
Until February 2009, there was a nightclub with the same name in Melbourne; it was closed down due to a spate of violent incidents that included two shootings as well as license breaches and the arrest of a co-owner on drug charges.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.viperroom.se/ |title="The Viper Room" in Stockholm |access-date=January 18, 2008 |archive-date=May 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528054938/http://www.viperroom.se/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 16, 2011, a nightclub named "The Viper Room" opened its doors in the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The club is named after the club in Hollywood and is decorated in the same style as the American club.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://theviperroom.hyves.nl/ |title="The Viper Room" in Nijmegen |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-date=November 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121102704/http://theviperroom.hyves.nl/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, The Viper Room began issuing cease and desist notices to bootleg merchandise sellers on eBay and other online storefronts.
The original building where the club is currently located is slated to be demolished in 2026, to make way for a replacement club, retail and a five star hotel tower.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://therealdeal.com/la/2022/08/03/reimagined-viper-room-developer-scores-60m-loan/ | title=New Viper Room Mixed-Use Project Notches $60M Loan | date=August 3, 2022 }}</ref>{{needs update|date=April 2024}}
==Performers== At Depp's request, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed on the club's opening night.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX2v2UHRd38 Tom Petty at The Viper Room]</ref>
Johnny Cash performed at the venue, debuting material that would later appear on ''American Recordings'' (1994).<ref>{{cite web |title=How Johnny Cash became an even bigger star after his death |first1=Phil|last1=Hebblethwaite|date=March 28, 2014 |website=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523060512/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/27/johnny-cash-out-among-the-stars-again |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/27/johnny-cash-out-among-the-stars-again}}</ref>
Other performers include Avril Lavigne, Neurotic Outsiders (featuring Duff McKagan, Steve Jones and John Taylor), Keanu Reeves (who performed there with his band Dogstar in 1997), The Cult, Slash, X, Julliette and the Licks, Concrete Blonde, Green Day, Courtney Love, Hole, Joey Ramone, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tenacious D,<ref>{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=June 29, 2021|title=24 Rare Photos of Celebrities Inside L.A.'s Infamous Viper Room|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g36876070/viper-room-photos/|access-date=January 24, 2022|website=Esquire|language=en-US}}</ref> The Strokes,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Saperstein|first=Pat|date=August 3, 2018|title=Viper Room Sold on Sunset Strip; Site Could Be Redeveloped|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/viper-room-sunset-strip-sold-1202894246/|access-date=January 24, 2022|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> and Cher.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alamy.com/west-hollywood-california-usa-23rd-april-1994-singer-cher-performs-in-concert-on-april-23-1994-at-the-viper-room-in-west-hollywood-california-usa-photo-by-barry-kingalamy-stock-photo-image247081016.html | title=West Hollywood, California, USA 23rd April 1994 Singer Cher performs in concert on April 23, 1994 at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California, USA. Photo by Barry King/Alamy Stock Photo Stock Photo - Alamy }}</ref>
== In popular culture == * In the 1983 film ''Valley Girl'', the building (then housing a nightclub called The Central) was used for scenes featuring the new-wave band the Plimsouls.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martino |first=Alison |date=August 11, 2014 |title=The Viper Room Turns 21 |url=https://lamag.com/music/the-viper-room-turns-21 |access-date=March 28, 2024 |website=LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> * In Oliver Stone's film ''The Doors'' (1991), the building was used as a filming location for scenes depicting the London Fog, also of West Hollywood. London Fog was a lesser-known nightclub halfway up the same block from the Whisky a Go Go where the Doors had their first regular gigs for four months in early 1966.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/d/doors.html |title=Filming Locations for ''The Doors'' |access-date=May 13, 2006 |archive-date=November 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126075023/http://movie-locations.com/movies/d/doors.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> * The 2003 ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' "Pink Panther Dance" scene was filmed at the club,{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} though the club's name was changed in the film to "The Treasure Chest". * Several scenes in the 2005 John Travolta film ''Be Cool'' were set at or in the club,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/8e506cf0-c948-49f2-8f8b-fe5ddd08efb6|title=I heard you were at the Viper Room}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=85122|title = Be Cool-The Viper Room}}</ref> although only the exterior of the site was used in the shoot.<ref>[http://moviejuice.com/2005/03/05/be-cool/ Be Cool » Movie Juice - Movie Rants<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * The Viper Room is also featured in the 2004 documentary ''Dig!'' when members of the band The Brian Jonestown Massacre began brawling with each other on stage while performing. * The Viper Room was once the base of an underground poker ring, reportedly founded by actor Tobey Maguire. The ring often included other actors such as Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon. It was setting for the initial set of poker games Molly Bloom hosted.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bloom|first1=Molly|author-link=Molly Bloom (author)|title=Molly's Game|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins|location=New York|page=43|isbn=9780062838582}}</ref>, whose autobiography was turned into the 2017 movie ''Molly's Game'', starring Jessica Chastain. In the film, the club was renamed "The Cobra Lounge".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Michael|date=April 4, 2020|title=The real 'Molly's Game': Inside Tobey Maguire's high-stakes underground poker ring|url=https://nypost.com/2020/04/04/the-real-mollys-game-inside-tobey-maguires-underground-poker-ring/|access-date=January 25, 2022|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref> * The Viper Room is featured in an episode of paranormal series ''Ghost Adventures'' as one of their lockdown locations, where they investigated the building for two days.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/the-viper-room|title=The Viper Room {{!}} Ghost Adventures|website=TravelChannel.com|access-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref> In 2019, ''BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural'' filmed an episode in the club.<ref>{{cite AV media|date=October 11, 2019|title=The Hollywood Ghosts of the Legendary Viper Room|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL5DLVqVcis |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/fL5DLVqVcis |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=October 12, 2019|publisher=BuzzFeed Unsolved Network on YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> * In 2019, the music video for the song "Blow" by Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton, and Bruno Mars was filmed at the Viper Room.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/ed-sheeran-gender-flipped-video-blow-bruno-mars-chris-stapleton-2525741|title=Watch Ed Sheeran's gender-flipped video for 'Blow', featuring Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton|last=Krol|first=Charlotte|date=July 8, 2019|website=NME|access-date=July 27, 2019|archive-date=July 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725001109/https://www.nme.com/news/music/ed-sheeran-gender-flipped-video-blow-bruno-mars-chris-stapleton-2525741|url-status=live}}</ref> * In 2021, the Viper Room was the feature of season 1, episode 2 of Vice Media's ''Dark Side of the 90's'' entitled "The Viper Room: Hollywood's Sanctuary."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/adam-duritz-the-viper-room-counting-crows.html/|title=Adam Duritz Went Back to Tending Bar at the Viper Room After Counting Crows Hit It Big|last=Topel|first=Fred|date=July 22, 2021|publisher=Showbiz Cheat Sheet|access-date=September 27, 2021}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Los Angeles}} * Rainbow Bar and Grill * Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco * The Roxy Theatre * Sunset Strip * Whisky a Go Go
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.viperroom.com/ Viper Room official website]
{{West Hollywood, California}} {{Johnny Depp}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|34|5|25.7|N|118|23|4.8|W|type:landmark|display=title}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Viper Room, The}} Category:1993 establishments in California Category:Buildings and structures in West Hollywood, California Category:Johnny Depp Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles Category:Nightclubs in Los Angeles County, California