From Idealism to Commercialism
Books have been written about this place and era, like Michael Walker’s Laurel Canyon and Barney Hoskyns’ Hotel California, which delve into the myths and the music that it spawned. Laurel Canyon started out as an idealistic, communal place in the late ‘60s, but by the mid-‘70s, it became all about thoughtless commercialism, drug binges, and destroyed friendships. “In a way, it’s a death-of-’60s-utopianism story,” Hoskyns wrote.
At Joni Mitchell’s cottage on Lookout Mountain: James Taylor reading a Kool-Aid packet with Mitchell on the porch, January 1971. Source: vanityfair.com
For anyone who knows the area, however, it comes as no surprise that it started out as a perfect place to make music and enjoy the benefits of “free love.” Lookout Mountain Avenue was settled before building codes ever existed. The impossibly narrow and winding road with little Hobbit-like cottages face out onto some of the best views of Los Angeles.