Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales
Room 29
Jarvis Cocker, former frontman of the famous Brit pop band Pulp and Canadian pianist / rapper / producer / composer Chilly Gonzales have teamed up for this exciting new project Room 29 was initially conceived as a theatre piece about the legendary room 29 of Hollywood Hotel Chateau Marmont Cocker wrote the piece during his own stay at Room 29, inspired by one of the room’s more unusual features – a baby-grand piano – as a witness of all the countless dramas that must have taken place there. The tales from the Chateau have become so legendary that anyone with even a passing interest in rock'n'roll – or any facet of the entertainment industry for that matter – will have heard a Hollywood story related to Chateau Marmont. James Dean hopped through a window to audition for Rebel Without a Cause; Judy Garland sang by the grand piano in the lobby; Canyon cowboy Gram Parsons lived here for a short time; Blues Brother John Belushi overdosed in bungalow number three; Led Zeppelin drove their Harley Davidsons into the hotel lobby; The Doors' Jim Morrison dangled precariously from his window; esteemed record producer Rick Rubin lived here for nine months in the 1990s after relocating from New York; John Frusciante, guitarist with Red Hot Chili Peppers, took up residence here in 1996, only to descend into a drugs hell that nearly claimed his life; Lindsay Lohan checked in following her arrest for drink driving in 2007; Heath Ledger partied here the week before he died … Deep breath. The Guardian Room 29 is a studio recording of the theatre piece, consisting of catchy songs, spoken word, and piano interludes, composed by Chilly Gonzales, with lyrics by Jarvis Cocker.