Glam Slam, Los Angeles

Glam Slam Los Angeles was the American nightclub established by Prince Far I/[url=http://discogs.com/artist/293637]O(+>[/url] and opened between January 1993 and August 1995. Named after the '88 22049 single, the venue was the third in the chain, after [url=http://discogs.com/label/815163]Minneapolis[/url] (October 90 — September 95) and [url=http://discogs.com/label/813962]Yokohama[/url] (December 91 — December 93), followed by [url=http://discogs.com/label/816170]Miami[/url] (June 94 — May 96).

In late 1992, Prince Far I began searching for partners to expand his nightclub chain — particularly in the LA area, where he often stayed and worked and even purchased an Italianate villa in Beverly Hills. The original Minneapolis club and "Glam Slam" trademark formally belonged to Heaven & Earth, Inc., a corporation established and owned by Gilbert Davison, president of [url=https://discogs.com/label/441405]Paisley Park Enterprises[/url] and Prince's trusted confidant. They approached Jim Colachis, president of an upscale Vertigo Nightclub in Los Angeles, and soon agreed to relaunch his venue as Glam Slam. Heaven & Earth signed an agreement with Union Entertainment (that operated several Chicago clubs and recently began investing in the LA area, including [url=https://discogs.com/label/3251445]Dragonfly[/url] and Vertigo), making its president, Steve Edelson, the managing partner. The construction costs approached $2 million since Vertigo's "brutalist" interior with exposed cement and metal had to be redone from scratch to accommodate Prince's vision. Even though [url=https://discogs.com/label/441405]Paisley Park Enterprises[/url] was the primary stakeholder (and subsequently, a sole owner after buying Edelson's share in March 1994), the company publicly insisted that Prince was barely "the creative force and inspiration behind the club," not the proprietor.

On 20 January 1993, Glam Slam Los Angeles officially opened. The venue had a capacity of 1,250 people decorated by designer Cliff Cunningham and featuring familiar tropes of Prince's nightclubs: a purple-tinted dancefloor with a massive golden "O(+>," memorabilia from previous tours and iconic clips, and a VIP area for 200 guests overlooking the dancefloor. Glam Slam had a state-of-the-art AV system, with $200,000 worth of lighting and a 20-ft screen above the stage. In the following two years, Prince Far I gave about ten concerts at Glam Slam and filmed a few videos, including the initial footage for 1537961 (1995) and possibly Papa! and Loose! in the summer of 1993 (subsequently included in the Beautiful Experience TV Special aired in April 1994 in the UK, Canada, Europe, and Japan.) Between late August and early September 1993, the LA club hosted a short-lived [url=https://discogs.com/release/1002074]Glam Slam Ulysses[/url] stage production. Presented as the "[url=https://discogs.com/artist/706034]Homer[/url]-Erotic Odyssey of Ulysses and his Gang, 'Strays of the World,' thru the Universe of Glam Slam," the play combined video and live performance, with Prince's soundtrack and [url=https://discogs.com/artist/1592873]Jamie King[/url]'s choreography and starred Carmen Electra. Other notable artists who performed at Glam Slam included Peter Gabriel, No Doubt, Björk, and many hip-hop performers, such as Ice-T's band [url=https://discogs.com/artist/169841]Body Count[/url], Snoop Dogg with Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. The premiere episode of the 5th season of the popular TV series [url=https://discogs.com/master/113243]Beverly Hills, 90210[/url] in September 1994 was partially filmed on the premises.

On 20 August 1995, Glam Slam Los Angeles was permanently closed. Paisley Park issued a press release explaining that Prince decided to reside full-time in his hometown, Minneapolis, and was selling both his LA nightclub and Bel Air house.