It wasn't until Phil Spector's murder trial that I had any idea where he lived. Much ado was made about his "secluded castle" that was said to be "in the middle of nowhere." Imagine my feelings of inferiority when I discovered that "the middle of nowhere" was just down the street from me. Let's just say I was living in the San Gabriel Valley. It wasn't Malibu, but "the middle of nowhere" was completely unnecessary.
Mapquest told me that Phil Spector's Pureness Castle was but a short bike ride away. I wanted to get there before sunset, so I rode hard and fast. Block by block, I realized I was riding deep into the heart of an unkempt Chinese neighborhood spotted with chubby Latino gangsters. Phil Spector lived on the top of the hill, but aside from the fence protecting his vast property, it was not at all secluded. Photos taken of the home are aerial due to the large trees, and the castle seems to spring from the grounds of heavily-wooded land. But aside from the trees he planted around his hilltop home, it is but a tiny green pimple upon a giant, flat face of concrete, covered with dirt-smudged apartment complexes and greasy food shacks. One block separated his home from a major thoroughfare, and on the corner of his block was a Chinese-owned auto body shop with a broken sign and mechanics screaming what I can only imagine were Chinese obscenities at one another. The Jack-in-the-Box actually classed up the place.I caught a glimpse of the Pureness Castle. People scoff that it isn't pure, but of course it is. Pure creepiness. Aside from the fact that it's the scene of a murder, did you see the guy's hair?
Oh wait, that's a wig.
Not pictured in the top photo is the white dog trapped in the cage by the gate. Held in a box-like space, it paces the floor and goes nearly mad when someone walks by. The barks were of desperation, not fierceness. Any true dog owner knows their pooch will bark way before someone dangerous could get their hands on them. And if tethering is illegal, how can caging them be humane?
Now that Mr. Spector is off to jail, I hope the little guy found a new home and some space to stretch out. I also hope Phil is thinking long and hard about all the crimes he's committed. Including ones involing human hair.
