Of course many of you out there may know about Owlwood.
Yes, That's the famous Estate located not far from the Playboy Mansion on Sunset Blvd as AND to the East of UCLA,.. the i-5 Freeway and Westwood , Etc,..
SONY AND CHER ONCE frolicked here as well as Tony Curtis and many other Celebs have come and gone in Visitation !! BEVERLY HILLS HOLLYWOOD STYLE OF COURSE AND ALL THE WAY BABY !!
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But Did you know some of the Biggest Music heard on the internet back in the 00's was officed right here too ? Well , actually "On the property" at the now gone "Esther Williams" Estate property area which was situated until recently just across the grassy lawn to the East of Owlwood until it was torn down circa also in the 00's ,.. by it's then Newest Owner ,..
"They tore out this big water pond that was so beautiful" Says Redondo Beach Musician Clark Hagins now 55 Years old. "They also ripped up the gorgeous swimming pool where Marco and Molly used to swim" ( Two German Sheperds owned by Clark's now desceased older brother Greg Hagins who once roamed the property back in the 1990's ). Greg was the care-taker of the Grounds who Clark worked for at the Property off and on since about the mid 1980's until leaving Owlwood in Early 1996. Hagins would then take a job famously at A to Z Swimming Pool Service in Torrance California before traveling South to North San Diego to form ABRACADABRA POOL AND SPA in Oceanside,.. but it is Hagins' memories of Owlwood and a "Magical time" where he "Lived as his own Rock Star" and "Up in Bel Aire" complete with his own mansion , guitars, drums , and yes of course; STUDIO !!
"I NAMED my own studio Solar Arts Recordings and I wrote many awesome songs there,..many now long forgotten or hopefully on cassettes somewhere ( LOL )" Says Hagins ,... "Owlwood and it's prestigeous address of 10060 Sunset Blvd became the foundation for two of indie rock's Most important early Cd's and those 2 being of course "Greenhouse Effect Fountain" also originally known simply as "Fountain Weird" as Hagins adjusted his name out of a conflict with LA's Bam Magazine ,..and then of course THE 16 SONG DOUBLE CD 'THE ROCK OPERA - WHITE SUBURBAN LIARS' which made it's appearance at Owlwood in December 1995. "25 years ago was a simpler world ,.. but it was complicated too then..." Says Haggins in August 2020 ,.. "I was still rather young then at just 30 and I still thought that I had a chance !!" Hagins had recorded much of his recent music with acclaimed South Bay engineer / Producer "Wild " Billy Krodel at El Segundo California Studio Jet City Sound as recently as late 1992 before "retiring" from music ,.. "I had quit music ,..I had quit my life's number one dream ,.. everything had fallen apart I remember ,.. my long time bassist Rick ( Carmody ) had gone and joined another band ( The One Handed Readers also from the South Bay ) ,..Life was lonely up there in Bel Aire ,..I didn't feel too good ,... but I still had Owlwood ,.,..the Peace and Tranquility of Night." Hagins formed a short lived Record Label that he called DESTROY DISC RECORDS At the Property and the only two Cd's released on it of course are a couple of alternative rock "indie" legends !! " I was just another guy from Torrance but one who hit it very big in music back in the 00's,..I made a lot of money ,..'Bought three Houses and I was living the American Dream down there in San Diego for years ,..but 2008 hit me hard and things began to go down hill quick ,..I had formed my own video Site with some other people ,..it was sorta like a Youtube and it grew very huge ,..the other people suddenly acted like they didn't know me when I could no longer fund them ,..LOL ,.. and by like 2013, 2014,..I had to start making my own music CD's again ,..almost just like it was 1994 again !! as the internet video world was dying with the consolidations of power by Google , Youtube, and Facebook ,..etc,.. " And by like 2016 / 2017, Hagins found himself near broke ,.. almost jobless and with his video fame greatly diminished by time ; "I really honestly thought that either I would get some kind of record deal or start my own huge label again one day,..but none of it ever happened" Says Haggins. "I keep thinking of simpler time ,..the early 1990's and Owlwood,..hanging out with Greg and Brad,..drinking cokes, eating burgers and playing with the two dogs out in the pools on a hot sunny day !"
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Hagins lived on the property in various "guest houses" in situations similar to his older brother and earned the nick name "Kato" in 1994 / 95' era after the OJ mess before settling into the mansion across the way ,.. "My Esther Williams home had it's second story converted into a full rock n roll studio / record label office space complete with boxes of Cd's all over the place being readied to be mailed to radio's, magazines, etc,.. it was a labor of love" Says Haggins.
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