Filthy McNasty, LA club owner of lore

Filthy McNasty owned two well-remembered music clubs in the Los Angeles area. His Filthy McNasty's on Sunset Strip occupied the spot where the Viper Room is now. After leaving the Strip, McNasty ran "FM Station" at Victory and Lankershim in North Hollywood. Friends are posting to social media that he died last week at home in Encino after battling cancer. I haven't seen an age yet.

Filthy Mcnasty had passed away April 13. Rest in peace, The Sunset Strip has lost another legend. pic.twitter.com/0Cu7Wa8VWY

— The Viper Room (@theVIPERroom) April 20, 2016

From the website MetalSludge.tv:

Filthy Mc Nasty opened his first club in 1969 after purchasing the “Melody Room”, a pint-sized jazz joint on the Sunset Strip, dubbing it “Filthy McNasty’s”. Celebrities such as Elvis, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison and John Wayne appreciated his “no photo” low key environment where they could relax, alter consciousness using… whatever, and then leave with ‘new friends’ without reading about it in the L.A. Times the next morning.

Intent on retaining its venomous rock and roll history with Hollywood’s new “Generation Hip”, McNasty sold the Melody Room in the early 90’s to a group of young artists (including actor Johnny Depp). The Viper Room opened in 1993 achieving landmark status (after River Phoenix ‘kissed the speedball sidewalk’ on Halloween night later that year).

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Founded in 1976 by proprietor Filthy McNasty...FM Station was the premier live music venue of the San Fernando Valley. Located at Victory and Lankershim in North Hollywood, FM was the favorite watering hole to many of the music industry’s shiniest of stars, and was often coveted as their ‘nasty’ little secret.

FM Station helped launch the careers of many local bands such as Poison, Warrant, Bullet Boys, Bang Tango, LA Guns, Femme Fatale, WWIII, Jones Street and many others. Mike Inez, bassist for Alice in Chains, toasted his first gig playing for Ozzy Osbourne here. Ralph Saenz, singer for Metal Skool and Atomic Punks, actually played with original band, Long Gone, at FM. Disco empire, Boogie Nights started here until capacity crowds forced them into cloning practices. Kiss Tribute band, Cold Gin played their first gig here without make-up.

What happened to the F.M. Station? As the hordes of Hollywood’s hair-band hopefuls packed up their wagons and headed back home, rock and roll proprietor Filthy McNasty knew it was ‘last-call’. With little notice or fanfare, FM Station Live in North Hollywood, CA closed its doors for good in 1997. One of LA’s premiere live music clubs was gone.

RIP Filthy McNasty. I was 15 when my band first worked at FM Station. We played "after-hours" - which sounded... https://t.co/vc1idf0XYK

— Guitar Guy (@TheBrianHaner) April 21, 2016

Extremely saddened to hear about the passing of Filthy McNasty. He was responsible for giving The Atomic Punks... https://t.co/nLOsqpKVaY

— The Atomic Punks (@TheAtomicPunks) April 20, 2016