“I think I want to cross the finish line wearing an astronaut helmet and a red cape with a K on it,” e-mails Dennis Lluy, founder and life force behind Long Beach's storied all-ages art gallery and performance space, Koo's. And, sure, a lot of people might think he's crazy for running the Los Angeles Marathon this Sunday in a freaking astronaut helmet—this isn't zero gravity, dood! Them's heavy hats!—but a lot of people think Lluy's pretty crazy, anyway. In a good way, that is. Not content with the 1500-odd projects he's got his fingers in—running another art gallery in his Santa Ana loft, managing a recording studio, taking down bad guys and kicking ass everywhere in the name of justice and good music—he recently added one more: renovating Koo's, which could still use a whole host of improvements, the most important being soundproofing. Lluy and the Koo's crew scored an initial grant to get started on construction, but still need a few more (or a lot more) bucks before they can complete the renovation. Which is where the astronaut helmet and red cape and 26-point-effing-two miles and Y-O-U come in: Lluy is seeking by-the-mile sponsorships from kind folks with cash. In return for your donations, you'll receive more awesome shows from bands such as the Gossip and Smoosh, and you'll feel pretty good inside, too. Oh, and don't go pledge, like, $10 bucks per mile and think Lluy won't ever reach the finish line—guy's been training for more than a month, and I think he's actually serious about that helmet-and-cape business. Again—crazy. In a good way.
Interested in donating? Make a check out to Koo's and send it to 530 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802. Or donate via PayPal on the Koo's website, www.koos.org. For more information, call (310) 493-2050.
