The Los Angeles River flows from its source into the Pacific Ocean, spanning approximately fifty-one miles in total. Thirty-two miles of its course, within the designated planning area, run through the heart of the city, dividing the City of Angels into eastern and western halves.Downtown Los Angeles is situated on the west side of the Los Angeles River. While the west side includes affluent areas like Hollywood and Beverly Hills, it also encompasses Little Tokyo and Chinatown, neighborhoods characterized by disorder and poverty.Little Tokyo is one of the most dangerous areas in all of Los Angeles. After eight or nine in the evening, walking alone on the streets requires heightened vigilance. If an emergency arises and you need to withdraw money from an ATM, having a companion is definitely a wise choice.Just one block away from Little Tokyo, there's an area called Skid Row, which is Los Angeles's notorious slum. Skid Row isn't just a single street; it refers to the entire area between East 6th Street and East 4th Street, and between Maple Avenue and Stanford Avenue.Unlike other cities' impoverished districts, Skid Row, colloquially known as "Homeless Row" by citizens, is located just two blocks from the city center. This is a characteristic feature of Los Angeles, where surrounding counties and cities are often more prosperous than the downtown area.Here, the alleys are dilapidated and crowded, with minority groups such as African Americans, Mexicans, and Hispanics crammed into small, pot-like dwellings, performing the city's lowest-tier manual labor, hoping to sustain their families.In recent years, there has actually been a heavy metal rock band called Skid Row, but they have little to do with this slum in Los Angeles. This band, which rose to prominence in 1986 and became a sensation with the wave of metal rock, originated in New Jersey and was not a local band from Los Angeles's Skid Row.However, Skid Row in Los Angeles has become a haven for many underground rock musicians. Just as the Bronx in New York gave birth to street hip-hop, underground rock music enthusiasts gather in Skid Row, expressing their inner emotions and dreams with a distinct rebellious attitude. Al's Bar is located here, at the intersection of East 5th Street and San Pedro Street, within walking distance of St. Julian Park.It was not yet seven in the evening when Hugo arrived at his destination by bus. Walking down the street, he saw all sorts of colorful outfits: flamboyant black trench coats, gloomy black eyeliner, and fiery red hair, igniting one vibrant color bomb after another in his vision, exuding endless charm.In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the unemployment crisis in the United States resurfaced—one of the reasons for the Rodney King incident. Consequently, heavy metal and grunge rock began to elicit strong reactions, and punk music, which had been popular in the 1970s, was slowly making a comeback.Initially, these music genres seemed particularly unconventional in the mainstream market. Major record companies, professional music magazines, and top music studios were unable to accept such alternative and trendy things, which led to the vigorous growth of underground rock.However, grunge rock, led by Nirvana, unexpectedly sparked a frenzy, overshadowing all other music. It achieved significant breakthroughs in both critical acclaim and market success, which brought grunge rock into the mainstream of American culture.After 1992, this craze not only did not diminish but continued to heat up, suggesting that another era of rock frenzy, similar to 1977, was about to arrive.Looking at the bustling scene before him, Hugo felt as if he had stepped into Harry Potter's magical world. Although this world had no wands or spells, the musical notes flowing from instruments and fingertips were the most beautiful magic in the world, possessing soul-stirring energy.Every figure before him, known and unknown, familiar and strange, flamboyant and reserved, carrying instruments and dressed bizarrely, was like a musical note, arranging and combining into different shapes in his vision, then playing a beautiful melody against the indigo sky.Although Hugo had told himself more than once that this transmigration was a godsend opportunity, today he had to exclaim again that life was truly wonderful. He was grateful to have arrived in Los Angeles in 1992, not only giving him the chance to become an excellent actor but also allowing him the privilege of witnessing the most glorious era of rock and roll firsthand.Hugo stood rooted to the spot, excitedly overwhelmed. He wanted to approach and strike up a conversation with the cool girl whose ears were adorned with twenty jingling earrings. He also wanted to join the nameless band sitting on the street corner, already playing, and revel with them.He even wanted to mob Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Green Day, like a fanboy... This place was like a Disneyland for rock music lovers, filling one with joy yet leaving one torn between choices, wanting to experience everything at once."Hey, Hugo!" a voice called from behind, causing Hugo, who had recently developed a conditioned reflex, to turn around immediately. A handsome man with long blond hair strode towards him with long legs. "You're Hugo, right? I haven't mistaken you!"The handsome man in front of him had tied his long hair into a ponytail, revealing a clean and stern face. His blue-green eyes, under the soft streetlights, appeared deep and distant.Hugo recognized the face, it was very familiar. He could even recall where he had seen him: the guitarist he met last time while performing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Charlize. However, Hugo couldn't remember his name. Hugo's talent in this area was indeed weak, only slightly better than his sense of direction.Seeing Hugo's conflicted expression, the handsome man laughed clearly twice, "I'm Neil Anderson, last time...""Yes, Neil!" Hugo's eyes immediately lit up with a bright sparkle, his eyes narrowing into long crescents due to the brilliant smile on his lips. "Hollywood Walk of Fame..." Hugo quickly said, proving his memory was not mistaken. But seeing Neil's paused smile, Hugo's voice involuntarily rose at the end, "...right?"Neil chuckled and nodded, "Yes, the Walk of Fame. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon." Neil's eyes sparkled brightly. Last time, he really wanted to talk more with Hugo, but unfortunately, he had an engagement that day, so it didn't happen, which Neil had always regretted.Neil also didn't ask Hugo for his contact information that day. In early 1990s America, besides landlines, pagers were the most reliable means of communication. If one had neither, finding another stranger in a metropolis like Los Angeles was undoubtedly like searching for a needle in a haystack.But Hugo had said one thing correctly: both had common interests. As long as they could find the same circles, meeting again wouldn't be so difficult. And so, today's second encounter came to be."Do you have a performance tonight?" Hugo saw the guitar on Neil's shoulder, so he pointed to Al's Bar on the street corner and asked."Oh, no, it's just a habit." Neil shook his head. "What about you?" Hugo also carried his guitar today. He had chosen a white T-shirt with a crow design, paired with light blue jeans, and topped it off with a white jacket featuring a Superman logo pattern. Compared to the afternoon, this outfit appeared much more cohesive.Hugo chuckled, and Neil, seeing him, also smiled. Hugo said, "Me too. I don't have a band right now, I'm just a music enthusiast.""Me too, just by myself for now, usually making a living through street performances," Neil said simply. Speaking of rock, solo rock singers are indeed relatively fewer, and it's not easy to achieve a career like David Bowie. "So, last time you performed a jazz song, have you written any rock lately?"Neil seemed a bit impatient, cutting straight to the chase after only a few words, but Hugo didn't mind at all. "Oh, of course, I dabble a bit when I'm writing for fun, but there aren't as many suitable for guitar performance. You know, often you need a full set of instruments.""Do you also dabble in other instruments? Wow, I thought your guitar skills alone were impressive enough." Neil looked around and then sat down directly by the street."Oh, no, no, besides guitar, I'm not good at anything else. I only know the basics on the keyboard," Hugo said honestly, sitting down on the ground as well. "It's just that I enjoy composing, so I touch upon other instruments.""It's impossible for a rock band in these years not to have a guitar solo. Most of the time, an excellent guitarist elevates the quality of the entire band by a notch. So, guitar is already enough," Neil said with a smile, his excited spirit clearly visible in his soaring brows. "By the way, that song you wrote last time, how did you set up the chords?"Hugo and Neil chatted animatedly there, while around them, the scene was equally bustling. People were everywhere, standing or sitting in small groups, discussing with great enthusiasm. Almost everyone was talking about music, and many were even already performing live. This scene resembled a grand rock music festival, only these music enthusiasts mostly had a few tricks up their sleeves, filling the atmosphere with a thrilling, gunpowder-like intensity.It's hard to imagine that in Los Angeles, under the indigo night sky, there was such an unknown corner, teeming with countless musical notes, silently permeating the earth, becoming a part of the city's bloodstream. Reflecting on it, how many countless nights in the past had Hugo been in such a sacred place, yet never truly connected with these music lovers? What a regret; of course, the more regrets from the past, the more surging Hugo's excitement was at this moment. It was this feeling, where even the streetlights on the corner seemed to outline the graceful curves of musical notes, casting a hazy and mysterious glow over everything.
