Years ago, I remember seeing a Morrissey music video that was filmed along Van Buren Street here in Phoenix. Lo and behold, here’s “My Love Life.” I can understand Van Buren’s appeal for a foreign-born someone like Morrissey. Filled with sun-baked old motels with ginormous signage, the stretches of road along either side of downtown are pure examples of kitsch Americana. Sadly, many of the motels in this video have either decayed further or gotten torn down since the video was filmed. The brief shot of the Kon Tiki hotel and lounge was particularly bittersweet. The dramatic, Polynesian-style landmark was leveled in the mid-’90s to make way for — a used car lot.
Also noticed: the YMCA building at left in the mid-point screen shot is actually the gym where I work out twice a week!