Bernie’s Coffee Shop, mural by Dionisio Ceballos

Okay, so I kind of have an obsession with Johnie’s Coffee Shop at Wilshire and Fairfax. When I was younger it was one of a number of coffee shops me and my friends used to hang at after movies or shows. It closed in 2000, and for years now I’ve been wondering if it would ever reopen.

Well, it has. Kind of.

Johnie’s isn’t a coffee shop any more. It’s morphed into something else. During last year’s presidential campaign, the owner of the restaurant offered it to a group of Bernie Sanders supporters, and it became the Sanders HQ in LA. After the campaign ended, the group continued to meet there to talk about ways to keep pressing for a progressive agenda.

Johnie’s/Bernie’s Coffee Shop at Wilshire and Fairfax

I didn’t know about any of this until earlier this year when I was waiting at a bus stop with a friend, and we started talking to a guy about the coffee shop. He told us that it was a meeting place for the Sanders crowd. I immediately wanted to drop in and check it out.

So I was surfing the net in August, and came across a post advertising Bernie’s Norebang at Johnie’s. I knew I had to go.

I showed up at Johnie’s around seven o’ clock on a Friday night. It was early, and nobody was there yet, but the people were really friendly and I was soon deep into a discussion about how we could solve the housing crisis. One of the things that impressed me about everybody I talked to that night was that they all have a genuine desire to change things for the better.

For those of you who don’t know the word “norebang”, it’s the Korean version of karaoke. It was a blast. They asked for a twenty dollar donation at the door, but no one was turned away. Once inside, beer and food were free. I only had one plate of food. I don’t want to talk about how many beers I had.

But rather than tell you about it, let me just show you some pictures….

When I first arrived, there were just a few people setting up.

But soon the place started filling up.

Everybody seemed to be having a good time.

A vocalist cutting loose.

Another vocalist takes a shot at Bowie’s Young Americans.

I started wandering around, and found this mural in a corner of the restaurant.

I wasn’t the only one drinking.

A shot taken from the corner by the mural.

I had a great time. I talked to a lot of interesting people. I sang a few songs. The only disappointment was that I didn’t get a standing ovation for my rendition of the Beatles’ Revolution. It could be that the other guests didn’t appreciate my talent. It could also be that I was on my fourth beer, and was having trouble staying on key.

Bernie’s Norebang was hosted by Ground Game LA.  They made it happen three times over the summer. Sorry I only made it to one. It was definitely one of the summer’s highlights.