When Jenny Lewis was born, her mother and father have been a part of Loves Means, a musical lounge act in Las Vegas. After they break up up when she was 3 years previous, she moved along with her mother, her older sister and their babysitter (a feminine Elvis impersonator from Memphis, Tenn.) to the San Fernando Valley.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. individuals give us a play-by-play of their perfect Sunday round city. Discover concepts and inspiration on the place to go, what to eat and find out how to take pleasure in life on the weekends.
Lewis remained within the Valley for many of her life, with some sojurns to the Eastside of L.A., Nashville and New York. Now she’s firmly again within the Valley, besides, in fact, when she’s on tour.
Lewis is a former little one actor (you could keep in mind her from “Troop Beverly Hills” and “The Wizard”), however has spent her maturity as a celebrated musician who has launched 5 solo albums, together with 2023’s “Pleasure’All.”
She not too long ago reunited along with her bandmates in Rilo Kiley, the indie rock group that captured millennial hearts within the early 2000s. They’re at present touring the USA and can play two native exhibits on the Greek Theatre on Oct. 14 and 18. Calling from a resort in Nashville, she particulars what she likes to do on Sundays when she’s again in L.A.
This interview has been evenly edited for size and readability.
8:36 a.m.: Caffeinate, let the canine sleep in
I are likely to get up virtually on daily basis at 8:36. After I take a look at the clock, 9 occasions out of 10, it’s 8:36.
I’ve a cockapoo, Bobby Rhubarb, she’s 4 1/2, so my life form of revolves round her. I truly get up sooner than Bobby, who tends to loaf about in mattress till 11 a.m. She will get her zoomies round midnight as a result of she was raised on the highway. The primary yr of her life, three months of it was spent opening for Harry Kinds and residing on a tour bus. She’s on tour schedule perpetually.
So I stand up — I’m very quiet in order to not disturb her — after which I’ll make espresso. I like Canyon Espresso. It’s a single-origin natural roaster primarily based in L.A., run by this actually cute couple.
9:30 a.m.: Love to scrub, clear to like
Sunday is my clean-the-house day. I’m a little bit of a neat freak, and now that I dwell by myself, I can indulge my tendencies. It’s additionally actually good train. I’m sometimes figuring out a pair days per week, however cleansing is an energetic factor to do and it’s very loving when you find yourself fortunate sufficient to personal a house. You don’t actually get to know a home till you get in your palms and knees and clear the ground.
11 a.m.: Open-hearted flea market-ing
The primary Sunday of the month is the Pasadena Metropolis School Flea, second Sunday is the Rose Bowl, third is Lengthy Seaside and fourth is Topanga. I favor the primary and the fourth Sundays. I just like the smaller fleas, and there are a few distributors that go to each PCC and Topanga which have wonderful stuff. I’ve relationships with them the place they’ll be like, “Oh, I pulled this with you in thoughts.”
Flea market distributors inform the historical past of the place you might be. These persons are specialists on previous chimayos and Navajo blankets and Midcentury Fashionable furnishings. Should you stick round, you be taught lots about stuff that you just by no means thought you wanted to learn about.
For me, the character of thrifting and flea market-ing relies on an open coronary heart and a beneficiant spirit. I’m all the time donating and going by my closet and placing it again into the thrifting neighborhood. After I offload a bunch of stuff fairly than promote it, I really feel like I will probably be fortunate on the flea market.
You may’t actually go along with any expectations; that’s not likely the way it works. I’ve been on the lookout for the right faux leopard-skin coat for 20 years. I even have a brand new tune that has that as one of many lyrics. Possibly someday I’ll discover it.
2:30 p.m.: Chinese language meals cravings
If it is a Pasadena day, it’s a chance to get Chinese language meals, which I crave on Sundays. I’ll generally go to Woon. It’s actually near the place numerous issues burned down [in the Eaton fire], so it’s fairly cool to go there and help that spot.
It may be just a little jammed on Sundays, so generally I’ll go to the Glendale Galleria — additionally jammed, however differently — and Din Tai Fung.
I all the time park on the highest deck. You get just a little sunshine. If you’ll want to smoke just a little doob, you are able to do that, or not. And also you simply stroll proper over the bridge into JCPenney, which I like strolling by.
Din Tai Fung, there’s a hack in the event you’re by your self, or in the event you’re two individuals: You may sit on the bar and never wait an hour. I’m gluten-free. Usually you’ll get dumplings, which look wonderful and I wish to eat them, however I can’t eat them. I’ll get the meat broth soup — it’s unbelievable — and a few vegs. Relying on the day, generally they let you know the glass noodles are gluten-free and generally they let you know they’re not, so I wouldn’t suggest that to anybody who’s celiac.
3:30 p.m.: Mall therapeutic massage break
Out in the midst of the mall, close to the Uniqlo, there’s the most effective 30-minute chair therapeutic massage. It’s simply unbelievable. And I’m an enormous mall therapeutic massage aficionado.
I favor it to a bougie therapeutic massage. I might fairly do a Thai-style therapeutic massage the place you might have your garments on or Chinese language acupressure. Usually mall kiosks are Chinese language acupressure. It’s the greatest therapeutic massage for what I’m on the lookout for, which is one thing very sturdy and therapeutic.
I don’t have to go to the spa, particularly after I’m on the highway. Oftentimes, the bus will probably be at a Radisson on a break day and there’s a mall throughout the freeway. I’ll all the time search for the therapeutic massage on the mall, and it units me straight.
I’ve written so many songs whereas getting a therapeutic massage within the mall, as a result of there’s all the time ambient music that you could’t completely make out. There’s one thing about that and the sound of individuals — it’s a really releasing frequency for me to write down lyrics.
5 p.m.: Dinner provisions
I’m heading again to Mint Chip, which is the identify of my home, to see Bobby. On Sundays, relying on what I had for lunch, we are going to do both burger evening or grass-fed filet mignon evening.
I’ll cease at Gelson’s, they usually’ve obtained two grass-fed fillets which might be comparatively affordable. I’ll get a baked potato or mashed potatoes, a salad, decide up a bottle of pure wine after which go house and make dinner for myself and Bobby.
I like issues well-done, which nobody likes to listen to, however it’s the truth. Should you’re my visitor or my canine and you want issues just a little bit extra uncommon, I’m glad to make it your means for you.
I’ve turn out to be a extremely good prepare dinner and I make an ideal martini. I make the Mint Chip Martini. I name it a maximalist martini as a result of it’s further soiled, olives and a twist. It disguises the alcohol. I simply take a look at the vermouth — I don’t put it within the martini; I look at it, and that’s sufficient vermouth.
I couldn’t do something earlier than the pandemic, so I actually cherish that point of studying find out how to maintain myself.
8 p.m.: Cult classics
I’ve a projector arrange in my front room that initiatives onto a white wall. I’ve been actually into this app known as Night time Flight [Plus]. “Night time Flight” was a cult late-night TV collection [it originally ran on the USA Network from 1981 to 1988]. They performed numerous music movies, punk and heavy metallic docs. Now they’ve this superior streaming app, so you’ll be able to watch these previous episodes. Proper now, there’s a film known as “Kin-Dza-Dza!” from 1986. I like that Soviet stuff. Music from that period is so bizarre and funky.
10 p.m.: Bedtime with crime
I’ll take Bobby out earlier than mattress after which we are going to go into the master suite. I’ll sometimes hearken to an audiobook or a podcast after which it’s off to sleep.
I’m a real crime fanatic, so I’ve listened to all of them. As of late, I actually loved “Crooked Metropolis.” Additionally, “Up and Vanished: Within the Midnight Solar” is nice. I actually like Payne Lindsey and all of his exhibits. There’s one other nice one known as “Useless and Gone,” which is the crimes that occurred within the surrounding areas of Grateful Useless exhibits. It’s like the complete Grateful Useless historical past. I like the Useless, however I realized lots in regards to the Useless listening to that, and I used to be actually simply listening for the crime.
I’m contemplating a profession shift into forensics. I imply, not likely, however I’ve been to CrimeCon; I wish to go to CrimeCamp. I’m obsessed. And once more, this occurred throughout the pandemic as a result of there was by no means house for me to actually indulge my hobbies. I’m educating myself.
