Viper Club May Feel the Bite of Publicity : Nightlife: The death of actor River Phoenix could make the Sunset Strip club a magnet for curiosity-seekers and <i> paparazzi.</i>

Chuck E. Weiss, the musician who co-owns the Viper Room, said he always hoped to keep the Sunset Strip club a pure music haven--not part of the Hollywood celebrity circuit.

In the wake of the death early Sunday morning of actor River Phoenix, however, Weiss said he knows that the Viper may be destined to become a magnet for curiosity-seekers--much like the Chateau Marmont in the months after the death there in 1982 of actor John Belushi.

“Nobody from the 714 area code comes to gawk at the place,” Weiss said Monday, referring to the club’s relative low profile before the weekend, when Phoenix was helped from the club and collapsed on the sidewalk.

“I hope it doesn’t change. It just depends on how far the media wants to draw this thing out. If they decide not to draw it out, it will be better for everyone all around.”

Whatever his intentions, the Viper--whose other owners include actor Johnny Depp--has been a favorite hangout for a young crowd, including many of Depp’s celebrity friends who want to avoid the glitzier aura of the Roxbury, Tatou and other Westside clubs.

When the Viper opened Aug. 14 near Sunset Boulevard and Larrabee Street, an opening-night event featuring performances by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Weiss and others brought out a coterie of young Hollywood figures who were friends with Depp. Other “surprise” performances, including one by Pearl Jam, have given the club a high profile, as have celebrity regulars such as “Beverly Hills 90210” actresses Shannen Doherty and Tori Spelling.

Under Depp’s direction, the old, run-down facility most recently called the Central was remodeled in an intimate 1920s speak-easy mode, darkly lit by Art Deco-modeled sconces and a tropical island tableau painted on the wall behind the corner stage.

The room has a private VIP bar downstairs and a small private area, obscured by a two-way mirror, at the back of the main room. But, as often as not, the celebrities mix with the rest of the crowd at the main bar or near the stage when performers are on. There’s no official dress code or club policy to “weed out” unsuitable patrons, as is the case in the hottest nightspots.

Club-goers not on the often-ample guest list are admitted on a space-available basis and pay a cover charge of $5 to $7.

“The club is one of those places where anybody and everybody turns up at unexpected times, so that makes it expected,” said Dave Navarro, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and an acquaintance of Phoenix.

Navarro has been at the club several times, but was not there Saturday. “In terms of it being a chichi elitist Hollywood establishment, it’s not. But because of Johnny Depp’s associations, his friends go. If a construction worker owned it, a lot of construction workers would show up.”

On Saturday, when Chili Peppers bassist Flea joined an extemporaneous jam session on stage, the club was said to be filled with friends of the owners, with only a handful of paying customers.

Like most nightclubs, the Viper Room’s security system includes surveillance cameras that tape what is happening inside and out. Weiss said he has not reviewed the tapes, but he believes Phoenix collapsed out of range of the cameras.

Weiss was not at the Viper Room that night and he has avoided returning because he does not want to deal with the crush of paparazzi.

The room will be closed for the week “out of respect,” Weiss said. It will reopen Monday with a regular weekly performance by Weiss and his band, the Goddamn Liars.

“It does sadden me,” he said Monday, his voice cracking. “But you know, I’m sure we’ll get over it. We’ll get through.”

Philip Truelove, general manager of the Chateau Marmont hotel, which became a tourist and paparazzi site after the drug-related death of Belushi 11 years ago, said that given the hotel’s long history he could not say how much association remains between the hotel and that highly publicized tragedy.

“The only thing I can say is this situation is sad for any establishment when it happens,” he said.

Special correspondent Heidi Seigmund contributed to this story.