CLUB REVIEW : The Smog Cutter: Right on the Edge of Hip

Q uirky barely begins to describe the Smog Cutter, a wonderful old outer Silver Lake dive that’s on the crest of becoming dangerously hip.

The regulars at the 30-year-old club set the fashion standard. As they grip the microphone attached to the karaoke machine, which is generally active on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the combination of leisure wear and Frank Sinatra miming conjures an era that today’s youth culture is trying to get a handle on.

A customer who goes by the name of Plumber Eddie says he has been coming to the Smog Cutter for 20 years. “I like it ‘cause it’s not real rowdy,” he says. “It’s a neighborhood place.”

Bartenders from Thailand, with names like Sunshine and Que, seem to know everybody’s name, and if they don’t, they’ll more than likely christen you. One newcomer is now known simply as Van Damme because Sunshine decided he bore a resemblance to the action star.

Although the barely lit room isn’t in great shape, the combination of faux-wood paneling and a quasi-seedy atmosphere is more than likely a part of what’s attracting the younger crowd. So is the music. The jukebox and karaoke machine are loaded with sounds ranging from “Mack the Knife” to the greatest hits of Spandau Ballet.

And where else can a young club-goer get hustled by a 61-year-old Korean pool shark to the strains of Patsy Cline or Elvis? The beauty of the Smog Cutter is simple: It isn’t an entrepreneur’s prefab attempt to create a divey lounge. It is a divey lounge.

* The Smog Cutter, 864 N. Virgil Ave., Silver Lake . 21 and over, no cover. (213) 660-4626.