1987
"Izzy! Izzy! Izzy!" The crowd screams her name as they wait for the rock star to come on stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to rock?" A man's voice shouts into the microphone. "Welcome to the famous Bourbon Room on the Sunset Strip! Now let's give it up for the band whom we've all been waiting for: Izzy Lightwood and the Shadowhunters!
"Hey, Los Angeles!" Izzy says into the microphone over the roaring crowd. "This is a little song called Paradise City."
Izzy: Oh!
Just an urchin livin' under the street
I'm a hard case that's tough to beat
I'm your charity case
So buy me something to eat
I'll pay you at another time
Take it to the end of the line
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Take me home
Yeah, yeah
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
The music stops once Clary takes off her headphones. It was nothing more than her a live recording of her favorite band, Shadowhunters at the Bourbon Room. Not only do they play good music, but their singer, Izzy Lightwood was Clary's idol. Izzy was one of the most famous female artists of all time.
As Clary turns off her mix tape player, she opens her suitcase and looks at all of her records that she owns. Her records were of Aerosmith, Whitesnake, etc. Each of them were special to her and had her signature written on them.
Clary Fray closes her suitcase and places it back on the floor of the bus. The young redhead was on her way to Los Angeles from her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She had dreams of being a famous singer and her grandmother had encouraged her to follow her dreams.
Clary: Sister Christian
Oh, the time has come
And you know that you're the only one
To say
Okay
Bus Driver: Where you going?
What you looking for?
Woman: You know those boys
Don't want to play no more
With you
Man: It's true
Clary: It's true
Yeah
All: You're motoring
What's your price for flight?
In finding Mr. Right
Little Girl: You'll be all right tonight
For the next few days, Clary was on the road day and night. Although it took awhile, she was finally there. It was nighttime and Los Angeles had never looked so beautiful until now.
Once the bus pulls up to the bus station, Clary grabs her suitcase and purse, and happily gets off the bus. She smiles with glee as she walks down the sidewalk, gazing at every store and person she had never seen with her own eyes.
Clary: This must be just like livin' in paradise
And l don't wanna go home
This must be just like livin' in paradise
And l don't wanna go home
As Clary crosses the street, a man runs up to her with a cup. "Hey, hey!" He calls out to her. Not wanting to get into trouble, Clary quickly puts in a five dollar bill in the cup and walks away.
Suddenly, a cop car pulls up and two cops tackle the ground down. Clary Fray looks back for a second and still walks away.
Clary: Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Then, the girl is stopped by three women with heavy makeup and revealing clothes. She knew that they must be prostitutes.
Prostitute #1: Girl, you've been meant for this
Since you were born
Prostitute #2: Since she was born
Prostitute #3: No problem now
Prostitute #2: The coast is clear
All Three: It's just the calm before the storm!
Clary: This must be just like livin' in paradise
Paradise
And l don't wanna go home
Whoa!
At the Bourbon Room, an employee named Jace Wayland heads to the back with a trash bag in his hand and tosses it in the dumpster. He was tall and handsome with blonde hair and green eyes. The guy had on dark blue jeans and a black tank top with the Bourbon Room title on the shirt, showing off his muscular chest and arms.
Jace: Not a dime, l can't pay my rent
I can barely make it through the week
Saturday night I'd like to meet my girl
But right now l can't make ends meet
I'm always workin'
Slavin' every day
Gotta get a break
From the same old same old
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think
This is what I'd say
All: Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can l resist?
Ain't lookin' for nothin'
But a good time
And it don't get better than this
During the concert, Jace works in the bar, getting the bottles of beers, whiskey, vodka, and tequila in order, and serving drinks to people along with the other bartenders.
"Come on, son. Up you get!" Jace's friend and fellow employee, Magnus picks up a guy who was passed out on the floor in front of the bar.
The guy wakes up and shouts, "Whoa!" He then runs off.
"Go to rehab!" Magnus shouts to the guy.
Out of the employees of the Bourbon Room, Magnus Bane was being weird. Jace got along with him, but he was somewhat weirded out by Magnus's exotic personality, strange clothing style, and the fact that he wears makeup.
"Magnus, how come you never take out the trash?" Jace demands from him.
"I leave that to you." Magnus explains to the blonde. "You're a musician, so it's important that you suffer. I'm talentless, so suffering's wasted on me."
Jace pours some drinks into cups and asks him, "When was the last time you suffered?"
"Six o'clock this evening when l got up for work." Magnus says as he leaves him.
The man crawls up the stage next to the balcony above the bar. Since one of the lights were out, Magnus hits it with his palm and it turns on again.
Magnus: Say I spend my money
On women and wine
But I couldn't tell you where
I spent last night
Once the light was fixed, Magnus hops on the balcony.
Magnus: I'm really sorry about the shape I'm in
I just-a like my fun every now and then
I'm always workin'
Slavin' every day
Gotta get a break
From the same old same old
I need a chance just to get away
If you could hear me think
This is what I'd say
All: Don't need nothin' but a good time
How can l resist?
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time
And it don't get better than this
During the concert, the crowd shouts the name of the boss of the Bourbon Room, "Alec! Alec! Alec!"
The boss, Alec Lightwood grabs his beer and stands up on the table.
Alec: You see, I raise a toast to all of us
Who are breakin' our backs every day
If wantin' the good life is such a crime
A-Lord, then put me away!
Here's to ya
Ow!
After taking a drink of his beer, Alec jumps onto the crowd and they catch him.
All: Don't need nothin' but a good time
Clary: Oh, yeah, yeah!
Near the bar, one of the waitresses, Lydia was getting hit on by a drunk guy. The guy had his arms wrapped her waist and tries to kiss her.
"Hey, baby, come on, give me a kiss." He slurs as Lydia tries to push him away.
"Jace!" She screams for him.
Her voice caught his attention and Jace hops over the bar. The blonde along with two of the security guards rush over to Lydia.
"Come on, give me a kiss!" The drunk man hiccups. Finally, they got him. "Hey!"
"Get him out!" Jace commands the security guards.
When Lydia was free, she tells Jace, "I've had enough of this! Tell Alec l quit!" The waitress stomps out of the bar.
"Lydia! Come on!" Jace attmepts to stop her, but he decides to help the guards kick the guy out of the bar.
Clary: Livin' in paradise
And l don't wanna go home
After walking all over Los Angeles, Clary founds herself across the street from the Bourbon Room. She was next to a group of women who were protesting with signs that read Rock Must Die, You Will All Burn, etc.
"You're all gonna go to hell!" One of the women screamed.
Unknown to her, Clary catches the eye of a guy leaning up against the stop sign. "Hey." He says to her with a kind smile. "Where you from?"
"Oklahoma." She answers him. Outside of the bar, Jace and the guards threw the guy out.
"Well, welcome to Hollywood." The stranger says to her
Clary smiles at him. "Thanks."
"Give me that!" Out of the blue, the stranger tries to yank the suitcase out of Clary's hand, but she keeps hanging onto it. "Let go! Come on! Let me have it!"
"No!" The girl tugs on the bag along with the stranger. "No!"
Hearing her screams, Jace turns to his left and spots the girl get mugged. "Hey!" Jace yells at them
"Give me it!" The stranger bawls at her.
Clary continues to fight for her stuff. "Stop it!"
"Leave her alone!" Jace hollers at him as he sprints across the street to help her.
Finally, the stranger thrashes his hand at Clary, causing her to let go of her suitcase and fall. The stranger makes a mad dash with her suitcase. It was too late for Jace to chase him.
"Wait!" Clary cries out. "Oh, stop! Please! Somebody!"
Since the stranger was gone, Jace stops and turns back to Clary. "Are you okay?" He asks her as he helps her up.
"Shit!" Clary gasps.
"Did he take your money?" Jace asks, concerned about the redhead who he has never met.
"He took my records." She panted. "Oh, my God."
Seeing the sad look on her face, Jace attmepts to cheer her up. "Look, I'm sorry this happened. It sucks. I'm Jace."
Taking a good look at his face, Clary introduces herself, "Clary." She glances at his shirt. "The Bourbon Room? You work at The Bourbon Room?"
"Yeah, I'm a barback." He answered her. "Well, I'm also a musician."
"You're in a band?"
"I'm a singer."
"Get out! Me too." Forgetting about her things stolen, Clary stares at the Bourbon Room in happiness. "Oh, my God. The Bourbon Room. I have, like, 10 albums that were recorded there."
Jace didn't want to hurt her feelings, but reminded her, "More like had?"
After he says that, Clary's smile dies. "Had. Well, thank you. Thanks. Again."
He actually felt bad for her. Jace knew that she wasn't gonna make it on her own, especially at night. The blonde immediately stops her. "Hey, do you need a job? I could talk to Alec, my boss."
The girl's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" She gasped.
"Just whatever you do, don't tell him you're a singer." Jace warns her as he takes her inside of the bar.
Since he started working there two years ago, Alec had always have a hatred towards musicians and people who dream of fame. Besides that, he still allows famous rock bands to play at the Bourbon Room.
At the bar, Alec and Magnus walks up to the bartender, noticing two customers with their backs facing him. Alec tells him, "Jimmy! I told you 10,000 times. Girls drink free, dudes pay full freight."
The customers turn around and they appear to be guys. "They are dudes." Alec stands there in awkwardness, having nothing to say as the guys walk away. "Alec, l haven't charged a girl since '73."
"For a minute, I thought that Kate Jackson from Charlie's Angels." Alec smirks to Magnus.
His friend takes a sip of his drink and added, "More like Michael Jackson."
"Doesn't he look pale to you?" He asked him.
"He does a bit."
Their conversation was soon interrupted by Jace,who was dragging Clary behind him. "Alec!" He calls his name. "Meet Clary. She needs a job, man."
Immediately, Alec turns her down. "No, I don't think so. She's a singer."
Trapped in Alec's mind tricks, Jace tries to convince the tall brunette, "No, she just came in from out of town."
"Oh, okay, now, if I may." Alec looks own at the short redhead and figures out her life story. "You sang in the church choir every Sunday . . . "
"Lutheran." Magnus adds.
" . . . Senior year, you had the third lead in your high school musical."
"Sound of Music."
"And then somebody . . . your adorable Aunt Betty, told you you had real talent."
Clary stood there in amazement and corrected him, "It was actually my Aunt Doris."
"And like a flaming dipshit you believed her, dumped your jock boyfriend, ditched town and moved to Hollywood to have a crack at fame and fortune. Am l missing anything?" Humiliated by him, Clary had nothing to say. "Yeah, okay."
Alec begins to walk away with Jace, Clary, and Magnus following him. Even though he had just turned her down, Clary was determined to get the job. "Actually, my boyfriend wasn't really athletic. And look. I'm a waitress." She grabs a tray of empty beer bottles and half-full cups, and places it on a table.
"Come on." Alec stops and turns back to her. "She's practically got mike burns on her lips. I'm not interested, sweetheart. I need you two to get back to work." He points to Jace and Magnus.
"Please, Alec. I'm a hard worker." Clary continuously begs him.
"You seem like a really nice kid." Alec assures her.
"I just got mugged." Clary confesses to her. "I have $17 to my name and I'm probably gonna be starving in the next 48 hours."
Jace adds to it, "And Lydia just quit."
His boss's eyes widen. "Lydia just quit? Okay, fine. You're hired."
The redhead gasps, "Oh, my God. Thank you. Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Alec says coldly to her. "l ruined your life. You start training tomorrow. In a couple of weeks, this place is turning into a war zone. It's the Shadowhunter's last show."
"Shadowhunters?" She shrieks. "Oh, my God, l love Izzy Lightwood!"
"It's your lucky day. My sister's going solo." Alec walks away with Magnus following him.
"Your sister?" Clary mumbles as her new boss leaves.
Jace asks her, "Hey, want to go celebrate? I'm coming up on my break."
"Yeah, sure."