Celebs & Gossip Faces: Adam Brody

Adam Brody may have single-handedly brought geek chic to Southern California. The "OC" alum/musician/man-about-town has lived in LA long enough to know where to go to buy comic books and woo girls, and he’s dealt with enough agents to know where to find character inspiration (see his agent’s assistant in Thank You for Smoking). The star of In the Land of Women spoke with us about his favorite parts of LA. —Katherine Spiers with reporting by Evan Henerson

You’re a music fan. What are your favorite spots around LA for live music?

Good question. I really like the Greek. It’s fantastic. I’m sort of an old man in this way: I really do appreciate a seat. I’ll stand when the music comes on, but...I’d always take a girl and all my girlfriends throughout my life have been short. So if it’s standing, even if I get a seat I always feel terrible. I can kind of see, but the girls I’m with can never see. So I appreciate a good seat and I’m happy to pay for it. So, that said, the Greek is really fun and still intimate. I saw Radiohead there. I saw Interpol there. It’s a great place.

Have you ever played a gig in LA?

Yeah, a few places. The Viper Room, the Roxy, Spaceland, a few more.

Where do you get your comic book fix?

...If I go anywhere, Meltdown’s nice. Golden Apple and Meltdown are the two big ones in Hollywood. I like them both. I like Meltdown because it’s the sort of cleaner, more organized version.

What do you like about Golden Apple?

Golden Apple is probably the more diehard. They do more signings there and whatnot.

You’ve said that Swingers changed your life. How so?

I’d seen it when I was 17, and it sort of meant nothing to me. Then I moved up here when I was 19. I was unemployed, living in Hollywood and I saw it on television. I finished it, and my outlook changed in an hour and a half. I felt like, ‘Ah, you know what? Being an unemployed actor living in Hollywood is the coolest thing you can do.’ I got to go to these bars; that’s the life. These guys have the life...I take it back. I have a new found appreciation for my lot in life.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood in LA?

There’s a lot of great neighborhoods in L.A. There really is. That’s what I love about it. I love Hollywood. I live in Hollywood, and I know Hollywood the best.

Did you base your character in Thank You for Smoking on a staffer at any agency in particular?

He was sort of a combination of every assistant known to man.