“His name is Dick Loderhose, so maybe it figures he's the guy with the biggest organ in Orange County.
That doesn't make its 50,000 pounds of perfectly formed pipe any less incredible. 'I've had this organ for almost 50 years,' Loderhose says, 'and it continues to amaze me.' “
And so, with typical aplomb, begins OC Weekly 's 2003 Best of OC, an issue of such scope that, all apologies to Mr. Loderhose, it amazes even us—and we gave up on life years ago. Where else can you find not only Dick's organ, but the Best Bar to Meet Millionaires, the Best Place for 6 a.m. Bloody Marys and the Best Places to Spot Dennis Rodman. And, of course, the latest on the Dryertron 2000, but that goes without saying.
You know, when we started our annual Best of OC seven years ago, Orange County was a wasteland, bereft of culture, populated by stubby-fingered marauders, buffalo and Bob Dornan. It was then that we started telling people where to eat, where to go, who to listen to—people are such sheep—and soon Orange County was a very different place: universities were built, a World Series champion baseball team appeared, as did the Pacific Ocean. The OC is now known for being vibrant, young, sexy and trend-setting. We're afraid you'll think we're boasting, but the fact is the Best of OC is completely responsible for these enlightened times of uncompromising progress and illumination (darkened only by the cease-and-desist letter we received from executives at the OC Register who apparently believe they invented the words “Best” and “Of” and the letters “O” and “C”).
Anyhoo, OC Weekly's 2003 Best of Orange County is once again a document for its time and all-time, detailing not only Dryertron 2000, but great hikes you should never, EVER take, and if you do they'll be great, but you shouldn't because it's illegal—have fun!—as well as great places to eat, go to the bathroom and have sex in public. Churches? We got porn churches and space churches. We've got great theaters that play great movies, banks that play great music and artists who play with fire. We've got big-ass parks, pocket nukes and Catholic anarchist communities, natch.
With a firm but loving hand, we'll once again tell Orange County where to get off—and then where to find cheap wedding rings, vintage hardware or sex for sale, which is sometimes all that's left for someone with vintage hardware. And so we're back to Dick Loderhose's organ.
“I needed six trucks to transport it to California,” says Loderhose. “I'm kind of proud of it.”
When it comes to Orange County, so are we, Dick, so are we.
