Kevin Bronson on March 31st, 2010

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No matter which side of the Atlantic he’s lived on – or which incarnation his music has taken, the Wedding Present or Cinerama – David Gedge has always been a creative force, the rare artist whose razor-edged guitar work is matched by his lyrical bite. Almost any of the Wedding Present’s early albums would be pillars in today’s indie-rock world, and Gedge and his band are on tour revisiting one of the best, 1989’s “Bizzaro.” They’ll play the album (and other favorites) on Friday at the Troubadour.

Gedge, who lived in Seattle for part of last decade (and wrote one of his best albums, “Take Fountain,” there), has currently stationed himself in Santa Monica. Just shy of his 50th birthday, he’s clearly enjoying his time in SoCal. Here, he shares some of his favorite things:

Things to Do in L.A. Before You Die

‣ Wake up late, and go to the Kings Head Pub in Santa Monica, and ask them to replay the 7 a.m. football game especially for you. Watch it on your own alongside some baffled American ice hockey fans.

‣ Eat vegan “chicken” at Bulan Thai with simulated skin and bones.

‣ Boogie-board on Zuma Beach on a Tuesday afternoon when you’re the only ones on the beach besides the lifeguard.

‣ Get stuck in the stacks and piles at Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica.

‣ Climb up Laurel and Hardy’s “Music Box” stairs, in Silver Lake.

‣ Get a little bit drunk and have a guy sculpt your “bust” on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica

‣ Go on the Simpson’s ride at Universal Studios.

‣ Watch a scary film at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

‣ Have your hair cut by a rock chick complaining of her terrible hangover at Rudy’s on Santa Monica in West Hollywood.

||| Live: The Wedding Present play Friday at the Troubadour.

Photo by J.A. McMillan