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Made in America: Del & the Little Hollywood Launderette

A behind-the-scenes look at Del the Funky Homosapien’s 1993 music video, based on the movie of the same name, directed by Michael Lucero.

Del the Funky Homosapien stands atop a soap dispenser in the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA. The photograph is taken at angle and from below, looking up at Del. It is shot in black and white with a wide angle lens. A large mural of San Francisco's castro District appears behind Del who has his arms raised as he rhymes to the music.
Photograph by Dave Glass

Made Where?

In the 1993 music video for “Made in America,” directed by Michael Lucero and based on the movie of the same name featuring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, we find Del the Funky Homosapien rhyming underneath a massive San Francisco Castro District mural inside a bustling laundromat, standing on top of soap dispensers while customers go about their sudsy chores.

It’s a handsome-looking video, masterfully crafted with excellent cinematography. The camera slowly pans in many shots, infusing life and movement into expertly blocked compositions. The editing style alternates between color and black-and-white film, interspersed with clips from the movie filmed off a television screen.

Additional scenes take place around San Francisco’s Castro District, including the landmark Castro Theatre, and feature wonderful portraits of seemingly everyday local people (all of whom are presumably “made in America”).

Photography Connection

I had the opportunity to speak with prolific San Francisco street photographer Dave Glass on the OpenSFHistory podcast, where we realized we had something in common: Del the Funky Homosapien.

Dave owned and operated the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, the laundromat where “Made in America” was filmed. Not only does Dave have the behind-the-scenes story about the video’s production, but he also shares photographs from his personal collection below.

Tinseltown by the Bay

Dave Glass: “The Little Hollywood Launderette opened in 1966 and was originally started by my father. It was located at Market and Laguna Streets in San Francisco, at 1906 Market Street, in the Hayes Valley neighborhood on the fringe of the Castro District.”

The Little Hollywood Launderette is lit up at night in this black-and-white photograph taken from outside. Large windows frame the bustling indoor space, flanked by impressive glass arches above them. A large neon marquee displays the laundromat’s name above the door. In another window, a neon sign glows with the word “Open.” A classic car, possibly from the 1940s or 1950s, is parked out front on Market Street, characterized by its rounded design, prominent chrome grille, and hood ornament. Photograph by Dave Glass.
The Little Hollywood Launderette glows at night, its neon marquees evoking the magic suggested by its namesake. Undated photograph courtesy of Dave Glass.

Dave Glass: “My father sold it to a relative, and that relative sold it to someone else. By 1989, it was just an old, run-down laundromat, so I took it over and fixed it up.”

A Fresh Spin

Dave Glass: “I was a career appliance repairman; I fixed all the machines at the Little Hollywood Launderette. Then I decided to take it one step further: I invited artists to paint murals on the walls and filled the place with vintage photographs. I also formed a partnership with the Orbit Room bar next door so we could attract customers to both of our businesses and stay open late.”

Dave Glass sits on the floor among a set of washing machines, one of which is largely disassembled for repair. He straddles a large metallic drum, clearly a part of the machine he is working on. An open toolbox rests near his leg. Dave is wearing a t-shirt with suspenders and a newsboy cap. He has a full beard, and his eyes are closed, with his head slightly tilted, suggesting the weight of a heavy workload ahead. The reflection of an unknown photographer is visible in a reflective part of the open washing machine. The photograph is undated.
Dave Glass sits on the floor of the Little Hollywood Launderette, seemingly overwhelmed by the repair at hand. Through the exposed opening of the washing machine’s ajar top, a person (possibly a customer) is visible on the other side. Photograph courtesy of Dave Glass.

Dave Glass: “Owning and running the Little Hollywood Launderette was truly a dream job for me.”

Lights, Camera, Action

Dave Glass: “I was approached by a filmmaker in 1993 [presumed to be Lucero] who wanted to make an MTV video in my laundromat. They said it was going to be Del the Funky Homosapien. I had never heard of him—I’m a jazz guy; I don’t know anything about hip-hop or rap music.”

Del the Funky Homosapien appears outside of the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA. The photograph is in black and white and shot by owner & operator of the laundromat, Dave Glass. Production crew can be seen in the background, presumedly preparing for filming. Del is smiling directly at the camera wearing a beanie cap and sweater and sporting a nose ring.
Del the Funky Homosapien appears outside the Little Hollywood Launderette while the production crew prepares the set for filming in the background. Photograph by Dave Glass.

Dave Glass: “So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I thought I would have to close my store, but what actually happened was that they wanted the laundromat to stay open and running so the customers could be part of the video. Some of the staff also made it into the video.

It was a huge production, with all the grip trucks parked up and down [Market Street]. There must have been 25 to 30 crew members, plus Del.”

Made in America

Dave Glass: “They produced this wonderful video called ‘Made in America,’ which I believe was used in the closing credits of the movie, also called Made in America, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson.”

Del the Funky Homosapien stands atop a soap dispenser in the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA. The photograph is taken at angle and from below, looking up at Del. It is shot in black and white with a wide angle lens. A large mural of San Francisco's castro District appears behind Del who has his arms raised as he rhymes to the music.
Del performs “Made in America” during the filming of the music video. Dave Glass captured this behind-the-scenes shot during the video’s production at the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA.

Dave Glass: “Here’s Del—he’s on top of the soap machine. You can see the artist murals [by Neil Seth Levine] in the background of this photograph.”

Below are screenshots from the final video, directed by Michael Lucero:

Del the Funky Homosapien stands in front of a large Castro District mural inside the Little Hollywood Launderette. He is wearing a blue beanie and a blue sweatshirt, with his hand extended.
Del the Funky Homosapien looks down at the camera, which is positioned low. A white woman with short hair and many earrings, wearing a newsboy cap, stands next to him, staring off into the distance. A mural appears above their heads, depicting a devil-like cherub holding a Commedia dell’arte mask.
Del the Funky Homosapien stands in front of a set of laundry machines and a hanging rack, pointing towards the camera. A television screen, displaying scenes from the movie "Made in America," plays slightly out of focus in the foreground.
Del the Funky Homosapien performs “Made in America” in front of a set of laundry machines, his arms raised and fists clenched. Out of focus in the foreground, a woman appears to be folding clothes. A television beside her plays scenes from the movie of the same name, featuring images of Ted Danson.
Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg appear in a scene from the movie "Made in America" on a television inside the Little Hollywood Launderette. In the background, behind the television, a woman is pulling clothes out of a laundry machine.
Del the Funky Homosapien appears through a drying rack, performing his song “Made in America.” A woman, possibly an employee of the Little Hollywood Launderette’s dry-and-fold service, is sitting behind a table with a scale in front of her. Her face appears amused, her mouth closed and head tilted.
Del the Funky Homosapien performs “Made in America” in front of a set of laundry machines, his hands clasped. Out of focus in the foreground, a woman appears to be folding clothes.
Del the Funky Homosapien appears in a long telephoto shot, his arms resting on a basket of clothes as washing machines tumble behind him. In the foreground, a television rests on a table, projecting a scene from the movie "Made in America" featuring Whoopi Goldberg.
A woman wearing sunglasses stares into the distance as the camera, positioned low, looks up at her. The Castro Theater marquee looms large above her. This is a screenshot from the 1993 Del the Funky Homosapien music video, “Made in America.”
Del the Funky Homosapien performs “Made in America” in front of a large Castro District mural inside the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA. Del has one arm raised and appears lively.
Del the Funky Homosapien performs “Made in America” in front of a large Victoria Theater mural inside the Little Hollywood Launderette in San Francisco, CA. Del is pointing towards himself with one hand and appears to have one leg raises slightly.

Michael Lucero

Fans of Hieroglyphics may also know Michael’s directorial work from his other videos such as Del’s “Sleeping on My Couch” and “Dr. Bombay,” Extra Prolific’s “Brown Sugar (Version 2),” as well as Souls of Mischief’s “93 ‘Til Infinity” (he also contributed the cover photography for Casual’s debut album, Fear Itself).

Michael tragically passed away in a car accident in 1998. His final video, Xzibit’s “What U See Is What U Get”, is a standout work of art—immensely creative and a personal favorite. The video includes a dedication to Michael from Xzibit.

Before his passing, Michael was preparing to direct the first video for the independently released Hieroglyphics single “You Never Knew,“ from the group’s debut, 3rd Eye Vision. That responsibility ultimately fell to Jacob Rosenberg, who recounted receiving the sad news of Michael’s passing from Hiero’s manager, Domino, and being asked to film the video in this Instagram post.

Credits

Special thanks to Nicole Meldahl and Chelsea Sellin of Western Neighborhoods Project for featuring Dave and me on the OpenSFHistory Photography Forum podcast, where all of Dave’s quotes for this feature were sourced.

Thank you, Dave Glass, for sharing your story and photography.

Extra Sudsy Notes

  • The movie, Made in America, was filmed at various locations in Oakland, California, including Oakland Technical High School, which explains the Del/Hieroglyphics association, as they are artists from The Town. Additionally, the film was distributed by Warner Bros., which owned Del’s record label at the time, Elektra Records.
  • In a 2013 interview with XXL, Opio of Souls of Mischief praised Michael Lucero and reflected fondly on the relationship the director had cultivated with the Hieroglyphics crew after several videos: “He was a genius and a pleasure, a joy to work with.”

References & Resources