I used to tend an old man bar. We would run $1 domestic pints every Thursday. It was some of the best times of my life. Those guys were full of the great stories only life experience can grant. Most were below average tippers though, so I had to move on.
A lot of people rely on TV and movies for entertainment. I've seen a lot of TV shows and movies, but they don't compare to having a few drinks in a dive bar. "Barfly" gets the atmosphere right, but isn't nearly as weird and fun as the real deal. And Bukowski's old watering holes (many still exist, and I've been to several) are worth seeking out.
Wow.
There was a trend in Southern California and Orange County where land started to get pricey and the somehow the old bars started to get torn down and replaced with fancy new buildings and stores. There is now a parking lot where my favorite old man's bar was.
The Flame
You had two groups in there. The hardcore oldies would show up about 1:00pm and the mixed drinks were cheep. There was another group which would roll in just to play a couple games of pool and put money in the jukebox. I loved the vibe. Everyone was just super cool. They had a jazz band where one guy would play a single string bass. A cheesy Casio would be used even to somehow replicate swing music and everybody who wanted to would dance like everything was still ok in their life. All the time it just seemed like a special place. If you met a new girl at work and you wanted to test her out, it was the place to take her. If she was cool she would enjoy herself. The drinks were half no name booze and if the band was not playing they had a great jukebox with lots of working class classic rock which would play 5 songs for 25 cents.
This was also the place where sadly to say I met up and was able to visit with the hardcore drunks. These guys would stroll in and get their first tremble handed drink of the day. It was a quiet place at 1:00pm and I still remember how peaceful the place felt. I was home. At 5:00pm the sunset would shine in and the green and brown would glow gold for awhile. On Saturday nights a group of middle aged gals would come in with outdated hair and big blue eyeliner straight out of a movie. They would sometimes get the old boys heated up and it was fun to see.
The whole place looked like it was straight out of 1972. The outside was mid-century as well as the high-back red leather seats. The place smelled like smoke (before the smoking law) and seemed to get better looking as the night rolled along. There was never any fights and everybody was just friendly. This was not a place to score a chick but a place to listen and learn. Just like Head-Fi it had it's people with smarts and it's people with humor.
One time I brought my brother there and all he could say is "This is a barfly bar!" He totally loved it too! There is just a nice piece of my life that was spent in the place. It takes a little luck and work to find such a place to go to and to connect with. Some bars just do not have the vibe. Who knows how you even find a second seedy home away from home? These places are rare and deserve a level of respect for what they represent. A place where men can go to share the good and the bad times in life. A place where people understand when your wife kicks you out for a while. A place to enjoy music, talk and supermarket wisk and lemonade for less than it cost to make it at home. A place where you can get super drunk and they don't kick you out but take care of you.
The Flame was torn down 13 years ago but still lives in my memories forever.
There are a few of these type bars around my area, and most of them are in the shady-er parts of town. The Sugerbowl and The Corner Bar are the two that come to mind. The former is a real treat-- all folding tables, no matching glasses and Milwaukee's Best on tap. My PBR came in a can. The corner bar is transforming in to that trendier place, but there are a number of the 'old men' that can still be found at the bar.
My favorite bar in town is Waldo's Campus Tavern on WMU's campus and it's a hybrid of the old man/trendy bar. Smaller place with two levels: upstairs with domestics on draft and the college crowd (Trendy), and downstairs the Pilsen Klub with 100+ imports in the cooler and jazz on the stereo (old man). The crowd there is more diverse and I just love talking with the rest of the regulars. If you are ever in Kalamazoo, let's go! I'll buy the homemade pepper vodka shots. Just don't sit in Tom's chair while he's there.
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