Taking the Long(ish) Way Home

The actual distance traveled was the same, but …

First Desmond’s Tavern, then Louise and Jerry’s. This was the kind of random night that I have not had in quite some time.


The actual distance traveled was the same, but …

After work last night, I stopped into Desmond’s Tavern (433 Park Ave S, NYC) since it’s so close to where I now work. I hadn’t been in there in several years and kinda missed the famously surly Irish bartenders scrambling behind the bar. It’s this kind of off-balance booze ballet that somehow never fails to serve what was ordered.

The crowd was very different than what I had remembered in that it was actually crowded. Still it has not lost that dive bar mystique. Which brings me to the other reason why I was here. I was scouting a location for an Anti-Valentine celebration and wanted to hit a classic dive. And although I chose a completely different location, I do plan on having a happy hour here soon.

As for last night, I had one shot and one beer and was on my way home. Back in Hoboken, I stopped by another classic dive Louise and Jerry’s (329 Washington St, Hoboken). It had been way too long since I was last there. It was early, so the bar was pretty much empty. I ran into my friend Greg Herzog–former drummer of Butterspy and Diesel Theory. He was waiting for a dinner date.

On the HD TV was some nature nut harassing a tarantula. The music was surreal in its relation to the visual. Style Council I believe it was. This got me talking to the guy sitting next to me. His name was Keith and the music mix was his. He was somewhat proud in his three-year-old Dell Jukebox MP3 player, or the iTank as his friends have dubbed it. At 30 gb, it was just the right size to house his quite extensive and varied music library

I on the other hand was feeling ashamed of my giving into fashion with a recent iPod purchase. Not to mention the fact that I got the 160 gb model … how the hell will I fill that up? I don’t even have a computer with a hard drive large enough to even covert that much music to MP3s. To take full advantage of this new device, I would need to buy another external hard drive. I suppose this is the inherent evil cycle in technology; all new things require more things.

When the conversation turned to the question of what makes a band punk, Keith asked me who I thought was the most punk of them all. My answer bewildered but impressed him. King Crimson. This is purely based on a total don’t-give-a-fuck attitude that made albums like ‘Starless and Bible Black’ and ‘Discipline’ two of the best rock albums ever. At least in my opinion.

Having such an unexpected great time, I sent out a text to see who was around. By the time my friend Denis got there, I was several sheets to the wind (to say the least). After a couple more pints, I staggered out of the bar and weaved my way home. My intention at around 11:00 or so was to eat something since I hadn’t had dinner yet. Instead, I opened my eyes at 3:30, fully dressed on my couch.

I finally had a sandwich and went immediately back to sleep. This was the kind of random night that I have not had in quite some time. Despite the inevitable bad headache when I woke up a while later, I felt great.


Tags:

Leave a comment