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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 10 March 2009 22:37 |
Hanging out, and becoming a regular, at a bar adopts you into a family. And, just as families have dysfunctional, odd ball members, the strange uncle, the odd aunt, it is not surprising bar families have even more. And, then there is the continuum of bars. Where you have your clean, loosened-tie-patron, bars on one end of the spectrum, and then near the other end of the spectrum close to where The Snout is. It is bars like this, where you have what our friend Jane terms as the Derelicts. The flotsom and jetsam debris of Chippewa Valley, which have caught up on a bar stool for a few hours.
It was Neil Young who once said you see the losers in the best bars, meet the winners in the dives. But, I am not entirely sure Neil ever made it to The Snout to witness the full depth of the problem. Still though, like your strange uncle, these people are your family. And, you get to know them. They get to know you. It might be humorous, like bar-regular, Jim, who everyone knows as Snapper. Snapper is a cook at another bar, but spends his off time at The Snout. I have seen him in varying degrees of still being able to speak legibly. Each time he quizes me about my name. It is a hard one to remember you know. And then buys me a beer. He says he is going to buy me a beer each time until he remembers.
Snapper is an ex-Harley rider. Cast in Willie Nelson mold, he looks older, worn, and harder than he is. But, he has a kind face, and soft eyes. ...though, sometimes those eyes have a little trouble focusing. And, he cares. I feel like my number of free beers is limited. He was involved in a serious motorcycle accident back a few years ago where most everything from his waist down was broken. His helmet saved him from a bag. Now, he just looks the part. Long hair, beard and Harley bandana, most times wearing leathers. But, he only rides a bar stool.
The friendship and camaraderie of the night outweighed the music. I am not saying Mojo Lemon was bad. They are never bad. They are a solid blues band. And the crowd at the bar was enjoying the music. It was interesting, I have never seen lead guitar, Josh Entzminger, play sotto voce, or very softly. At one point, when he was playing a section like this, I looked at the crowd you could hear a pin drop. Even the Derelicts were tuned in. It was a good show, and a good time. It was family.
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 November 2009 00:05 |
