Lots of fun last night, with Steve, Jim, and Bill - We met up at Bellevue, a bar right next to Port Authority - and one of my favorite places in the city. You kind of have to see it to believe it. It is dark, rough, and filled with biker chicks, and tough bouncers with hearts of gold. (I swear.) The jukebox is phenomenal. Filled with Metallica, Led Zeppelin, U2, and random Johnny Cash. Bill took care of our song selection.
On the TVs over the bar, they show skanky weird-looking porn from the 70s.
I remember I was there once for a party with my friend Hunter. There had been this huge reading of new poets at the Whitney Museum, which we had attended - (I knew the organizer) - and afterwards, the entire crowd of literati headed to Bellevue. Poets, and bikers, mingling freely. Everyone losing their minds when "Enter Sandman" came on. "Enter Sandman" crosses cultural barriers. Poets were jamming to the song with bikers, and all was right with the world. Hunter and I sat at the bar, talking - or trying to talk over the music, and on one TV at one end of the bar they were showing this weird Ron Jeremy-era porn, and on the other TV at the other end of the bar they were showing a biography of Evil Kneivel. We literally did not know how to split our focus. It was hilarious. It was like being in some ancient rec room with paneled walls, during my childhood. Hunter and I got so sucked into the Evil Kneivel thing, we had this very DEEP conversation about Evil Kneivel (ha ha) - it was only later that we could actually laugh at ourselves.
Bill, Steve, Jim and I talked like maniacs about everything under the sun. That's what I love about bloggers, in general. The conversation NEVER STOPS. You never have awkward, "Hmm, what am I going to say next" moments.
Great fun. Have to do it again some time.
Here's Steve take on the tale. Love the title (it has multiple levels of meaning. See if you can guess it.)
Posted by sheilaSheila-
It's unfortunate that "Enter Sandman" has become essentially linked with Mariano Rivera in New York; it's thus lost much of it's universality.
And what do you mean "Ron Jeremy-era porn"? The last 25 years has been his era!
Great to see you last night too :)
Posted by: Stephen Silver at April 30, 2004 10:21 AMThere's that generational gap again, Steve. :)
Well, it's from the era when porn wasn't shot on video - but on film. So it has that grainy weird real look. Which I associate with Ron Jeremy. Perhaps I am incorrect. Highly possible.
Posted by: red at April 30, 2004 10:27 AMSheila-
I don't care what the calendar says- I refuse to see you as part of any other generation :) See the title of my current top post for further elaboration.
Oops, forgot to mention the Godzilla-dancing hottie bartender...
Posted by: Stephen Silver at April 30, 2004 11:49 AMNice reference in the title, Steve - not only to that generation gap conversation, but also to Allen Ginsburg. Very good.
I loved that bartender. She was a nice girl. I want to go see her show.
Posted by: red at April 30, 2004 12:03 PMThe porn was on before you guys got there, it was old, but not shot-on-film old. It wasn't terribly interesting either, to be honest.
I loved the place, and I had to laugh at the contrast between what they're turning Room 237 into and the remnants of the previous establishment, especially the fuzzy ceiling fan.
I think I can speak for Steve when I say that we'd watch the barmaid read the phone book.
Posted by: Bill McCabe at April 30, 2004 1:28 PMScott:
Oh. My. God. Sending that to my friend Hunter right now.
Posted by: red at May 1, 2004 4:49 PM