Photo of the Day, November 6, 2009: Newburyport Night 1
Heroic MBTA Operator and Inspector Honored: Saved Woman's Life
Photo of the Day, November 10, 2009: Just Altitude, No Attitude
Google to Give Away WiFi at Logan, Elsewhere
Magnetic Fields New Album - Realism
Sometimes even those of us who live in the rock clubs can forget how to behave ourselves. Maybe it’s some strange alchemy of alcohol and entitlement. Maybe it’s a vague attachment to the spirit of “punk rock.“ Or maybe it’s just plain rudeness. Just in case, here’s a brief refresher course on the things to keep in mind from people who know best - the ones who work there.
1) Keep Your Hands to Yourself
"One couple was asked to leave a show because they were both fall-down drunk,” says Kevin Hoskins, talent buyer/booking agent at the Middle East in Cambridge. “When the man got to the door, he tried to convince the door people to let him back down….He realized he wasn't getting anywhere, and he took it up with one of our detail officers. When he didn't get the answer he wanted, his girlfriend decided to slap the police officer. Never a good idea."
Iann Robinson, promoter at the Reel Bar in Allston, puts it a little more bluntly. “The single most annoying thing at pretty much any show is the whole tough-guy bullshit. You know, I get it, you're tough, very masculine. I totally understand, now fuck off. In my club, the space is so small that when they dance or get macho, they really ruin it for other people. Even in big venues, it’s dumb. The pit’s time has passed - just let it die."
“The most bizarre thing that ever happened to me,” says Scott Janovitz, who worked as a bartender, doorman, and sound tech at the Lizard Lounge, “was the guy from the Lizard Lounge poetry night who brought his own beer in. I had to take the beer he was drinking and asked him to not do it again. I explained, you know, ‘the law’ and all. Anyway, some time went by, and he came over and asked me to talk to him outside. Before we got outside, he turned and grabbed my throat, screaming, 'Don't you ever disrespect me!' That was awesome. We ended up screaming at each other in the street. My toughness, however, was undermined by my beige cardigan. And also by the fact that I'm not tough. It's too bad, because his poetry was great. No, I’m kidding, it was terrible.”
2) You’re not a Conman
People forget that folks at clubs have literally seen it all, says Joanne Miller, who works the door at both the Middle East and TT the Bear‘s. Saying you have "permission from the manager to sit in and play the ‘harp’ with any band you choose” surprisingly doesn’t always work.
“Asking if they can just go into the bar side,” says booking manager Tony Confalone at PA’s Lounge in Somerville, “when in reality they are there for the show and trying to get in for free never works. But it causes the staff a huge hassle every time.”
3) No ID? No Drinks
“People don't realize that if they try and vouch for a friend that doesn't have the right I.D., it's a pain in the ass for us to have to explain and re-explain the laws,” TT’s booking agent Randi Millman says. “People think we make things up as we go along and that there aren't licensing laws we need to adhere to. Nothing is worse than someone that goes to every staff member to argue a point. We all back each other's decisions up, so they're not going get anywhere yammering on and on.”
Post contributed by Luke O'Neil. You can read more of his work on his blog. And more crucial club-behavior tips, including advice on how to tip your bartender, after the jump!
4) Always Tip Your Bartender
“The most annoying thing you can do to a bartender is to not tip,” says Janovitz. “But,” he added, “there are a lot of variations of that. There are the people who tip with change amounting to less than a quarter. No self-respecting bartender would even touch that. I've watched twenty cents sit on the bar for hours before finally being knocked to the floor while cleaning at the end of the night. That's the bar equivalent of blood-money right there. There are also the people who don't tip and keep coming back up, to the same bartender, when they're maybe one of fifteen people in the bar, and then act annoyed that they're not getting the attention they want. Ignoring those people becomes a sport in itself."
5) Let Them Help You, but Use Common Sense
“There are no stupid questions,” says Hoskins, who has infinite respect for his guests. “But, you have to guide people. People forget their tickets at home and you have to tell them to get them. People will stand directly in front of a restroom sign and ask where the bathrooms are. One guy stood at the bottom of the stairs and asked, 'Do these stairs go up?'"
6) Don’t Demand Special Treatment
“One example of ‘how not to behave’ pops immediately to mind,” says Steve Mcdonough, who has worked as a bouncer at O’Brien's in Allston. During a week-long residency for the popular Boston band Darkbuster, he was instructed to give no free admittance. “Despite that,” he says, “I tried to give breaks to people who came to every show, and also to those in the bands who played the show one night, but came to see the show another night."
Mcdonough continues, “One of the busiest nights that week, one of the bands who played showed up with their girlfriends. I recognized them, and already knew I'd give them 2-for-1 admittance, at least. But before any of the guys stepped up, a couple of the girls (real annoying Lansdowne St.-on-Saturday-night bimbos) stepped up and asked about the cover. I told them $10.00, and they started to complain. They started in with the 'It doesn't cost this much to get in to Avalon!!' bullshit. First I knew it was a lie, second it was obvious they were used to getting breaks due to their looks, and thirdly, they persisted for like 10 minutes!! Clogging the doorway, being bitches, and pissing me off. So they're insulting both my intelligence and my sense of fair play. I charged them and their boyfriends and everyone who even appeared to be with them full price. The guys were unhappy, and I felt bad charging them. But had they just kept a leash on those [their friends] and discreetly and politely asked me to give them a break, I'd have saved the group a fistful of cash.”
7) Don’t Be “That Guy”
Says Confalone: “If a drink is served past last call, it's polite to finish it quickly and split. The bartender just did you a favor by serving you after last-call, so you in turn owe him/her the favor of making it a fast one. Keeping an eye on a drunken friend who is getting out of hand and getting them out if they are causing trouble. Not unplugging the bands' equipment. Just being friendly and not bugging other customers or band members. Everyone is there to have a good time. 99.9% of the time people are totally cool. It's usually just one bad apple that turns things into a nightmare.”
Adds Janovitz, “All someone has to do to make me glad to be helping them is to be civil and tip when appropriate. It really doesn't take much. Oh, and don't try to choke me to death.”
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
fantastic photo!
Reel Bar? It's no longer called that.