31/12/08 21:23
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18/09/08 16:11
Never Trust a Crack Addict
By K.D. Chambers
I've barely arrived for my 7pm shift at Jake’s Place and Betty Page (the beautiful daytime bartender) warns me that the crack addict du jour has apparently gone off the rails. "He seemed cool at first," she says. Of course he did (Cue Beethoven's 5th). Between guzzling sessions he seems to have gone outside and transformed into someone who is more twitching and distrustful than your average “joe cool.” Crack will do that.
It’s clear he might – scratch that – WILL fly off the handle at any minute, and Betty feels bad leaving the dirty work to me in the event his demons decide that the c-break wasn't enough to prevent a time-release rageball in my direction. Read More...
By K.D. Chambers
I've barely arrived for my 7pm shift at Jake’s Place and Betty Page (the beautiful daytime bartender) warns me that the crack addict du jour has apparently gone off the rails. "He seemed cool at first," she says. Of course he did (Cue Beethoven's 5th). Between guzzling sessions he seems to have gone outside and transformed into someone who is more twitching and distrustful than your average “joe cool.” Crack will do that.
It’s clear he might – scratch that – WILL fly off the handle at any minute, and Betty feels bad leaving the dirty work to me in the event his demons decide that the c-break wasn't enough to prevent a time-release rageball in my direction. Read More...
31/07/08 21:27
Why I'm writing this blog
By K.D. Chambers
For the past eight years I’ve worked as a bartender at a little hole-in-the-wall in Santa Monica that we'll call Jake's Place to protect the not-so-innocent. In that time I’ve witnessed things I dare not recount in any reputable journal, which is precisely how I wound up here. Like this website, Jake's wears its depravity like a badge of honor. In addition to being a cesspool of downgrade humanity, it is also a lush atmosphere for cultural enlightenment and a veritable University of Life Lessons. Its status as a “dive” bar is evident of the diverse clientele that enter its doors and my observations & discoveries are as varied as its colorful inhabitants. I play the role of bartender, den mother, sheriff, steely headmistress, performer & nubile imp to a revolving cast of the homeless, crazy, drunk, crusty, young, hip, football loving, village idiots, regular fun-seekers and warm and friendly townfolk.
In spite
of its edgy persona or reputation as a place where
dreams come to die, I also find there is a certain
dignity in the barroom brawls and politics and
accompanying make-up sex in that it is raw, uncensored
life. Jake's is not immune from the pains and joys that
routinely play out in any dysfunctional family. Beneath
its crusty surface a life thrives full of hilarity and
surprising sweetness alongside the suffocation and soul
drudgery. It reminds me of when a family friend decided
to share an inappropriate aside about sex to me on a
family ski trip. I was maybe eleven. He said, “Beneath
all the sweat and the sheets…there is love. There is
love.”
I finally get it (sort of). Thanks dude.
It has taken me down and around and back, yet I’ve finally discovered the beauty of this little bar. Jake's is neither good nor evil but merely a fascinating kaleidoscope of human behavior. In the smoky folds and shades of grey, there is insight to be gained from its complex cast characters if you’re willing to look. Not every asshole will become a saint and the pernicious diseases that thrive in dive bars do not disappear because you seek to see the glass half-full. I still perform weekly bouts of verbal castrations to those who don’t play fair. And the good the bad and the ugly are all included. But I am grateful that I can still be surprised by people, especially those long ago cast-off into the hate file. The fact that I actually “got over” a regular yelling at the top of his lungs on a Saturday night “I RUN A COMPANY AND YOU’RE JUST A BARTENDER!” is a testament to that.
I’ve heard countless people tell me they want to write a book about Jake's Place, or have it at the center of its own reality show. At the very least, it’s a memorable place. Well, I figure the show’s already in progress, only the cameras aren’t rolling. So, for now, this blog will have to do…
By K.D. Chambers
For the past eight years I’ve worked as a bartender at a little hole-in-the-wall in Santa Monica that we'll call Jake's Place to protect the not-so-innocent. In that time I’ve witnessed things I dare not recount in any reputable journal, which is precisely how I wound up here. Like this website, Jake's wears its depravity like a badge of honor. In addition to being a cesspool of downgrade humanity, it is also a lush atmosphere for cultural enlightenment and a veritable University of Life Lessons. Its status as a “dive” bar is evident of the diverse clientele that enter its doors and my observations & discoveries are as varied as its colorful inhabitants. I play the role of bartender, den mother, sheriff, steely headmistress, performer & nubile imp to a revolving cast of the homeless, crazy, drunk, crusty, young, hip, football loving, village idiots, regular fun-seekers and warm and friendly townfolk.
I finally get it (sort of). Thanks dude.
It has taken me down and around and back, yet I’ve finally discovered the beauty of this little bar. Jake's is neither good nor evil but merely a fascinating kaleidoscope of human behavior. In the smoky folds and shades of grey, there is insight to be gained from its complex cast characters if you’re willing to look. Not every asshole will become a saint and the pernicious diseases that thrive in dive bars do not disappear because you seek to see the glass half-full. I still perform weekly bouts of verbal castrations to those who don’t play fair. And the good the bad and the ugly are all included. But I am grateful that I can still be surprised by people, especially those long ago cast-off into the hate file. The fact that I actually “got over” a regular yelling at the top of his lungs on a Saturday night “I RUN A COMPANY AND YOU’RE JUST A BARTENDER!” is a testament to that.
I’ve heard countless people tell me they want to write a book about Jake's Place, or have it at the center of its own reality show. At the very least, it’s a memorable place. Well, I figure the show’s already in progress, only the cameras aren’t rolling. So, for now, this blog will have to do…