A true public servant. In the book it’s written in the singular and perhaps I ought to have rendered it that way. Reminds me of the Hitchens line about martinis: Like breasts, one is too few and three is too many.
I was too late to put in my 2 cents' worth in the G&M with my frequent response to "Sorry!", which is to put the other person at ease with a sympathetically expressed "It's OK" with a smile as I look them in the eye to show that the world isn't coming to an end if I got bumped or whatever. Pretty Goody-Two-Shoes to some people, probably, but why don't you try it?
Love it, though I think with a smile and eye contact, pretty much any innocuous phrase will work. More smiles and eye contact, especially from bartenders!
“A good writer is not, per se, a good book critic. No more so than a good drunk is automatically a good bartender.”
— Jim Bishop
“All regulars tip; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be regulars, they’d just be annoying customers.”
— Jack “The Hat” Yaghubian
“I told Rodney [Dangerfield] that when I felt the whole world was against me, I’d find a tavern, where a bartender would always lend an understanding ear. But Rodney said he tried that once and that when he asked the bartender for a double, the bartender brought out a guy who looked just like Rodney.”
If asked what superpower I’d rather have, flying or invisibility, I say flying because I already am invisible to busy bartenders.
“Sir, please stop levitating behind the bar”
I searched "gorilla tits" so you don't have to.
A true public servant. In the book it’s written in the singular and perhaps I ought to have rendered it that way. Reminds me of the Hitchens line about martinis: Like breasts, one is too few and three is too many.
I was too late to put in my 2 cents' worth in the G&M with my frequent response to "Sorry!", which is to put the other person at ease with a sympathetically expressed "It's OK" with a smile as I look them in the eye to show that the world isn't coming to an end if I got bumped or whatever. Pretty Goody-Two-Shoes to some people, probably, but why don't you try it?
Love it, though I think with a smile and eye contact, pretty much any innocuous phrase will work. More smiles and eye contact, especially from bartenders!
Mr. Errett begins this fine column with "Are bartenders privy to the secret of life? "
There is no better musical answer to this question than "One for My Baby ( and one more for the road)", written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer .
"It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story I think you should know."
Catch, if you never have, the early Sinatra version, accompanied by Bill Miller on piano.
This is gold, thank you!
My musical investigation stopped at “Hey Bartender” but clearly should have continued. And it’s about Judy Garland…
https://share.google/i22VuWYjEyhhctKcw
It’s also said that Sinatra had Ava Gardner in mind when he sang it. Lost love; maybe a future theme for GWQ.
Dear Benjamin,
Fun piece! Some of my fave quotes this week:
“A good writer is not, per se, a good book critic. No more so than a good drunk is automatically a good bartender.”
— Jim Bishop
“All regulars tip; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be regulars, they’d just be annoying customers.”
— Jack “The Hat” Yaghubian
“I told Rodney [Dangerfield] that when I felt the whole world was against me, I’d find a tavern, where a bartender would always lend an understanding ear. But Rodney said he tried that once and that when he asked the bartender for a double, the bartender brought out a guy who looked just like Rodney.”
— Norm Macdonald
Thank you for sharing as always!
Love
Myq
Thanks Myq! And 100% agree on how good that Seth Rogen NYT interview was!