We SURVIVED Dive Bar Night #29!!!

In case you were there... or in case you missed it...
Here's the RECAP of Dive Bar Night #29!!!

Greetings People!

The Dive Bar Crew is proud to say, that on FRIDAY, July 25th, 2008 we (all 50-75 of us) survived Dive Bar Night #29 @ Shoal Creek Saloon, Deep Eddy Cabaret, G&S Lounge, and the legendary Donn's Depot. Not an easy task by any means; but, I speak for myself when I say I feel like I got kicked by a mule. I've never actually been kicked by a mule, or any animal for that matter. Well... I take that back. When I was 7, I got kicked in the head by Susan Bromley. My immediate response was "YOU COW!". That's the only obscenity I could think of at the time. Does that count? Fortunately, I've learned to "chillax" since those days.

For all those who don't care to hear Dive Bar Night stories or read random useless information... Read no further. Here are the links for Dive Bar Night #29 pictures.

Three Options this time around:

1) The J Cooke "Unofficial Official" Dive Bar Night #29 pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcooke/sets/72157606407097744/

2) New! Sista Clare Cam
Random DBN #29 pictures from Clare's perspective:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcooke/sets/72157606405652236/

3) The slide show on the right hand side of the DBN blog - Click on it.

Hopefully, some of you are still reading...

So what were my thoughts on Dive Bar Night #29. Let me start by saying this... It typically takes one friend in life to scare you out of doing something stupid. The problem is... it typically takes one friend in life to talk you IN to doing something stupid. You can quote me on that. That's a J Cooke original quote for ya.

Growing up, there was a farm behind our neighborhood that sported a sign "Do NOT enter unless you can cross this field in 9.9 seconds. The bull can do it 10.0". Thinking I was a complete bad ass and the fastest 10yr old on the planet... you better believe I took the challenge. Sure, I survived, cried all the way home, and said I'd never do anything that stupid in my life. Yeah, that was until The Sykes Brothers (Andrew and Peter) dared me to do it again with them a few months later. That's kind of how Dive Bar Night is, except now the Sykes Brothers have been replaced with Big Mike, Big Dave and Sista Clare. You think you can make it through Dive Bar Night - no problem! Then you quickly realize it's a lot more grueling of an experience than originally anticipated. Yeah, but it's a hell of a ride!


STOP #1: Shoal Creek Saloon - Time: 6:00ish - 7:30
909 N. Lamar St. Austin, TX 78703. (512) 474-0805

We kicked off "Hotter Than Hell Tour" at Shoal Creek Saloon. I'm not going to lie to you. I arrived pretty late; but early enough to see a great crowd, eat some good food, drink a cold beer, make fun of a few people, and then we moved on to the next stop. I'm keeping it brief on this one, because it was a long night and I'll need everyone to focus for what's ahead.

STOP #2: Deep Eddy Cabaret - 7:45 - 9:15ish
2315 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703. (512) 472-0961

I'm not sure what time we all got to Deep Eddy, but when we did... they sure as hell knew we had arrived. There were no announcements necessary. Just a scared (yet excited) bartender. The capacity limit for that joint is 77 people. Once they started counting us, that's when I knew we owned Deep Eddy . Around 9ish, the Big Boys ~ Big Mike and Big Dave said it was time to move on, so like cattle, we herded our way over to G&S Lounge. After that, I think the capacity went back down to 4 people. 1) The bartender, 2) old dude #1, 3) old dude #2, and 4) random guy at the bar. Oh wait... random guy at the bar left with us too!

Not sure about the rest of you, but old dude #1 (I believe he's one of the owners) was in rare form on Friday night. He asked me if I brought the dancers? Perplexed, I told him "I thought you were bringing them?" He then proceeded to dance by himself.

I think what really got me was when he proceeded to scare the crap out of some of the Dive Bar Night ladies in attendance when he decided to dance with them. He looks like a sweet old man, but hey, I'm convinced he's completely bonkers. Makes you wonder... Was Deep Eddy ever an actual cabaret? We can probably Google it to find out; but, if it ever was, I'm confident that old dude #1 was probably there.


STOP #3: G&S Lounge - 9:30 - 11:30
2420 S. 1st Street, Austin, TX 78704. (512) 707-8702

Driving around 1st & Oltorf, I quickly came to the conclusion that this isn't the part of town you want your car to break down. Regardless, I think we all made it to G&S Lounge safely with no stab wounds and nobody got capped. Too bad we got robbed when we got inside. I'll be damned if they didn't break one of the primary rules of the Dive Bar Crew. Cheap, cold beer. They were cold, but nothing cheap about that place anymore. What, they get new floors and a ceiling, so gouge the customers? Yeah, that will be our last G&S stop on the Dive Bar Tour.

One thing I have to give G&S credit for is the entertainment. This dive is like a run down old skool Dave & Busters. Air hockey, Miss Pac Man, pin ball machines, pool tables, popcorn machine, and yes, that freaky lookin' Zoltar device. I don't know if it's a game or a horror show, but it scares the hell outta me. Naturally, I had nightmares about that dude. In the meantime, girls were lining up to take their picture in front of it. That's just weird! If my kid ever acts up... I'll just tell him "If you're not good, Daddy will give you to Zoltar" (just kidding Cameron).

Holding to tradition, Big Mike kicked off the legendary DBN card game "KINGS". It was definitely not for the weak, so I was smart and watched from a safe distance. Wouldn't you know it, Sista Clare lost. Next time, bring your "A" Game girl! Otherwise, you get your picture posted on a Dive Bar Night blog with the King of Diamonds stuck to your forehead.

Big Mike had a playing card stuck to his forehead too. 9 of Spades. Not sure what that was about, but let's go ahead and assume he wasn't winning.


BONUS STOP #4: Donn's Depot - 11:45 - ???
1600 W.5th Street. Austin, TX 78703. (512) 478-3142

Remember being back in college at a party when the keg floated? Yeah, it was just like that when we left G&S. They probably tripped over the tumbleweeds after we rolled outta there over to Donn's Depot. I couldn't tell you what songs Donn and the band were playing, because by that time, all I could think of was a way to sneak out, get home, and go to sleep. Hell, if we're all friends here, I was still being freaked out by Zoltar. As mentioned many many times, live music at Donn's Depot is an excellent way to finish off a great evening. If you were brave enough to withstand the long evening of Dive Bar Night, hopefully you saw what makes this place so special to us.


SUMMARY
Overall, it looked like everybody was having a great time. I'm sure many will agree that it was definitely worth taking the DBN challenge, and guess what... we'll be back! When? Who knows. Let's digest Dive Bar Night #29 first. Stay Tuned!


For archive pictures from previous Dive Bar Nights (#1-28) See the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcooke/collections/

Questions or Comments? Please e-mail us at DiveBarNight@gmail.com

CHEERS!
The Dive Bar Crew
(aka J Cooke, Big Mike, Sista Clare, & Big Dave)