frank kogan needs to know the diff between a pub and a bar

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (309 of them)

mother is what is termed as a 'dj bar', its kind of a hybrid between a bar and a club. its free so doenst really count as a club. the queue was because it was full!

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 3 February 2003 20:52 (twenty-three years ago)

So, what would you people say is the difference between a bar fight and a pub fight?

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd beat you in a pub fight (cause I'd take you outside, or if you spilt my pint, I'd empty the glasses I have in either hand and then clap them around your ears), but in a bar fight, everyone's joining in (domino-style) so you might be able to take me.

― Cozen (Cozen), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait, define 'lie'.

― Cozen (Cozen), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I think a lot of misinformation is being offered here re: American nightlife. An establishment does not need "pub" in the name to be a pub, it just needs to want to be Irish, or Scottish, or English. And since white people in America have their panties up in a giant soggy bunch about the supposed beauty of Irish and Italian culture, as if these are the only two cultures on Earth out of which anything remotely interesting has ever arisen, there are a lot of aspiring pubs: if you look in the bar listings for any major city you will find a section that says "Irish Pubs" under which are consolidated loads of not-necessarily-Irish places with lots of dark wood and pictures of Kennedy on the walls and names like Tommy O'Flooperty's or Seamus McDinglesnot's or whatever the hell else (reasonable sorting-out of Irish vs. Scottish vs. English tropes is a plus but not at all necessary for success, meaning "the Kilted Haggis-Eating Leprechaun" could do just fine). The good thing about these places is that they are calm and pubby and they have those oatmeal stouts I love so much. These places are really easy to distinguish in the U.S. because they are basically going way out of their way to pretend they exist in another nation entirely.

Jerry's description of a pub-like Denver establishment sounds like a sports bar, which I don't see entering into the UK picture: I assume sports get watched at pubs? Sports bars are terrible. Absolutely terrible. They are like bars, not pubs (pubs, in their constant attempts to be like something out of Dubliners, only show European soccer) -- only they're not like bars, insofar as the point is mainly to serve people chicken wings and beer while they watch events.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually scratch that: sports bars tend, decor-wise, to be something like Hooters.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:53 (twenty-three years ago)

With lots of grown men yelling "FUCK!!!!" and pounding on their own legs.

In New York there's a place called "McSwiggin's"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:56 (twenty-three years ago)

why nabisco whatever could you mean?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:57 (twenty-three years ago)

From my own brief experience on that little island off the coast of France there is absolutely no pressure about going to a pub. But if you know you're going to a bar the string tightens up a bit.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 3 February 2003 23:59 (twenty-three years ago)

No no no Nabitsuh, the Paddy McBoomerang phenomenon gives you pub-like spaces (to be sure) but I must put to you the whole concept of the Irish bar eg. McSorley's Ale House or the places like one run by friend of my dad's. There's not much food and a Moe's/No Woo-man Allowed vibe and you CANNOT get Scotch due to Protestant wrongness of same (and don't forget the discreet collection tin near the bar itself).

Sorry, had to point that out but otherwise the American 'pub' locator you suggest is flawless.

Urgh, Hooters. A pastiche of this has opened on Clerkenwell Road called HONKERS and it is morguishly empty every time I pass.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Honkers! I am imagining ducks in tiny orange shorts shaking their tail-feathers!

(Ha, okay Amateurist, I have not been to Nevin's in years, but yes it used to be a fine example of a "pub" without the word "pub" in its name. But now they have, like, John Cale and Yo La Tengo bookings -- and where are they doing this stuff? did they take over the ex-Cajun place next door to put in a stage? -- so clearly they are trying hard to become a "bar" and not just a bar but a venue. Which sucks so far as I can tell because surely their oh-so-terrific shepherd's pie will eventually be a thing of the past.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 00:05 (twenty-three years ago)

If they'd used the current slang here the bar would be called Baps (impossible, that should be a topless sandwich bar) or Chesticles or even Norks.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 00:13 (twenty-three years ago)

(sound of me barfing)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 00:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Amateurist are you serious about us still having that hatch thing? I think that was only ever some places anyway.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 00:17 (twenty-three years ago)

amateurist is thinking of star trek

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Suzy makes me glad I'm not there right now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Eh?

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Because that current slang sounds so atrocious! It's horrible enough having to read it, I don't want to accidentally hear it. (What I'm saying is, I'm on side with Nabisco.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:24 (twenty-three years ago)

I think this is one of those days where nothing works right.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Aww, Tracer ::hugs::

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

We should all just go directly home and go to sleep and agree that tomorrow will be Tuesday or something, seriously. My day has SUCKED so far.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

:-( Take that day off, Tracer. If it's turning out bad, don't force yourself to deal with it further.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Bleeeah. It's not that easy, Ned. Thanks for the good vibes though :) At least I'm not one of the seven poor fuckers who decided this was a good day to climb up the Brooklyn Bridge's suspension cables - I've been intermittently monitoring their progress; over the last half hour a huge fucking STORM has whipped up down here - and now I don't see them!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Erm. Is doing such a thing in winter a good idea anyway?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Right, like it wouldn't be equally dumb in summer?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:24 (twenty-three years ago)

If I had to climb something tall and the choice was between cold winds chafing yer butt and humid weather that you could at least drink water for...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Random girl I overheard: OMG I looooove Irish pubs, except I only like authentic ones--none of that Bennigans stuff. Ooh, you know, have you been to FADO before? It's SUPER realistic, like, you just stepped into Ireland.

This is only funny if you have been to Fado before, seeing as it's a CHAIN restaurant that serves dishes like baked brie and munster and pear quesadilla. Sounds really authentic, hm?

― Mandee, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:45 (twenty-three years ago)

It's SUPER realistic, like, you just stepped into Ireland.

Kill people like this the next time you see them, please.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Suzy, did you just make up those slang terms for breasts? I've never heard them before. We both live in East London, though we clearly move in different circles. Who uses these terms?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Also: SHOW US YR NORKS

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I live in Central London ;-) but picked up a load of them through observatin' Popbitch.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Martin, I don't believe you've never heard 'baps' before. That's been around forever.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Does Halle Berry know that people in the UK think she starred in a movie called Knockers?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure I have heard 'baps', other than referring to bread rolls. I am obviously not in enough conversations about breasts, which is certainly not by choice.

Sorry, Suzy - I have lost track of where you live. No offence was intended.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Martin your man of the world image has been severely dented!

Our backward circle is still on 'puppies', I'm afraid.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 21:17 (twenty-three years ago)

'baps' was definitely around in the south west 10 years ago.

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 21:45 (twenty-three years ago)

British American Princess?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 22:21 (twenty-three years ago)

[censored] to thread!!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 22:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Jerry's description of a pub-like Denver establishment sounds like a sportbar.

Naw, Gabor's wasn't pub-like and wasn't a sports bar, just had the game on. "Fuck and Run" was on the jukebox.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

haha, british american princess.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 23:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Our backward circle is still on 'puppies', I'm afraid

You lucky, lucky circle.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 23:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Baps (impossible, that should be a topless sandwich bar)

Unemployed NYCILXCHIXOR! Let's open this!

― rosemary (rosemary), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 04:16 (twenty-three years ago)

― Mary (Mary), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:19 (twenty-three years ago)

One more thought on this, and my rather broad characterisation of the British pub as substitute-for-community and American bar as flight-from-community: if I think of a pop song that makes me think of pubs, I think of Sham69's 'Hurry Up Harry'. If I think of a pop song that makes me think of bars I think of Sinatra's 'One for my baby'.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 10:09 (twenty-three years ago)

ARTIST: Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo
TITLE: Where Everybody Knows Your Name

[From Television Theme Song]

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn't you like to get away

All those night when you've got no lights
The check is in the mail
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by it's tail
And your third fiance didn't show

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead
The morning's looking bright
And your shrink ran off to Europe
And didn't even write
And your husband wants to be a girl

Be glad there's one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to go where people know
People are all the same
You want to go where everybody knows your name

Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:00 (twenty-three years ago)

haha gary's old time tavern

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I already dealt with the Cheers issue upthread, Mark. (Cheers is actually a Shakespearian courtly myth, and maps almost exactly onto, say, 'Twelfth Night': Sam = Orsino, Norm = Toby Belch, Cliff = Aguecheek, Diane = Olivia, Frasier = Malvolio, Carla = the maid).

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Haha: Sasha Frere-Jones agrees with me!

The first step? Take a flight at Heathrow and flip through the CD racks at the Air Mall. You'll find funny names, lots of cover versions, and more compilations than you can shake an ambassador at. The most famous comp is Now That's What I Call Music! and England's already up to Now 53 in the series. (That's right, we stole the idea.) If you think it's just kids buying sugary kid stuff, go hit a pub anywhere in England. The social space is the blueprint for the product—pubs themselves are compilations. Unlike those American bars that nurture misanthropy by keeping everyone drunk in near darkness, English pubs are often light and spacious. Some even have gardens out back, and many do plenty of business during daylight hours. Families have dinner, students meet for drinks, kids run around the pool table, and gnarled football nuts plunk down an empty glass, walk over to the jukebox and put on Kylie or Robbie at all times of day and night. Yeah, mate, dance pop. Nice beat, I can sing along, the missus enjoys it. Wot are you looking at?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:21 (twenty-three years ago)

How can you never have heard baps?

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:26 (twenty-three years ago)

KIDS RUN AROUND THE POOL TABLE.
Not on my watch. No kids in pubs.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 11:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Skipping 209 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.