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'...a photo, probably taken on my phone while out walking, or maybe an oldie retrieved from the family archive, perhaps even an anonymous antique snapshot plucked from what remains of my collection of such ephemera. To accompany it, a tune, ideally one that's at least partially inspired by the image...'
Long boozy evenings in packed, noisy pubs was very much my thing back in the smoking age, but these days I like nothing better than to push open the door of a near deserted hostelry just after midday, enjoy a couple of quiet pints, then head off home in time for lunch. Only yesterday, as I type these words, I wandered round to my local at a little after 12 to find just one other person in the place, a really friendly old boy in his late 70s who is always surprised when I greet him by name, as he doesn't know mine. We've chatted several times over the past few years and our conversations generally revolve around the same subject - the many former pubs that have disappeared in the 40+ years he's lived in town. He vividly recollects every establishment, the names of their respective landlords and, quite often, a number of the regular characters that propped up the bar in each one. He's quite the raconteur when he gets going. As I got my hat and scarf together, readying myself to leave, my elderly companion stood to shake my hand, wordlessly thanking me for my company. He knows my name now, but by the next time I see him it will probably have slipped away and much of our conversation will be repeated once again. He has early onset dementia, it's been obvious for some time. For now he manages his day to day life by leaving notes to himself around the house and having a structured routine, one which revolves around a quiet lunchtime pint or two in comfortable, familiar surroundings.
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These anonymous photos of staff in an empty pub probably originate from the mid 1960s and were unearthed by me at a car-boot sale around 10 years ago. I'm grateful that the landlord of my own local is not as sour-faced as the one pictured here appears to be. I think I'd struggle to relax and enjoy my pint with him glaring across the bar at me.
'The Man Who Loved Beer' is, on the surface, a typically lush Lambchop song (one of my favourites by the band), though on closer lyrical inspection it's an adaptation of a dark ancient Egyptian text 'The Man Who Was Tired of Life'. It originally appeared on their 1996 album 'How I Quit Smoking' and was covered by David Byrne on his 'Grown Backwards' LP in 2004.
7 comments:
The barmaid looks more fun. Love her glasses. My old school music teacher Mrs Morrison used to have a pair like that which she kept on with a chain.
PS Also admiring the big Smiths Potato Crisps tin. An excellent period piece.
What a splendid brace of photographs; the kind pubs/breweries would put on the front of matchbooks for their punters. Any idea where it is/was? Done any digging? Watneys boozers were ten a penny and their infamous keg, Red Barrel - the blandness of which helped kickstart CAMRA in 1971.
Next time you see your old boy you might ask him if he wouldn't mind having his photo taken (when an old person dies a museum burns down). Who know, in 20 years you might be that old boy and someone will ask if they can take your photo...
Happy New Year!
JM
Photographs taken in pubs - what a great Photo Challenge btw.
What absolutely fantastic photos - and so unusual to be in colour from that era. For some reason 'American Gothic' springs to mind!
Lovely post too, I'm sure your conversations with the old boy at your local are a real highlight of his day.
Twenty years?
Amazing pair of photos. The landlord does look a little displeased. He has the face of a school bus driver- who like all school bus drivers, hates school kids.
Unfortunately I've no idea where the pub is/was and there's very little to go on in the photos (slides actually) to help locate it. The car-boot sale where I found them was on the outskirts of Norwich, though the stall itself was a house clearance operation, so they could've come from anywhere.
The old boy at my local is a widower and lives alone, though has several family members in the area looking out for him. I saw him across the street in town a few days ago and he gave me a cheery wave. Hopefully I'll catch up with him for a pint over the weekend.
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