The
sign above the cash register of the Tug & Maul Bar indicated Antek the
Owner's general attitude toward West Division Street: 'I've been pushed,
kicked, screwed, defrauded, knocked down, held up, held down, lied about,
cheated, deceived, conned, laughed at, insulted, hit on the head and married. So
go ahead and ask for credit, I don't mind saying NO.'
– Excerpt from Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren (1949)
Nelson Algren, author for the down and out, lover
of Simone de Beauvoir and represented by the character ‘Lewis Brogan’ in her
book The Mandarins, based his bar, the
Tug & Maul, in the Man with the Golden
Arm on the Rainbo Club.
His book Walk
on The Wild Side was the motivation for the same named Lou Reed song. It’s the rock and roll history of the Rainbo
Club that has brought me here.
Liz Phair’s first album Exile in Guyville came out in 1993.
Her revealing, intense and sometimes humorous lyrics delivered by a calm
monotone voice over sparse back up was a welcome change to the noise driven
teen (male) angst of the alt music seen at the time. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was this
jaded or just an acute observer. The
test of time has proven that she is an acute observer and first class
songwriter, even if underappreciated.
The story goes that she was at the Rainbo Club with
Nash Kato of Urge Overkill telling
him how her record label did not like her current album cover design. Somehow amongst the drinks and conversation
she made her way to the photo booth located in the back of the bar, and in what
I can only interpret as a “fuck you” to the record label took a shot of herself
pulling down her shirt and exposing her breasts. The photo was cropped to leave more to the
imagination and there it was, the album cover.
The photo booth is still there and in operation
taking black and white photos.
When I walk in to the Rainbo Club the first thing I
notice (besides the odd, incomplete paper mache art project on the stage behind
the bar) is how dark it is. The bar was
once known for jazz music and burlesque dancers (strippers), and the sort of
limited lighting except for the stage for those events still exists today.
The stage is directly behind the bar and the idea
of an up and coming group playing a set or two is compelling.
What the Rainbo is best known for today is a good
drink at a good price. I order a
Guinness which is quickly tossed in front of me with the warning to wait until
it settles. I decided that a shot of
house whiskey will help the wait.
The music comes to you old school and watching the
bartender scramble to change a record and keep the music going every 15 to 20
minutes adds a seldom seen dynamic to the experience.
If you want to hang out with a group of friends or
get a little more intimate with a new friend, there are a few booths and tables
available.
I decided
it was best that I keep my shirt on and stay out of the photo booth.
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