Would You Have a Drink With You?

Distractions, Toronto 5 Replies

Back when I was lovably single (compared to now, slovenly lovable) I use to go out to bars alone a lot. A LOT. I wasn’t much of a drinker but there I was, standing in the corner, in my head playing “Shag, Marry, Shallow Grave” with all the muscle marys walking by. Ultimately going home alone, I would always wonder about my self confidence. Back then (in the 80’s kids!) I would look at my wardrobe and think, “Okay, cool tee-shirt, regular 501s, sneakers that looked like they’re worn on Moonbase Alpha,” and think, yep, I’m a catch. And yet wonder why I was still single. Oh I had the average level of confidence any 20 year old had, just not so much when it came to stringing words together. Back then, I was a geek. And a nerd. Back before it was cool.

I think I was 20 years too cool, too soon for myself. Geek cred was no where near as popular as it is now. Back then, if you liked Star Wars, you were looked upon as being socially awkward and basically dirty. Now, if you don’t know the mythos of “Han Shot First” then you’re seen as a quaint anachronism. Back then I was wearing ironic tee-shirts more as a statement of the times, than fashion and nobody really cared. Nowadays if you don’t have Threadless, then you’re nobody. The Nerd Culture has been co-opted and Hollywood-ized and I’m cool with that. In fact I get a good chuckle when I see “kids” today acting like they invented feather weaves in their hair (Buffy St Marie, much?). Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it. Those who remix the past are condemned to have fun!

So would I have a drink with myself? Damn straight! Now or back then! I’d be my best buddy trying to outdo myself with cool tee-shirts!

And I’d probably win at “Shag, Marry, Shallow Grave”

Disclosure: I wrote this post not for Stoli (well, yes I did) but for exchange for promotion for my AIDS Walk on September 25th. Be a trooper and click the link to the right and support my walk!

5 thoughts on “Would You Have a Drink With You?

  1. Dead Robot

    Insomnia! YOU were the cool one!

    Anthony – see this post re Scott Thompson.

    Matt, now I rarely go to bars, having stood around them in the 80s/90s and then working in one for a few years. I can’t go back without feeling a bit skeeved. Not that I’m looking down on bar-goers but it’s not something I’d choose to do, nowadays. Call it bitter married life.

  2. Matt

    You’re not alone in having spent many an evening standing alone in a bar. Maybe that’s why eventually I preferred a night out with straight friends over going out to a gay bar. My chances of meeting a guy dropped to nil, but I still had some company to make the time pass.

  3. don

    The gays have very narrow constructs as to what is considered to be cool. Therefore many of us have had to define our own existence somewhere out on the fringe of gaytropolis.

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