Clubs aren't taverns; they don't grow finer with age. It's better to have a steady, sustainable turnaround of clubs and venues. It helps keep the music scene itself from stagnating and compartmentalizing. There's nothing more depressing than a club reaching mythic 'legendary' status with 45-year-old, original patrons -- trying to relive old memories -- throwing lecherous glances at the 16-year-old noobs who go there because it's the cool place to be. The best thing that can happen for a club is to close before it gets tired and becomes a caricature of itself. Clubs best live on in the slightly hazy, alcoholic fog of memories of past patrons.
The Three Imaginary Girls are asking for your favorite Crocodile memories, and people are listing full lineups of shows they loved.
I've been to the Crocodile plenty of drunken times, but I don't think I can remember a single full lineup that I've seen there. However, one memory does stand out, not because of the show itself but because of an embarrassing conversation I had about it the next day:
A few years ago I told a coworker about my previous night out, at one of the Three Imaginary Girls' Christmas shows.
I told the person: "I don't remember a lot, but I do remember getting up onstage and singing 'We Are the World.' Oh my God, I must have been really drunk. Oh, yeah, I got free drink tickets because I won a dance contest!"
Another coworker who'd also been in attendance overheard us and reminded me: "You were the only contestant."
Unfortunately, this was before camera phones, huh? Too bad.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had to stop going to shows entirely when the crowd made me feel old. (I actually think that happened before I entered the period of heavy drinking that characterized my late 20s and early 30s. [Well, it's still heavy, but not like heavy, heavy.])
Still, I do have me memories.
Erm, are you soliciting memories from blog commenters, or is this pretty much just about you? I don't want to presume.
The Croc was at the top of the heap for a long time, but despite the great sound, I didn't have much desire to go to shows there anymore. The thing that the Croc closure brings to mind is how shitty Seattle was in terms of venues when the Croc first opened. Now we have a nice range considering our size, though not as good as Portland.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have many more great memories of nights spent at Chop Suey than I do memories of the Crocodile.
Always soliciting comments from anyone who wants to make them! I'm not the only drunken fool on this Internet.
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