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For those of you who have never been to the Cafe Loup, this is almost exactly what it looks like from behind the bar. There are some small differences in real life, but what you are seeing is essentially what Tim and I see from behind the bar on any given night. A couple of obvious differences are that there are never any flying logs, and we don't have a helmet connected to a giant tube that is connected to the ceiling that gives you booze straight to the dome-piece. Other than that, it's your typical night at the Loup (although most likely a night in the winter months as there is a coat check girl hidden away in the coat room). The customers are typical generic bar customers, that could be found in any bar in the country. Let's appraise them from left to right, shall we?
Two wolf fathers (probably in finance) discuss the days highs and lows while their pups fight on the floor. These guys definitely come in early in the evening because the kids have to go to bed early. They drink martinis or other such drinks with high alcohol content so as to get the most bang for their hard earned buck. Next, (not counting the coat check girl) is the loner who is oblivious and confused. He stands behind everyone at the bar, looking uncomfortable and contagious, so now everyone feels weird. He is completely unaware that someone has narrowly missed is cranium with a sizable log, but continues to stare ahead, afraid to approach the bar and get something to drink, paralyzed by the fear of actually talking to someone (he'll probably turn around and leave saying, "I liked this place better when no one knew about it [in 1977]"). in front of him, seated at the bar, we have the only woman at the bar. She is pretty excited though, the whole bar is hers for the taking! She can have any of these dudes, and she just might. Dien is always talking about the "fishermen" at the bar. These are typically men, but in some cases they are women, who sit at the bar and go "fishing" for a date. I have mentioned this before (T&J #2 has The Blind Fisherman). The woman in this picture looks like one of those fisherwomen. She has come to the bar tonight to score a date with one of these guys. The competition is fierce, but the blue mustachioed man made his move and now is trying to make eyes at her. Maybe he's a fisherman too. He certainly looks like one with that stare that is practically screaming, "look at me! My hair is blue! I am a totally not creepy catch!" And yet, she continues to ignore him, lost in her own mind thinking about the excitement of finding love in a hopeless place (or she's looking in the mirror behind the bar). Next is the guy who's connected to the tube. This guy represents the ones who come in and drink for 8 hours straight. You know they can do it because you've seen them do it before. They rarely get wasted enough to do something stupid, but every once and a while they get that weird drunk. Most times, though, they seem cordial enough, sitting at the bar for hours and hours, always connected to their drink, or in this case, tube, chatting with whomever is sitting directly to their right or left and never missing a beat when the characters around him change. The pallor of their skin is pasty as they haven't seen daylight in weeks. Oddly enough, only he and the fisherwoman are the only ones smiling. After him we have a guy who could go a couple different ways. He could be some nerd who just got off work and would like a beverage, or he could be an employee of the Loup who just got off his shift and would also like a drink. Even though he doesn't look like anyone who currently works there, the Loup has been opened since 1977 (1989 in the location pictured above), so maybe he is a employee of Loup's past. Must've been a rough night, according to that face, not to mention his pen exploded in his pocket. Rough stuff. Next to him is the prophet. This guy could easily be "The Man Who Knew Too Much." You've seen him at the bar, but more likely you've heard them. They talk incessantly about anything and everything and have a strong opinion about all of it. They are usually right and unwilling to listen to what you have to say. Hence, they think that they are holier than thou, even though you are frequenting the same bar. Next to him sits the eccentric. He got his hair cut like a pharaoh and got matching neck rings. It's part of an ongoing art project that is more performance than body modification, but it's a work in progress so wait until next year to pass your judgements. Also, it will be on display the MoMa in a couple months, so you should feel lucky that you are seeing it now. He doesn't have a lot of money though because he's waiting for the grant money to roll in so if you could buy him one drink he'll pay you back in September. Finally, we get to the end with the Bad Ass. Yeah, he's got a gaping head wound, but so what? He just needs a shot of Jack and a Long Island Ice Tea and it's all good. I forgot it was even there. He says stuff like, "How'd you know I wasn't looking at you if you weren't looking at me?" after a couple more drinks. It's best to let this dude drink in peace and quiet. The less talking the better. You hope that by not engaging him, he'll move to a bar where more people can admire is Bad Assness.
It really is a Happy Hour! And in true Loup form, you look back at the clock after what seems to have been 10 or 15 minutes and it's, "2:20AM???!!! How'd that happen! I've gotta work in the morning! Dien, how much do I owe you?"
For those of you who have never been to the Cafe Loup, this is almost exactly what it looks like from behind the bar. There are some small differences in real life, but what you are seeing is essentially what Tim and I see from behind the bar on any given night. A couple of obvious differences are that there are never any flying logs, and we don't have a helmet connected to a giant tube that is connected to the ceiling that gives you booze straight to the dome-piece. Other than that, it's your typical night at the Loup (although most likely a night in the winter months as there is a coat check girl hidden away in the coat room). The customers are typical generic bar customers, that could be found in any bar in the country. Let's appraise them from left to right, shall we?
Two wolf fathers (probably in finance) discuss the days highs and lows while their pups fight on the floor. These guys definitely come in early in the evening because the kids have to go to bed early. They drink martinis or other such drinks with high alcohol content so as to get the most bang for their hard earned buck. Next, (not counting the coat check girl) is the loner who is oblivious and confused. He stands behind everyone at the bar, looking uncomfortable and contagious, so now everyone feels weird. He is completely unaware that someone has narrowly missed is cranium with a sizable log, but continues to stare ahead, afraid to approach the bar and get something to drink, paralyzed by the fear of actually talking to someone (he'll probably turn around and leave saying, "I liked this place better when no one knew about it [in 1977]"). in front of him, seated at the bar, we have the only woman at the bar. She is pretty excited though, the whole bar is hers for the taking! She can have any of these dudes, and she just might. Dien is always talking about the "fishermen" at the bar. These are typically men, but in some cases they are women, who sit at the bar and go "fishing" for a date. I have mentioned this before (T&J #2 has The Blind Fisherman). The woman in this picture looks like one of those fisherwomen. She has come to the bar tonight to score a date with one of these guys. The competition is fierce, but the blue mustachioed man made his move and now is trying to make eyes at her. Maybe he's a fisherman too. He certainly looks like one with that stare that is practically screaming, "look at me! My hair is blue! I am a totally not creepy catch!" And yet, she continues to ignore him, lost in her own mind thinking about the excitement of finding love in a hopeless place (or she's looking in the mirror behind the bar). Next is the guy who's connected to the tube. This guy represents the ones who come in and drink for 8 hours straight. You know they can do it because you've seen them do it before. They rarely get wasted enough to do something stupid, but every once and a while they get that weird drunk. Most times, though, they seem cordial enough, sitting at the bar for hours and hours, always connected to their drink, or in this case, tube, chatting with whomever is sitting directly to their right or left and never missing a beat when the characters around him change. The pallor of their skin is pasty as they haven't seen daylight in weeks. Oddly enough, only he and the fisherwoman are the only ones smiling. After him we have a guy who could go a couple different ways. He could be some nerd who just got off work and would like a beverage, or he could be an employee of the Loup who just got off his shift and would also like a drink. Even though he doesn't look like anyone who currently works there, the Loup has been opened since 1977 (1989 in the location pictured above), so maybe he is a employee of Loup's past. Must've been a rough night, according to that face, not to mention his pen exploded in his pocket. Rough stuff. Next to him is the prophet. This guy could easily be "The Man Who Knew Too Much." You've seen him at the bar, but more likely you've heard them. They talk incessantly about anything and everything and have a strong opinion about all of it. They are usually right and unwilling to listen to what you have to say. Hence, they think that they are holier than thou, even though you are frequenting the same bar. Next to him sits the eccentric. He got his hair cut like a pharaoh and got matching neck rings. It's part of an ongoing art project that is more performance than body modification, but it's a work in progress so wait until next year to pass your judgements. Also, it will be on display the MoMa in a couple months, so you should feel lucky that you are seeing it now. He doesn't have a lot of money though because he's waiting for the grant money to roll in so if you could buy him one drink he'll pay you back in September. Finally, we get to the end with the Bad Ass. Yeah, he's got a gaping head wound, but so what? He just needs a shot of Jack and a Long Island Ice Tea and it's all good. I forgot it was even there. He says stuff like, "How'd you know I wasn't looking at you if you weren't looking at me?" after a couple more drinks. It's best to let this dude drink in peace and quiet. The less talking the better. You hope that by not engaging him, he'll move to a bar where more people can admire is Bad Assness.
It really is a Happy Hour! And in true Loup form, you look back at the clock after what seems to have been 10 or 15 minutes and it's, "2:20AM???!!! How'd that happen! I've gotta work in the morning! Dien, how much do I owe you?"
