Boom Boom and I were out with having some cocktails with some friends and the suggestion was made to go to The Last Word, a newly opened hipster bar here. I was dreading it. The former occupant was a live jazz bar and I’ve heard TLW would continue the tradition. And you know how I feel about jazz. Strike One.
The bar’s namesake is a Prohibition-era cocktail that originated at the Detroit Athletic Club and is now the rage for hipsters across the nation. We had them for New Year’s Eve and I posted the recipe then. I have a general disdain for retro-anything fads – drinks, fashion, pubic hairstyles. So going to a place that’s supposed to have some retro Speakeasy vibe named after an 80 year old drink was not something I was looking forward to. Strike Two.
But when we walked in, there wasn’t a band playing, therefore no jazz. They also had a great selection of Belgian beers to go along with their cocktail list. I started to think I was making a big fuss over nothing; that I judged this hipster book by its cover.
So we got settled at a table and started chatting away. But as the night progressed, The Architect and I found ourselves occasionally stopping mid-sentence, distracted by some awesome song that was playing. First it was The Clash… Then Joy Division… Then Echo & The Bunnymen… All bands we loved. It really felt like they were playing a 1980s greatest hits mix made especially for us. As I mentioned before, the 80s were when I came into my own and hearing all the songs I used to love so much really put me in a good mood. These were great songs that were “Alternative” before anyone ever knew of the term. I started thinking that this hipster jazz bar isn’t that bad. I started to rethink this notion of mine that these retro-fads were more than cheesy nostalgia. They could provoke true emotions and feelings. Feelings I haven’t felt in such a long time.
Then Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” came on. Strike Three.
Instead of the original version, I thought I’d post one from a band that’s huge amongst hipsters right now –Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. See? I just made you instantly cool. Which is a total hipster thing to say…
Pingback: The Lollapalooza 2012 Lineup is Here « The Food and Wine Hedonist
Pingback: Guilty Pleasures – Call Me Maybe « The Food and Wine Hedonist
Pingback: The Year in Guilty Pleasures « The Food and Wine Hedonist
Pingback: Laurentide Wine Tasting at The Last Word « The Food and Wine Hedonist
Pingback: I Have a Major Confession to Make | The Food and Wine Hedonist