Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Whatevs Last Night Something Strange Happened...
Posted by Lee Stabert on Wed, Nov 28, 2007 at 3:29 PM
So, last night I was enjoying a couple 2-for-1 cocktails at Red Door East, my local watering hole of choice. Around 11:15 pm, I went to the ladies room (yes, I'm a lady). While washing my hands, that familiar guitar line began emanating from the speakers. Then I heard it:
I don't practice Santeria
I ain't got no crystal ball
I had a million dollars
But I spent it all
I chortled to myself about the establishment's sometimes strange musical choices, and about the continuing ubiquity of Sublime.
It was when I left the bathroom that things started to get strange. People were singing along. Like a lot of people. They were singing and swaying their hips and serenading each other in drunken bellows. As I made my way around the u-shaped bar the prevalence of the phenomenon became downright astounding—I mean, this wasn't Journey. When I got back to my drink I mentioned this quizzical situation to local luminary Chris Crofton. He was skeptical. "It's just those drunk rockabilly chicks with the dumb poofed-up-in-the-front hair," he said.
But, thirty seconds later he stopped mid-sentence and exclaimed, "Everyone is fucking singing along." Scanning the room, it became clear that about 40 percent of the patrons were at least mouthing the words. Maybe Bradley Nowell has some sort of strange beyond-the-grave mojo, maybe it was the 2-for-1 drinks—I don't know. But it was really strange.
Comments (32)
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One of Crofton's best jokes is...
"Just because you cut your bangs short and dress like it's 1950, doesn't mean your Not Fat."
Yeah, honestly, I don't see this as very strange. Tons of people like(d) Sublime. They made watered down, hooky, basic pop music that is perfect for drunks and barflies.
Maybe it was the 2-4-1 that made you not have anything interesting to write about today
I don't think I know anyone that doesn't know a Sublime song.
It's not strange.
It rules.
take one part Social Proof phenomenon and add
two parts the people singing were probably 13-17 years old when that song hit (high school, good times,etc..), and presto, you have spontaneous karaoke.
or maybe it's because of that commercial using that song on tv.
i never liked sublime.
chris crofton sounds like a great guy.
sorry, but "santeria" is a great song. sublime and reggae in general can eat shit, but that song is one of the best of the 90s. really gorgeous.
and i know sublime aren't 'real reggae' or whatever, shut the fuck up. ;-*
Once again you remind us of why you're a "journalist" and not a musician or a bar owner. Drunks in a bar + feel good familiar song = people singing a long and smiling! Keep reading your thesaurus. Does anyone want to know what I ate today?
i saw this same thing in atlanta years ago only it was wonderwalls by oasis. i thought it was verrrrrrry cool. there must have been 50 people singing it at once.
i wish this would happen with "el scorcho." that's the single best singalong song of all time.
iaskedyoutogotothegreendayconcertyousaidyouneverheardofthemhowcoolisthatsoiwenttoyoureroomandreadyourdiary. watchinggrungelegjobnewjackfrompresstablethenmyheartstoppedlisteningtochochosanfallinlovealloveragainowwwwwwwww.
Tobin is a Pinkerton fan. Who would've thunk?
The strange part was not that people like the song, or that it was on, but that so many people were singing along, outloud, on a Tuesday night. I guess you had to see it to understand. Oh well. At least I got to post that hilarious Sublime sun.
me and my friends go ape shit whenever we put "el scorcho" on in the car. i do all the fistpumps, gesticulations, screams and shouts full out -- while driving. can't help myself. =/
fall in love all over again -- OW!!
Go fly yourself and your self-righteous opinion of reggae into a jet engine, bird.
Reggae music is great music. I love the rhythms, the use of percussion, the patois (if its genuine), the way they can sing about the darkest stuff and somehow turn it positive, and above all, the heavy bass!
Having said this, Sublime is not reggae. They were something else and now they're Long Beach Dub Allstars (who are a huge disappointment IMO.) Too much of that swingy CA pop and not enough heavy Lee Perry type shit.
the sublime sun is the most unfortunate tattoo in the whole wide universe.
but very popular indeed.
420420420420420
the people singing along were probably the same kooks who get pissed when i play bob segar and n'sync. mouth fuck them. in their collective faces. with a dick.
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