just got home from san francisco and seattle.
do you know what seems strange(and forgive me if this sounds like alcoholic-speak)?
ok, here's what seems strange: that in america outside of nyc they stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m(or even 1 a.m in places).
doesn't that seem, well, uncivilized?
most places in the rest of the world they stop serving alcohol when they decide to stop serving alcohol.
to say 'you will not drink another beer after 2 a.m!' seems almost victorian, as if the state is
a stern dickensian governess.
here in nyc they stop serving alcohol at 4 a.m and deli's sell beer 24 hours a day. and nyc is the most
prosperous city in the united states(yes, i'm drawing a connection between drinking until 4 a.m and prosperity.
perhaps it's spurious logic. but, well, i like beer).
nyc has other problems, like the fact that you can't dance in certain venues.
that's also weirdly dickensian and victorian.
but the 'thou shalt not drink beer after 2 a.m' law seems patently absurd.
as if a bunch of prim sunday school teachers collectively said, 'we think you've had enough
fun. and remember life isn't about fun, it's about penance and sackcloth and hairshirts.'
i have a theory about people.
here's my theory:
there are two types of people, swimmers and lifeguards.
swimmers want to jump in the pool and play on the diving board and run around and have fun.
lifeguards want to enforce relatively arbitrary rules and maintain order and the status quo.
swimmers want to go disco dancing and drink cheap beer until the sun comes up.
lifeguards want everyone to go home and take a cold shower and read technical manuals.
i'm not saying that there's no place for rules in our society.
i'm an old punk rocker, but i'm not an anarchist.
i like some rules, as long as they're based on reason and practicality(like 'don't kill your neighbor', 'don't put poison in the water', etc).
but some rules that we regard as sacrosanct are utterly arbitrary('no beer after 2 a.m', 'don't dance in this bar', etc).
how do we fix our victorian american heritage?
how do we change the laws so that honorable bartenders can sell beer after 2 a.m?
massive civil disobedience?
a beer-in?
and don't get me started on the horrifying fact that soldiers are sent to fight and die in iraq at 18 but they can't
have a beer in a bar until they're 21.
we trust our soldiers enough to fly military jets and use automatic weapons but we don't trust them enough to enjoy a can of bud light?
i think that every president of the united states should have a star trek style computer as an advisor.
'computer, evaluate the law that states that new yorkers aren't allowed to dance in certain bars(say this in a james t. kirk halting voice).'
'computer working(say this with an old school computer voice, it's much more entertaining). illogical. does not compute.'
-moby
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lifeguards
i think we are becoming sparta, and it is most apparent in little things like beer laws...everything for the state...
listening to 'very best of' cd - good stuff...
world conspiracy
You know, it's pretty much the same here in Russia: bars usually stop working at 2 a.m. so you can buy beer or other alcoholic beverages mainly at night stores, except big cities like Moscow... So I am thinking, may be it's kinda world conspiracy?
It's a bug
a bugg
i say..
BEER-IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the Coffee
Hey Moby,
Totally agree with you. Grew up with a bit of a Victorian Betty Crocker as a mother...she only amplified the staunch society.
Not that you were looking for a rationale to your rant, as go the nature of rants...but the US drinking age is due to the fact that the brain stops growing at 21 years old. The idea was to prohibit the use of alcohol until this occurred in order to protect everyone from the possibly developmentally-damaging affects of alcohol on the brain. I teach neuropsychology and addictions counseling.
But it is funny that they will let an 18 year old be destroyed and psychologically traumatized for our country which I think has much more severe and long lasting affects than some alcohol introduction to the growing brain.
I've got to say...I hate blogs...for the nature of them. it was like "Oh shit! Now everyone with half a thought can publish it for the world to see!" I know too many people who saw the blog revolution as a way to boost their low self-esteem with a feeling that the stupid shit they had to say was worth something to others. But these people were of the category where they thought if they list all the mundane shit they did that day was awesome. Like I picked Sammy up at daycare today. It was hot out. We got ice cream....etc.
But I have to say that I came across your journal and have been an avid reader. You have interesting things to say and are hilarious in sharing your life with us. Not saying your life is hilarious...just that your sense of humor is awesome and I relate! I look forward to your posts as I check them everyday during my coffee break. So dear Moby, thank you for having coffee with me, a perfect stranger, as I have been a long time fan of your music. As creepy as that sounds, but then again, it is the price of fame....
David, Philadelphia PA
Drinking in military
Actually, Moby, on some U.S. bases, there are bars where 18yo military folk can indeed drink. BTW, from one beer lover to another, what's ur fav? Mine's Newcastle Brown. Love your work, www.myspace.com/kurtlockwood
shirt
me quiero hacer una remera moby,
alguna idea? gracias
santi
Last Call
List of 'last call' regulations/laws for various places around the US:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_call_(bar_term)
Personally, I'm fine with bars/clubs stopping at 2 AM. I think the intent is prevent people from drinking too much and then getting into a car and getting into an accident. Maybe in NYC people all take cabs or the bus, but in just about every other city I've been to, people still drive intoxicated. MADD cites that in 2006 17,602 people were killed in accidents where the driver was legally drunk. That's almost 3 to 4 times the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq (of course noone ever counts the number of Iraqis that have died... because I guess they don't count as 'people'?). I'm fine with people enjoying a few drinks and having a good time when they go out or gather with friends, but it shouldn't put my life at risk because someone thought they were OK to drive (alcohol impairs your ability to make sensible judgements).
I think one solution would be to stop serving alcohol at a certain hour, but then keep the place open and serve non-alcoholic drinks (and food!!! :)) giving the people some time to sober up before they head back to their cars and the roads. Where I live, Minneapolis, bar time (closing time) is 2 AM and the bars/clubs close withing 15-30 minutes of last call. I think they should continue to spin records until 4 AM and sell soda/water. Plenty of level headed people would use that time to dance to a few more tunes and sober up a bit.
I must admit, I never understood alcohol. I don't care for the taste, I wouldn't want to risk addiction (not everyone who drinks becomes an addict, but the numbers are alarming), and drinking yourself stupid... is just well, stupid. But that's my own personal choice. I wouldn't try to make that choice for someone else, nor do I want that authority. I would just ask that they respect me by not getting into a car and driving in an inhibited state. :)
Who needs American beer?
;-)
no loss for the sensitive consumer.
sf vs. ny
I'm from new york. ok, new jersey, but I moved to manhattan when I was 17 in '88. (does that give me any clout? probably not...) that was certainly a time when it was easy to go to clubs (usa, red zone, palladium, nells, etc.) and have a few drinks while dancing to great music until the wee hours.
I moved to san francisco in '94, and I have to say that it was initially disorienting to have to leave a bar at 1:45 (they'd kick you out early). after while, though, you got used to it. the real problem was then finding a cab to take you home, something that's not much of a problem in ny at all.
I've been back in ny since 2000, and ,having lived both places, I gotta say that I do appreciate being able to look the clock and realize that it's only 2am. time for another round!
Ooh Yeah...
Nothing beats going to Doc's or Niagara around Tompkins Square, having cheap beer, getting something to eat and hang out until they open up again at 7am for a nightcap! good times.
Who Needs Beer?
Mo, not to rain on your parade or anything, BUT I had a blast at all three celebrations (BFD, BFD After Party and the After After Party). I had a natural high on your music.
Honestly it was very rewarding being fully mindful of every second, every song, every glance, moves, yet lost in another state of consciousness. Kinda like an orgasmic state of TM.
Who Needs beer, after all you music has an intoxicating effect at least on me anyway.
Bijoux St Laurent.
Who Needs Beer?
Mo, not to rain on your parade or anything, BUT I had a blast at all three celebrations (BFD, BFD After Party and the After After Party). I had a natural high on your music.
Honestly it was very rewarding being fully mindful of every second, every song, every glance, moves, yet lost in another state of consciousness. Kinda like an orgasmic state of TM.
Who Needs beer, after all you music has an intoxicating effect at least on me anyway.
Bijoux St Laurent.
4am cutoff?
It makes me think about moving to NYC---having a beer at 4am.
But then I remember that you can get around in Manhatten faster by walking then you can by driving. Which is probably why you can buy alcohol at 4am in NY where it's 2am elsewhere.
You're less likely to drive and kill someone while intoxicated in NY---because you're likely NOT driving. =)
Beer
I hope that you were not having a show at a bar where dancing or beer were not allowed. It would be difficult for your fans to obey those…
Last time during a party with alcohol I couldn’t stop myself from dancing although I have my ankle twisted and I definitely should not. And my leg still hurts right now:). Maybe I’ll swim myself to death one day. But lifeguards - stay away! I’m not a kid.
You’ve written about boys who are 18 and go to Iraq. In other parts of the world such age is sometimes a lot. E.g. most of Africa is flooded by domestic conflicts. If the conflict is serious, people very rarely have the opportunity to live up to more than 20. These are wars of kids. So they would never be mature enough for most of the things that are allowed in western world only for adults.
I don’t know whether it is still that hot in nyc as they showed on the news a couple of days ago. Nevertheless, have a cold beer. Cheers!