Sunday night at Barley's starring Robinella and the CCPatron-Chasers
“I want my five dollars . . .” I felt as if I were playing a lead in the movie Better off Dead.
Sunday night started off uneventfully with Tad and I having dinner at Sunspot. After dinner we decided to relocate to Preservation Pub hoping that more people might be there. Driving across town at lightning speed we were soon there. After a quick beer we realized that there were in fact no more people there than at Sunspot. So the decision was made to walk to the Old City. That would turn out to be our fatal decision.
We ended up at Barley’s. We walked in and ordered a couple of beers and began chatting. It was early evening so besides the geriatric population drinking pitchers of water downstairs not much was going on. Tad and I decided to go upstairs and see if anything was going on. After seeing what was going on or what was not going on upstairs we decided to tab out and leave Barley’s to return to Sunspot. As we walked down the stairs we ran into “the Blonde." (“the Blonde” for those of you who have never been to Barley’s on a Sunday night is the money collector for Robinella and the CCstringband. She is the kind of in your face, pull the gold teeth out of a corpse money collector, rude and aggressive http://www.irs.gov/).
She demanded five dollars from both of us. I told her that we were running a tab at the downstairs bar and we were tabbing out to leave, therefore, we were not there to see the show and not giving her five dollars. (The band had not started playing and was not set to start for another hour). We both walked on. As Tad waited to pay the tab at the Bar, a colleague from work came up to me and we began chatting. Almost immediately “the Blonde” was back demanding money. Tad attempted to explain to her again that we were leaving. To which she responded “everyone downstairs must pay five dollars . . . I must have missed you both coming in.” (Let the record state that NO one was collecting money when we came in the door). Again, Tad tried to explain that we were not there for the show and we were leaving after I finished my beer and ended my conversation. She became belligerent. I told her to stop acting like the Gestapo. Tad told her that “we would have no problem paying her five dollars if we were going to stay for the show, but that we were not staying.” With that she said she was going to get the manager, so I replied “you know you are making me feel like its 1938 and I am in Germany!” She replied that I was tactless. (Well we all know that)
The manager soon appeared. Tad spoke to her telling her that we were tabbed out and w
ere in the process of leaving. She said that there was no problem and to have a good night. As Tad and I left the Bar, Tad politely told “the Blonde” and band to have a good evening. We began walking towards the downtown and were almost to the Pilot Light when none other than Robinella herself and her posse came running out of Barley’s. We stopped and waited, after all its not every day that a semi-famous local vocalist runs down the street in heels. We thought she was coming to apologize for “the Blonde’s” behavior. We were sadly mistaken.
The first words out of Robinella’s mouth in her most dainty country voice were “I don’t appreciate you being rude to my friend.” Tad and I were shocked. “Excuse me?” I retorted. She responded, “I don’t appreciate you being rude to my friend.” I replied “were you there when your friend spoke to us?” She said no, so I said “then you don’t have any room to talk to us about our implied rudeness to your friend.” Robinella’s next statement (again) was “I don’t appreciate you being rude to my friend.” Tad said “we don’t have a problem paying five dollars for a show we are going to see, but we had tabbed out and your friend “the Blonde” kept asking us for money.” My response to her was “that I had seen your band several times and I have always paid the cover, so the problem is not my willingness to pay money to see you perform.” Robinella replied in her most pathetic tone “That money goes to my husband and me, blah, blah, blah.” We both tried to explain that were not going to pay a cover for a show we were not going to see and that the band wasn’t even playing. At this point, Robinella began crying and ran back down the street and we walked on slightly confused.
Conclusions
- If Robinella is so hard up for money that she would chase tabbed out patrons down Jackson Avenue and accost them for money, then maybe she needs to get a day job. http://www.jobs.com/
- If she is unwilling to get a day job, she should take a tip from our local homeless population when asking for money and say “I don’t mean to bother you . . . or forgive me sir . . .”
posted by The Intern at 2:33 PM
18 Comments:
Thank god this was posted! There is nothing more annoying than being harassed by the Gestapo when you are trying to have a good time. I mean, I see NO problem in paying for live music, if I am actually going to HEAR it. I think "the Blonde" was rude, as was Robinella to chase after a couple of people for a few bucks when the band had not even started playing!!
So, I have a house full of folks from out of town. A handful of which were beer enthusiasts. After spending the weekend in the house I elected to take them out to where there was a nice selection of beer. Sunday afternoon I figured Barley’s would be a nice quiet place to get hammered. We arrived around 4:00PM, ordered some food and numerous beers. Right around dusk some left-handed lesbian Eskimo midget albino (don’t ask me how I knew she was left-handed) told us that is going to be five dollars a piece. And I said NO NO we didn’t order any shots! LLEMA (not to be confused with FEMA) said “No it’s for the live band.” To which I replied there is no live band. The LLEMA countered with “we are having a live band tonight.” To which I replied you are ruining my buzz. She insisted $5 (Though the band was not even set up on stage yet). Basically, the LLEMA chased us out leaving a bitter Barley after-taste. This could be from the beer, but more likely from having been harassed while eating dinner on a Sunday afternoon. One of my guests has booked shows in a much larger city for the past ten years enquired “is there much live music in Knoxville?” I told him yes. For him to follow up with “can’t they at least let you finish eating, before being harassed over the cover?” Which is my question to you all . . .
First, let me say that I have no personal problem with Robinella, or her music. In fact I have enjoyed seeing her band several times (Which I paid the cover for each time).
What I have a problem with is the tactics that they used to try to get money out of a tabbed out patron.
1. My friend and I were both at Barley’s early, before the cover was in effect (Let me repeat there was no cover, no doorman etc . . .).
2. We just wanted a quick beer, we were not there to watch the show, and we were trying to leave well before the show started.
3. We were leaving when “the Blonde” demanded money.
4. The band was not playing and not on stage practicing.
5. If being rude to “the Blonde” is simply stating that we are not there to see the band perform, the band is not performing, we are tabbed out and leaving, so no we are not giving you $5 cover, then I guess I am rude.
I do think that if you go in early to eat at Barleys, it would be nice not to be harrassed by the money collector.
Also, if you state you're on your way out, that should be respected and not assumed that you're just trying to slide by from paying for the cover.
I've conversed with Robin on several occasions. My guess is she thought she was standing up for her "friend". After talking to you two she probably realized she only got one side of the story, and she was a bit embarrassed (and maybe a little over emotional given her spiel about supporting her family).
She does have a day job.
This is an interesting blog about my blog on Robinella and the CCPatron-Chasers.
http://funhouserock.com/funhouse/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1983&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Knoxville never has been a normal city anyway, so an abnormality such as this should be taken in stride with the Knoxville version of the definition of normality. I witnessed the entirety of this wretched play, and I must confess that ‘The Blonde’—perhaps Eva would be a better nickname—was horribly brutish in her attempt to acquire money for the non-existent performance of Robinella and the CCCP players. It must have been a trick of the light, but for a brief moment the old city and Barley’s appeared shimmer and subsequently disappear, only to be replaced by the Bürgerbräu Keller. Luckily for those involved, Robinella’s SA tax-specialist was quickly defeated and their Barley’s Putsch was foiled. Soon after, the shimmering began anew and the normal scenery returned. Now we must wonder as to what would have happened had our protagonists been defeated. Would Eva’s success have allowed for the possession of the beloved old city by a ghost of Munich’s past? Would Robinella have been friendlier? Alas, these are things that we will never know. However, we do now know that we must tread lightly while under the gaze of that vile harpy while her blood is heated by the thought of exacting her tax.
Hunter
I wholeheartedly agree that being repeatedly hounded for a cover charge when you're not even going to be there when the band plays is HORRIBLE.
But your conclusions attack Robinella (who was only defending her friend based off of the blonde's one-sided description of events), instead of focusing on the blonde who apparently is the culprit here.
Robinella did NOT, according to your own story, chase you down Jackson for a cover charge. She did, according to your own story, chase you down for being rude to her friend, whose one-sided account was all she had to go on (which probably mentioned the Gestapo comment, I bet).
Well at least the Barley's managment stepped in and let it go. I wonder if they're aware of the style of money collecting of Robinella's door person. I know Barley's normally has a policy of not making you pay if you're at the club/restaurant/bar before they ever start taking money. That's usually how most places operate. Seriously, how many people are really going to go through the hassle to show up at a venue a few hours early and hang out just to avoid paying a small cover to see a band that can be seen every week. Sheesh!
This may come as no surprise to those of you who've had a previous encounter with "the blonde," but this may be the "second strike" for our Gestapo-greeter from the Barley's management. Two months ago, a similar situation unfolded as a blind man was leaving Barley's, just after finishing a hawaiian pizza and two pints of Guiness. It was 7:55 pm, a good five minutes before the announced showtime. As the blind man’s seeing-eye dog passed by “the blonde’s” toll booth, it’s wagging tail swiped the metal collection box off the table, and a cloud of ones, fives, tens, and twenties erupted from the flying box as it fell to the floor. In a rage, “the blonde” shouted, “Hold it, RIGHT THERE, DARKMAN!” Sensing the incendiary rage from the woman was directed at its blind owner, the shaggy Golden Retriever started barking at the furious albino woman. “Alright, four eyes, get him the F--- OUTTA HERE!”
Shocked and appalled, the blind man followed his threatened, loyal friend directly into the women’s restroom. After a shrieking scream was heard, a Barley’s manager emerged from the back elevator, with a trailing cloud of reefer smoke. The disoriented blind man was escorted out of the women’s restroom, and confronted by “the blonde.” “This man was trying to leave without paying the cover charge! declared the angry albino to her dazed and grinning manager. “And his f---ing dog was creating a diversion for his escape!” “Awww, man, that’s a beautiful lab!” mumbled the manager, completely oblivious to the shouting creature. “Come here, sweet boy!” Squatting down and scratching the dog’s head and ears, the baked manager said, “This dog looks like he’s smilin’ at me, man!” “Hey Dipshit! This dog is an accomplice!,” shouted the woman. The calm, but annoyed manager told the blond, “Your fired, man. Pack your shit.” Laughing, the blonde said, “You can’t fire me, asshole, I don’t even work here!” By this time, two other managers stepped on the scene, escorted all involved parties outside, and sent “the blonde” home for the night. True story. So, if you’re going to Barley’s on Sunday night, throw individual sugar packets at “the blonde.” You can throw them from the upstairs balcony, or the eating area adjacent to the toll booth.
I completly understand. I frequently get to go food from Barley's. I have repededly had to argue with "the Blonde" about paying a cover to simply walk 10 feet to retrieve my food.
-B
Your comments could be construed as rude if you indeed called the blonde gestapo and then proceeded to make reference to Germany in 1938. Though you were in the right to not pay up, those comments were above the top. Why on the other hand did Robinella not just blow this off instead of cantering down the street in heels after you? That is the question.....
How could those comments be rude when they were so apt?
Hunter
Viva italia . . . I told "the Blonde" to stop acting like the Gestapo; I didn't call her the Gestapo (Which in retrospect may have been more fitting).
"die papiere bitte . . ."
I should have added that you definitely had the right to be rude to the blonde, in efforts to try to stifle her maddening harrassment.
I have a feeling that R&CCCB will have a big crowd this Sunday, at least around 7/7:30 just to walk out as Ilsa Braun starts the goosestep.µ
I have been to barleys many many times on sunday nights, and while I'll admit that they are a little pushy about collecting the cover charge you should see the # of people I've seen who try to get away with not paying! That band actually brings a lot of business in for Barley's and they don't get paid by the restaurant just the cover charge so it is a big deal... And as far as Robinella goes, it sounds like she was just trying to defend her friend and the fact that you made her cry is really pretty awful.
What a bunch of drama :\
Girl tries to get pushy, gets pushed back, Robin embarrasses herself.
The power of blogs, peeps.
This account, if true, is very atypical. I go to Barley's to hear Robinella regularly, probably 50 times from 2003 to 2007,and I get there early for a good table. I have seen numerous people who arrive before money was assessed stay to watch the show without paying. I have never seen "the blonde" (her name is April and she is still there) hassle anyone who left before the show started. Robinella is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
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