You see all these shows on TV nowadays--The Hills, Jersey Shore, Real World--all filled with seemingly exaggerated drama. Add in a bottle of your favorite alcohol (my poison is Jager), and the drama escalates. Drama, drama, drama. Well blah, blah, blah. Try spending a week at a gay bar. No, try spending a DAY at a gay bar. We'll show you the true meaning of "drama queen." But we don't behave like drunk adolescents on crack simply for ratings and a chance at our own personal 15 minutes of fame--no, we do it all willingly, as if there's some unspoken agreement that it's okay for us to behave, on occasion, like horrible human beings.
As a gay man in his 20's, I spend my fair share of time out in the bars, looking for whatever it is we look for. But I'm also a bartender at one of these fabulous establishments. I've seen behind the curtain, so to speak, and the glamour has lost some of it's sparkle. It's given me a chance to take a step back from the nightlife, to be a part of it, without drowning completely in my dirty martini and losing myself in the mystique that we've created.
We bartender's hear some pretty interesting things. We see thing's that are even more outrageous. People come to see us, they like to flirt with us for free drinks (yes, we aren't all fooled into thinking that you might actually be into us), but more times than not, you forget about us as soon as you get your vodka tonic. Don't get me wrong, we don't care. We're there to serve the party, not be a part of it. But make no mistake, we are there, and we do see things, and we remember them in the morning. Luckily for all of us, discresion comes along with the job as well.
Still, the more I serve, and the more people I get drunk, and the more I go out and act as much a fool as the next skinny jeans wearing homo, at some point I have to stop and wonder...why? What is this all about? Why do we keep making the same mistakes night after night? It can't possibly be because we all just black-out and forget, can it? I mean, honestly, how many more times can I possibly stumble down Santa Monica Blvd., how many more times can I wake up telling myself that that will be my last night of jager bombs? I know I'm not the only person who can mark various spots throughout the city that they've thrown up at (my favorite time was right by the Coast Playhouse, right as a play was letting out--bet y'all weren't expecting THAT kind of show).
That is my quest. To understand what we're all looking for. To understand why we constantly seem to get off on acting like teenagers with no self-control, self-respect or understanding of consequences. To understand why maturity and "a good time" seem to be mutually exclusive. And to have a good time and some good laughs along the way.
So, let me offer everyone a toast, overheard from one of my dearest customers:
"Cheers to lying, cheating, stealing and drinking. Lying to save your best friend's life, cheating death out of one more day, stealing a young man or woman's heart, and drinking with good friends like you."
Lord, I need a drink.
Jesse
No comments:
Post a Comment