death of the 88

so... basically. my favorite open mic in columbus has gone all to shit. like, basically the place is owned by james. he's a cool dude. then there's sky the bartender, and jimmy the open mic host. it used to be that james would host the open mic himself. he was a good host, and while he did host it, the open mic was good. in fact, great. the greatest open mic in columbus no less. but, alas, he's handed it over. I've spoken with him a few times and it generally boils down to having too many things to do and the like, you know the usual, small business owner and all that. so at the end of the day, the open mic got handed over to jimmy. now jimmy's calling over folks from the YMCA right across the street, a notorious drug spot and the like, and now 60-year old puking old guys and some of the worst hobo-style dressers in town populate the seats. its rowdier, its louder, its unfriendlier, and its not the open mic i came to love. basically... james had it way better. you would look forward to getting on the stage. but then like... jimmy took it over. we showed up tonight with guitar in hand, to see a few folks doing some hard rock stuff. they got off, jimmy got on. and so began the rotating chair of drummers. when too drunk to continue, after having played way too loud, jimmy got off the stage.

but instead of fixing the mic for us and calling us out on the mic, they kinda just left us on there to our own devices. in fact i wasnt quite sure we could even take the stage at first at all. jimmy had a few days earlier, maybe a week, came up to our studio session and demanded a ride back right at 8am, after we'd been at work for over 8 hrs and awake for over 24. it was unrealistic. and it wasnt even our town. we had before us a 1.5 hour drive. people in columbus need their own rides. getting yourself back to your house is something everyone needs to be able to do. there are busses, they run early, and at the first sign of a running bus, my girlfriend dropped them off and they walked. now i feared they were perhaps a little bristled from that experienced still today. but as it was jimmy was just drunk off his ass. sky also was kinda distant, the bar full, and i nearly felt sorry for the guy hah, with the filthiest bunch of crowd ive ever seen in that place. but the open mic has decayed into something no longer worthy or even filled with mere remnants of the former glory of James's open mic. its devolved into something much worse, unhealthily loud, with practical bums in the seats, jimmy and his own self promotion for his band, the lack of goodwill and camradery, and instead just vacant drinking.

james's open mic stood for something. it was a place where musicians could come, sit comfortably, get a half off special on drinks, and basically get a chance to get on stage, perhaps also with some sagely advice from the bar owner himself, james. not only this, but because there were never a huge number of players, you could sit on the stage multiple times, or for a long stretch. talking badly about any of the other musicians was always frowned upon, and a guy we used to see around there alot, kendal halman, ended up being asked to leave for more or less confronting my girlfriend and telling her how badly he thought she sounded. this of course by itself was the worst thing id heard a single person say at the bar, but it wasnt just that, it got worse. the guy with his friends who started jamming on anitas guitar. and then the group of people who asked us to play something we know. real fuckin rude. but as james made himself absent, his replacements and standins didn't enforce the rules. basically the crowd became rowdier, and even some of the musicians have begun insulting one another. not only that, the current host seems more intent on self promotion and drinking than putting on a show. that, and the mess of a crowd seems rougher, sleazier, and shadier than ever.

for isntance, a girl and a guy came out of the dudes restroom tonight. anita caught that. i was just surprised. that, and the 60 year old guy puking outside. or the lady inside asking us for 2 dollars for the band, reminding me alot of the bums on the street. and then the musicians themselves. we're talking 90s grunge cover after 90s grunge cover. only... i think instead of even dignifying it with the word 90s, or ... cover really... and instead i'll say this. jimmy is the new kendall. loud, annoying, depressing, causing scuffles, and just no good. if james was smart, he'd get rid of jimmy. as is, james refuses even to show up. yes, while his bar remains open, during his own open mic, he is ... nowhere to be found. james has abandoned the open mic to jimmy and his least favorite bartender, sky. now ive got a bone to pick, because james put himself out there, as a mentor, to a great many people, then took himself away. not only that, by removing himself, and replacing himself with a dude that didn't adhere to any of the typical things that james himself would have as a standard deal with the open mic, he basically left the entire scene of people who loved the old james-style open mic out to dry, moving them out the bar, and bringing in jimmy's crew, the ymca drug addicted downtown homeless vagabond crew.

now jimmy himself does alot of drugs, but not only that, he's got many friends that do too. thats his business, as in, i dont have a say in it, but, i do have a say with whom i associate with, and for those reasons, i'd certainly avoid the guy. we took him out to the studio and it was terrible. he just sat there blaring guitars through amps while we were listening through to our tracks. i mean it was just unprofessional. not only that, we were on the clock. if it isnt common sense not to do stupid shit while someones on the clock in a studio, i dont know what is. so that was a bad experience. and honestly, i just seem to have more bad than good experiences when it comes to musicians and music. like... gin for isntance, we drove to columbus for her in the first place, but when we got there, she flaked out. an hour and a half drive for nothing. then there was preston. he played guitar... but also played us. his friend... mine too, whose name escapes me, was just a stoner closet-gay guy more interested in getting laid than playing songs. chris was never really much of a musician. but bottom line is, ive gone down the line, and out of all those people, really just anita worked out. now... i realize that ive used my own numbers to say 5,000 is about right to meet if you want 50 good friends.

the same probably holds true for musicians. youve got to meet alot of them to really take stock of who rocks who sucks and also to generally find yourself enough cool people to do what youre trying to. its just a matter of getting out there, sticking with it, and achieving your goals. thats it bottom line really. its a numbers game and we didnt even try to roll the die. but the 88 was the best open mic. and then there was like... the jimmy thing, so its no longer visitable. so andymans is the best. and then i'd say... thirsty ear is up there. those are the two worth visiting i'd say. its a shame because so many of these places close down, or have very good reasons not to go. here's an idea though. get ons tage, @ an open mic, after securing a gig somewhere in the city. have printed papers to hand out, get a friend or 2 to hand 'em out while you play. do like every open mic that week. youll get maybe 10 people to show up to your show that week hah. might be a good way to do it. but jimmy definately had the job go to his head. like his life seems empty beyond the whole open mic host role. so i guess its good he has it. but its sad that basically he puts on such a bad show. as an open mic host he sucks. as a person, he's mildly interesting, like most confusing things are, but in the end, boring.