The Four Residents of Nightlife Culture

      

by Gamal Hennessy

All nightlife patrons are not created equal.

I am not talking about differences in race, income, social status or gender. I am not referring to the reasons they might go out or the things they might like to do or the places they might like to go. The personal preferences of one patron and another is a natural and normal expression of individuality. I am talking here about basic patterns of behavior. I’m referring to the perspectives that separate one person from another and directly influence that person’s nightlife experience and the experience of the people around him or her. In my experience I have found that there are four types of residents in the nightlife space; operators, natives, amateurs and fanatics.

Operators: make the nightlife machine work. They are the people who offer the services and experiences that patrons come to enjoy. Operators exist on many levels and perform a wide variety of functions. Everyone from the owner of a venue to the manager, bartender, DJ, musician, hostess, waitress, security guard, dancer, sound technician and promoter are one level or another “operating” in nightlife. For many of them it is a passion. For all of them it is a business. Whenever you go out and enjoy a good party at a well run venue, with no fights, good service and a positive atmosphere, you have the operators to thank from the top of the food chain all the way down the line.

Natives: see nightlife as their natural habitat like a polar bear in the arctic or a tiger in the jungle. They are the people who spend a lot of time in nightlife and maintain a harmonious relationship with it. These are the people who go out to on a regular basis for a variety of different reasons and experiences; lounging with friends one night, listening to new music on another night, meeting clients for drinks and then dancing with a date at the end of the week. Some of them might know operators and use those relationships to get the inside track on the latest and greatest. All of them know the spots that best suit their personalities. The most important aspect about a native is the sense of balance. These people can drink, dance, and date several nights out of the week without sacrificing their health or their ability to work and without leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Amateurs: are relatively new to the nightlife experience. Circumstances like age, a previous lifestyle or simply being new to an urban environment have limited their exposure to clubs and the things that go on inside. New amateurs haven’t been to many venues. They don’t know what to expect when they get there. They don’t know what they can handle. They don’t know how to react in different situations and they haven’t integrated nightlife into the rest of their life. Old amateurs only go out to the clubs on rare occasions, but they go out on these same occasions every year. Although they have been exposed to nightlife on their birthday, New Year’s Eve and possibly Halloween, their relationship with nightlife is tenuous at best. Many of them still are unsure of what goes on in nightlife, many of them consume too much when they do go and many of them suffer in one way or another as a result of that over consumption. While some new amateurs evolve into natives, old amateurs shy away from repeated exposure to nightlife because of the pain associated with their over consumption.

Fanatics: combine two distinct qualities. First, they have considerable exposure to nightlife. They know where to go, they know what to do, they know what they can and can’t handle. Second they consistently strive to go beyond the limits of what they can handle with little regard for the consequences. These are the people who leave their homes at the start of the night with the mantra “Tonight, we are going to get fucked up!” They believe the volume of liquor they can drink is an indicator of their status. They see fights with other patrons and police altercations as struggles for respect and freedom. They consider the destruction of property and the disruption of people’s lives as inconsequential. They regard blackouts, hangovers and strained relationships are the cost of doing business. In the mind of the fanatic, if you’re not going to go too far, you shouldn’t bother going.

So where do you fit in?

Everyone who goes out fits into one or more categories. It might not be easy at first glance to figure out where you fit in. As I said before, it’s not based on age, standard of living, gender, race or social background. What kind of resident you are is based on your pattern of behavior and the frame of reference that guides your actions when you are out. Some patrons enhance the night, some patrons cause problems. You know who you are. The question is, are you the nightlife resident that you really want to be?

Have fun.

G 

Dealing with Drunks: A Guide for Nightlife Natives

Part 1
By Gamal Hennessy


Drinking is good. Getting drunk is not good, especially the next day. Dealing with a drunk isn’t much fun either. Unfortunately, encountering a drunk can happen in any type of venue, no matter how high class or hipster. This doesn’t mean that your night has to be ruined. As a nightlife native there are a few things you can do to contend with any drunk that crosses your path or stumbles into your table.


The first tip for any nightlife native is responsible indulgence. The whole point of nightlife is going out for pleasure. But if you drink so much that you don’t remember what happened the night before your pleasure is severely curtailed and you can’t take care of a drunk. In fact, you become the drunk that someone else has to handle. Also, if you drink so much that you are unaware of your surroundings, you won’t be able to handle a drunk because you are too busy sorting yourself out. So the goal here is to drink, but not get drunk.


The second tip is choosing the right approach for the particular drunk that you encounter. People often identify several different types of drunks with labels that remind you of the Seven Dwarves. There are sleepy, happy, angry, flirty, loud, friendly and weepy drunks. These tips don’t deal with all that nonsense. Your objective is to have fun, not try to understand the drunks underlying emotional issues. Let Dr. Drew handle all that stuff. For our purposes, there are only two types of drunks; strangers and friends.


No matter what type of drunk you are dealing with, you have to be able to recognize them first.
The editors at Wikihow offer the following signs that a person has had too much to drink:


● slurred speech
● inability to stand or sit up straight
● a strong desire to lie down or roll over
● stumbling or a questionable walking technique
● unusual, loud, or embarrassing behavior
● violent reactions
● bloodshot eyes
● feeling extreme temperature differences


Keep in mind that a display of any single behavior does not indicate drunkenness. I have friends who do some of these things while they’re sober. Also, this is not an invitation to play watchdog and stick your nose in everyone’s party. Just know that a combination of these or other behaviors in your general vicinity is a clue that you might have to use your anti-drunk skills.


Strangers: When drunken strangers rain on your parade, you’re probably not interested in taking care of them any more than you have to. While you might decide to get involved in extreme cases, your main goal is normally to remove them from your space and continue your fun.


This is more complicated than it sounds, since it is difficult to have a logical conversation with a drunk. It is usually counterproductive to argue with or try to bully someone who thinks they are stronger, faster and smarter than they really are.


There are two keys to distancing yourself from a strange drunk. First, isolate them. This could mean moving out of their general area, misleading them into leaving your space, or enlisting the drunk’s friends to collect their associate and move him for you. The second key is to notify an operator in the venue that the drunk is wandering through the venue since isolation is only a temporary solution. Any drunk who leaves could easily come back.


If you are the type of person who doesn’t like to get other people into trouble by calling the bouncer, keep in mind that you are helping and not hurting the drunk in this situation. Operators often have more training and experience in dealing with drunks than you do including TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS)  and Nightlife Best Practices. It is actually their job, not yours, to deal with drunks in the club. Finally, if the drunk could potentially endanger themselves or someone else, then you could be preventing a problem before it happens.


Again, this is not a suggestion that you blow up the spot of every dude who looks at you sideways. It is a concept to help you go back to your carousing with as little hassle as possible.


In part two of our drunken guide, we will tackle the delicate situation of dealing with one of your friends when they get drunk in public.


Have fun.
G

Su Casa: Is the Speakeasy Being Silenced?

By Gamal Hennessy

Over the past five years, speakeasies have become well established in New York nightlife. Venues like Milk and Honey, PDT, Little Branch, and Flatiron Lounge combine fresh ingredients, exotic recipes and a reserved atmosphere to create an experience reminiscent of Prohibition era nightlife.

The mood and the service in a speakeasy are different than other bars, clubs or lounges. The music is often subdued so conversation is the dominant sound. The dress code is sometimes more formal. Reservations are encouraged, if not required. The bartender, or mixologist if you will, creates cocktails using precise measurements. He or she can often explain the drinks, their origins and their ingredients in detail. They take their time with their creations, often engaging in conversation with the customers to educate and expose them to drinking experiences that might be new to them. Although some of them can be dry and pretentious, an evening in a speakeasy with an attractive woman is a great way to spend an evening after work.

A new speakeasy recently opened up in the Village on Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street. At first glance, Su Casa has all the outward trappings of a modern speakeasy. The cocktail menu is unique, leaning heavily on tequila and various Mexican flavors. The bartenders are veterans of well known venues like Milk and Honey. It’s perched above the street, with huge windows that allow you to gaze down at the scurrying students and commuters while you drink the night away. Halfway through your first Paloma, you’ll feel like the speakeasy trend is alive and well.

But then you’ll realize something isn’t right. Su Casa opens itself up for college parties. Su Casa offers bottle service on the weekends. The DJ booth and flat screen TVs discourage conversation. The veteran mixologist spends more time stuffing lime into Corona bottles than he does muddling haberanos and he doesn’t look to happy about it. These are not the hallmarks of a speakeasy. Once the crowd fills up the room it’s hard to distinguish Su Casa from Mixx Lounge, Fat Black Pussycat or other Village lounge.

It could be that the speakeasy trend has run its course in New York City. New venues might feel the need to offer specialty cocktails without the other semi-exclusive trappings that decrease potential revenue. Su Casa might represent the tail end of a movement, but if you go there do yourself a favor. Skip the Corona and ask the bartender to make you something special. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Have fun.
Gamal