.. photos gleefully swiped from soundonthesound.com
SOME KIND WORDS ABOUT THE BLUE MOON
"The scariest bar in Seattle." -- Tom Scanlon, Seattle Times
"I hear that place is a dump." -- Ricker, KISW-FM
"If you've seen the bar in the first Star Wars movie, this is as close as it gets in real life." -- Anonymous, pubcrawler.com
"There seems to be a large majority of homeless drunk people who really need to wash their balls and asses." -- Clay "Stinky" Eldrege
"Incidentally, you probably know that the Blue Moon Tavern is famously the one-time hangout of Theodore Roethke. While this lends the place a certain infamy, the place is still a dive." -- Mike Pope
"When Seattlest Dan and Seattlest MVB were in there recently we hadn't been sitting for ten minutes before some woman from Alaska dumped the contents of her purse on our table and sprayed us with cheap perfume. She got 86'd about 20 times and every time she returned she'd show up at the table looking for her phone and her coat." -- Dan Gonsiorowski, seattlest.org
"Supposedly, the city has gotten pretty sick of it and is trying to shut the place down. Usually I'd have a soft spot in my heart for places of Historical significance, but in this case, I say turn tear it down and put up a Jamba Juice." -- Johnny H., yelp.com
"The blue moon sucks, stinking ratinfested bumhaven shithole." -- Chris Townsend, "musician"
"At the Blue Moon, it seems like the doorman should ask for proof of medical insurance, as well as ID." -- Tom Scanlon (again)
"...the "winner" [at Conor Byrne's open mic] gets to 'open' for some crappy two-fruit band ('Blowdog and Sneezy' or whatthefuggever) next Wednesday at the Blue Moon tavern. The Blue Moon, by the way, is not a gig you take when things are going well.... So yeah, I win the dumb thing and figure that I'm supposed to open the show for no money and no freebies at the Blue Moon. Last Place got an envelope filled with the overwhelming relief that they don't feel a weird obligation to open for Blowhole and Chewy at a bar that has a Lost and Found for livers and hope." -- Geoff Lott, comedian
"...you deserve to be shot. Fuck you Blue Moon" -- Little Rusty from the band Knucklehead
ABOUT THE BLUE MOON (from historylink.org)
Seattle's Blue Moon Tavern first opened its doors at 712 NE 45th Street near the University of Washington on or near April 15, 1934. Founded by Hank Reverman, the tavern was an instant hit with students who, under state law, had to trek one mile from campus to buy a beer. During the 1950s and 1960s, subsequent owners Jack and Jim David and, later, Stanford Poll (1940-2000) welcomed an assortment of radicals, artists, writers, journalists, beatniks, hippies, and wannabees. Poets Theodore Roethke (1901-1963), Richard Hugo (1924-1982), Carolyn Kizer (b. 1925), Stanley Kunitz (b.1909), and David Wagoner could often be found at the bar, along with famous visitors such as Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997).
After a long decline in 1970s, the Blue Moon rose anew under management by Three Fools, Inc. In 1989, it was threatened with demolition. Although a popular preservation campaign failed to secure the Moon official landmark status in 1990, developers were persuaded to spare the tavern and it continues to pursue its eccentric orbit to the present day (1999).
Shortly after the repeal state and federal laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, Henry J. Reverman took his college trust fund and invested to create a new tavern in the shell of a former garage near the corner of 8th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street. Reverman and his partner, Monty Fairchild, dubbed it the "Blue Moon" after purchasing a large neon sign from the nearby Blue Moon Cafe. They opened for business in mid-April 1934.
State law then banned alcohol sales within one mile of the University of Washington Campus, and the Blue Moon lay just over the line. It was an instant success with students, particularly members of the UW football team. Reverman hired local boxers Freddy Steele (1907-1990), Cecil Payne (1906-1959), and "Doc" Snell to keep order.
Monty Fairchild sold his interest in the Moon and founded the Rainbow Tavern just a few doors away. Reverman in turn sold the Moon to Maude Walsh (1906-1968) and Vera McCracken in 1940. (He used the proceeds to found the Lake Union Air Service.) Under the new owners, the Blue Moon was one of the rare bars outside of the Central Area to serve African American servicemen during World War II.
In 1950, brothers Jack and Jim David took over the Blue Moon and welcomed a growing coterie of artists, writers, political radicals, and "beatniks." The tavern's reputation among the avant garde was secured by the frequent patronage of poets Theodore Roethke, Richard Hugo, Carolyn Kizer, and Stanley Kunitz, among others. Dylan Thomas, James Farrell, and Allen Ginzberg (possibly also Jack Kerouac) visited when passing through Seattle. The tavern also provided a haven for UW professors such as Joe Butterworth who were caught up in the McCarthyist purge led by the Canwell Committee.
Jim David sold his share to his brother Jack in 1959. In turn, Jack sold the Blue Moon to Stanford Poll and Dr. Paul Chilton in 1966. They enlarged the tavern to make room for the hordes of hippies and New Leftists who began to supersede the Moon's traditional clientele of beatniks and Old Leftists. The Blue Moon became famous (or infamous) as a clubhouse for Seattle's emerging counterculture. Former Communist Stan Iverson (1927-1985) reigned as its unofficial maitre 'd.
Restaurateur Jerry Kingen attempted in vain to gentrify the Moon in 1970. He sold it to a former bartender, "Fast Eddy" McWhinnie, in 1974. Lack of capital and an increasingly ugly drug scene contributed to the Moon's long descent.
The tavern was rescued from certain eclipse in 1982 by "Three Fools, Inc.," comprising partners Gustav Hellthaler, Robert Morrison, and John Caldbick. Two years later, in 1984, the Blue Moon was refurbished for its 50th anniversary and won a new generation of customers.
Stan Poll negotiated a long lease that he thought would protect the tavern and sold his interest to Chilton. Clouds appeared in 1989 when Chilton sold the Blue Moon's building to Westlake Capital, which announced plans to replace the tavern with a new retail/condominium project. A spirited public campaign was mounted to block demolition by convincing the City of Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board to designate the Blue Moon as a cultural landmark. The effort secured broad public and media support, but landmark designation failed on a tie vote on March 7, 1990.
Tavern supporters and neighborhood leaders did not relent, and Westlake Capital principals were genuinely moved by the outpouring of public affection for the Blue Moon. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Hans Aschenbach, president of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Alliance, the parties concluded a settlement on May 4, 1990, scaling back the proposed development and extending the Blue Moon's lease to 2034 -- which, barring disaster, will mark the centennial of its founding.
Music
Check our calendar for all the happenings.
Movies
You know, a guy made a Blue Moon documentary back in 2001, but all it does is perpetuate the myth that Tom Robbins hangs out here. He doesn't. Also in the film are interviews with "regulars" that nobody ever sees here. Nothing here on our music scene simply because back in 2001 it was shit (although the ending features a song and appearance by an early incarnation of The Hollowpoints.) But there are some decent interviews with a few people we actually know and love. Anyhow, if you wanna watch it -- and who doesn't love RealPlayer? -- you can watch it here.
Oh, and somebody made this short back in 2000:
Television
Books
Oh, we got a lot of 'em. Don't know where they come from, don't know where they go, but our motto remains: Take a book, leave a book (or at least bring it back when you're done.) Naive? Absolutely, which is why the book turnover is high. The last few books I snagged include a paperback copy of Thomas Pynchon's V (and I, like everyone else who gets their mitts on a copy, won't be reading a word of it), a Peter Sellers biography, one of those Steinbecks I shoulda read in high school and a book on the legends of ping pong called "Sizzling Chops & Devlish Spins." If you have books to donate/get rid of, drop us a line.
THURSDAY SHOWS START AT 9 PM
FRI-SAT SHOWS START AT 10 PM
EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT is the Bum One Hotel DJ's at 8 PM.
EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT is Angry Joey's Open Mic. Signup at 8PM.
EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT is the Mt. Non-fiction Sessions at 8 PM
WED 12.24
THE FIFTH ANNUAL BLUE MOON MIDNIGHT MASS AND CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Feat. Blowdog & Sneezy, DJ Country Mike,
And some other sacrilegious freaks, too!
INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED? SEND ME AN E-MAIL!
maybe a little early but my freelance work is dried up so I got too much spare time on me hands! FvF is doing Oly w/ Monotonix this weekend! lookin forward...
I'll be playing at Beyond the Bridge Cafe's "Live at BBC" monthly show this Friday.
The show starts at 7 and I'll be going on at 8 so make sure and call (253-863-0556), email (ben@beyondthebridgecafe.com), send a MySpace message (myspace. com/beyondthebridgecafe) or just drop on by (13624 Valley Ave E in Sumner next to the Old Cannery) to get you and your friends on the guest list (guests must be on the list to gain entry).
The show is all ages and there's a $5 cover so I'll see you there.
Sons of the Widow James had an excellent time playing the gig last Saturday at the Blue Moon. We thank you for the gig and we look forward to working with you again. We also enjoyed the performances by Tommy Dean and Boxcar Rebellion that night. Great shows and great times! Thanks again!
