As I mentioned back in February, I recently had the poor judgement to agree to participate in an event put together by Small Screen Network, dubbed “Jim and Rocky’s Barback Pro-Am.”
The idea behind the series was simple: Seattle bartender Jim Romdall and bartender/bon vivant Rocky Yeh would travel along the West Coast, recruiting bloggers, writers and other miscreants to work / take abuse as a barback for the night in kind of a boozy take on “Not My Job,” while SSN’s cameras caught all the humiliation on video for the amusement of…well…sadists, really.
The good news: I didn’t seriously damage anything, with the exception of my dignity and my reputation. The bad news: I managed to screw up a few orders, a credit history or two (goddamn credit cards) and to somehow spill Simon Ford’s champagne from the other end of the bar. Plus, I got to experience the awkwardness of watching Romdall douse a big round of Ramos Fizzes with the smoky violence of Ardbeg.
Yes, really — here, watch the whole thing for yourself:
Wait, wait, wait… they gave you a “safety meeting” and then they complain that you’re slow??? How is that fair? I know that after every “safety meeting” I’ve had, I feel like I’m moving at light speed even when I’m standing still. I think that this calls for an “unnecessary roughing” penalty. As self-appointed umpire, I fine Jim and Rocky one fifth of Ardbeg to be delivered to you personally.
Pretty hard on Paul. You got to give a guy at least one night to train.
🙂
Even seasoned vets can be awkward behind another’s speed racks.
So wait, is Needle & Thread actually allowing you to call specific drinks now? They’re not doing the whole “describe your likes and dislikes, dreams, hopes, and fears, and we’ll come up with a drink for you” thing?