Mods vs. Rockers is a very important part of some other nations' musical history. A place where we as American's have very little understanding of their social stigmas, economy or representation other than the fact that as consumers, we enjoy their music.
Indie-rock culture pays homage to that style of the 60's with the scooter and motorcycle events where nothing really happens other than for owners of both to parade around town - showing off their engines and packing pubs and patios around Greenville Ave to engage in a little ultra non-violence.
But underneath that 'well-rounded' display are the city's most disgusting, foul-looking lot of non-contributors to talent or tip-jars... burnouts and hipsters.
First of all, let's go back a bit to some recent Dallas history.
Before there were McMansions on Greenville Ave, there were squatters, artists and blue collar workers. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, because there was a nice vibe up and down that area with plenty of crazy shit to do. Arcadia Theatre was a dying out from a successful run as a venue and was constantly cycling through with different business owners.
Anything goes on Lower Greenville. Back then, Muddy Waters was cutting rails in a different location on Lowest Greenville and The Royal Rack was that scary-as-fuck reggae bar in between. There were some decent bars coming into the scene making Greenville Ave their home, but with plenty of business owners getting away with crime, they had a pretty shady clientele base.
Now that those shady bars that couldn't get cleared for permits by the city's code crackdown, much better libation consumers are moving in - setting up some legit spots.
You could go into the Slipp-inn at 8:00 in the morning up until some 6 years ago and see some wide-eyed fuckers nursing a luke-warm lager and trying to make a point for hours. If you didn't want that and would prefer something slightly more jarring then you could go to The Winedale Tavern and see something more interesting there.
As these places started closing down, all of those burnouts head on over to the old crow and at nights, the dumpy hipsters that are like the owls in our futurama, haunt the area at night... sucking down Goldmines and Pabst without a a red cent in the jar.
I've been strapped before sure, but I've also been immensely generous 97% of the time. I've got a reputation to protect, kind of like the one I'm making right now.
Last year when I worked at The Crown & Harp, there was a dude that came in one night and he was like, "Yeah man I used to own the Royal Rack around the corner. Hire me as your bartender and I'll have a line going out the door!"
I told him, "Yeah full of underage drinkers."
burnout: "uh..."
Yeah. That's not happening - but I gave the guy an application anyway, everyone should have an opportunity!
Some of these people are still employed. As a matter of fact, they have one old 'burnout' who is still trying to hold onto some piece of the action. Just like 'their ilk', they leave all the hard work to everyone else so that they can be a bartender. They don't cut fruit or wipe down bottles, and they hold onto those old days...
...The ones that are quickly fading away.