Charlie Boy | Corner Bistro | Printers Alley | Gabby O’Hara’s | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
9th month of Pint&Pen&Paper calls for the 9th song of The Lumineers’ debut album. Charlie Boy is a tune with not a lot of words but they have a ton of meaning. It is also a personal song for the band’s lead singer, Wesley Schultz, as it is a story about his family.
Charles J. Schultz is Wesley Schultz’s uncle. Charlie was a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps who died in Vietnam on June 3, 1967. According to his brother Peter Schultz, “He did not have to go to Nam or even into the military as he had been accepted into the U. of Michigan School of Natural Resources and would have been exempt. He was in Nam for 30 days when he died in a firefight in Quang Tri province. A devotee of JFK, he answered Kennedy's call by going into the Marines and to Nam.” (Source: Peter Schultz)
Lillian was Charlie’s mother. She raised an honorable man who thought it was his duty to go to war because his “country needed him.”
This chorus describes the instruments played at fallen servicemen & servicewomen funerals. Three-volley salutes with rifles are also done at military funerals. This drill and ceremony is performed by the Honor Guard who fire blanks into the air three times.
Upland Ave in Metuchen is a suburban town in New Jersey. It is where Charlie Schultz’s family lived. The sons’ rebelling could likely mean that as more lives such as Charlie's were being lost, more and more young Americans in the 1960s didn’t believe in the Vietnam War. Fathers at the time were of the WWII generation, a war that was a justified consensus regarding American involvement, so they may have had a much more difficult time comprehending that ‘60s American kids didn’t want to fight in Vietnam. Mothers clutching the cross symbolizes that they just hoped everything would work out.
Sad but a meaningful song. Much of the Lumineers’ debut album called The Lumineers is set from the perspective of the Schultz family in the 1960s growing up in the suburbs of New York City, so Charlie’s death would have a profound impact on the family.
On to the pints of Guinness…
Guinness Challenge Season #1
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Corner Bistro by Billy Idol
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Jack from Dublin is the bartender. Bistro Burger is recommended. The patron ladies next to me are a fan of chili and tater tots. They love Corner Bistro, “We can’t leave the door without seeing the neon lights. I’ve already donated my life savings to this place.” Crogans is Jack’s favorite pub in Ireland. The girls next to me are from California & Maryland. They love The City. They said besides the Guinness go with the cider or Dark & Stormy.
Corner Bistro has an elite burger. It is featured in How I Met Your Mother’s Season 4 Episode 2. Corner Bistro is one of the last bohemian bars in West Greenwich Village and has been serving customers since the earlier part of this century. The original ambiance is pretty much unchanged and they like to keep it that way. Very cool spot! I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Corner Bistro again soon!
Song On In The Background: Cocody Rock by Alpha Blondy
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Jets and Giants helmets behind the bar. Brick wall with some very cool old signs. Jade is the bartender, she’s from this town called Pearl River and has been at Printers Alley for about a month. The wings and quesadillas are recommended, she also recommends the spicy or frozen margarita. The Saloon is her favorite bar back home. Miss Denoyelles was her favorite teacher. Shout out Miss Denoyelles, a great English teacher! Printer’s Alley is a Nashville, Tennessee bar in The City. Steelers bar with Terrible Towels. They also have an outdoor alley and a downstairs bar with a pool & cornhole. It will also be the host for a wedding party later tonight. They have a phenomenal sound system.
This was the first bartender thus far where I’ve got the quote, “I’ve literally been to a party at your house.” It was very funny, you never know who you’ll talk to when you start asking questions while drinking pints of Guinness. Go Pirates! Printers Alley is located around Times Square but brings Nashville up North. They have an excellent selection of craft beer, cocktails, and a food menu. Plus, they show all sports. This bar has a great size with a main bar, a huge basement, and an alley out back that would be perfect for private parties. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Printers Alley again soon!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Nicole is from County Kerry. She recommends the chicken pot pie. The owner is from Galway. Nicole used to go out with a man from Connemara. Galway sign hanging up on the wall. Maroon is Galway’s colors. Did Taylor Swift write Maroon about Galway? Behind the bar is a sign that states, “If you’re drinking to forget, please pay in advance.” Newspaper about the Titanic is on the wall as well, as are signed hurling sticks hanging from the ‘06 Loughrea and Connacht champs. They also have a picture of Mohammad Ali holding a hurling stick outside of Croke Park. The back of the Irish pub is filled with Irish writers, poets, and authors such as Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift, Sean O’Casey, Patrick Kavanaugh, WB Yeats, George B. Shaw, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and Brendan Behan.
Very nice of Taylor Swift to write Maroon about Galway. Sadly she has not yet chosen me to go dancing with in New York 🫤. I bet she looks great in Maroon. Gabby O’Hara was the owners' grandmother from Galway. In the past, Gaby O’Hara has sponsored Gaelic and Hurling clubs. If you’re by Bryant Park and looking for a classic Irish pub with a great pint of Guinness, shepherd’s pie, bangers ‘n’ mash, with a jukebox of tunes that plays everything from the Wolfe Tones to Taylor Swift, check out Gabby O’Haras. I look forward to grabbing another pint there again soon!