American Girl | Off The Wagon | Crown Alley | Jungle Bird | YouTube Rabbithole
Hi @YouTheReader,
American Girl by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers was recorded on July 4th, 1976. 2 Centuries to the day of the birth of the country, wow. Somehow it did not chart on the US Billboard at all and it only peaked at #40 in the UK in the summer of 1977. That said, it is widely considered one of Tom Petty’s best songs. Rolling Stone listed it at #169 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Rolling Stone also listed it as the #76 on The Greatest Guitar Songs of all time. Before diving into the lyrics, I think my favorite part of the tune is how it starts, the 0:20 mark when the second guitar comes in. As Rolling Stone describes it, “The supercharged riff set the template for decades of Petty hits, but it was also a homage to the Byrds: Petty and Mike Campbell’s twin guitars mirrored Roger McGuinn’s 12-string, infusing the folk-rock sounds of the 1960s with New Wave energy."
Tom Petty once said, “The American Girl is just one example of this character that I write about a lot. The small-town kid who knows there’s something more out there, but gets fucked up trying to find it. I always felt sympathetic with her.” In Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial debut, Dementia 13 (1963), the protagonist in the films states, "Especially an American girl... you can tell she's been raised on promises." (SongFacts)
Okay, so this part of the story is very tragic. Tom Petty’s hometown was Gainesville, Florida. During the 1960s, legend has it that a University of Florida student who was an American girl decided to take hallucinogens and thought she could fly. This would explain the balcony line as well as the 441, which is likely a reference to US Route 441 which is by Beaty Towers. Tom Petty denied that this was the case, he claimed he wrote the song, “I was living in an apartment where I was right by the freeway. And the cars would go by. In Encino, near Leon [Russell] ‘s house. And I remember thinking that that sounded like the ocean to me. That was my ocean. My Malibu. Where I heard the waves crash, but it was just the cars going by. I think that must have inspired the lyric.” (Far Out Magazine)
A great tune I heard at one of these fine drinking establishments. Nothing like an American Girl 🫠 USA Baby!!
On to the pints…
@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: American Girl by Tom Petty
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Yankees and White Sox on the TV. Smoke game. Off The Wagon was established in 1998. They have bells behind the bar that hang out the bartender’s head. They do Happy Hour on Monday to Friday where it’s $2 off the entire bar. Upstairs 2nd level is for dining and parties. This place has an old-western feel to it. I got to watch one of the MLB’s top prospects, Elly De La Cruz, make his debut for the Cincinnati Reds. As I was sipping the pint I caught his 1st at-bat which resulted in a walk. It was riveting.
The Greenwich Village staple fills up with locals, tourists, and even singers like Ed Sheeran who was just there bartending earlier last week. They are home to 17 TVs and even a Giant 100” Screen. Off The Wagon has plenty of selections of drinks with 14 draft beers, 15 bottled & canned beers, and a full selection of spirits. Their kitchen is open until 4 AM every night. They also have daily specials like a Beer & a Shot for $10 and discounted pitchers on the weekends. I look forward to grabbing another pint at Off The Wagon again soon!
Song On In The Background: Fire With Fire by Armin van Buuren ft. Julia Church
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Narrow Alley Hallway type of bar. Dimly lit, would be a solid date spot. White exposed brick on the wall behind me. The bar has a granite type of feel to it because it is white granite, I googled it to confirm. Katrina is from Seattle and she is bartending. She has been in New York for 13 years, “been here long enough, too long.” The olives are her favorite thing on the menu. She is not a Seahawk fan, not into sports. Somebody’s got to review the Guinness in these conditions.
While a lot of you reading this were hunkered down in your homes with clean and fresh air, I was out in the orange smog testing out the conditions of the Guinness. Not a big deal, just, you know, somebody has got to do it. Orange smoke, sleet, hail, flooding, blizzards, you name it, it’s my responsibility to make sure the Guinness is still quality. Again, not a big deal, somebody has got to do it. Crown Alley passed with flying colors. One of Chelsea’s newest neighborhood bars provided friendly shelter. Not only do they have Guinness but they have a nice selection of craft beers and wines as well as seasonal and classic cocktails. They have over 100 whiskeys, gins, agave spirits, rums, & amaro from around the world and their list keeps growing. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Crown Alley again soon!
Song On In The Background: Good For You by Selena Gomez
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Patrick is the bartender. The owner of Jungle Bird gets his Guinness lines checked once a week, we’ll see about that… It checks, great pint! Patrick recommends the Jungle Bird Classic Malaysia cocktail. Jungle Bird has a Southeast Asian twist to the menu. Their very own version of the Jungle Bird is also recommended. Also do try the Smoke In Your Eyes, fitting considering New York City is an orange smog out there. Calamari is recommended, it has a sweet and spicy beef flavor to it. Patrick is originally from DC. He is a big sports fan. Loves the Wizards and “the Commanders until we change the name again.”
Got to talk some ball with Patrick for a bit, he knows his football, confirmed. Jungle Bird is a cocktail bar with a great pint of Guinness! Located in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, this vibrant bar is named after a classic drink of the same name. The original Jungle Bird tropical rum cocktail was created as the signature welcome drink at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Hilton in the early 1970’s. They have some cool booths and a very classy bar. I look forward to grabbing another pint at Jungle Bird again soon!
YouTube Rabbithole
American Girl - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers | Midnight Special