Pint&Pen&Paper Week 76 (Vol I)
Bags
Bags
- Lucky Lyndon
- Ted’s Corner Tavern
- Bravest
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune on the first volume of the 76th Week of Pint&Pen&Paper is Bags by Clairo. This song was on in the background at one of the fine drinking establishments of New York City while most of you were participating in Dry January.
Clairo, or Claire Cottrill, was born in the ATL but raised in Massachusetts. Her music career started in ‘11 when at 13 years old she began recording covers and posting them on Facebook. In ‘17, her own song Pretty Girl went viral on YouTube and later that year she opened up for a Tyler, the Creator show. Bags was the first single from her debut album called Immunity, as the song came out in May of ‘19. While the tune may not have reached the Billboard Hot 100 status in popularity, Bags was ranked the 48th best song of ‘19 by Billboard and Rolling Stone. The Guardian and NY Times had it landing at #9.
The cool thing about this song is that Clairo gave an interview to Genius breaking down the lyrics Verse by Verse. (Here is the Genius clip) Interviewing artists and athletes with a Pint&Pen&Paper at a pub is and has been a long-term goal for Week to Week Notes. (I know everybody likes to move in silence but this sorta interview is what I’d hope to do, eventually.)
Clairo: This song starts off with me sitting on the couch with another person. Saying that every second counts is really important when you like someone because you like someone you don’t know if they like you back, you feel like the timing is ticking so loudly. In saying that, I don’t want to talk to you anymore, I don’t want to have these random conversations that just fill space in between us.
Sidenote: That makes sense, I think everybody can relate to that in some way. Wouldn’t have known that without the interview.
Clairo: I think this person and I would joke around a lot. We would call each other random nicknames. These lines allude to “Call Me By Your Name” because it’s about a girl.
Sidenote: To be honest, before drinking a pint at one of these bars I’d not heard this song or listened to Clairo. I didn’t know she was into women and would’ve made an ass of myself wrongfully assuming it was about a guy.
Clairo: I’m only watching TV with you just to be with you. I don’t want to be watching TV, but I’m here because you’re here.
Clairo: I think when you’re having a first experience with a girl, you read into things more. I don’t know if they like girls at all, let alone me. Just being next to her is a lot better than you walking out of the door and me being left alone without her.
Sidenote: Clairo, I can speak on behalf of many men, we have no idea what the women are thinking either. Nah, but honestly this does add a different dynamic and adds some perspective.
Clairo: Mitchell is Joni Mitchell. So pour your glass of wine, Mitchell, Johni Mitchell told me I’ll be just fine. It’s an allusion to “A Case Of You” by Joni Mitchell. This person and I are driving around listening to it. A love experience as spilled wine makes sense to me. Especially when you're expressing your emotions it’s kind of like a wine stain you can’t get out after it’s been spilled. I don’t want to cut corners or jump to conclusions. I don’t want to skip steps.
Sidenote: Would’ve assumed Mitchell was just a friend of hers. This interview helps a ton. Also, the keyboard in this song is what caught my ear at the bar, it sounds great as well.
Clairo: So it’s like a balance between, do I tell you or is it going to turn out where I feel bad about expressing my emotions and I should have never said anything to begin with. The “Know you’d make fun of me” is the situation going the exact way I thought it would, she made fun of and it was just like, alright let’s just move on.
Sidenote: In the interview, she laughs about it. Without the context that could read a bit sad.
Sidenote: Unfortunately, Clairo is not perfect, as she is a Red Sox fan. Sad to hear about that, a real shame.
Great tune though, on to the pints…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@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, whom 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.
Lucky Lyndon (@luckylyndon ) 1/2 ‘24
Service & Staff: A
Guinness: 4.0 (Standard Can)
Guinness Challenge: N/A (No Logo)
Song On In The Background: Dirty Boots by Sonic Youth
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: I’m signing an executive order into action to have Levels by Avicii be played in the background for His or Her Words, Not Mine. It’ll be effective starting this upcoming Thursday. Name by the Goo Goo Dolls is a great song but kinda sad. Lucky Lyndon is a punk rock spot with graffiti all over the walls. “Grab a drink, your problems can wait” quote on the wall. Scooby-Doo cartoons on their TV. “No song requests, trust your bartender” sign on the wall. Mike is the bartender. He is a Bills fan and likes the NFL because it’s the easiest to follow. That said, he also loves the New York Knicks.
Lucky Lyndon was a great first spot for me to break my Dry January seal. Hey, I made it one day. As you can read from my sloppy scribble, this was the moment where I figured Levels by Avicii should be played on repeat on Thursdays. Wished Mike the best of luck for the Bills in the playoffs, thought it was their year. He made a great point about the NFL being the easiest sport to keep tabs on. Lucky Lyndon is a sister bar to ClockWork and Stronglove. They all serve cheap beer over punk rock. If there are no sports, the TVs usually will have old-school cartoons like the classic Scooby-Doo & Gang. I look forward to grabbing another drink at Lucky Lyndon again!
Ted’s Corner Tavern (@tedscornertavern) 1/2 ‘24
Service & Staff: A
Guinness: 8.1
Guinness Challenge: I Failed. X
Song On In The Background: Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Mussels and Oysters bar. I see they also have a specialized Ted’s Cocktail on the menu. All the bars are expecting things to be quiet because of Dry January. All of you reading this pretending to be healthy and all, somebody’s gotta drink the Guinness in this City this month. Seems like I’m just the man for the job. The bartender mentions their “Jack’s Abby House Beer, burger, tacos, and empanadas are great. The owner is Greek so he knows what he’s doing.”
The founder of Ted’s Corner Tavern was a man named Ted who arrived in New York City from Cyprus in 1930. He successfully opened a restaurant in Times Square with his brothers and Ted’s Corner Tavern honors him. They have a Happy Hour from 4 to 6:30 PM, it’s a nice spot for after-work drinks. Their menu consists of plenty of options from Mussels, Oysters, burgers, tacos, and empanadas, to shareable small plate pitas. Aside from Guinness, they have 30 beers on tap with a focus on craft and variety. On the wall, they also had a picture of Teddy Roosevelt, who of course was another great Ted. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Ted’s Corner Tavern again!
Bravest (@bravestnyc) 1/3 ‘24
Service & Staff:
Guinness: 4.5 (Standard Can + Half Bonus for Guinness Glass)
Guinness Challenge: Count It!
Song On In The Background: Bags by Clairo
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: FDNY badges from all over the country are all pinned around the bar. They also support the Buffalo Bills, a part of the mafia. Cool firefighter helmets also hanging up. The Christmas Tree is still up with bulbs of white and red lights. Wings and burgers are recommended. The Guinness is canned but they have the Guinness glass and it’s an FDNY bar so half a bonus point, everybody knows the rules.
Located in Murray Hill on the corner of 2nd Ave and 38th Street, Bravest has its own Bills Mafia. On Sundays for Buffalo games, they have a Game Audio and a Live DJ for commercials. Some of their specials for Bills Mafia include $20 Labatt Blue Pitchers, $25 Labatt Blue Light Buckets, and $1 Wicked Wings during game time. During the week, they have a Happy Hour from 3 to 7 PM on Monday to Friday where they $3 off drafts, wine, and mixed drinks. Wonton Wednesday nights the Bravest serves fried wontons, wonton soup, and a chicken Szechuan wrap, while also hosting Trivia Night with $25 pitchers along with $35 buckets. At the Bravest, Thursdays are for the girls as they have theme Thursdays every other week with cocktail specials. Last but not least, if you suffer from the Sunday Scaries, they have the answer with $30 pitchers, $7 Bloody Marys, and 5 seltzers for $30. You can also get a Bucket of domestic beers for $25. I look forward to grabbing another pint at the Bravest again!
