So Creative Loafing’s Chad Radford wrote an article about El Bar which, for those who don’t know, is a super fun bar underneath the El Azteca on Ponce. The story in Creative Loafing gives the bar a great review, toasting its talented DJ’s and down to earth ambience. It really is a fun bar. Not that I’ve been in a while, but I’ve been, and it’s awesome. I guess I just don’t understand writing an article for a mainstream media source that hails a bar for being a “secret.” In this case, El Bar is doing quite well on its own, as it’s almost always pretty packed. The writer states that the bar is “tailer-made to remain a secret.” Do we think that reading a well-written complimentary article on an awesome bar will influence the general public to stay away?
I remember in Athens, there was a huge blow up when some kid who wrote for the Red and Black did an article on the Barn Parties that were going on in Athens, which many felt led to the immediate shut down of said Barn Parties. The best part of that article is all of the comments readers left. And those are just the ones on the website… What is with reporters wanting to bring “secret” events to light? Is it that they underestimate the audience of their publication? Or they just want to be that cool guy who everyone secretly thanks for turning them onto the word-of-mouth hip hangout? In the case of El Bar, I certainly understand the distinction, as El Bar is an actual establishment with a legal right to be in operation, which was not the case in Athens with the Barn Parties (and other house venues I could mention, but I won’t). But still. Could someone enlighten me as to why we must out venues who are doing well on their own? I’m curious as to the psychology behind this phenomenon.
And you should check out El Bar. Seriously. Just don’t tell anyone that you didn’t know about it until Chad Radford told you. Pretend like you’ve been going for weeks, or even months.
Tags: athens, creative loafing, el bar, secrets secrets are no fun, secrets secrets hurt someone
Well, it’s one thing to out an illegal operation so that it gets shut down under the auspices of “reviewing” it. It’s another thing for Radford to just review a bar that he thinks is really great. There are so many shitty bars in Atlanta – and a lot of the people who go to those kinds of bars won’t be that excited by a place that keeps a low profile. But for people kind of burned out by the bar scene, especially as Buckhead is all but shut down and those patrons and seeped further and further south, it will be exciting to know there’s a place that’s not obnoxious. If El Bar doesn’t have a VIP room, it doesn’t really have a right to be exclusive just to the people in the know.
I had that problem when I was trying to write a piece for the Flagpole about Go Bar. The Go Bar “management” was super concerned that all of a sudden everyone would show up and ruin their fun, or steal all their great ideas (hmm, “theme nights” had been around since Greek life started). So it wasn’t worth the hoops I would have to jump through just to write about something interesting going on. I thought it was bullshit. Still, Go Bar would flyer downtown extensively to promote their events, include every weekly and special event in Flagpole’s ABC listing, and post MySpace bulletins nearly daily. So I think it’s bullshit that “secret” venues think they can just operate on their own terms. I’m not saying El Bar is like that, I’m just saying the journalist has a right to review any legitimatey-operating bar.
I guess they have a right to cover illegitimate places as well, but at their own risk – that R&B reporter was getting death threats for causing the barn to be shut down. The barn parties were way past gross by then anyway.
Good counter points. Death threats? That’s pretty extreme.
Um, and I never heard all that about Go Bar. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I always kind of love/hated Go Bar for that sort of weird atmosphere they put out. Like they hate having patrons.
I still don’t know that plugging a bar in Creative Loafing is a good way to maintain the secretness of it, but I do think it’s a good bar, and that the review was good. I also am curious about what El Bar thinks about being reviewed. It wasn’t mentioned. I’m more coming from the angle of patrons, who have to deal with the additional attendees that result from the article. Keep in mind that this bar is TINY. Really tiny. That being said, you really should check it out. It’s awesome.