I know Chris and Rita and Marty Mull are meeting at the Troubador…
-Lonesome L.A. Cowboy, New Riders of the Purple Sage
That’s a lie. I was wrong.
X - The Have Nots
Jocko’s Rocket Ship
One eyed Lamb
My Sin
Lucky Star
Beehive Bar
Hula Gal
Zircon Lounge
GGs Cozy Corner
The Aorta Bar
“Honey, I don’t believe this,”
the old man at Ferguson’s Cafe kept saying to his wife
As he read aloud The Memphis Star and their account of what went down that night
“The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town” by Drive-By Truckers
Ferguson’s Cafe in Memphis, TN
Tom Waits mentions “the Ivar” in “The One That Got Away” and referred to the Ivar Theatre (a burlesque house in Hollywood) a couple times on his “Nighthawks at the Diner” album. “Colder than a ticket taker’s smile at the Ivar Theatre, on a Saturday night.” He also referred to a Harold’s Club in his song “Virginia Avenue”, referring to Harolds Club on Virginia Street in Reno.
The Dead Milkmen have sung about Tacoland in San Antonio, Philly Pizza Co. (Closed) and The Sandbar in Jersey City (closed). (It’s a place that lets 16 year old kids drink).
In “Chapel Hill”, Sonic Youth mentions The Char-Grill. There is also the line “Get the cradle rockin’”, which may be a reference to The Cat’s Cradle.
Guess who’s gonna be there? My favorite cover band, Crystal Shit.
Lowell George also wrote a song about the Texas Rose Cafe. A little hippy beer joint in Houston, long ago replaced by the Brazos River Bottom–a Texas-themed gay bar. Now also defunct.
Soap Creek was a long-lost Austin honky tonk that Doug Sahm mentioned in “Cowboy Peyton Place.”
Raised on Robbery - Joni Mitchell: The Lounge of the Empire Hotel
Back in the saddle - Aerosmith: The Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris
Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix; Steve Pauls The Scene
Coconut Grove by the Lovin Spoonful (Can’t go now. It burned down…)
‘Bar Italia’ by Pulp.
A legendary italian coffee house in Soho that’s open until 5am. The flat above was rented by Logie Baird and it was where the first demonstration of TV took place.
Jimmy Buffett’s “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don’t Love Jesus” mentions the The Snake Pit, a bar that is now called Rick’s, as well as Fausto’s. Both are in Key West.
To add to the Billy Joel The Stranger story, the back cover of the album actually shows the band in an Italian restaurant called Guido’s, which was inside of an establishment called Supreme Macaroni Co., once located on Ninth Ave. between 38th/39th Sts.
I’m pretty sure this song was about the Coconut Grove district of Miami, a one-time Bohemian/hippie quarter, not about the Cocoanut Grove (note the spelling) nightclub in Boston that burned down, nor the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles for that matter, neither of which were near “ocean breezes” or “dunes,” as the lyrics indicate.
Another one from Billy Joel: a line in the song “Movin’ Out” mentions “He works at Mr. Cacciatore’s down on Sullivan street, across from the medical center”. This apparently was an oblique reference to a joint called the Napoli Restaurant at Spring and Sullivan streets in Soho.
The Trip (Sunset Strip, West Hollywood) is in “The Trip” by Donovan and also “I Dig Rock ‘n’ Roll Music” by Peter, Paul & Mary
The Night Owl (Greenwich Village) is in “Creeque Alley” by The Mamas and the Papas
Studio 54 is in “Le Freak” by Chic (“Just come on down to 54”)
“Me and My Shadow” by Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr. has a veritable Manhattan bar hop, including Jilly’s, Toot’s Shor’s, Danny’s, and The Little Club.
Max’s Kansas City is in “New York City” by The Sex Pistols
Not sure exactly where the boomtown is, but from David & David’s Welcome to the Boomtown, we have:
Handsome Kevin
Got a little off track
Took a year off from college
And he never went back
Now he smokes much too much
Got a permanent hack
Deals dope out of Denny’s
Keeps a table in the back