Monday, January 11, 2010—Bar 1
Day One—Sunday January 10th—Otto's Shrunken Head
Okay, here we go. It’s the maiden voyage of A Guy Walks Into 365 Bars. If you’re reading this I thank you for stopping by and hope you come back every day, as it will updated daily (usually in the afternoon). Make it easy on yourself and bookmark it for your convenience. If you’re not sure what’s going on, click here and find out: Walking Under The Influence.
Okay, it’s about 25 degrees and with the wind chill it like 14 blood-chilling degrees outside. So I’ve decided what better bar to go to when it’s a harsh motherfucking winter night, than a Tiki Bar. So I went to my good friend Google and typed in “New York City Tiki Bar,” and here’s what came up:
Otto’s Shrunken Head! Sounds like a perfect place to start this crazy adventure. So put on lots of layers and let’s begin the cold walk to Otto’s Shrunken Head...hey, you over there, put a hat on for fuck’s sake! What are some sort of sadist? Okay, let’s go!
My first plan was to walk here, but it's so fucking cold out I hailed a cab and baboom, here we are at the corner of E.14th and 2nd Avenue.
Just a short walk down 14th Street and here we are, Otto's Shrunken Head! Let's go inside, I'm freezing my balls off!
Wow, I'm feeling toasty already and I haven't even had a drink yet. Oh, wait, I had three beers in my apartment before I left...never mind.
Speaking of beer, I thought I'd start out with a bottle of Bud before I go into exotic Tiki territory. Look at my notebook, what a journalist I am!
A view from my perch on my barstool.
This is the comfy back room where people are waiting for the next band to play.
Here's the fabulous bartender Lani, who has just whipped up my first Tiki drinky of the night, I believe it's called Naughty Hell, a place I like to frequent! It was delicious and loaded with booze, just the way I like them! And check out Lani's band Stark at their website: Stark Website.
Remember the crowd in the back waiting for the band? Well, here's the band they're waiting for, Sweet Magma. That's Matt on the right and Justin to the left. Check them out on MySpace: Sweet Magma.
And here's the third member of Sweet Magma, Nick!
Whoa, check out the Happy Hour, you get 241 Buds! I'll have to come back for that.
Here's Jessica Finn and Patrick Phalen. Jessica lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Matt lives right upstairs from the bar. I asked Matt if I could crash on his couch if I got too loaded and he said, "sure." They left shortly after that. I hope I didn't scare them away.
Onstage is Metal John. He puts on a one-man show with his guitar and it's pretty unbelievable. I didn't get a chance to talk with him, so you'll have to Google him to see if he's online anywhere. Hey I can't do all the work here, I have booze to drink! (Update: Here's his website: Metal John.)
Speaking of booze, here's the fabulous Lani with Tiki drink number 2, a Zombie. It was delicious!
Here's musician Bill Popp. Bill graciously gave me a CD and like an idiot I lost it. Here's his website, buy a CD or something, he's a great musician and a nice guy. Website: Bill Popp and The Tapes.
Here's the host and emcee for the night, Frank Wood. And here's Frank's website: Frank Wood Promotions. To his right is Patrick, who's band is 5 1 x 7. I hope I didn't mangle Patrick's band's name, if so, leave a comment or send me an email and I'll correct it. Yes, the booze is starting to kick in now.
Here's Frank announcing...
The aforementioned and seen, Sweet Magma! Great band!
And here's Lani with Tiki drink number three. I can't really remember what this was, but it was delicious!
Oh, oh, I've got Marty Feldman eyes!
Time for a break in the action!
Note to self: Get some stickers made that say, www.aguywalksinto365bars.com.
Obligatory bathroom mirror shot!
Warning shot: If you drink too many Tiki drinks, you'll resemble a Tiki drink in the morning. Thanks to Lani and everyone who talked to me at Otto's Shrunken Head, it was a grand and festive evening!
Review
Imagine that someone slipped some amphetamine into Don Ho’s tiny bubbles and he joined the Ramones. It sounds like a kooky scenario, but that’s the feeling you get as you walk into Otto’s Shrunken Head. It’s Tiki, Rum and Rock ‘n’ Roll, baby!
My favorite night to go out is Sunday night and I have to tell you that after living in New York for 16 years, this has to have been one of my favorite Sunday nights out. While I was there I saw three live bands and there was no cover. The fabulous bartender Lani was quick with the drinks and an excellent mixer of exotic Tiki drinks. The bar itself has plenty of tables, lots of room to stand and a band room with tables and comfortable chairs in the back. All done up in a fun and festive Tiki atmosphere, a nice respite on a freezing cold January night.
Otto’s is a cool Tiki bar loaded with rock ‘n’ roll attitude and a friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Plus scattered through the week they have live DJ’s spinning tunes, bands that run the gamut from Lounge/Exotica, Rockabilly, Punk, Country, Rock, Garage, Metal, Surf and Acoustic/Singer/Songwriter. They also feature Open Mics, Spoken Word/Poetry, Literary Readings, Film Screenings and have a monthly live band Karaoke night. So no matter what night you decide to go to Otto’s something will be shaking and baking.
Of course they’ve got a multitude of Rum based Tiki drinks, there’s also over half a dozed frozen specialty drinks and a full bar with about any kind of drink you would want and a decent amount of beer in bottles and on tap. Check out their website below for drink specials and other Otto info.
Otto’s Shrunken Head
538 East 14th St.
NYC 10009
212-228-2240
2 References