Comments on: Back when the Knockout was the Odeon, and its bartender got up to some wild shit

By: trvlalert

trvlalert — Sat, 30 May 2015 18:06:02 +0000

I remember! Rick and Debbie owned it. I played for their pool team.

By: Tara

Tara — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 06:31:40 +0000

I know Flash, but I never had heard this story before! Very entertaining article, Thank You! He is a man who is deft with rebuttal. He pours at lots of places, places that I would not want to recommend.

By: Marc ilikeitdark Curcio

Marc ilikeitdark Curcio — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 06:41:38 +0000

The Odeon was def one of the best bars SF has ever been home too, and thanks to Chicken John for that, because I know it was not easy. I especially miss my time there as part of the Chris Karney Show and The Surreal Avengers. Then there were shows with The Barfedders acoustic and also The Stunning Cunts,but maybe that was the Brickhouse days. Too many drinks to remember!

By: Escobar92

Escobar92 — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:39:01 +0000

Cosigned…too many drogas.

By: Erich

Erich — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 15:14:18 +0000

The Extreme Elvis Christmas show with all the snow. Miss that place!

By: Geahk Burchill

Geahk Burchill — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:28:17 +0000

I used to go to the Odeon every Sunday for a year or more to see “The Visceral Variety Show” which was hosted by Scot Nery and Chris Carney (With the occasional assist from Funny Frank Olivier)

Here’s how much I loved that place – I don’t drink! I never have. I know I didn’t personally give much, financially, to the place. I was poor as fuck! But I did my best to get friends in there every week to try and make up for it.

I remember when I left for Portland, Scot and Chicken brought me up on stage and they passed the hat for me to help me in my new life. I cried. I was overwhelmed. I got a clown nose and a Canadian Five-Dollar bill.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:03:04 +0000

I’ve seen Flash serving at Butter occasionally, but I think those are one-offs.

By: Brian R

Brian R — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:25:10 +0000

I SO miss the Odeon. Particularly Monday’s Bad Karaoke Night. I would always go on as “The Other Brian”, because the REAL Brian was just too amazing. He was this incredibly sweet, but clearly developmentally challenged guy who would get on stage and mumble vaguely coherent sounds to a wide variety of pop songs. It was utterly blissful.

Then there was the time I sang NIN’s Closer while wearing a full bunny outfit. I miss that place so much… Thanks Chicken.

By: Marc

Marc — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 02:31:31 +0000

The Odeon is about three blocks from my house. I used to love going to the Chris Karney show on Sundays. As for Chicken John… I greatly appreciate everything he does to make San Francisco more interesting.

By: Eli

Eli — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 23:57:39 +0000

Awesome. Fernet and Butt Rocket is indeed the fanciest cocktail. Does Flash bartend anywhere these days?

By: Jenner Davis

Jenner Davis — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 17:57:06 +0000

Thanks for everything, Chicken. You were a great guy to work for, and the Odeon will always be the best job I ever had.
See you at the wedding party!

By: Shimmy

Shimmy — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:38:41 +0000

This thread makes me very glad to live in SF.

By: Chicken John

Chicken John — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:14:36 +0000

The Odeon. We squeezed a lot of living in those 5 short years…

Shout out to Will F! Hey, I really really want you to hate me more. It pleases me so. Just fills me with joy. Thanks for making my day.

Jenner I gave you that job because I trusted you. You weren’t too cool, you werent’ trying to prove anything and you didn’t have any pre-conceived notion of what was happening (which means you won’t be disappointed and quit). As far as I’m concerned we all did the Odeon for you. You were the one who probably got the most out of it.

There was a dark side to the Odeon… booze and drugs took a few good people down. I’ll never own another bar. It’s dirty money. But there were some magical nights. It was a factory that manufactured a product. That product was “anything can happen”. And sometimes that’s exatcly what went down. When it worked it worked like nothign else.

But many of you don’t know that 3 or 4 nights a week, the Odeon was complely empty. Many shows were devoid of any audience but me. Or Jenner. I still paid everyone. Of course. But it was hard. I was a plumber during the day.

I swept that sidewalk 1,500 times.

It seems so long ago…

chicken

By: Jeffy

Jeffy — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:26:44 +0000

I once got my dick sucked onstage there at karaoke during the bridge of cyndi laupers “girls just wanna have fun” while the crowd looked on in various faces of shock, horror and amusement. I got off stage right as the final verse kicked in and the girl finished the song. Chicken gave me a free round. I also got shot in the face with a bottle rocket there while singing “American trilogy” by Elvis and got a free round for that too.

By: timmy

timmy — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 01:55:45 +0000

to speak this way about about the man named chicken is of coarse logical
but, if you sir are unaware of the benefits a community has on a common enemy then you sir have have missed the point entirely .