The Drummer Crew
(Mesa Drummer, Mesa, AZ)
oil on canvas, 16×20
The Mesa Drummer is truly a dive bar. After work any day of the week you will find the regular crew of miscreants.
Blue collar types. Retired folks looking for a friendly place. The front tables are reserved (pun intended) for residents of the Pima/Salt River rez.Tim will cook your burger any way you want. Ask for rare, and it will still be mooing. Jim is on his cellphone, texting one of his women. Nate is hiding the television remote from Dennis, who universally irritates everyone at the bar. Mario is always positive. Jose laughs aloud at YouTube videos in Spanish and tries to interpret them for you. I come in at the end of my day for two beers and go. I am usually on two wheels. Nate tries to buy me a third, often wins.
The cover may be different, but the story is the same. You can walk into any neighborhood dive anywhere in America and you will find that cosmetically they are different, but inside they are the same. Every bar has its Norm and Cliff. And eventually, everybody knows your name.