… picking up from where I left off about Velvet Lounge last saturday. First of all, I love that place. It’s the Pharmacy Bar of the U Street Corridor. It’s clean and chill and somehow fairly insulated from the neighborhood funny stuff, like getting shot at Steak & Egg or getting shot at Duke’s City. But yeah, been one of my favorites. And now, both upstairs and downstairs spaces are blessed with significantly more room plus new seats and tables just a small staircase away from the downstairs bar that lickle Ashley May tended last saturday night. Megan was stuck upstairs enduring the noise of one … two … three … FOUR medium to full-on lousy ass bands. Naturally I spent most of the night doing Jager shots with everybody everywhere.
Just before last call, an older black man sort of cartoon-appeared out of nowhere, sitting on a stool with a large cup of iced whiskey. The bar seemed to recognize him as a homeless fellow from around the way. Me, being about 20 Jager shots in, don’t recall much about him except that he had a giant bindle bag with (a) photo album(s) and a copy of his autobiography. As it turns out, he’s this guy. Name: Ronald “Smokey” (I just like saying Shhhhmokay!) Stevens, Trade: Broadway Entertainer. Anyone too drunk to run away got a face full of archival photos mostly of Mr. Stevens performing on stage. One shot that’s ever-so-barely clinging to memory is one of Smokey in tophat, coat tails and a super-sized smile, dancing next to Diana Ross. In fact, Stevens was in “The Wiz” with ol’ batshit Ross and Nipsey (Nipsaaaayy!!!) Russell. But something happened along the way and yesterday was all Stevens had. The link above to his bio is from Joy of Motion’s faculty web pages, but Stevens no longer teaches there. I couldn’t confirm when or why his tenure ended. To his legacy’s credit, Stevens got his book printed earlier this year for free by online publishing tool/agency PublishAmerica on consignmenty terms. Jumping back to the present, I’m not sure what to make of how he left tho, somewhere between getting kicked out and leaving in a huff after some loud hostilities with someone.
Nor am I sure what this episode’s lesson is. Before I did all any googling research, this was going to be me taking potshots at a funny old dude who kept bugging me at a bar. It still semi-turned out that way, but it’s also a little about the universe of bit players in bands, in movies, in your work and social-life who you kind of notice once in a while, who nonetheless live these full, complicated lives that wind along towards success or tragedy or both. Plus I guess recently becoming an uncle under some precarious circumstances has got me all soft-hearted and prone to introspection. Which will slide off like wet off a duck’s ass come Shorts IIIIII tonight.
sweet
August 14, 2008 at 4:16 pmha ha! what a character to sit beside at 3 am after waaay too much of everything. he had pics of himself dancing with lucielle ball too which was pretty puzzling. unless he’s in fact 100 years old.
August 14, 2008 at 6:50 pmThat’s right. It wasn’t Diana Ross, it was Lucille Ball.
August 14, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I met this fellow on U street on saturday night near Ben’s. i gave him my card and told him to get in touch. never happened.
August 14, 2008 at 4:10 pm