It is kind of amazing that on a night in which Air Traffic Controllers drummer JJ Ruiz — a man whose talents have been also been displayed during tenures with Wild America, the Teeners and Philip Sambol’s terrific new band — performed for free in order to boost the take for The Scoot Inn’s owners and bar staff, he’d find himself banned from the venue.
That JJ ended up behind the bar at some point in the evening is not under dispute, but much like Nolan Rylan’s DEATHTRAP of a ballpark in Arlington, TX, can Mr. Ruiz really be held accountable for the lack of a high enough railing? It’s sad enough they’d seek to blame the victim in this instance, but performers and patrons alike need to ask themselves, “what’s with the crazy hostility”?
Though I’d hoped to enlist Eddie Vedder and my close personal friend Natalie Maines in a fund-raising effort to get JJ’s ban lifted, they don’t seem to be returning my phone calls. So in the meantime, we’ve got the above widget (please feel free to place it on your own site or blog), counting down the days, hours and minutes until JJ is once again allowed to set foot in the glittering confines of the Scoot Inn, and is granted the privilege of purchasing drinks and leaving tip money for persons who viciously insult him.
There was a modest crowd in attendance at August 17’s free show, and while some might assume the assembled drinkers were there to witness performances by Rhett & Dean, the Zoltars, Nazi Gold or Air Traffic Controllers, I think that’s a slightly naive conclusion. Every single person was there to see the bartender — he’s the real draw. Bands are a fuckin’ dime a dozen in this town (especially those who can’t play for shit). Surly guys who pour $5 drinks, however, are a treasured commodity.
As the proprieter and employee of a venue who is notoriously surly and “rapey” on drink prices, as well as a booking agent who scams bands on a day to day basis to keep peddling the “used car lot” we lovingly refer to as “Red River), I must intervene on behalf of The Scoot Inn and defend their honor.
I mean, surely, you can’t expect us to refrain from viciously insulting a man of such stature and musical prowess as JJ Ruiz? We, the proprietors and owners of these venues do not play music or in any kind of local bands for good reason. We don’t have the talent, and thus, women will not find us attractive.
We have no choice but to relay our scorn and butthurtedness upon the musicians in our community. Had it not been for you, Sir Ruiz, and a league of your peers who participate in this madness of writing and performing YOUR OWN MUSIC, we would, in fact, have to quit this juvenile Peter Pan bullshit we call jobs and actually develop a skill set of some kind.
What a pedestrian concept!
On behalf of the lovely folks at The Scoot Inn, as well as Red 7’s Gay Fuck Palace, and, above all else, The River Rouge community, I am going to counter boycott supporting the local Austin Music Scene. I will stop eating in restaurants on South Congress, I will buy my drugs in San Antonio, I will only purchase my records from amazon.com and, furthermore, I will (grudgingly) landscape and maintain my own lawn garden.
We’ll see who caves first Austin Musicians.
Johnny, you’re just mad because I gave Red 7 a bad Yelp review for making me wait over two hours to get into a Doug Stanhope show. How about a little full disclosure next time?
You guys really played a show with Nazi Dust!!?!?
Oh, wait…
He was reaching on the beer cooler when he got caught. it was a joke I know but rio be fair he shouldn’t have done it. I love JJ but don’t think it’s a stretch to have to take his lumps accordingly. However to be banned forever is a bit much.
only in our dreams could we play with Nazi Dust. In the real world, we merely get blown off the stage by Nazi Gold
“However to be banned forever is a bit much.”
Seriously. Even Roger Goodell thinks this is a little over the top.
White people still run the whole world, control an unnatural proportion of it’s wealth, but still can’t seem to have any fun.
oh for fuck’s sake, there’s white yankees on both sides of this dispute.
That’s a pretty one dimensional take on what i said. It’s pretty common sentiment that the term “White” is popular nomenclature for those of “privileged, financially superior, and/or social aristocracy”. JJ (and his , including anglo-asian-jew-whatever, brethren) are not, in laments terms, that. perhaps some reading is in order. may i suggest: “Peones to Politicos”, “Dancing with the Devil”, and the (un)Holy Bible.
“That’s a pretty one dimensional take on what i said.” Perhaps, but you were a tad cryptic in that you didn’t specify who you were referring to as white or yankee. Indeed, white generally means, ahem, “white”. I’d not in this context, characterize JJ as the social aristocracy, nor would you, thankfully enough.
I can not belive how a lot of an asshole this individual can be.