Damon Runyan is alive and well and living at The Cigar King. Reminiscent of ‘Guys and Dolls’ and ‘Cheers,’ the regular crowd includes characters with names like Richie Screens, Bobby Specs, Jackie Jr., Plants Pollack, Billy Bundles, Little Mike, Big Mike, Mike the Pilot, Long Shot Kid, Four Ten Ken, Needles, Lynn the Merciless, The Great One, Walker Ted, Uncle Beev, Robbie Wheels, Frankie Quits, Kelly the Contender, Grouper, and Gary One Lens.
Now, these are not Sopranos extras, and these people of different faiths, cultures, and classes are not in any shady business netherworld. But what they share is a camaraderie in sports, television, movies, coffee, cars and puzzles, representing a cross section of political views from far right to . . . really far right.
When one of these guys doesn't show up at his usual time, the word goes out, and after too much silence, the guys track him down. After The Great One had triple bypass surgery several weeks ago, these opinionated, hard-nosed lugs became the loving husbands, fathers, brothers and friends they are in their private life and came to the support of one of their own. A friend asked where I get my ideas for my column, and I told him that all you have to do is observe life, soak it in, compare it to your own ideals and values, and let the alphabet flow. And this scene is played out every day with Big Larry at AJ's, Spitz at JJ’s and Jolta Java Jon at Starbucks, all Scottsdale hangouts for those with a view and a place to have it heard.
No current reality show has anything on these guys, and I'm sure if we put a hidden camera over the coffee bar, the American public, not to mention many of our elected officials, would get their own instant "Town Hall" and learn what people are really thinking in this country.
I came to Arizona a Democrat, still am, and have migrated to being a lot more open-minded - but don't get me wrong. Extremists of any kind are dangerous, and I have run into some pretty stupid people over a Macanudo Portofino and double decaf espresso. But the fact that everyone here is from somewhere else makes me more well-rounded, a lot more tolerant of many, and gives me a shorter fuse with the Neanderthals.
As I write this, Tommy Smokes is working a New York Times crossword, Chuck the Kronk is nursing a coffee, and Young Mike just came in with a briefcase and a pack of Marlboros. A fellow East Coaster, he and I are often more in agreement than apart on a number of issues, and I'd like to think that over the past few years, many of us have fought tooth and nail on some issues and have surprisingly come together on others.
Underneath the bravado, and convictions on abortion, politics, equal rights, gun control, education, and the environment, there is the "hanging out at the local candy store" repartee on horsepower, five record-breaking interceptions, annoying neighbors, how good was ‘Top Gun: Maverick” and, "Stay away from that new Italian place downtown."
So for those of you who don't know a Sammy the Tailor, Billy Eight Ball, Blind Man Buccalati , the Oz or Ira the Accountant, I'd suggest next time instead of getting that coffee to go, have a seat, open your ears and your mind - and you just might learn a thing or two. And this is the gospel from Barry the Scribe.
It is interesting to see the vastly different ideas that are being expressed these days. I believe our world has been way too influenced by sound bites and those in power with the money to impart their reality on the masses. I have friends that are different than my way of thinking and I'm OK overall with that as I don't expect everyone to think like I do but when the media is either shouting "right" or "left" and demonizing the other, it gets old. It would be nice to have social discourse that addresses issues and the ways we can agree to come together rather than make enemies of each other.
Like you, Brian and I have names for all the buddies that we smile at, at the gym.
Gizmo Dave, Walk around guy, Afro man, running madly woman, Stair chick, Gray man and David the lawyer looker