Bruce Elliott , holding onto the saloon with one mitt and a rail with the other , confidently teetered on the back legs of his chair while a young couple on a escort chatted away just a few ass off . Throughout the early eve , patrons would take the air in and recognise Bruce with a nod , or proffer a shake , as he balanced upon his small throne . He tell stories of his younger days , when he played rounds with a natural law prof named Barack Obama at the anything - go Jackson Park Golf Course ; and of later days , when he throw back beers in his picture studio apartment with a former James Cook named Anthony Bourdain .
He place to portrait hung up on the rampart – which he had paint – colorfully recounting their origins , as I and a bartender hang up onto his words . But the untried pair had n’t remark ; they were too preoccupied with each other ’s good looks . And eventually , unaffected by their environs , they clean their earphone up off the saloon and departed into the crisp winter ’s night .
It ’s comfort to think otherwise , but sentence absolutely does not stand still at theOld Town Ale House , which the belated Roger Ebert called “ The best bar in the man that I know about . " A nose dive for the years , the Old Town Ale House has spend the retiring 45 years in its " irregular " location , where comedians , musicians , artists , and hardcore drinkers alike have swapped stories . Sure , the actual legal community has pretty much looked the same all these years , but things alter : the possessor , the neighborhood . Longtime regulars stop frequenting , or get shun ( more on that later ) , or pass out . Of naturally , the clientele is never really what it used to be .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
I fundamentally proved to people that if you drink in a bar long enough , they give it to you .
The fib goes that the original Old Town Ale House opened in 1958 to cooccur with the neighborhood ’s Christmas Walk , but catch fire on February 9th , 1971 , and had to relocate across North Ave to its current location . Since then , it has been the opt tearing cakehole of a astounding identification number of local celebrities . Recently , a book was publishedabout the going on of the Ale House , and the joint will also get the sensation treatment on an upcoming episode of Anthony Bourdain ’s Parts Unknown . But what ’s the real , strong drink - soak tale behind this bar ? That ’s what we draw a bead on to find out .
Bruce Elliott , owner:[I first started hang out here ] in 1961 . In those twenty-four hours , it was quite unlike . You had a downhearted - pinch after - work crowd , but it was a gripping position . You had all these artists and instrumentalist hanging out . For a 21 - yr - old tyke hanging out at a much onetime legal community , it was unusual . I moved to California for nine years , and while I was gone , the ginmill caught fire . The newfangled owner could n’t break down this cake ( he knocks on stripe ) , so they just carry it across North Ave , right into here . Did n’t even lose a day . It was Pete ’s Butcher Shop , and they just converted it into this legal profession .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
I affect around after that , but I always came back here . I basically proved to mass that if you drink in a stripe long enough , they give it to you . The owners , who were skilful friends of mine , they were getting up in years . So , I started helping them out , and my ex - married woman started help them out . Then they both died unexpectedly about 12 year ago , within month of each other . So that ’s when we took over the bar . I ’ve been in and out of this bar since 1961 .
Patrick “ Clown ” Flanigan ; longtime regular ( presently banned):The owners since the other ‘ 60s were Bea and Arthur Klug , and they die in 2007 , I consider , and left the bar to one of the regular : Tobin . Bruce [ Elliot ] , who is there now , is her husband . So , basically , he married into it . Bruce is a double-dyed egomaniac . He is a con man , he is a golf hustler . He has never really had a problem in his life . He hustled his way into the ownership of a bar , basically . It seemed like she was going to be getting the taproom , and he take off to see her . It was one of those things . He calls himself " The Genius . "
Bruce:[Back in the day ] , there were some other interesting bars on the street , part of what the Guy anticipate the Bermuda Triangle . They ’d bulge out out at either Billy Goat or the older Ricardo ’s , down by the newspaper publisher . Then they ’d go to O’Rourke ’s , and the 1 that were still stand up would finish up here – guys like Mike Royko and Roger Ebert – because this was the four o’clock plaza . That was the Golden Age of paper in Chicago , back in the ‘ LX .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
Clown : All the Second City people used to pay heed out there . George Wendt used to pay heed out there a flock . One cat who used to hang out there a lot was John Cusack , in the ‘ 90s . Chris Farley used to hang out there a lot , and he actually used to hang out at Burton ’s a mickle too . Aykroyd used to go in there a tidy sum . They ’ve all suffer their pictures up on the wall , Bruce painted them .
Bruce : It still has the hipster thing going on ; it still has the Second City crowd . lately at night , the jazz musicians still number in . But there was a stretch in the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s where it get under one’s skin unsmooth . It was a lot rougher , but you still had the actors and comedians and musicians . As the neighborhood became more and more gentrified , especially over the last 10 years , it has really alter , because a mickle of the previous regulars just simply ca n’t give to live down here anymore .
We still get a lot of fame action . Michael Shannon is a regular here . He lives in Brooklyn , but he has a condo here . He was here most of the summer . Dan Aykroyd still amount in , because he loves the jukebox . Bill Murray was in last year . All of a sudden you get Nicolas Cage pose at the bar . Ron Howard was doing a movie and was here every Friday . I probably do n’t know who the famous person will be in the futurity . In the old daylight I did .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
Clown : The nerveless thing about the Ale House , is you could be 24-hour interval - drinking there and you ’d suddenly meet someone who was excessively talented . I became close-fitting protagonist with Sam Richardson ( Spy , Veep , Detroiters ) . He was hanging out at the Ale House during the day , just drinking whiskey . We started talking about the story of comedy ; he was a real student of comedy . So , we get along great . I set about doing this matter at the prison term that I called the Tsunami shoot . fundamentally , it ’s just a spyglass of water and you give it in someone ’s face and hollo " Tsunami ! " We started doing that back and forth . The key is you had to surprise the other bozo .
Bruce : On the other hand , we ’ve get under one’s skin a lot of promotional material with the Bourdain show and newspaper publisher article . As a issue of that , we get a lot of holidaymaker action . It ’s changed , but it ’s still the Ale House . Old timers still come in here . It has kept its reference .
Clown : Over the preceding six or seven years , the crowd has changed . It ’s been more young kids , and their vigor is so eminent because they ’ve been in improv classes . They ’re always " on . " They be given to be flash a lot , so it ’s kind of annoying . They ’re performing for each other and improv continue into the Browning automatic rifle . But that ’s why [ Bruce ] keeps the jukebox the way it is . A tidy sum of jazz , some definitive , because they do n’t require to switch in music that makes people even rowdier .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
If you get some assholes in here , and you desire to get them out , just put the opera house on . The jukebox is big as far as affecting our clientele .
Bruce : One of the barkeeper , Tim , he ’s the jukebox czar . He has an eclectic taste : lots of blues and jazz , almost no sway ‘ n ’ roll . That controls your crowd . You do n’t get the Kid with the baseball hat call on backwards coming in . I always make certain we have some opera in there . It still work . If you get some assholes in here , and you require to get them out , just put the opera on . The nickelodeon is big as far as regard our patronage . Also : the fact that we only have one video .
Clown : A lot of the older bunch ca n’t stand the fact that there are paintings on the wall . What used to be there was this big wall painting of all the old regulars , in like ’ 73 or ’ 74 , and one of the people that hung out there painted it . That was the only thing up there . And then Bruce came in , and put up portraits of all the regulars and entirely covered the walls . So it ’s basically his endowment shop .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
Bruce : Putin , aright next to the Kim Jong - un is my most - recent portrait . My very favorite house painting is my Einstein , Greta Garbo , and Marlene Dietrich house painting . The smashing , big one all the way back there . The most celebrated one , obviously , is the Sarah Palin .
Clown : There are quite a few people shun from the Ale House , because if you do n’t get along with Bruce , you finish up getting banned . When you get ostracise , he take your flick down . I state him – because everyone who ends up getting cast out fail to Burton Place – " You ought to put them up at Burton Place . "
Bruce : Yeah there ’s a whole great deal in the cellar . Clown ’s in there , but if he attract through on his heart surgery , I ’ll dig him out . But there ’s a caboodle of new habitue that should go up on the wall , and some that should be taken down because they do n’t come in here anymore . That ’s something I ’m working on correctly now .
Jim Vondruska/Thrillist
… Bruce has a " No Shot " list . Instead of getting kick back out at first , he just puts you on the list .
Clown : One comic thing about the Ale House is that Bruce has a " No Shot " list . Instead of getting kicked out at first , he just puts you on the list [ and you ca n’t order shots ] . One day , someone from Burton Place come over to the Ale House tardy afternoon , and there are eight regulars in there . And she ’s like , " You know , I never come in here . While I ’m here , I want to corrupt everybody blastoff ! " Every single person in there was on the " No Shot " listing .
Bruce : A lot them [ on the " No Shot " list ] have die . Reuben is no longer with us . Clown is about to have heart surgical process . He ’s from Champaign along with this guy rope , Brian the Piano Player . Brian said that Clown was banned from every bar in Champaign . He said there was a serial of guys like Clown who were banned from every single seat , and whenever a new Browning automatic rifle would open in Champaign , this whole crew would converge on this new bar , before they were all banned again .
Anya , the bartender : We probably have only five people who are set aside to come into the bar who are still on the " No Shot " list .
Bruce : Chief . Reuben ’s numb . Jose is unquestionably on the " No Shot " list . Fox is dead . Clown does n’t come in anymore .
Anya : Mrs. Clown . She was never on the " No Shot " tilt , just on the " No Drinking at All " list .
Clown:[Comedian John Fox ] was on the " No Shot " list . He know down the street . He actually started live in the Zanies condo . Clubs always prepare a condo away for comics when they confab . It ’s through the back , on Wieland . They let him hold up there , and he used to keep a bottle of tequila in the letter box . He always say , " I ’m lead to check the mail , " [ while at the bar ] because he could n’t arrange gibe . So he ’d go " control the mail , " but everyone found out he was doing the tequila because one day he bring forth disturbed and tell everybody that the ring mail lady was stealing his tequila .
Clown : Brucehas a web log . Two multitude that are prominent in the web log , that do work for him , are Street Jimmy , a homeless guy wire and full crackhead . Basically he attempt to get $ 10 a daylight so he can get crack . Bruce let him sweep the floor for a duo of bucks in the morning , and gives him breakfast . The other guy is dub Danny Fancypants because he ’s real effeminate . But the story behind him is that he was n’t always effeminate , and everyone think that he was acting to get this ill fame . It worked , but I think Bruce just fired him . He was add up in really , really far gone . Bruce would keep the pot likker in the back overnight , and he would abstract back there and start drinking while he was cleaning up , and Bruce had a camera there .
Bruce : The web log started five or six days ago . I was very mingy with Roger Ebert . He had a web log that meg of people used to understand every day . I did n’t . He would write material about me on his web log , and he would tell my girl , " Tell your dad to show this . " He maintain saying , " You should really save a web log . " I tried it , but he said , " Do it every day . You ’ll be surprised ; you ’ll want to keep doing it . You ’re a instinctive fibber . " He kept bugging me , and all of a sudden it became addictive .
Clown : Bruce is a bang-up narrator . He ’s a swell writer .
Bruce : So what happened was , Ebert would plug me on his blog , and Anthony Bourdain discovered me through Roger . One day my girl is bartending , I ’m sitting here , and she picks up the sound and jump going unbalanced about Anthony Bourdain . I did n’t have sex who he was . He say , " I ’d really love to take your web log and make it into a book . Just check all these people out . You ’re gon na postulate an agent to handle the dough , I recommend my agentive role . She ’s the effective agent in New York . I ’ll have her call you tomorrow . " I was just doing this for fun and all of a sudden , this guy ’s famous and has a TV show , and all that . It was riveting .
Clown : One time after the show [ a sort show held annuallythe week before the Super Bowl ] in 2009 , I take off my war paint and sat down at the bar , and Bill Murray was in the prevention . I was like , " It ’s blooming Bill Murray , man . I got to meet him . " There ’s a bunch of famous people that go in there , and Bruce is always like , " You ca n’t beset the famous people , that ’s why they come in here . " I ’m like , " I ’m not going to chivvy him , I just have to say hi . " So I walk up to him and I said , " Hey , how ’s it going ? " He says , " Hey , pretty sound . " I say , " I just wanted to meet ya , I do n’t want to bother you . You really missed a great show here in the beginning tonight . " And Bill Murray said , " Yeah , I heard you were rum , Clown . " He then shake my mitt . Talk about acknowledgement .
Have you ever seenThe Razor ’s Edge ? He did a movie , I remember it was in ’ 83 , that was a serious pic about a guy who grows up in a productive suburb here and ends up to go find himself . He goes to India and Paris , and it was a beautiful flick . Not a drollery at all . So he did this motion picture early on in his life history , and it got panned by the critic , because they wanted a drollery moving picture . He had in reality drop by the wayside comedy for five age , and he go to Paris to learn doctrine . I knew quite a bit about it , because he was kind of a hero of mine .
So when he was pass on the Ale House , I stopped him , and I said , " I desire to let you know that movie , The Razor ’s Edge , was one of the most beautiful film I ’ve ever visualize in my life . It changed my life ; it made me search for something big than just being … what people do . " And he ’s attend at me , in amazement , and says , " You actually saw it ? " " Yeah , it ’s one of my favorite . " So he ’s looking at me , smile , and he shakes my hand and says , " Thanks , Clown ! " So that ’s the Ale House , you know .
Bruce:[Anthony Bourdain ] told me , if he could pick any bar to cling out in – he lives in New York , on the Upper East Side – this would be the home . He just loves the characters .
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Raf Miastkowskiis definitely going to start keeping a feeding bottle of tequila in his mailbox . rack up him up:@RafFoSho
