Spike Jones at Brains On Fire points to this twisted identity story from Fort Collins, CO.
The owners of the Drunken Monkey are considering changing the controversial name of their bar – and they want the community to help.
The Old Town bar, 151 S. College Ave., is named for a Kung Fu movie and decorated like a beach cabana – complete with an outdoor deck, swings hanging from the ceiling and a tree house.
The idea for the contest came from Carey Hewitt, owner of The Cupboard in Old Town, who has objected to the Drunken Monkey’s name since it opened in early October.
Hewitt, who has owned The Cupboard for 33 years, also led the opposition against the Purple Martini, a Denver-based bar that leased a space and wanted to open in Old Town. A liquor license for the bar was denied last week after two days of public testimony.
Since it opened a couple of months ago, its name has created a storm of controversy among Old Town business owners and residents who say they’re embarrassed to take visitors through downtown.
Chip Steiner, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, thinks changing the bar’s name is a terrific idea. He thinks the Drunken Monkey is a degrading name that does nothing to help the downtown area.
“It’s very damaging to the downtown image and its reputation,” Steiner said. “It’s just a bad, bad name.”
As a former Coloradan, this is a hilarious mashup of the area’s 1) Kneejerk reactionaries and 2) forward thinking yet extremely déclassé/gauche tendencies. I’m surprised the owner of the Purple Martini was denied anything, as he (along with his Grecian Mafioso backers) own several major pieces of downtown Denver nightclub real estate, all of which cater to individuals named Chip and Carey.
The Fort’s a lovely hamlet with some great bars and local kind brews. And guess what, people get drunk there.
Just don’t put it on a sign, I guess.
my mom recently visited the bar and said it had been the best bar she has been to in a long time the music was great the people are really friendly and the name was what brought here there. it makes be passing through the town curious they want to know what the bar is about.