Random Thoughts
James Riswick
Associate Editor
Imagine Dr. Frasier Crane getting the news from his home in Seattle that Cheers was forced to close its doors. The place where everybody knew his name no longer existed – the location of so many fond memories gone forever.
This hypothetical situation became reality for me last week when I found out that Southside Bar, my backyard pub in London, had closed its doors probably for good after the Imperial College building where it was located was condemned. This news was like hearing that an old friend had died, and when I told the news to several London program alumni, they had the same reaction. I will admit there may have been some weeping involved.
For my semester in the London program at 56 Prince’s Gate, Southside was the place to be. For the 20 or so Southside regulars (out of 40 students), the theaters, the posh London night clubs and nicer neighborhood pubs didn’t hold a candle to our backyard pub in the basement of what turned out to be a decrepit building.
It didn’t matter that one of the rooms felt like a 1970s hospital waiting room. Or that the grungy, sticky tables seemed to have last been cleaned during the Thatcher administration. Or that after an evening there, you would smell like a combination of smoke and whatever else added to the distinct Southside aroma. Or the noise generated by burly Imperial College students chanting “We are an I.C. football team” to the tune of “Yellow Submarine.”
No, the charm of Southside was how wonderful it was to walk 120 feet (we counted) from our back door, and sit down around a big table with 20 other Pepperdine students and talk over a pint or two for several hours every night. It was the fact that a majority of the pub’s populace was college students like us, but without the usual college-age pretentious feel that one gets at a party. It was the wonderful charm of anything in London. It was the fact that, as a government-subsidized bar, a pint was somewhere around one pound, forty. Even with today’s higher exchange rate, that’s about $2.50 and half as expensive as the cheapest beer anywhere around here.
Having said that, let me say that we Londoners do not exult Southside just because it was a quick, close and cheap way to get drunk every night. That’s completely untrue and a notion that was unfairly pinned on us regulars. We’d be lying if we’d say alcohol didn’t play a role – it was a bar, after all – but it was more a place to be with friends and talk in an environment that we will almost certainly never experience again.
I’d say it is a lack of a Southside here in Malibu that greatly detracts from our college experience. The only such hang outs are the Malibu Inn or the Dume Room, which even without those MLO losers, could only be described as a “really expensive Pepperdine party.”
So let me raise a glass and with a hole in my heart say, “Here’s to Southside.”
And here’s what some of my fellow Londoners had to say in mourning:
“Southside was for the London house what the Maxx was for Saved by the Bell. A place to unwind, to get wound up, to enjoy each other. I missed it the day after we left London, and I miss it now.” Peter Celauro, Spring 2002.
“Southside Bar was a place where we could unwind from a long day, enjoy a story from a friend, debate the latest issues, and really feel connected with the great city in which we lived. Of all my time in Europe, my times at Southside with my London family remain some of my warmest memories. The place really helped to build community and introduced students to a very important part of English living: the pub. It is sad that future Londoners will not be able to experience the place, but while they may tear down the buildings, for those of us who loved Southside, the legend lives on. It is painful to so many of us who enjoyed our pretty much nightly gatherings that no such place exists in Malibu. If it did, there is no doubt in my mind that some of the same joy, laughter and friendship would greatly improve the quality of life and the closeness of community at our stateside campus.” Scott Withycombe, Spring 2003.
“Southside was like Cheers to me. Everybody knew us there, the bartenders even knew what we wanted to drink. It was so close. It was nice to get away from school for a while and have a few drinks with everyone. It was the one place I could go any time.” Bree Lienemann, 2002-2003.
“When someone went into Southside, they were completely open. They left behind whatever clique they normally hung out with. People were completely open and you were able to get to know the people in your group.” E.J. Wall, 2002-2003.
09-30-2004
