challenging Places!!

Hi Nick , Hope you are well.

I read on one of your recent Posts that you are doing the Doors again, just wondered as you have done doors in Oz, London and the US where did you find the most challenging, were your skills all completely transferable and is human nature the same in its basic form or in some places is it more sophisticated!!! If youve Bounced any where else id also be intrested in that as well...

The reason I ask is that having been out in the US a few times I noticed that the nightlife is or seems quite different to that of the UK...Everyone just seems bigger in the US and also weapons are easier to get hold off, just wondered..again alot of aussie guys like a scrap....



Many Thanks


Matty

Matty,

Good question...I was discussing this with an old mate from Oz only yesterday.

To begin with I think it depends where you work. We had clubs in Oz that were upscale...the doormen were in tuxedos and most of the trouble they had was making sure the drunk rich bastard they were helping to a taxi didn't get his keys back and try and drive home. I gravitated toward the rougher end of town - a place called "The Valley" and did the bulk of my work in a strip club with an all male clientele, topless waitresses, fully nude strippers, strong Aussie beer and the Aussie propensity for scrapping at the drop of a hat.

Over here I'm currently working two nights a week in a saloon that's filled predominantly with college kids...the beer is weak, girls are everywhere and there is a much lower likelihood of scrapping hear because everyone is concerned as to whether or not the punter you belt is going to come back with a weapon. Tends to keep everyone on their best behaviour. But I could go to some of the black clubs here and I'd be willing to bet I'd be shot at before the night was over...the thug lifestyle idolizes that type of behaviour unfortunately...so they're much rougher. I'm also certain that in some of the mining and cowboy towns fights would be a more common occurence than in the city I'm currently living in.

Having said that there's been some scraps at the place...one of my students had a knife pulled on him (the very same night we did knife defenses in class) and another one hospitalized some guy recently who tried to charge back in after being asked to leave. I even got involved in one last Friday with a bunch of Sth Americans ganging up on some American kids and whipping them with their belts. We'd gone down the road for a hot dog after work and saw the scrap on the way back and stepped in to even things up. I booted one guy running past and held him in a choke till the law turned up and the other guys did more or less the same.

Re the skills being transferable...absolutely. They worked in Oz, they worked in the Legion during my stint with the MPs, they worked in London and down on the Isle of Wight and they work here. In fact I've been training the crew I work with because the big difference over here is that bouncers are usually college kids looking to make a few extra bucks on the weekend, get beer for free and chat up girls. Most other places I've worked you tend to get more "professional" doormen.

Case in point...last Saturday I had to get a drunk off the dance floor who was careening into everyone and making a nuisance of himself. I went over and told him "there's a really hot chick wants to see you at the front door" and he immediately headed for the door to find her. Once he got there I just told him to keep moving, got him outside and called him a taxi. That one works everywhere I've ever been

Nick

Thanks for the Awnser Nick, I remember going out a couple of time sin Tampa and just being shocked at the size of some of the Guys although they all seemed really well behaved, unlike in the UK where you get some right weasels acting up..

I dont know if its me but when people are ultra calm i always think they must have access to weapons especially when its about to kick off..the reason i asked is ive been helping a mate out doing a bit of debt collecting recently and am thinknig of getting a licence to do some door work here in the UK, not so much for the cash but that would help but more for the experience..I feel my Goshinkwai is coming on know a bit and i kind of want to test it ( i realise that might not sit good with all!!) I kinda need to know that i can stand there and say no yournot coming in and handle the consequences!!!

Is there any type of clubs you wouldnt work at Nick?

Do you think you would feel comfortable running Doors in most places in the Uk..

Many thanks again for your time ...

Matty

I wouldn't work somewhere I didn't know the rest of the team. I like to know someone's going to be there when the brown stuff hits the fan.

re the UK, yep, I don't have problems working anywhere...provided they'd have me of course

Cheers Nick...

Many Thanks

Matty

Nick did you ever work 'The Church" when you out this way?

Hmmmm... initials 'S.J.' talking about the church... i think i know who that is...

No mate...I haven't even heard of the place. Nearest thing I'm aware of is my mate Tony Quinn, who started off body guarding Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, ended up with a recording studio over the road from the office that was in a converted church. Unless that was turned into a club?

Nick

Nick, The Church is a club set up by antipodeans in London. Sawdust on the floor, rock music, tinnies in a bag, dodgy stage show, brawls between rugby guys, squadies etc.

Thought you might have worked there as back in the 80’s as it was purely an Aussie, Kiwi run door.

Blacksheild dude, you’ve put on weight. I know you haven’t been training for a while but WTF!

lol @ SJ - i thought i was the little one!

Mate,

I do remember that place now that you mention the antipodean angle. I never went to it - I left Oz to get away from the fookers - but I heard about it several times. At one point it wasn't far from Kentish Town and the Town and Country club where I did security.

Nick