Bring back the Funk
Jun 12th, 2007 by nghbr
What’s gone is gone, and Boulder’s got a reputation that, once you get here, seems all but vanished. Good riddance to some of it, maybe, but a lot of that reputation was built on the notion of tolerance, free expression and most importantly coexistence. Given the homogenization of so much of the look and feel of our town today, it’s important to work toward preserving what is left of our town’s rich history. And, if possible, to bring back some of that flavor that can make a community vibrant and diverse.
So, here are some things we’re pining for:
Dot’s Diner. The original Dot’s— the 8th & Pearl converted gas station Dot’s—not the Dot’s on the Hill but the capital O, Original Dot’s Diner. Not, mind you, that we’d pass up an amazing real-deal breakfast at either of the other, second-gen Dots’. They simply got squeezed and had to move, much to the chagrin of many biscuit-loving residents.
Pogo’s. Again, not The Underground. And not Root. Pogo’s, the original be-yourself or pretend-to-be-someone-else dive for great indie & local music on the hill. Home of many fond music memories, including Firehose, The Feelies, an almost-date with The Screaming Trees, and many many lost mid-to-late-80s Mondays Alternative music nights.
The L.A. Diner. It’s been awhile now, but remember your latenight fries & drink, served in one smooth glide in the arms of a rollerskating server?
Boulder Trade Center. True, it was funky. But that’s Boulder’s rep, right? Mixing it up with artisans and craftspeople with, shall we say, highly individualistic tastes in one free-form, standing-room only venue. It wasn’t Art Mart, and that’s why we liked it.
Bring back the view from the West End Tavern. Bring back the UNrefurbished, non-candy, soul-saturated Holiday Drive-In sign in north Boulder:
Bring back the Video Stork. Bring back Mountain Sports. And doughnuts, bring them back: as a good friend pointed out the other day, with the passing of Tastefully Toasted on Folsom & Arapahoe, that there is no longer anywhere in Boulder, save the big grocery stores, to buy fresh doughnuts. Bring back the largest movie screen in Boulder county (the ex-United Artists theatre). And, while we’re at it, bring back the Texaco station at the corner of 9th and Pearl.
Realistically, many of these things simply can’t be, physically, brought back. But the spirit behind these items, the things that made them cool in the first place—spirit, moxy, funk, a certain flying-in-the-face of the norm… that stuff can come back. All it takes is community input and voicing one’s opinion. If you’re going to put up a dozen structures made of brick and stucco, why not include a mural? If you’re going to build a series of office spaces, why not create public areas, a’la the Italian piazza, where people can linger and interact with the environment?
Also, most of the items on this list are from the past twenty years or so, and they’re by no means a definitive compilation… So what choice Boulder locations or establishments pre-1980 contributed to the funk that became Boulder? Help us build the list, lest we forget, so we can bring some of it back.
What about Penny Lane?
Places besides Penny Lane that I miss:
Prufrock’s on the hill, Dunkin and Daylight Donuts (already mentioned, but I really love donuts), smoking rooms - I don’t smoke, it’s just the principle of the matter!
Endangered species?/Places I would miss: McGuckins - can they compete with the big box stores? Red Letter Books, Top Hat Supply - with all the development on the East End, I really hope places like that will hang in there. CU’s Sibell Wolle Fine Arts building is going to be torn down which crushes me. I graduated with my BFA in ‘03 and I know there are a lot of sketchy areas in that building but I loved that it does, that building has a history!
I read today that Eads is going to have to relocate if that building gets renovated… let’s hope it comes back.
As much as we fear losing any more unique, independent businesses we should appreciate the ones we still have as well as:
Boulder Outdoor Cinema
Farmer’s Market - 2 days a week!
NO Walmart!
…I do wish for an IKEA, though.
If CU is demolishing Sibell Wolle Fine Arts building, it seems to me that deconstruction could be a great option. The idea of deconstructiing the building and making something better with the deconstructed materials sounds very intriguing?
IKEA did have plans to come to Denver; however was shot down due to their bright blue building. It sounded much more political than that. I have been to IEKA’s that are not blue. Louisville has been a candidate; however people on the other side do not want a 3 story building obstructing views??? How about a revisit on the building concept. It might freshen their image and offer Colorado a great option. I am thinking partial open air with car parking on the inside? Probably too expensive for the bottom dollar guys…..
I am with you. IKEA would be great……..
What a great call on the farmers market. It offers a place of normalcy to our busy town…
I REALLY miss Pogo’s! The early 80’s were really a defining point in my life. We had KBDI Channel 12 playing Teletunes (formerly FM-TV) on Friday and Saturday nights, and if you were 18 (which was the 3.2 drinking age back then) you could go to Pogo’s. Teletunes played the best New Wave videos like Kraftwerk, Men Without Hats and Psychedelic Furs, and Pogo’s was the perfect companion to that. This is where I first heard Ministry, Front 242, Soft Cell and Psuedo Echo thanks to Pogo’s weekend DJ Doug McVehil (who apparently now is Vice President of Epic Records Digital Media Marketing). We also had KTCL in Ft. Collins playing the same thing. For years I thought groups like these were actually “mainstream pop”. Boy, was I in for a shock when I left Boulder to go to College (the first time I ever HEARD Gangsta Rap was when my next door neighbor in the dorms starting blasting it at 2 in the morning!) Culture shock indeed! Anyways, Friday and Saturday nights basically went along the lines of arriving at Pogo’s about 8:50 (they started charging cover at 9) leave at midnight and hang out at Perkins until whenever (7am some nights!) Alas, Pogo’s became Ground Zero and it just wasn’t the same. Channel 12 ditched Teletunes and now KTCL is run by Clear Channel.
Those were fun times indeed!