Friday, July 17, 2015

Once More Into Debauch

Back in 2009 Scott Phillips and I finally got off our asses and put together the event we'd been talking about for a year. Since it didn't look like anybody else was going to do it for us we went ahead and ripped off the idea for Noir at the Bar from the ever-effable Peter Rozovsky. We put an on-the-road crime writer we admired (Anthony Neil Smith) together with a regional up and comer (Frank Bill) and hitched a ride ourselves for what turned out to be a winning formula for losers (of whom 'noir' is about - that's what Neil says, anyhow - seriously - go ask him to define the genre).

After a couple of years at The Delmar Lounge we picked up and moved a couple blocks to Meshuggah Cafe (they serve beer and wine, so yeah, "bar") and we've been happy there ever since.

Have you noticed it's become a thing? Since the prodigal St. Louis sons first set out to blow their Philadelphia inheritance on cheap thrills a whole damn bastard tribe has emerged to ravage the country. I've personally visited outposts in New York, Denver, Austin, Chicago, Indianapolis, Oxford, the Twin Cities, Corydon and Fayetteville.  And I know of Los Angeles, Portland, Boston, Baltimore, Durham, Milwaukee, Iowa Ciy, San Francisco, San Diego, New Orleans, New New Brunswick, Norman and Washington D.C. Hell, we've spilled across our northern border to Toronto and Europe has thrown its hat in the ring to be  the new dark continent with N@B-Glasgow having kicked off in 2015. (For more about our sordid history read these pieces by the likes of Keith Rawson at LitReactor, Jen Conley at The Los Angeles Review of Books)

Tomorrow begins a new chapter for Meshuggah - after 18 years in the capable hands of Patrick Liberto it's changing ownership. So tonight we debauch one last time at Meshuggah. Come join us for readings from Scott, Joseph Hirsch, John F.D. Taff and Liam Cassidy. We'll sell some books and hoist a couple in memory of our fallen comrade, Tom Piccirilli too. You should be there, for who knows what the future holds for N@B-STL.

Other than a motherfucker of a hangover.

6 comments:

Kristi said...

Glad I got to see you - and meet you - at Noir in the Twin Cities. And thanks to Anthony Neil Smith, who recommended me for my first Noir, I'll be doing my third Noir next week. This time with Smith, so it should be awesome!

jedidiah ayres said...

Great to meet you too, Kristi! Twin Cities was a terrific event. Be sure to put Neil on the spot by asking him to define 'noir' - he loves it!

reverenderyk said...

Here's hoping we get you out to Durham one day (not Raleigh)

jedidiah ayres said...

Oops!

Dana King said...

The end of an era. Good luck with the search for a suitable replacement.

Oh, and fuck Peter Rozovsky.

jedidiah ayres said...

Thanks, Dana! You make your way to our nation's Noir Coeur-land and we'll throw a party for ya