One summer evening—when I wasn’t playing but, instead, went to an out-of-town club to catch Red Prysock, king of the houserock tenors—
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
I decided to stop for a drink before I got home. The small bar was about twenty miles outside of town,
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
a low, rambling structure with a friendly facade. I parked the white Cadillac DeVille at the lot’s edge, walked past a row of motorcycles,
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
and went inside. The juke was laying down Gene Vincent’s 4/4 rocker Be-Bop-A-Lula from a previous decade.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
There were slightly more than a half-dozen patrons, and I strolled past a knot of them to seat myself at the opposite end of the bar.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
Two bikers at a table littered with beer bottles were engaged in a head-butting contest. I watched as they smashed their skulls together
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
to determine who’d tab the next round. They looked me over, too, obviously coming to the conclusion that I was somewhat out of place,
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
dressed in a black, narrow-lapel suit with natural shoulders and a black-and-silver pin-striped tie about an inch wide.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
Whatever it was, they decided to have some fun with me, something I realized when the bartender strolled to the front door—and locked it.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
I sat near the far end of the bar, away from the locals and ordered a gin and tonic. Nothing happened for a few minutes,
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
then one of the bikers drifted toward me, took the stool next to mine.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
“You must be one of them city boys we see on TV alla time--or are you just dressed up for a party?”
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
I didn’t answer, which seemed to irritate him and drew the attention of his friends, who stopped to focus on the situation.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
“Hey, man, I’ve always wanted to get me one of them skinny ties. Think I could have that one?”
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
I drained the glass in front of me and, as cool as the ice in it, said, “Sure, if you can do it with a bullet in your face, motherfucker!”
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
My right hand peeked above bar level holding a little .32 automatic pointed at his nose.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
The bartender saw it, mumbled something to the others, who fanned out into the table area.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013
Maybe they figured I had the piece, so the next move was mine. They were right; I had the edge and kept it.He has to be one of the most entertaining shows on Twitter right now. You owe it to yourself to check out the rest of this story, and all his other great tweets. Get over there. Now.
— Jim Steranko (@iamsteranko) July 12, 2013