The Bartender Hates You

November 7, 10:11 AMLA Bartender ExaminerKristine Bottone

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The Bartender Hates You
generation-awesome.com

Anyone who has ever spent time in a bar has encountered an annoying customer regardless of which side they’re on. For example, the customer who snaps their fingers for service or has no regard for standard bar courtesies or whose obnoxious behavior is offensive to everyone within a five foot radius. You want to give them a good smack but the voice of reason tells you not to. What if there was someone who didn’t have that little voice? Someone who acted on their impulses and literally hauled off and smacked the annoying customer? Well, I happen to know of such a guy.

‘The Bartender Hates You,’ (TBHY) is a series of videos brought to you by Generation Awesome. The title pretty much says it all. The clips revolve around The Bartender who acts out all the things we want to do but don’t have the nerve (or the bail money). In the first installment of the series The Bartender addresses issues such as customers on cell phones, annoying hyena chick laughter, bossy and complaining customers just to name a few. Each clip is an affirmation that annoying customers are universal and we’re not the only ones thinking of retaliation.

Originally, the clips were created by D.P. Davis and Alan Stephens as comedic scenes for a spec script that were destined for the cuttingroom floor during editing. But Alan saw the potential and posted them on the internet. From there the clips took on a life of their own and found their way onto Funny or Die and Tosh.0 which spawned the creation of Generation Awesome to host. From there founders Bert Rotundo, producer/writer/actor; Alan Stephens, producer/writer/actor and G.B. Young, producer/director/writer expanded the series. As the popularity of the first installment grew the guys knew they were onto something and quickly started development on a second installment. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the taping and these clips are even funnier than the first ones. They address 22 more bartender/customer issues such as chicks asking the bartender to hold their purses behind the bar, cautionary tales of buying drinks for pretty girls, my personal pet peeve such as customers who eat from the fruit tray and many many more. I also had a chance to sit down and talk with the creators.

Bert, the only one currently bartending, finds these skits therapeutic while for Alan, who has been retired from the business for about a year, they’re reinforcement of the reasons why he left the business in the first place. But for G.B., who has only spent time in front of the bar, they’re just funny. “If you’ve ever worked in a bar then you recognize these characters,” claims Alan, the face of TBHY. The humor is mostly in the perspective. But for some, these clips become the proverbial mirror and they don’t like what they see. “We do get a few negative posts on our site,” explains G.B., “but usually those are the people why [the skits] were made in the first place.” And the fans are quick to defend any clip from critical comments.

Working with a shoestring budget all TBHY funding is out of pocket. The extras are all friends, the equipment is borrowed and the rest gets done as favors or by people supporting the cause. The location for the taping, for example, was hosted by Dillon’s Irish Pub and Grill (located on the corner of Hollywood and Vine) who will hold their grand opening during the first week in November. “It’s amazing how many people support what we’re doing,” says Bert, who coincidentally plays the annoying unibrow customer (a little too well, if you ask me) in some of the skits. Alan has also been recognized. “It’s fun to go into a bar and have the bartender be like ‘Hey, you’re The Bartender!’” A little recognition, a mass of fans and a great time is the only payoff for the trio right now. “We’re not looking to get rich. It’d be nice if we got paid but that’s not why we’re doing it,” says Bert. “Yeah,” adds G.B. “We’re doing it for the LOL’s, the laugh out louds. Making people laugh is a great thing.”

And the laughs will keep coming as talk of a third installment circled about as the crew packed up the equipment. I personally can’t wait to see what these guys come up with next. Until then, you can also find their skits on their Generation Awesome facebook page  or on Youtube.com.

Check out the behind the scenes photography by Jen Castle. Check out her other amazing work at JenCastlePhotography.com