Life's Little Mysteries Can Haunt Us

Ok, this doesn’t have anything to do with energy or politics, but it has been on my mind in recent days and I want to get it out there into the digital space before I forget about it entirely.

It Started in The Second City

This goes back to 2008-09 time frame, when my daughter and son-in-law were living in a suburb outside of Chicago for a few months. The little wifey and I went out for a July visit - our first time in the Second City - and had a marvelous time. This was back before before the town had been turned into a war zone.

For entertainment one night, we took in a show at the theater that once served as the host for the famous Second City improv comedy troup that churned out genius talents like John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and so many more. After the show ended, we ducked into a famous bar across the street where the Second City actors frequented after performances.

We were having a great time and on our 2nd or 3rd cocktail when I decided to walk around the bar and take in all the great photos featuring the now-famous actors who once got their starts there. As I walked past the long bar I noticed a photo behind the bartender’s head of Peter Boyle, who starred in Young Frankenstein and other great roles.

“Hey,” I said to the bartender, a young, blonde-headed guy who looked like he might be doing a summer college job, as I ordered another round for the table, “I didn’t know Peter Boyle was in the Second City troup.” I pointed at the picture.

“He wasn’t,” the bartender said, not even turning to look at the picture. “That ain’t Peter Boyle - it’s just some heroin addict that used to come in here back in the ‘70s.”

But it was clearly Peter Boyle - there was no doubt about it. “You sure?” I asked.

“Yeah,” the guy says, “we get that a lot, though.”

I went back to the table and related the story to the family, and they all thought it was odd that the bartender would lie about something like that. One by one, they all got up over the next several minutes to check out the picture, and all came back and confirmed that, yep, that’s Peter Boyle, all right.

Anyway, taken in isolation, the incident is no big deal, most likely just a bartender with an odd sense of humor pulling his version of a gag on a customer.

But that’s not where this ends.

In An Irish Bar on Capitol Hill

A few months later, that October, I was out in Washington DC on a work assignment, and the little wifey came with me. After dinner one evening we and some friends popped into one of a pair of Irish bars that sit adjacent to Union Station up on Capitol Hill, I forget the name of it now.

As we were all working on our 2nd or 3rd drinks, I again engaged in my ritual of walking around the room and taking in all the photos on the walls. Lo and behold, behind the bar was a similar photo of none other than Peter Boyle, in the bar enjoying a beer, posing Arlen Specter, of all people.

The bartender, himself a squat, red-headed Irishman who was maybe 50 or so, sees me eyeing the photo and asks if I want another round.

“Sure,” I nod. “Hey, did Peter Boyle used to come in here a lot?”

The guy smiles as he’s mixing my vodka soda and says, “Ah, that’s not Peter Boyle - it’s just a heroin addict that used to come in here all the time back in the ‘70s.”

I have to say I was a little stunned. I mean, really, really taken aback.

“No, really,” I said, “that’s Peter Boyle. You know, the guy in Young Frankenstein.”

“Nah, sonny, just a heroin addict,” he replied, handing over the drink, “but we get that a lot.”

“Why would you tell me that?” I asked, incredulous.

He just smiled and walked down the bar to take care of the next customer.

What’s the Explanation?

Every time I’ve seen or heard Peter Boyle’s name come up in any context since, I have been reminded of this incredibly odd set of events. That’s not just some random coincidence - it’s utterly bizarre.

Why would these two bartenders of different generations, in random bars in two different cities separated by 1,000 miles, provide that exact same “just some heroin addict” answer to a customer who asks about a photo that is clearly, without any question at all, one of a moderately famous actor named Peter Boyle?

All I could figure at the time was that the bartender community must have some bizarre running inside joke going on in which they put up photos of Peter Boyle and give the “heroin addict” line to any unsuspecting customer who asks about them. Perhaps they hold webinars now instructing members of the National Association of Aspiring Comedian Bartenders about how to pull it all off.

I have actually asked several bartenders about that possibility over the intervening years, but none of them have had any idea what I’m talking about.

If any of you folks has a clue, please let me know.

And if you have an equally odd mystery in your own lives to relate in the comments, I’d love to read about them.

That is all.