When did you "retire" from the Texas Night Life? (Dallas: houses, theatre)

[TexasReb]

Greetings fellow Texans...and got a question for some of my fellow old geezers and gals! LOL

That is, when did y'all "retire" from the glow of the neon moon of Texas Night Life? And/or...what prompted you to do so? OR...are you still out there having fun (as the old Charlie Rich song from 1977 went)?

I got to contemplating that philosophical question when a lifelong friend of mine and his wife came by a couple of weeks ago. While the women went into the other room to share sewing and cooking recipes, me and my friend relived our younger days. And it came up that, on a Saturday night like this 25 years ago, we would have both been out boot-scootin' and drankin' and raisin' hell in some Texas Dance Hall or beer joint.

Now? We putter around the house, tend to our lawns and garden, and get properly beer soaked at home in a safe environment! Somewhere along the line...we lost the desire/inclination to make the night life the norm. LOL

When did it occur? Both of us agreed that while there was no definite dividing line between the eras, but that having kids played a major role in it. And? Just flat GETTING older..and no longer having that youthful energy that once allowed us to drink and party half the night, yet recover the next morning enough to make it to work, and be decently functioning by 10 a.m.

Still...gawd, I miss those days!

So anyway, for those who "retired"? What was your reasons and when did you do so?

While thinking on it, here is the Charlie Rich song I mentioned earlier. Bet some of y'all can relate to it! LOL


YouTube - Rollin' With The Flow ~ Charlie Rich

Once was a thought inside my head
Before I reached thirty, I'd be dead
But somehow on and on I go
I keep on rolling with the flow

Folks said that I would change my mind
I'd straighten up and do just fine
Ah, but I still love rock and roll
I keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling with flow)

I got my angel raising kids
I'm raising hell just like I did
I've got a lot of crazy friends
And they forgive me of my sins

Some might be calling me a bum
But I'm still out here having fun
Jesus loves me, yes, I know
So I keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling with the flow)

I got my angel raising kids
But I'm raising hell just like I did
I've got a lot of crazy friends
And they forgive me of my sins

Can't take it with you when you're gone
But I want enough to get there on
And I ain't never growing old
So I keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling with the flow)

I ain't never growing old
If I keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling with the flow)
Keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling, keep on rolling)

Keep on rolling with the flow
(Keep on rolling, keep on rolling)
Keep on rolling with the flow

[lonestar2007]

Ahhh, this is so sad, I don't even like thinking about it. I REALLY miss those days, they were so much fun. We had the big night out events such as going to the big dance halls, seeing different entertainers when they would come to town. We saw probably every name in the book at some time or other over at the old Panther Hall in Fort Worth and the Stagecoach had some pretty good names come through too, then there was always Dallas. A lot of the now famous entertainers used to play the old county line strip (between Arlington and Grand Prairie) when they were still unknowns and there wasn't even a cover charge to go in. There were plenty of bars around with good dance floors and decent house bands. Wednesday nights was 'ladies night' (no cover, 50 cent beer -any brand, draw, can or longneck, made no difference <whew, sure drank a bunch of those longnecks > - and a bunch of us girls would load up and take off and let me tell you, we had a blast! We were talking just the other day how we used to close 'em up every night (well, not EVERY night, but darn near it!) and get up and go to work the next day saying never again. LOL, then, after a couple or so hours, start feeling somewhat better and by afternoon, ready to go again! Such fun!

Having children certainly put a big slowdown on the honeytonk scene. Finding a sitter, then watching the time to make you weren't too late picking up your child, plus other considerations, well, it really put a damper on the situation. But even so, we managed to keep in touch by dropping in the local little tavern for a few beers and gossip with the occasional night out dancing, but it seemed that gradually, people were fading away and somehow a different crowd was moving in. Sigh. Visits became further apart, until one day we decided to go see our buddies at the beer joint and we realized we knew NO ONE in there. Older folks had slowly died out, others had moved and a bunch had just quit going out. Of couse this new crowd was in no way as cool as we were back in the day. Heck, they couldn't even tell a decent joke, didn't know any current (or otherwise ) events to talk about, had not a clue as to how to argue politics . What a deal. Ah, sadly as we sat there, we began to wonder, what the heck we were doing. We weren't enjoying ourselves that much, so thought, just leave and try it again later. And so we did and later wasn't any better, so just decided to give up the ghost.

BTW, I love that song and played it many times on the jukebox and made a few rounds on the dance floor to the tune of it. Ah, the memories, I'm thinking, hmmm, it's Saturday night, maybe we ought to give it one more shot!

[love roses]

I'm only counting myself semi-retired. I'm not even 40 yet But it's so true about the kids. We still like going out, but it's definitely NOT the same as before we had our daughter. We don't really have the desire anymore to close the club down...And in my case, me and my girlfriends were always friends with the bartenders, so sometimes we got to stay after that even. There's no way I could do that now, although I love the memories. One thing we started doing differently is that we attend way more festivals. When we lived in Denver and had just had our daughter we really didn't know anyone well enough to leave her with them, except for one neighbor lady and we hated to try and impose on her. So our plan B was to attend festivals where we could bring her too. This worked great, except that I couldn't drink as much or even at all, but it didn't really bother me. We're still pretty much doing that, but here we are close to my sister and I have a neighbor who I trust implicitly, so we're more comfortable with the occasional night out...But, it's been a year since our last "date".

Now, a lot of our weekends consist of going to friends houses who have the "hangout" at their place...Usually the garage and drink ourselves silly. Plus, there are other kids there, so they aren't bored watching us sitting around

[FalconheadWest]

I "retired" from going out like that when I was 25 or 26. It got so old, and the guys just got older and scummier. Met my husband on a blind date since I didn't like going out anymore.

[Pipeweld]

I have chased these pipelines across this great country of ours for almost 29 years now. I can carry you into honky tonks and dance halls from Alaska to Detroit, from Chicago to Los Angeles. 19 years ago I met the girl for me, and still manage to make the rounds until 10 years ago when she finally set the hook and we got married. I stay out the the old joints now I know me, and so does she! I don't want to lose her or half my stuff!!! LOL Me and the boys used to have a hell of a time though!!!

[DesertDog]

It's a different age for different people but I think when you'd rather pitch some shoes and watch the kids play hide and seek while you sip beers with your friends and it's just perfect you know the partying days are a fond memory and it's ok. It's not about getting old it's about getting right.

[Pipeweld]

Originally Posted by DesertDog

It's a different age for different people but I think when you'd rather pitch some shoes and watch the kids play hide and seek while you sip beers with your friends and it's just perfect you know the partying days are a fond memory and it's ok. It's not about getting old it's about getting right.

Yea but there is still something to be said for pitching panty hose, and playing hide and seek with the Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TXTwizter]

What a great topic for a thread.....Rep point for you TexasReb.

I started working in a club (25th Street Theatre), in Waco at the age of 17 (1989), worked there for 3 years. Moved to Dallas and worked at the Wave, Arcadia Theatre, Coppertank, the second incarnation of STARCK, Dragonfly & The Brick and Moby Dick. All from 1992-2000. In 2000 I moved to New London, CT, and worked at a bar there. After moving back to waco in 2005 I worked temporarily at Trix, the gay bar.......While I was working at these clubs I was also going to others...it was my life almost.......Finally in mid 2005, I HAD HAD ENOUGH.
Those 16 years were some of the best of my life, especially 25th Street Theatre and STARCK.........do I miss it? HELL YEAH. Would I want to go back and do it all over again?.....Of course, but it took a toll on my personal life and health....You can only party so much! So knowing what I know now, I would have been much tamer....nah maybe not!
Nowadays when I miss it I just pop in a cd of various songs I collected throughout the years and rememence <sp?>
During those years I made friends whom I am still close with today, and we all share the same feelings, we simply got bored with it.
The times are different, the scenes are different, definitely the music is MUCH different, and so are the occasional "favors".
The younger kids (to me, anyone under 25) always harp on me about being a fuddy duddy and never do anything "fun", I simply tell them I have had more than my share of fun, its their turn! I also remind them that in 20 years they will also think and say the same thing I tell them now. Fun to me now would be sitting at home watching TV or hanging with my roommate, haveing a beer or 2 (yeah thats it), or simply doig NOTHING AT ALL!!

BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!!!

I consider myself semi-retired because I do go out on certain occasions (My Birthday, Halloween, New Years Eve, etc), but definitely not the 6 or 7 nights a week I did in my late teens, 20s and early 30s.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by JVTX72

The younger kids (to me, anyone under 25) always harp on me about being a fuddy duddy and never do anything "fun", I simply tell them I have had more than my share of fun, its their turn!

LOL JV, your mention of the younger kids accusing you of getting old and never having fun made me chuckle a bit. I've had some of the same experiences with my nephew and such, and I just laugh and tell 'em pretty much what you did. And that I have accumulated more years of experience than they have in weeks.

I enjoyed reading over all the posts and memories...and thinking "yep, been there done that too!" Especially the ones which spoke of swearing "never again" the next morning at work...but then, blessed with the recuperative abilities of youth, ready to go out and do it again that night! LOL

[HillScoggin]

After working as a bouncer in a nightclub in Beaumont Texas called Cutters. I worked with Mark Chesnutt,Clay Walker and Tracy Byrd. Wife dated Clay in school even lol But anyway. After listening and dealing with all the noise,drunks, drugs, fights etc for so long I just lost interest altogether. Ive been in a club three times since 1992. That was for birthdays. Id rather get a few people over to the house, throw a pig in the ground and have a good ol time now