El Pollos Choza in Hello

The Chicken Shack

The fucking Chicken Shack

On a recent adventure I go to take a drive to an industrial part of town that I’ve only been to a handful of times. Real late at night. When drunk.

I never drove to said destination but was always brought there. On a seedy back road a ways down from the main highway and industrial complex, lies a place of local myth. If you’re there…odds are you’re drunk, on drugs, or both. A place where the house band played till four AM, where smoking a joint at sunrise with a stranger is your night cap, where you’re ordered from a friend a Three Wisemen…and never remember the nights you slam down that toxic concoction…yes, I’m talking about the all night dive, The Chicken Shack.

If there was ever a bastion for alcoholism and/or bad decisions at three AM, it is this place. The first time I was taken there was back in ‘07 when I went with Stevie and Jew. I was drinking with them plus Stevie’s then girlfriend, Jamie. It was late, the booze was running low and Jamie had to be home. Stevie took her home and the way back stopped by his place to pick up half a bottle of tequila. We drank that down in a manner of two shots each and by now it was past two AM, I had been up since seven the previous morning for work and had been partying with them since that night. Looking back I can’t recall just WHO said lets go there but they both talked me into it with a promise that we’d be back by four, five at the latest. Yeah, sure.

When we got there some band was playing, there were a scant few people at a pool table, even fewer at the bar and a guy running security that Jew ended up quoting Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with for the rest of the night. I was told several stories about this place from various sources and was really not that impressed. It was bigger than a few places, enough for some pool tables, an obvious dance floor/stage set up for a band to play. I really can’t remember too much of that night seeing Jew got me to have a Three Wisemen…I remember sunrise while smoking with another patron…getting lost at one point and ending up near a river…then them waking me up outside of my house at seven AM. I stumbled my way into the house, down the hall to my room and slept the day away.

Another night was with Jew, Ben and I. Again, already drinking. It was Ben’s first time. Again…a Three Wisemen was ordered and…well…that’s all she wrote for that night.

The only other night of going there I can recall was just Jew and I. This guy was my drinking buddy for about three years. We could match each other beer for beer, shot for shot, and drug for drug. Ultimately it was me who actually woke up one day and distanced myself from the guy. This is one of those times where I was still oblivious of dumbass actions. We ended up at an ATM and smoking crack in the bar. Yes, we smoked crack. First and only time I ever did. In my, poor mind you, defense, the bartender told us he had coke. Well he did…crack cocaine. No hard drink that night, just some very bad drug use in the bar behind locked doors. We ended up going home around sunrise-ish again. I know the sun was out and morning traffic was on the highway.

I think of all the shenanigans I used to get into and wonder how the hell I’m still alive some days. I’m told there is a purpose for life, I hope so. Last I heard about Jew is he was ever much a drunk as we were then. In fact he was caught shooting up again and his mom had enough and kicked him out. The guy is smart and has no filter so just says whatever comes to his mind. Sometimes foul, sometimes funny. I just wish that guy would have gotten his shit together. We hated each other in high school over a woman but that ended up bringing us together in the end only my rationale that I’d be dead now if I was still with him drove me away from that life. Last time I hung out with him was February 18th into 19th, 2011. I only know that because it was my birthday when I left his house and I ended up stoned at IHOP for pancakes.

But I digress, I’m glad all that shit is behind me now.

Onward, ho!