Karaoke Night at Bugger's Bar WC 340

Karaoke Night at Bugger’s Bar
WC 340

Karaoke night at Bugger’s Bar, back in the Seventies. Oh, how I remember it. I can still see my husband, God rest his soul, stumbling up onto the stage, grabbing the mic and singing that old Tom T Hall song, “I Like Beer.”

He would mess up the verses, but he would always hit the mark when he got to the chorus.

“I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow.”

He’d fake a hiccup. We’d laugh.

“I like beer, it helps me unwind and sometimes it makes me feel mellow.”

He’d encourage the crowd to sing in unison on the tagline, “Makes him feel mellow!”

He’d hiccup again and continue. We’d laugh again.

“Whiskey’s too rough, champagne costs a bunch, vodka puts my mouth in gear.”

And it did! Oh boy, did it ever. Couldn’t shut the guy up after a few.

“This little refrain should help me explain, as a matter of fact, I like beer…”

The funny thing was, my Louie hated beer. Vodka was his poison of choice.

It was so long ago, but every time I hear that song, I think about those days that we thought would never end. When he was up there singing that song, he was invincible, and all his cares drifted away. He had left the war behind him; but, as it turns out, it had not left him.

He was brave right up to the end, or pretty darn close, anyway. The last week, he even tried to sing “I Like Beer” when we reminisced. I applauded, in between tear wipes. One of the last things Louie did was smile up at me with that same grin he would get when he was on stage, holding that microphone.

Bugger’s Bar closed in the Nineties. Just as well, because without Louie up on that stage, Karaoke Night wouldn’t be any fun anyway. It’s now a Sprouts Farmers Market. They sell beer. He’d a get a kick out of that because that’s the kind of guy he was…my Louie.