Eagle Bar

As I lay here at 2:11am, praying my brain would switch off and allow me to sleep, I decided to reboot the compute (Yes I did just rhyme that on purpose) and blog about my favourite watering hole, The Eagle Bar.

The Eagle Bar is located at LaTrobe University in Bundoora, and in 2009 (was about to say last year, but nope, stupid 2011) was where I got my groove on, and enjoyed some good nights, with much help from best mate. First week I lived in Melbourne, that Thursday I attended my first Eagle Bar, which happened to be O-Week. I don't think many stories came from that night, except sitting on the door drinking with my mate, for free.

Stories started to unfold a little later, like the time a mate and I talked up some girls, only to have them find me months later, or when a group of mates from Oaklands came up, we watched the Richmond vs Carlton game and went to Eagle Bar later, which turned out to be a good night. After Eagle Bar closing, a mate (Everyone is called "mate" as I try not to disclose names, for privacy reasons) took us around campus, when me and a (yep you guessed it) mate decided to get some food and head home. I tried stealing a bin lid from campus, don't ask me why, only to have my mate tell campus security, but they were cool about it because I gave it to them and had a chat.

While nights are memorable, not many are blog worthy, except maybe the night of the Air Guitar competition. Games like lip syncing, rock-paper-scissors (or paper-scissors-rock, or however you say it), air guitar and the like were legit competitions held at the bar. These had serious prizes such as trips to Queensland for the national championship, and I wanted a bar of this. Losing in the Semi-Finals of Rock-Paper-Scissors, I decided to try the next week at Air Guitar. And this is where our story begins....

Uni Night was held on a Thursday night, and I think, not 100% sure, but the previous Saturday may have been the day where I cracked my elbow in while playing Football, and was in a sling and ice for 4 days, until I had some small movement. This made me quite sad, because large crazy movements could not be performed, and that is what I was about. Now thinking about it, it may have been a week or so after, anywho, not importantish.

Always tagging along with my mate on the door, I developed a first-name basis with the bouncers, and with a couple other people who work there and know my mate. So arriving early, we learnt of a professional who had a costume and everything, so we decided I needed a 'thing'

The three of us on the door were developing a strategy, and we came up with a plan. I was to get the crowd involved with clapping, then take my t-shirt off and guitar away topless. I did this to my song of choice, 'Joker and the Thief' Wolf Mother, and got a magnificent response. This was just Round 1, and it was a 2 Round comp, so we needed to step it up if I was to go to Queensland...

There was only one thing we could think off to 'up it' from first round, and that was to strip down to my underwear. When it was my turn , I told the announcer I be back in a jiffy, keep the song playing, which was 'Sweet Home Alabama' and I ducked behind the boards, and proceeded to undress. It was rather difficult as my elbow limited movement, and took me longer than suspected, which I think got the announcer angry, but the crowd excited. Now for my first round, there was a fairly low crowd, due to the time of the night, however, Round 2 was performed later in the night in which the crowd grew larger. Finally down to my socks and jocks, I stepped out in front of a bar full of judgemental uni students, to a large roar and cheers and proceeded to air guitar, and even mooning the crowd at a point.

After everything was done, and the awards were given, I was heart broken to find out I did not place in the Top 3, and did not even win a hat. Distraught and upset, I decided to drink my problems away, for free, which helped. However, my antics were not over, with my mates talking to the bouncers to see if it was okay for me to walk around the bar pants down without getting in trouble. At the edge of the stage, ready for pants to come down, waiting for the green light, in the end it wouldn't be allowed in case the owner viewed the tapes and saw it. The bouncers were all for it, and was keen for it to happen, but did not want to risk their jobs. Throughout the night I had handshakes, high-fives and comments and being asked if I was the naked guitarist,

Those who follow this blog via my facebook, the video is on my profile for viewing, check it out if you dare. Anyone who follows and don't know me, I might upload the video later in the future when I can get my hands on the footage.

Eagle Bar has been good to me, and I good to it. It has saw me be a pleb and get slapped in the face, seated, repeated, and saw me decked out in a full green costume. I styled it up at the Sensation party and handled the glow sticks (which I later got in trouble for my performance), and also snagging a free 6-pack of UDL's just for staying back and helped clean up. I longed for LaTrobe Uni in Wodonga to have a Eagle Bar, but all they can produce is The Hanger, and they don't even have a weekly uni night! Oh Eagle Bar, you have set the 'bar' high for the rest of uni bars, and I think I will never find a place just like you, oh how I miss thee.



From The One They Call Anthony, This Is The Life & Times