While in Champaign at the University of Illinois, Aidan and I decided to stop at one of our favorite places to buy alcohol. Booze Liquors. That’s it. That’s the name. Booze Liquors with a sign above the door that said just that but in between the “Booze” and the “Liquor” was a characterization of a drunk man in a top hat with a big shiny red nose. Our old friend Kentoff still worked there. But now he ran the place. We knew Kentoff from making beer runs there in college. His dad, who owned the store, died six months ago and left it to Kentoff. We tried to shorten “Kentoff” to “Ken” but he would have none of it. Sometimes we would call him…
Essays, Interviews, Observations, Pop Culture, Stories, and other Dodginess
Posts by Liffey
Been taking a break writing and editing the book, and took a break from that by visiting Panama City Beach with Mosquito (featured on this site in various posts and also in the book). That pic above was taken from the balcony of our hotel room. Panama City Beach – only about a 13 hour drive from Chicago. Quickest way to the ocean by vehicle from the city. Often referred to as the Redneck Riveria, here is Urban Dictionary’s definition: The most beautiful beaches in the world. Sugar white sand, gently washed by an azure sea. Home of the best spring breaks, water parks for the kids, tattoo parlors, beer joints, crab shacks, burger barns and tee shirt boutiques. Plus more beach trash and trinkets…
I visited Louisville a few weeks ago. The last time I was there several years prior our band U.K. Grief played a show at a dive bar that goes unremembered. But it was where we debuted a new song there, “Pretty Little Johnny.” We went bar hopping after the show and discovered The Louisville Hugger. She was about the age of Courtney Cox when “Friends” ended and wore a brown leather jacket, loose green pants and blue heels. Long scraggily brown hair covered the parts of her face that weren’t already hidden by large sunglasses. She called herself The Louisville Hugger. She would go around offering free hugs. She had one of those little Louisville Slugger souvenir bats they give you at the end…
The Dodgy 