There is something quite remarkable about Razing the Bar, the new documentary about the dive bar/rock club the Funhouse that closed for good on Halloween 2012. Since watching a screener of the film a few months ago, it has never strayed too far from the forefront of my thoughts.
There’s a quote from Bill Cerise-Bullock (who I know casually dating back to when we were both writers for Three Imaginary Girls and who played in a handful of bands, including Glenn or Glennda?, the Misfits tribute band that closed the final Funhouse show) where he said something about Seattle liking to take credit for its rock history (Nirvana, Heart, Jimi Hendrix, etc…) but not wanting to put in the work to let musicians flourish. And that’s true. Being a supporter of music in Seattle means much more than just writing a check to the Vera Project, posing for a photo with Macklemore, and having some Mother Love Bone mp3s on your iPod. Or at least it should if you want it to continue to flourish.
The Funhouse is a prime example because the importance of preserving a dive bar with a creepy clown on top of it, sitting on prime real estate across from Seattle Center, is always a tough sell at City Hall hearings, especially when the alternative is developer dollars to build condos no one we know can afford.
I estimate that about 40% of the bands I’ve seen at the Funhouse could be charitably called “not terrible” and the restrooms looked like they were imported directly from a war zone. But there also wasn’t any other place in Seattle like it. In Razing the Bar, Kurt Bloch (of the Fastbacks fame) called it a “breeding ground for creativity.” Hundreds of bands got their first gig inside the Funhouse, and just about every musician interviewed in Razing the Bar spoke of owner Brian Foss paying them more than they come to expect from other clubs.
Music venues come and go, and even great ones can’t last forever. And people can always find a new place to hang out, but I think Razing the Bar makes a strong case for what made the Funhouse such a unique place, and why it is likely irreplaceable. It’s not a small feat to pull off making a movie that basks in nostalgia for an institution to its insiders (in this case: regulars) without failing to make its point to someone coming to the film anew. Even harder is to make a film about something that is punk rock without getting the opinion of Hank Rollins in there somewhere. Well done, Ryan Worsely.
But at least once the condos that replaced the Funhouse are built, the new residents at 5th and John will only have a short walk to Key Arena for their Macklemore and Pearl Jam shows.
{Razing the Bar plays at the Grand Illusion Friday, July 11-Thursday, July 17.}
