'The Roar of L'Amour'

THE L'AMOUR CONNECTION TO THE ALIBI INN (STATEN ISLAND) AND THE CHUCK KAYE HAIR CLUB FOR MEN AND THE LEGEND OF BIG SAL.

Taken from Facebook

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On Staten Island, there was a biker-ish bar called The Alibi Inn in Pleasant Plains

It was located closer to Outerbridge and NJ than Verrazano and Brooklyn

In early 1985, before being "biker" was cool for bands to assimilate, I was brought there one night by my closest L'Amour buddy Big Sal.

I abhor "stolen valor" and I don't claim to have ever rode and I never bought any Harley merchandise to look cool, but I always got along incredibly well with that vibe.

Big Sal would pick me up and drive me to/from L'Amour in late 84/85.

One slow Thursday, the venue closed earlier than usual and Sal suggested we go out for a drink.

He explained I might get "tested" but just to be myself and I will fit in.

The staff and SI regulars were never an issue; they would bust balls but in a fun way and as a ballbuster I love that

The issues were how close It was to NJ and how NJ bars would be closed by 2am, so drunk Jersey crews would pile into cars to drive to The Alibi Inn to keep drinking and partying. It was their "after hours".

I walk in with Sal, and I immediately see Michael Altini who I knew from The Factory and Twisted Sister. Mike had a similar look to Tony Geary (Luke from General Hospital) and that was huge in the early 80s and I would watch girls freak out and hit on him and crack up.

Mike was always awesome and was talking with the legendary Mo Corrigan the female cook.

Mo would work from 11-8pm (or so ..? I was never there that early) and stay until the bar closed and then some.

Mo was a fn character and greeted me with a loud, drunk "who the fuck is this?'

Mo was a big, tough, Irish broad in every sense and here comes a 22-year-old RnR looking guy with "metal" hair and immediately thought I was a target.

She followed up with "Are you wearing any fuckin hairspray, if so, get the f out?"

For those that don't know, I was born in Hell's Kitchen in the 60s and my family were Westies.

I knew the drinking Irish broad language well.

I said, "no hairspray for me" and she said good and then imitating a flamboyant hairdresser I added "just a lil mousse" and fluffed my hair.

She looked so confused and I followed with ... well actually it's moose cum and it makes my curls fuller

There was dead silence, like an EF Hutton TV commercial and in typical Mo fashion she caught on 10 seconds later and cracked up.

Next up is Evelyn owner/bartender. She ask, "who is the good-looking rockstar?"  - she drank behind the bar, her drunk vision, not my view of myself and proceeded to pour a shot for me and put it between her ample cleavage and buried my head in it and said "drink".

After getting my head out of her cleavage I get a tap on the shoulder and its Caveman. Cave was a guy named Frank Cavano who I knew from Eltingville.  He lived around the corner from where I hung out in 75-79 and remembered me.

He was the bouncer and laughed that I was there, because he said he always liked me but thought my friends were goofball.

I never felt more at home in a bar in my life and had a new hangout.

For the next 4 years, I would be there once or twice a week consistently and start bringing friends and L'Amour staff there

Sal told me to be smart about who I bring there from L'Amour because that was his hangout and I did.

One night in 86, I bring a few "poser" looking guys there, it was a slow Monday night so I figured it would be easier than a packed night.

We were already drunk and my buddy Anthony Monti (a tough neighborhood Brooklyn type) was with me and we walk in.

Me first ... hey it's Chuck.

Then Monti ... hey its John Gotti

Then 3 drunk, stick figure posers and Mo blurts out ... It's the Chuck Kaye Hair Club For Men

The 20 or so in the bar were in hysterics ... it was my fav line of the era

Evelyn runs over and poured shots, and we continued our drunkfest.

I think one guy started with Monti, but he handled it, but the best was a guy went up to one and said something like "look it's Cher" and JJ responded with "your just jealous I am hotter than your girlfriend" and the guy looked him up and down and said "sadly you are right" and they laughed and partied all night.

It was that type of bar

The scene didn’t have the abundance of Hairspray Harley types yet.

Alibi was a blue-collar bar where you got drunk and busted balls and if you needed party extras they were there.

I never got fd with, but weirdly enough Big Sal would.

Idiots from NJ would get there at 2am drunk out of their mind and because they were 5 plus in numbers thought the bar was theirs.

Most were wannabe types and maybe in their local bar, they were tough, but in The Alibi once you got past Caveman, it was Big Sal that was the man.

One night 5 drunk douchebags come in and can't find a place to sit and see Sal and say something about him getting his fat ass up so they can all sit ... yep, they are wannabes because they had no idea of Sal's pedigree.

It escalated to the point where it went outside. Sal had plenty of friends, but I swear he didn't need any of us because 20 seconds later it was over ...

Sal 5

Wannabes 0

No lie

No exaggeration

Over the years I would bring guys from White Lion, Overkill, LnO and others there and everyone loved them.

A lot of guys were following the trend of turning in their spandex and Capezio's for a tougher look ... I blame the Girls, Girls, Girls video ... heck even Poison had Harleys.

Every Thursday when I had my AYI nights at L'Amour, the Alibi would be where we went after

It was tradition.

Some would bus it back to Brooklyn at 4am, some would crash on my floor in Mom's house, but everyone loved the no frills vibe

It was what appealed to people about L'Amour and about my era.

Very blue collar, very Noo Yawk and ballbusting all night.

Mo told me once that she expected to hate all my friends but loved them and asked me to meet her younger brother who was a 18-year-old metalhead guitarist and look out for him.

I said sure and in walks this 6'5" guy with longer hair than me and he looked like a pro wrestler.

He was intimidating but the nicest guy I ever met but very shy.

Sadly Tommy (who became my best friend) died in a car accident after driving someone home at 5am because they were drunk.

He was completely sober, and I miss him to this day ... RIP TOMMY

RIP SAL AND CAVEMAN

RIP TO MY FAVORITE BAR EVER.

RIP TO A GREAT SCENE

The Alibi got a little trendy for me around 89, but that happens.

But 85-88, were some awesome memories.

Cops stalking out my Firebird waiting to see my drive home, because I had no license (I slept at the owners across the street until shift change)

Finding a guy that ratted out some Alibi regulars, drinking in an after-hours and ... well ... my knuckles were legit busted.

Going in a limo with Big Joe Larsen and another unnamed bouncer.

It was a beat-up limo but it still seemed weird to have in the parking lot.

Getting James from White Lion an Alibi Inn tee to wear on stage at MSG (he didn't, long story).

Overkill tell Mo that the song Fatal if Swallowed was now dedicated to her.

CHEERS TO ALL THAT WENT

ALL THAT SAT AT THE BIG ROUND TABLE WITH SAL

ALL THAT DID SHOTS FROM BETWEEN BOOBS

Great fn times combining L'Amour, the staff, clientele and The Alibi Inn

Chuck Kaye

Ah Yes Indeed

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