First Avenue: The first time we met, you were introduced as “This is Brad. He makes things go.”
Brad: That was a while ago, but sure.
FA: How long have you been working here?
B: At least ten years.
FA: What was your first show?
B: My first show working was Korn (@korn_official). It was my first shift and they brought us in an hour before doors, handed us all a black t-shirt—they used to hire in classes back then. There were probably a dozen of us, they walked us all around, showed us the trouble light system, explained “You’re floor…” and then they put me in the moshpit.
FA: And?
B: My glasses were broken in the first half hour.
FA: So you mostly took it as a job to begin with, not because of the place being a draw?
B: Well, the place was a draw for me, the punk rock culture of it. But no, not as a fan. Strangely enough I’m in this industry but I don’t really go out much. I’m more a neighborhood bar guy. I work very early in order to make the place ready, and I’m not particularly well behaved by nature, so… staying out late makes what I have to do very hard. I take it pretty easy in order to get my gig done.
FA: Don’t you have an art degree?
B: Correct. I have a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Sculpture.
FA: How’d you end up doing this?
B: I knew a guy, and I liked working in the bar business.
FA: Do you really see this as the bar business?
B: It was when I started. Throughout my entire night staff career I was the guy who could fix stuff, so I did a lot of maintenance through that too. It just kind of steadily built up from there.
FA: It’s funny… Nothing’s really ever complete around here, is it?
B: Not really. At at the end of the day, stuff just wears out. Eighty years is about what you get out of iron pipes, apparently.
***
You probably won’t run into Brad but if you do, the secret to winning him over is to buy his dog, P.Nut, a cheeseburger… no really.
