Duff's Alcohol Abuse Center - NYC (Part 1)

They say to never meet your heroes, which is something I've heard a lot in my life, so naturally I was a little hesitant to finish, what had turned out to be the best year of my life (to date) with a night on the cans at Duff's in the Big Apple. I've been to a lot of countries, sailed a few seas, played some incredible gigs, met some lifelong friends, progressed up the ladder in my career so when I was asked to join a mate on a quick weekend in NYC I jumped at the opportunity.

For anyone who's read this bollocks all year, you'd know it's been one for the ages, and I want to take a moment to say cheers to y'all for continuing along this rambunctious alcohol, gig, flight filled journey of utter debauchery. I truly don't know how I kept up with it. I hadn't been to New York City since Crashdïet played Websters Hall in 2012, but a mate of mine, who's somehow racked up more stamps in their passport than me this year, was keen as to board the first flight of day and act as my tour guide though the concrete jungle. My only prerequisite in coming was that we saw the Rockefeller Tree & spent an evening at the iconic Duff's Alcohol Abuse Center I'd heard so much about over the years. The tree was frankly a disappointment, it's just a tree surrounded by thousands of cunts grabbing selfies and lining up for hours on end in the frigid temperatures for the latest pop up store some wanker online made a TikTok about. This is how I know I'm getting old, when I can't be naffed with a crowd or a dimly lit tree. Perhaps its better at night? I'll never know.

That Crashdïet show was incredible though, The Savage Playground era, Wildstreet opened, Simon on vocals, Eric still behind the skins, between that record & Generation Wild, easily my favourite time period of that band. I do wish I saw them in the RIS era, nothing can knokk that first record, so raw, so pure, such a shame Dave passed on. I met his mum once in Camden Town back in the old country at another Dïet show years earlier, but that's a different story we can delve into at a later date. Thankfully our timing on coming to NYC couldn't have been better as it was mere moments before the Donald would retake office with his band of misguided oligarchs. "Tearing down statue season: volume 2" was upon us. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, I think we can agree the guys a full blown bogan in through and out. 

The Don aside, further thanks has to be given to my mate on this trip because given my heavily documented lack of planning and "go with the flow attitude" I gave him full reign to book whatever dinners and shows he wanted, and I tell ya, Steveo absolutely smashed it. We'll dive into that a little further in part 2 of this nonsense, but let me just say that Bad Roman was without a doubt the best steak I've ever eaten in my life and truly worth the invoice. After we smashed a mean feed at Bernie's and a pint at some random bar with the worlds most miserable barman, we headed over to Duff's for night one of our NYC Dive Bar Tour and let me say, Duff's did not disappoint. 

Buried in a basement in the ass end of Williamburg Brooklyn, this unsuspecting metal bar is perfection from top to bottom. It's poorly lit, crammed with memorabilia and weird shit on the tele, we were greeted by Priest on the loud speaker and a couple cold PBR's at the bar. You could spend a month of Sundays just looking though all the signed snares skins cloaked on the walls from the worlds best metal bands who have graced this place, from Kerry King & Dave Lombardo to Mayhem & of course Lemmy "The Godfather" Kilmister, you name 'em, they've drank here. 

I would easily rate Duff's in my top 5 dives I've ever been too. Between Duff's, Frankie's, Vaterland & Lemmy, you'd be hard pressed to drink at a better bar. Everyone here seems to be someone, the atmosphere is electric, it's as if Jimmy; the owner of this fine establishment garnished a wasabi with dynamite, and it's exactly what a rock n roll dive bar needs to be. To use an American-ism for any Yanks reading this, Duff's is to rock bars what spaghetti is to meatballs, a match made is heaven, aka perfection.  

6/6.