Slog - Comments on The End of Thumper's http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers Re-bar's not the only legendary gay landmark headed for the exit. Thumper's, the grand old gay restaurant/piano bar at 15th and Madison on Seattle's Capitol Hill, is closing its doors after 21 years. Thumper's final night will be next Saturday, October 21. The next-to-last-night—Friday Oct 20—brings "a gala evening of cabaret," featuring such talents and Thumper's mainstays Arnaldo!, Charles Baker, Ruby Bishop, Jeannette D'Armand, Mikel Poulsen, the Boys from Gaydar Productions, Cheryl Serio, and Marcus Wolland, with proceeds benefitting the gay/straight youth chorus Diverse Harmony. The email announcing the benefit came with a press release laying out Thumper's backstory, and... Copyright 2008 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:21:27 -0800 Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:36:32 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by tomasyalba What a valedictory! Lived here my whole life and never set foot inside. Shortly after it opened, rumor had Thumpers packed with grampapas of the aspiring class, plus the odd Maple Valley chicken delighted by the term "video bar" and intrigued by the sugar daddy idea. I occasionally would wonder if the coming year would find me mature enough to seek the company of poor-spelling sentimentalists around a "real log fire." I waited too long, girls. Carpe fuckin' diem.

]]> tomasyalba http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475929 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475929 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:19:36 -0800 Comment by Catalina Vel-DuRay Boy, that press release is trying to do a lot, isn't it? I thank my lucky stars for rhetoric class at the University of Iowa, which taught us hayseeds how to compose a paragraph. (more or less ;-)

As far as Thumpers goes, too bad. It was always a nice place for a drink, and I always loved the smell of the fireplace when walking by on a cold night. I knew that both it and Dave's Appliance were slated for redevelopment, but I didn't know it was coming that quickly.

]]> Catalina Vel-DuRay http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475932 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475932 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:32:56 -0800 Comment by Jack Nice place. Great view, slow pace, decent drinks. Pleasant patio, parking.

And the owners are a couple of nice guys, Nathan and Steve, helping a variety of non profits.

About ten years ago, i helped collect money for Hands Off Washington, and we did a tour of all the bars with buckets. At Thumpers, the owners put their check for 500.00 in the bucket. I was impressed.

Classy place, classy people. Will be missed.

To above -- What the screw does age have to do with anything? Oh, I forgot, some gay men are always boys, even with grey and wrinkles. Sad.

]]> Jack http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475936 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475936 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:37:49 -0800 Comment by yeah Yeah, it's their lash hurrah. Let'em have their day.

]]> yeah http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475939 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475939 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:50:59 -0800 Comment by Explorer The Dina Martina brunches at Thumper's will be cold-sorely missed.

]]> Explorer http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475943 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c475943 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:58:38 -0800 Comment by Geni I'll always have a fond memory of Thumper's - it was the first place where I ever got felt up by a girl.

I won't miss it nearly as much as the Timberline, but still, it's a teensy bit sad.

]]> Geni http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476004 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476004 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:58:24 -0800 Comment by Omar Hernandez I wish to thank Thumpers for always extending a warm welcome to the members of the Seattle Men's Chorus. A great place to grab a drink, some food and good chat after our Monday night rehearsals. Thanks once again and yes you will be so missed!

]]> Omar Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476061 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476061 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:00:56 -0800 Comment by Gitai Can I call on the wealthier fags in this town to open up a couple bars to make up for recent losses? I really miss the Timberline, and while I only went to Thumpers as part of Pike/Pine bar crawls, I rather enjoyed wandering in and seeing gay men in tuxes flirting with twinks in mesh shirts.

]]> Gitai http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476081 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476081 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:01:25 -0800 Comment by Donald Jenny Good bye old friends! It saddens me to see the only decent place to have a drink an/or dinner and a show go away! After being here only 6 years in Seattle, Thumpers became one of my favorite spots to start and finish the evening.I only hope someone else takes up the ball and opens another alternative to Thumpers! With all the friendly staff, good drinks and food and wonderful live entertainment!!and of course, a little drama too! :)

]]> Donald Jenny http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476122 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476122 City Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:45:06 -0800 Comment by Axel - the rod Well, we were warned the the writing was bad, but through its sentimentality, grammar errors, run-on sentences and multi-topic paragraphs, the point is made. It is an over-the-top remembrance though. Don't forget all the bouts of hepatitis coming at the hands of chefs who'd spent the previous night fisting someone and forgot to clean under his nails, only to have those tiny fecal scraps fall out into your nicoise. Oh well, it was kind of like Cabaret -bad drinks, scary food and a damn good time. Marge was the highlight for me. How I enjoyed it when she and her handsome son Jim would join us for a pre-performance martini or three. All's forgiven, and these aged eyes watch yet another memorable spot become but another memory.

]]> Axel - the rod http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476435 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476435 City Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:03:26 -0800 Comment by Me Yeah!!! I remember the few times I stopped by for less than 30 min, and felt harrased by the old drunk men. Everything changes for good in this world, it is about time that seattle changes too!

]]> Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476926 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476926 City Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:38:29 -0800 Comment by Someone Sad - But Not Surprised By The Bitchy Vitriol I'm not shocked by what I read here in The Stranger's "Slog" or "Post a Cowardly Comment" columns.
Leave it to most queens to immediately bring up all the things that were "wrong" with this Seattle institution.
News Flash - they survived 20-plus years in this community. That's quite an accompliishmend.
How many of your "trendy", "image", "scene" bars and clubs are still going strong? Think about that for a while. You'd be surprised that the places with the longest track records are most likely the places where you never even pass on the same side of the street.
Sad - Sad - Sad. The internett has done so much good for our community BUT it has also spawned an entire generation of cowardly finger-pointers, nay-sayers and some of the most hateful things that I have ever read about people and places they didn't honestly know anything about other than "tele-graph-tele-phone-tell-a-fag" bitterness which continues to keep this community at odds with each other.
Cowards - plain and simple. No guilt or responsibility for what they way or how it affects those it is hurled upon.
ON a personal note - I will miss the venue immensely. I also realize that there comes a time with every bar owner then it's time to move on to the next phase of their life. I praise them for all the tireless work done for the Community - not for show - but because it was the right thing to do.
Brava Thumpers! As I've learned over the years losing many friends to alphabet diseases - no one, nor no place will never truly be entirely gone as long as those with the stories keeps sharing with those who never knew or those too young to realize what cocktail culture was originally like in the gay and lesbian community.
Thank for letting me vent - but the mind-set of an anonymous guilt and responsibility free attack needs to end.
Thanks for listening.
Yours Sincerely -
The Queen The Stranger Loves to Kick Around -
Mr. Mark "Mom" Finley

]]> Someone Sad - But Not Surprised By The Bitchy Vitriol http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476946 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c476946 City Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:13:34 -0800 Comment by Justin Badonkadonk i will miss this place greatly, Rob is one of the beest bartenders ever. Thumpers has great service and whenever i go in there then its i get the special treament, there won't ever be a place like it ever ever. i don't like seeing this place close.

]]> Justin Badonkadonk http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c477117 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c477117 City Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:46:48 -0800 Comment by michael strangeways wow, between this and rebar, our beloved dina martina will have no where to perform...

i didn't go here often, but the outdoor patio was sweet..

is the building being torn down? at this rate, you won't recognize capitol hill..all the old buildings will be gone; replaced by the empty banality of modernista condos and chain stores...ugh..

]]> michael strangeways http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c477239 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c477239 City Tue, 17 Oct 2006 09:24:44 -0800 Comment by fireplace mantles fireplace mantles

]]> fireplace mantles http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c478046 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/10/the_end_of_thumpers#c478046 City Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:36:32 -0800