B:iNS absurdity of the week. The England Rocks website, presumably set up by the Tourist Board to pick out locations where important moments of musical history occurred to which folk might like to make a pilgrimage (such as Nick Drake's grave in Tanworth), has included Saramoons in their listing because Duran Duran were formed there.
Now, I'm not one to pass judgments on pubs - some of my favourite boozers over the years would come under the description "dodgy" - but Saramoons, found on Dale End by the 33/34 bus stop, is possibly the scariest fucking pub in central Birmingham. No, I've never ventured inside but I used to spend a long time at that stop waiting for the last bus to Kingstanding so I've seen what spills out. While I'm sure the regulars love it, and variety is something to be cherished in pubs, it's not somewhere I'd knowingly send a tourist.
So if someone who looks like that had a major crush on Nick Rhodes 20 years ago asks you where Saramoons is, make sure you do the right thing.
Now, I'm not one to pass judgments on pubs - some of my favourite boozers over the years would come under the description "dodgy" - but Saramoons, found on Dale End by the 33/34 bus stop, is possibly the scariest fucking pub in central Birmingham. No, I've never ventured inside but I used to spend a long time at that stop waiting for the last bus to Kingstanding so I've seen what spills out. While I'm sure the regulars love it, and variety is something to be cherished in pubs, it's not somewhere I'd knowingly send a tourist.
So if someone who looks like that had a major crush on Nick Rhodes 20 years ago asks you where Saramoons is, make sure you do the right thing.
3 Comments:
i've been meaning to write something expanding on this - it's mad. Now I like Saramoons, I've been a semi-regular visitor in my time - especially after Blues games when on my way back into town - but Saramoons is, how shall we put it this way, erm.. "intimindating" to the uninitiated.
Most people will only know of it from the arguments they overhear while waiting for a 33, or some some horror story told, probably by someone who's not actually been in there themselves.
Bizarrely the England Rocks! website suggests that you might enjoy a Pino Grigio in there, good luck with that one. Visitors to the Barton Arms might also be diaapointed to find it doesn't really play on the Sabbath connections - i thought Ozzy always used to drink the the Crown & Cushion or the Beeches anyway.
The cilentelle that sticks in my mind is the old single man who's been into the market in the morning for his weekly veg shop and how's popped in for a swift half before getting the bus home. Come five or six at might they're heady on dark mild and slurring while spilling runner beans and swedes all over the floor from their carrier bags. Come to think of it, maybe that's John Taylor.
Another level of absurdity to this is that Duran Duran were all about escapism. I can understand a UB40 fan, say, wanting to get into the gritty realism of urban living but surely Duranies would rather be on a yacht sailing down a river through that dusty land?
That said, this sheds a significant amount of light on why they wanted to escape in the first place...
When this was the Hole in the Wall I often ventured in before a Blues game. I have no idea what a Pino Grigio is but I think its a good bet you won't get one in there.
I also used to drink in there occasionally when Duran Duran were young wankers and I can assure you that had any of them ventured into this place in those days in those get ups they would have been very lucky (and the rest of us unlucky) to have got out alive.
I do love the idea that the place can become a tourist attraction to the sad losers who were the original fans. It's a little like the attempts to cash in on the Tolkien thing down the Prince of Wales!
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