I was delighted to find Bob’s Java Jive still alive and well. The building is a giant tea pot built during the 1920s when designing buildings to look like inanimate objects or animals was the rave. Over the years it’s been used as a drive-in and speakeasy. The Ventures played here and Northwest native Bing Crosby was rumored to have visited the place in its early days. For a time it featured go-go dancers. It has never been located in the best of neighborhoods, but that never stopped people from all walks of life from coming. During my college years in Tacoma, Bob’s was considered the dive bar to end all dive bars – decades before dive bars were chic.
We drove down there one afternoon last week only to find it was closed. We knocked on the front door and were delighted when the owners opened the doors. I mentioned this place used to be a favorite haunt and they let us inside, as if we belonged to a special fraternity. I looked around, took a deep breath, and was delighted to realize the place hadn’t changed much. A wave of memories flooded my brain. . .
My first visit was in 1982. A handful of us – donning Izod shirts and boat shoes – made our way inside to find a group of working class locals sitting around the horseshoe-shaped bar enjoying beers. The roof was low and covered with scraps of paper and trinkets that had been stapled there over the years. The walls were crowded with photos, paintings, newspaper clippings, and other trinkets. The designated leader of our group – the guy who’d been here before – lead us to an area in the back that had been added on. We found a small dance floor and elevated stage with a drum kit and organ. The heads of jungle animals wearing sunglasses protruded from the walls and hanging lights with plastic monkey face covers provided dim lighting. Black light bulbs illuminated hand painted, tropical-themed murals. The aroma was reminiscent of the local zoo and within moments I saw why – at the back of the room sat two live monkeys in a cage (Java and Jive). Before this could sink in, the juke box went off. Somebody had found the Ink Spot’s version of the song Java Jive. Our waitress – the ever-giggling Molly – rolled into the room dancing to the song. She asked us if we’d be ordering food – insisting Bob’s French fries were the best in town. I’d heard the food here wasn’t bad, yet knew I’d have to be totally shitfaced before I could eat here.
We ordered a couple of pitchers of Rainier and took a seat in the least-stained snakeskin-patterned vinyl booth. Molly delivered our beer and told us the entertainment would begin shortly. I detected beer on her breath. I felt like one of those teenagers in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and anticipated somebody bursting into the room wearing a leather mask. At the same time, the place excited me. It had a vibe that begged you to enjoy yourself. Some other people filed into the room and soon the entertainers took the stage. One of them bee-lined to the organ while the other smiled and chatted with the audience. He plopped down at his drum kit and the duet launched into the theme from Hawaii Five-O. An older couple immediately got up to dance and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the man whirled his lady friend ballroom style. The theme from Gilligan’s Island followed. The booths started filling up and by the time we finished our second round of pitchers a party was in full swing. Molly sat down at our booth and started giggling out of control. The only way to get rid of her was to order a round of French fries. A parade of TV themes followed. The organ and drums were belting out theTheme from Mannix as we noticed Molly navigating the active dance floor toward us. She balanced a giant platter of fries in one hand and two pitchers of beer in the other. We watched her – waited for her to trip, as if part of the show, but she successfully made it to our table. The pile of hot greasy fries nearly slipped onto the zebra-patterned Formica. She giggled and staggered away. We reluctantly sampled the fries then unanimously agreed they were good. Damn good in fact. We chomped in rhythm to the theme from Batman and thought about ordering another plate.
A stern-looking, older woman eventually appeared at our table. She reminded me of Cloris Leachman’s character in High Anxiety. “Ready for a hamburger?”
“Where’s Molly?” I asked. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Sure, bring us four.”
With the sound of the booming drums and surreal organ vibes, and amidst the aroma of Vitalis, White Shoulders, and fresh monkey shit, I bit into a hamburger and proceeded to enjoy one of the best nights of my college years.
Bob’s Java Jive has remained in the memories of many brave souls over the years. The place was briefly featured in Cameron Crow’s Say Anything as well as a handful of other movies. Years ago, about the same time I was in college somebody videotaped an interview with Bob himself along with one of the original Go Go dancers. It really captures the spirit of the place. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo2PUHPkU1Q