In 2007 at the Keys Cafe in downtown Minneapolis, my pal Jon Austin asked Bruce Benidt and me to contribute to an ensemble blog Jon was calling The Same Rowdy Crowd. I was reluctant. The opening harumph of my inaugural post captures my sunny mood at the time.
I hate blogs. Self-centered., self-righteous, self-reinforcing, and self-promotional. self-gratification. Seldom right, but never in doubt. I’ve never posted on one, and only read when forced by a friend or client.
So why did I agreed to do this? They bought me beer. Lots of it.
I guess I do need a primal scream about the state of the world, and this is cheaper than a therapist. Anyway, it’s not like anyone is actually going to read it.
So, there. Now I officially blog. But I’m not a blogger. Those guys are freaks.
But over 1,700 posts later, I must admit ich bin ein blogger. I am proud to have been a small part of the Crowd’s long-running rowdiness.
Just as not every cocktail party conversation is enlightening, not every SRC conversation was a thing of beauty. But to my surprise, many kinda were. Many made me refine or better support my shallow opinions. Lots of them made me laugh out loud to myself. A few even made me think about the world differently. I appreciated every one of those gifts.
Maintaining a reasonably fresh blog is one hell of a slog, and the Same Rowdy Crowd party hosts finally ran out of steam. Like other parties of my misspent youth, the SRC’s 7-year rager left me with dead brain cells, new friends and foggy but fond memories that I will always cherish.
Twenty-four thousand comments later, the Crowd is dead. Long live the Crowd.
– Loveland
Did you just call yourself a jelly donut?
At any rate, you were one of the best parts of the Crowd. Wasn’t that a party.
Twas a good party. Glad you were part of it. Now I think I have to support Hillary to get back in your good graces from ’08.
I was delighted to come across a website named after a phrase in one of David Bromberg’s rowdier songs. Seven years is a good run.
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Yep, Bromberg’s song was in fact what founding father Austin had in mind.
The name also turned out to be prophetic. “Same?” Yes, it was largely the same dozen or so people who commented. “Rowdy?” Yes, many days decorum was in question. “Crowd?” That’s in the eye of the beholder, but we sure had more readers than I ever thought we would.